Denis Pushilin
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Denis Vladimirovich Pushilin (russian: Дени́с Влади́мирович Пуши́лин, ; uk, Денис Володимирович Пушилін, Denys Volodymyrovych Pushylin; born 9 May 1981) is a Russian and Ukrainian politician who is serving as the acting head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) from 4 October, 2022. Pushilin is the head of the
Donetsk People's Republic The Donetsk People's Republic ( rus, Донецкая Народная Республика, Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublika, dɐˈnʲetskəjə nɐˈrodnəjə rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə; abbreviated as DPR or DNR, rus, ДНР) is a Territorial ...
, a Russian federal subject in Ukrainian territory claimed by Russia (before 30 September 2022 ithe DPR was a self-proclaimed puppet republic controlled by Russia). He had previously served as Chairman of the People's Council, and became the acting head of state following the assassination of incumbent
Alexander Zakharchenko Alexander Vladimirovich Zakharchenko uk, Олекса́ндр Володи́мирович Заха́рченко, translit=Oleksandr Volodymyrovych Zakharchenko (26 June 1976 – 31 August 2018) was a Ukrainian separatist leader who was the he ...
amidst the conflict in the east Ukraine region. He successfully ran for election to a full term in the 2018 elections, which were widely held to be illegitimate. Prior to his involvement in politics he was a leading fraudster within
MMM Global MMM Global (also known as МММ-2011 / МММ-2012) is a Ponzi scheme launched in 2011 by Sergei Mavrodi, with subsidiaries in up to 110 countries. MMM Global is a new avatar of the Russian company MMM, also created by Mavrodi and which operat ...
, a Ponzi scheme.


Early life

Pushilin was born 9 May 1981 in
Makiivka Makiivka ( uk, Макіївка, Makíyivka, ; russian: Макеевка, Makeyevka, ), formerly Dmytriivsk, is an industrial city in Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. Located from the capital Donetsk, the two cities are practically a conurbati ...
, Donetsk Oblast, in the
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
. Pushilin is the son of workers of the Makiivka Metallurgical Factory, Vladimir Pushilin and Valentina Khasanova.Пушилин, Денис Владимирович
ITAR-TASS The Russian News Agency TASS (russian: Информацио́нное аге́нтство Росси́и ТАСС, translit=Informatsionnoye agentstvo Rossii, or Information agency of Russia), abbreviated TASS (russian: ТАСС, label=none) ...
He graduated in 1998 from Makiivka Lyceum No. 1, a school combining secondary and professional education. From 1999 to 2000, he served in the
National Guard of Ukraine The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU; uk, Націона́льна гва́рдія Украї́ни, Natsionalna hvardiia Ukrainy, , ) is the Ukrainian national gendarmerie and Internal Troops, internal military force. It is part of the Minist ...
in a special assignment battalion in Crimea. After leaving the military, he studied Enterprise Economics at
Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture ( uk, Донбаська національна академія будівництва і архітектури; abbreviated ДонНАБА) is one of the largest engineering univers ...
, but did not receive a degree.Short bio of candidate Pushilin
, Central Election Commission of Ukraine
From 2002 to 2006, Pushilin worked for a trading firm, Solodkye Zhittya ("Sweet Life”).


