Anatoly Ilyich Bibilov ( os, Бибылты Ильяйы фырт Анатолий, Bibylty Iljajy fyrt Anatolij; , russian: Анато́лий Ильи́ч Биби́лов; born 6 February 1970) is a Russian and

South Ossetia South Ossetia, ka, სამხრეთი ოსეთი, ( , ), officially the Republic of South Ossetia – the State of Alania, is a partially recognised landlocked state in the South Caucasus. It has an officially stated popula ...

n military officer, was the 4th

President of South Ossetia The president of the Republic of South Ossetia ( os, Хуссар Ирыстоны президент, russian: Президент Южной Осетии) is the ''de facto'' head of state of the partially recognized Republic of South Ossetia ...

. He succeeded Leonid Tibilov as president on 21 April 2017 to 24 May 2022, following his election victory, but was defeated by

Alan Gagloev Alan Eduardovich Gagloev ( os, Гаглойты Эдуарды фырт Алан, Gaglojty Edwardy fyrt Alan; russian: Алан Эдуардович Гаглоев; born 6 February 1981), also transliterated as Gagloyev, is a South Ossetian poli ...

in the 2022 election.

Biography

Bibilov was born in the South Ossetian AO of the

Georgian SSR The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (Georgian SSR; ka, საქართველოს საბჭოთა სოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა, tr; russian: Грузинская Советская Соц� ...

in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

.The new head of South Ossetia, Bibilov: From peacemaker to President
Chelorg, 10 April 2017. After eight grade he went to a boarding school in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

with intensive military and physical training, thereafter he joined the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School. After graduating, Bibilov was distributed to the

76th Guards Air Assault Division , image = Great emblem of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division.svg , image_size = 200 , caption = Great emblem of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division , dates = 1 September 1939 – present , country = ...

. His division was included in the consolidated battalion of peacekeepers in South Ossetia. Subsequently he joined the South Ossetian Army, commanding a special forces unit. Between the period 1998-2008 he rejoined the peacekeeping forces, this time in a

North Ossetia North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north' ...

battalion. Bibilov took an active part in the 2008 South Ossetian war, organizing the defence of one of the districts of Tskhinvali against the Georgian Armed Forces.

Politics

In October 2008 he was appointed Minister of Emergency Situations of South Ossetia. Bibilov was the presidential candidate for the Unity Party in the South Ossetian presidential election, 2011. He won the first round, but lost the runoff to Alla Dzhioyeva. Soon however, the parliament of

declared the elections invalid. Leonid Tibilov was ultimately elected president after winning the

South Ossetian presidential election, 2012 Presidential elections were held in South Ossetia on 25 March 2012, with a second round on 8 April. The election selected the first president since the country gained partial international recognition. Background The date was set by the parl ...

, which Bibilov did not participate in. In June 2014 he was elected as the president of the parliament of South Ossetia. He is currently the head of the United Ossetia party, which nominated him for their candidate to the

South Ossetian presidential election, 2017 Presidential elections were held in South Ossetia on 9 April 2017 alongside a referendum on changing the official name of the state to "Republic of South Ossetia–the State of Alania", or "South Ossetia–Alania" for short. Incumbent President ...

. Bibilov won the election in the first round by getting 54.8% of the vote and took office as the 4th president of South Ossetia on 21 April 2017. During his inauguration, delegations from the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: cities' alternative names), is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine loc ...

and Lugansk People's Republics and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

were present. 2020 Moscow Victory Day Parade 065

Bibilov supports South Ossetia joining Russia, and has called for a referendum on the issue. Bibilov was defeated by Alan Gagloyev in the 2022 election.

Sanctions

In September 2015, he was included in the sanctions list of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

. Bibilov was recognized as a person who creates "real and/or potential threats to national interests, national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine." Bibilov probably fell under this definition because of repeated visits to the unrecognized DPR and LPR, as well as to Crimea.

Awards

Uatsamonga Order The Uatsamonga Order (, russian: Орден «Уацамонга») is a state award of South Ossetia. It was established in 2007. As of February 2015, it has no legislative support. In 2010, the Union of Knights of the Order was formed. The order ...

(2008, South Ossetia) * Order of Friendship (1 September 2011, Russia) * Order of the Umayyads 1st Class (2018, Syria)

Personal life

He is married with four children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bibilov, Anatoly 1970 births Living people Ossetian politicians People from Tskhinvali Russian military personnel Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School alumni South Ossetian military personnel South Ossetian independence activists Presidents of South Ossetia