Ruslan Ismailovich Balbek (russian: Руслан Исмаилович Бальбек; born 28 August 1977) is a Russian and former Ukrainian politician and former member of the

State Duma The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper house ...

from the

United Russia United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...

party. A supporter of the

annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War. The events in Kyiv th ...

, he has been highly critical of the

Mejlis ( ar, المجلس, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning "sitting room", used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural conne ...

. Balbek grew up in

Sudak Sudak (Ukrainian & Russian: Судак; crh, Sudaq; gr, Σουγδαία; sometimes spelled Sudac or Sudagh) is a town, multiple former Eastern Orthodox bishopric and double Latin Catholic titular see. It is of regional significance in Crimea, ...

, then part of the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, where his family lived after their return from exile. He began trying to enter local politics with the

Socialist Party of Ukraine The Socialist Party of Ukraine ( uk, Соціалістична Партія України, translit=Sotsialistychna Partiia Ukrayiny, SPU) was a social democratic and democratic socialist political party in Ukraine. It was one of the oldest par ...

in 2010, but remained a junior figure. From 2007 to 2012 he was a delegate of the

Qurultay Kurultai ( Mongolian: , Хуралдай, ''Khuraldai'') or ; Kazakh: Құрылтай, ''Qūryltai''; tt-Cyrl, Корылтай, ; ba, Ҡоролтай, ; az, Qurultay; tk, Gurultaý was a political and military council of ancient Mongol a ...

. In 2014 he took on a more senior role in politics, being chosen for a position in the

Council of Ministers of Crimea The Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea ( uk, Рада міністрів Автономної Республіки Крим; russian: Совет министров Автономной Республики Крым), brief ...

, replacing . Shortly after entering the Duma in 2016 he was sanctioned by Canada. The Prosecutor's office of Ukraine opened a case against him for treason, which he described as "nonsense", saying he never swore loyalty to the

Euromaidan Euromaidan (; uk, Євромайдан, translit=Yevromaidan, lit=Euro Square, ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protes ...

Government. As a member of the Duma he has denied that Moscow treats

Crimean Tatars , flag = Flag of the Crimean Tatar people.svg , flag_caption = Flag of Crimean Tatars , image = Love, Peace, Traditions.jpg , caption = Crimean Tatars in traditional clothing in front of the Khan's Palace ...

as second-class citizens, contradicting claims from Crimean Tatar opposition. Balbek has been criticized for making bold unsubstantiated claims, including saying Vatan Karabash's attempted self-immolation was a Hollywood production and that

Hizb ut-Tahrir Hizb ut-Tahrir (Arabicحزب التحرير (Translation: Party of Liberation) is an international, political organization which describes its ideology as Islam, and its aim the re-establishment of the Islamic Khilafah (Caliphate) to resume Isl ...

is a product of

Anglo-Saxons The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

. His political opponents have described him as a "collaborator" and "careerist" enriching himself by supporting the administration in Crimea, and

Mustafa Dzhemilev Mustafa Abduldzhemil Jemilev ( crh, Mustafa Abdülcemil Cemilev, Мустафа Абдюльджемиль Джемилев, ), also known widely with his adopted descriptive surname Qırımoğlu "Son of Crimea" ( Crimean Tatar Cyrillic: , ; born ...

has accused him of being an FSB agent since 2006, pointing out his arrest for embezzlement in 2006, citing his release from the charges in 2006 and his release after arrest for assaulting a police officer in 2011.

Sanctions

Sanctioned by the UK government in 2016 in relation to

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatist forces in Donbas, Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since Feb ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balbek, Ruslan 1977 births 21st-century Russian politicians Crimean Tatar politicians Fugitives wanted by Ukraine Living people People of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation Seventh convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation) Russian individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions Russian individuals subject to European Union sanctions