MMM involvement

From 1989 to 1994, a Russian Ponzi scheme called MMM cost its participants millions of dollars prior to disbanding.Ukrayinska Pravda
''Глава уряду самопроголошеної Донецької народної республіки: "Зараз мені ніколи займатися МММ" he head of government of the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk: "Now I have no time to engage with MMM"', by Екатерина Сергацкова katerina Sergatskova 15 April 2014.
In 2011,
Sergei Mavrodi Sergei Panteleevich Mavrodi (russian: Серге́й Пантеле́евич Мавро́ди; 11 August 1955 – 26 March 2018) was a Russian financial fraudster, financial criminal and previously a deputy of the State Duma. He was the founde ...
launched a new MMM. Pushilin volunteered for this successor company from 2011 to 2013 and became a key leader. The new MMM openly admitted to being a pyramid scheme. Pushilin was not shy in promoting involvement with the company. The
Ministry of Justice of Ukraine The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine ( uk, Міністерство юстиції України) is the main body in the system of central government of Ukraine that regulates state legal policy. It is often abbreviated as "Мinjust" f Ukraine It ...
allowed registration of the MMM Party under the chairmanship of Mavrodi. It is interpreted as an abbreviation for "We Have a Goal" ( uk, Ми Маємо Мету). Pushilin joined this new party in 2012. Opposing
Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych ( uk, Віктор Федорович Янукович, ; ; born 9 July 1950) is a former politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент Украї ...
and unknown in the Kyiv region, Pushilin got 0.08% of the votes and failed to win a seat in the December 2013 repeat elections of the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election in the 94th district (located in
Obukhiv Obukhiv () is a city in Kyiv Oblast (province) of Ukraine and the administrative center of Obukhiv Raion. It hosts the administration of Obukhiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: . In 2001, population was 32,776. The ci ...
). According to his December 2013 election information, Pushilin was "not working" at the time.


Donetsk politics


Early separatism and sanctions

On 5 April 2014, Pushilin led a rally in Donetsk, identifying himself as deputy to
Pavel Gubarev Pavel Yuryevich Gubarev (russian: Па́вел Ю́рьевич Гу́барев, ; or Pavlo Yuriyovych Hubariev uk, Павло Юрійович Губарєв; born 10 February 1983) is a Russian activist who proclaimed himself the "People's ...
, the "People's Governor" of Donetsk. Pushilin demanded a referendum, like that of
Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, on the question independence from the new Ukrainian government in Kyiv. By the end of April, the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
(EU) had placed sanctions on Pushilin, which included freezing assets and banning him from entering EU member states. In June, the United States added Pushilin to the
Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List The Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, also known as the SDN List, is a United States government sanctions/embargo measure targeting U.S.-designated terrorists, officials and beneficiaries of certain authoritarian regimes, a ...
. His name has since been added to sanction lists of
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
,
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...
and
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.


Chairman of the Supreme Council

On 19 May 2014, Pushilin became the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the
Donetsk People's Republic The Donetsk People's Republic ( rus, Донецкая Народная Республика, Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublika, dɐˈnʲetskəjə nɐˈrodnəjə rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə; abbreviated as DPR or DNR, rus, ДНР) is a Territorial ...
, and under the draft constitution adopted on May 15, the new republic's head of state. In June 2014, he announced that DPR businesses which engaged in tax evasion would be nationalized. Pushilin did not envision the Donetsk People's Republic becoming an independent state but preferred to join the
Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
(which he saw as a potential renewed
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
). Pushilin survived two assassination attempts, both occurring within a week on the 7th and 12th of June 2014. Pushilin was in
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
on those dates, as was widely reported at the time. Pushilin resigned from his post of the Chairman of the Donetsk People's Republic in July 2014. From 14 November 2014 to 4 September 2015, he served as a vice-chairman of the Donetsk People's Republic Council then he replaced
Andrei Purgin Andrei Yevgenyevich Purgin (russian: Андрей Евгеньевич Пургин, born 26 January 1972) is a Ukrainian activist, cofounder of the Donetsk Republic organization along with Aleksandr Tsurkan and Oleg Frolov. Until 4 September 201 ...
and became the Chairman of the council once again. From 2014 to 2018, Pushilin officially represented the DPR at the Trilateral Contact Group and the
Minsk II The Minsk agreements were a series of international agreements which sought to end the Donbas war fought between armed Russian separatist groups and Armed Forces of Ukraine, with Russian regular forces playing a central part. The first, know ...
agreements. The Minsk II agreements subsequently failed, with each side accusing the other of violating the ceasefire terms.


