Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Ponomarev (russian: Вячеслав Владимирович Пономарёв; born 2 May 1965, in
Sloviansk
Sloviansk ( uk, Слов'янськ, Sloviansk ; russian: Славянск, Slavyansk or ; prior to 1784 – Tor) is a city in the Kramatorsk district of the Donetsk region of Ukraine, the administrative center of the Slovyansk urban commun ...
) is an owner of a soap production company
who in 2014 became known as the self-proclaimed mayor of the city of
Sloviansk
Sloviansk ( uk, Слов'янськ, Sloviansk ; russian: Славянск, Slavyansk or ; prior to 1784 – Tor) is a city in the Kramatorsk district of the Donetsk region of Ukraine, the administrative center of the Slovyansk urban commun ...
in
Donetsk Oblast, a part 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 inv ...
.
Origin
The origin of Vyacheslav Ponomaryov is uncertain. According to the official legend that is promoted by
Pravda.ru, Ponomaryov, a Sloviansk native, was an owner of a sawing factory and later a soap producing factory.
Instigation of pro-Russian insurgency
He declared himself mayor after
leading an assault on the Sloviansk mayor's office on 14 April 2014, as part of the
2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine
From the end of February 2014, demonstrations by pro-Russian and anti-government groups took place in major cities across the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity, which resulted in the succe ...
.
Ponamarev is a strong opponent of the
government of Ukraine that formed in Kiev after the
2014 Ukrainian revolution, and refers to it as
fascist.
He claims that coalition government in Kiev is run by "
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
" and "
homosexuals".
[Twelve facts from the life of "People's Mayor" of Slovyansk]
Espreso TV. 28 April 2014 Ponomaryov stated that he would do everything he could to prevent the
2014 Ukrainian presidential election taking place.
Ponomarev has said that he commands around 2,500 men in the vicinity of Sloviansk.
He is a veteran of the
Soviet–Afghan War
The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Sovie ...
and served in a "special operations unit" of the Arctic-based
Northern Fleet
Severnyy flot
, image = Great emblem of the Northern Fleet.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Northern Fleet's great emblem
, start_date = June 1, 1733; Sov ...
. His men held the elected mayor of Sloviansk,
Nelya Shtepa, in captivity, though Ponomarev said that his government was protecting her from Ukrainian law enforcement.
He also stated that there was conflict between him and Shtepa, in which she acted "incorrectly".
In an interview to ''Gazeta.ru'', Ponomaryov said that she was given protection after the
Security Service of Ukraine
The Security Service of Ukraine ( uk, Служба безпеки України, translit=Sluzhba bezpeky Ukrainy}) or SBU ( uk, СБУ, link=no) is the law enforcement authority and main intelligence and security agency of the Ukrainian ...
opened a case against her for
separatism.
On direction of Ponomarev, his men detained American
Vice News
Vice News (stylized as VICE News) is Vice Media's current affairs channel, producing daily documentary essays and video through its website and YouTube channel. It promotes itself on its coverage of "under-reported stories". Vice News was create ...
journalist
Simon Ostrovsky
Simon Ostrovsky (russian: Симо́н Остро́вский; born ) is an American documentary filmmaker and journalist. Best-known for his coverage of the Russo-Ukrainian War for ''VICE News'', he reported extensively on events that unfolde ...
on 20 April,
who declared after his release that he had been intimidated and beaten during his detention.
According to the journalist, Ponomaryov's men had his photo and were looking for him.
According to Ponomaryov, Ostrovsky has dual citizenship and is a spy.
In an interview to ''Gazeta.ru'' on 23 April, Ponomaryov acknowledged that he had kept Ostrovsky for exchange.
["You, Obama, would be quiet"]
Gazeta.ru. 23 April 2014 Ostrovsky was released only after the intervention of representatives from
OSCE
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
and the
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
.
[Simon Ostrovsky Of VICE Released Into Hands Of CBC in Ukraine]
. Huffington Post. 24 April 2014 Ponomaryov told the media that Ostrovsky was not a hostage, but a guest, and that he simply accommodated Ostrovsky with lodging.
According to the
Security Service of Ukraine
The Security Service of Ukraine ( uk, Служба безпеки України, translit=Sluzhba bezpeky Ukrainy}) or SBU ( uk, СБУ, link=no) is the law enforcement authority and main intelligence and security agency of the Ukrainian ...
, on 20 April 2014 Ponomaryov received orders from
Igor Girkin
Igor Vsevolodovich Girkin ( rus, И́горь Все́володович Ги́ркин, p=ˈiɡərʲ ˈfsʲevələdəvʲɪdʑ ˈɡʲirkʲɪn; born 17 December 1970), also known by the alias Igor Ivanovich Strelkov ( rus, И́горь Ива́ ...
to dispose of the body of local representative of
Horlivka
Horlivka ( , ; uk, Го́рлівка ), or Gorlovka (russian: link=no, Горловка ), is a city of regional significance in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.
In 2001, the city's population was 292,000, and it was estimated as Economic activi ...
city council
Volodymyr Rybak, who had been kidnapped and tortured to death.
On 25 April 2014, a vehicle with OSCE representatives was stopped and the observers
detained by Ponomarev's forces.
Later Ponomaryov declared that kidnapping of people is a retaliation for all his detained "comrades".
On 10 June 2014, Ponomarev was arrested and taken to the headquarters of the
Donbass People's Militia
The Donetsk People's Militia and Luhansk People's Militia (formerly also called Russian separatist forces in Donbas) are pro-Russian paramilitaries in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, which have been fighting the Armed Forces of Ukraine in ...
in a former SBU building.
Volodymyr Pavlenko was appointed a mayor of Slovyansk instead of Ponomaryov.
Along with the withdrawing pro-Russian militia, Ponomaryov left Slovyansk on 5 July 2014.
[Экс-мэр Славянска Пономарев покинул город вместе с ополчением]
, RIA Novosty, 5 July 2014.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponomarev, Vyacheslav
1965 births
People from Sloviansk
Soviet military personnel of the Soviet–Afghan War
Pro-Russian people of the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine
People of the Donetsk People's Republic
Russian nationalists
Russian criminals
Pro-Russian people of the war in Donbas
Russian individuals subject to the European Union sanctions
Living people
Ukrainian collaborators with Russia