Head of the Donetsk People's Republic

On 31 August 2018, DPR leader
Alexander Zakharchenko Alexander Vladimirovich Zakharchenko uk, Олекса́ндр Володи́мирович Заха́рченко, translit=Oleksandr Volodymyrovych Zakharchenko (26 June 1976 – 31 August 2018) was a Ukrainian separatist leader who was the he ...
was assassinated in a bombing of a restaurant in
Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: Names of European cities in different languages (C–D), cities' alternat ...
. After a week-long interim leadership by
Dmitry Trapeznikov Dmitry Viktorovich Trapeznikov (russian: Дми́трий Ви́кторович Трапе́зников; born 12 April 1981) is a Russian politician and former Russian separatist leader who served as the acting Head of the Donetsk People's Re ...
, Pushilin was appointed acting Head of the DPR on 7 September 2018; he was to hold this position until elections on 11 November 2018. On 21 September 2018, he submitted documents to be registered in the November election. He won with 60.85% of the vote. On 6 December 2021 Pushilin became a member of the Russian ruling party
United Russia United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Russian conservative political party. As the largest party in Russia, it holds 325 (or 72.22%) of the 450 seats in the State Duma , havin ...
. United Russia chairman Dmitry Medvedev personally handed him his party ticket during the party's annual congress in
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
.Ukraine conflict: Putin invites separatist leaders into his party
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
(6 December 2021)


Russian invasion of Ukraine and Russian annexation of the Donetsk People's Republic

On 21 February 2022, Pushilin signed an agreement for friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance between the Donetsk People's Republic and the Russian Federation. At this ceremony were also signed an agreement between the LPR and Russia, and executive orders by President Putin to officially recognize the independence of the DPR and LPR. In April 2022, news outlets noted that during Pushilin's visit to Mariupol, he awarded Senior Lieutenant Roman Vorobyov a medal, while he was wearing patches affiliated with
neo-Nazism Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
: the ''
Totenkopf ''Totenkopf'' (, i.e. ''skull'', literally "dead person's head") is the German word for the skull and crossbones symbol. The "skull and crossbones" symbol is an old international symbol for death, the defiance of death, danger, or the dead, as ...
'' used by the 3rd SS Panzer Division, and the ''
valknut The valknut is a symbol consisting of three interlocked triangles. It appears on a variety of objects from the archaeological record of the ancient Germanic peoples. The term ''valknut'' is a modern development; it is not known what term or term ...
''. In September 2022, Pushilin suggested coordinating a joint referendum with
Luhansk People's Republic The Luhansk or Lugansk People's Republic (russian: Луга́нская Наро́дная Респу́блика, Luganskaya Narodnaya Respublika, ; abbreviated as LPR or LNR, rus, ЛНР) is a disputed entity created by Russian-backed ...
leader Leonid Pasechnik on the question of joining the Russian Federation. The referendum, also organised in the
Kherson Kherson (, ) is a port city 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 appr ...
and
Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запоріжжя) or Zaporozhye (russian: Запорожье) is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zapor ...
provinces, received widespread international condemnation, and passed in Donetsk with over 99% approval, according to official figures. Pushilin said in an interview with
TASS The Russian News Agency TASS (russian: Информацио́нное аге́нтство Росси́и ТАСС, translit=Informatsionnoye agentstvo Rossii, or Information agency of Russia), abbreviated TASS (russian: ТАСС, label=none) ...
that he would be heading to
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
with the final protocol of a recent referendum on joining Russia "to formalize reunification." On September 30, Pushilin attended in Moscow the ceremony in which
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
formally announced the annexation of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, together with the other pro-Russian occupation heads
Volodymyr Saldo Volodymyr Vasylovych Saldo (, ; born 12 June 1956) is a Russian and former Ukrainian politician serving as the head of the collaborationist Kherson military–civilian administration in Russian-occupied Ukraine since 26 April 2022. Early lif ...
, Leonid Pasechnik and
Yevgeny Balitsky Yevgeny Vitalyevich Balitsky (russian: Евгений Витальевич Бали́цкий, uk, Євген Віталійович Балицький, translit= Yevhen Vitaliiovych Balytskyi; born 10 December 1969) is a Russian and Ukrainia ...
.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pushilin, Denis 1981 births Living people People from Makiivka Pro-Russian people of the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine People of Anti-Maidan People of the Donetsk People's Republic Pro-Russian people of the war in Donbas People of the National Guard of Ukraine United Russia politicians Ukrainian collaborators with Russia Individuals designated as terrorist by the government of Ukraine Russian individuals subject to the European Union sanctions Russian individuals subject to the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List Anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Ukraine Military leaders of the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War