Pavel Gubarev

Pavel Gubarev
Павел Губарев
People's Governor of the Donetsk People's Republic[1]
In office
3 March 2014  4 November 2014[2]
Prime Minister Alexander Borodai
Alexander Zakharchenko
Succeeded by Alexander Zakharchenko (as President)
Personal details
Born Pavel Yuryevich Gubarev
(1983-02-10) 10 February 1983
Sievierodonetsk,[3] Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Citizenship Ukraine
Political party New Russia Party (2014–present)
Progressive Socialist Party (before 2014)
Russian National Unity[4] (2002)
Spouse(s) Ekaterina Gubareva
Children Two sons, one daughter
Alma mater University of Donetsk

Pavel Yuryevich Gubarev (Russian: Па́вел Ю́рьевич Гу́барев, pronounced [ˈpavʲɪl ˈjʉrʲɪvʲɪtɕ ˈgubərʲɪf], Ukrainian: Павло Юрійович Губарєв), born 10 February 1983 in Sievierodonetsk, is a Ukrainian pro-Russian activist who proclaimed himself the "People's Governor" of the Donetsk Region at the Regional Assembly on 3 March 2014, after separatists seized the building. Gubarev had earlier declared himself leader of the Donbass People's Militia.[5] But since then he has been sidelined by other separatist leaders and was banned from taking part in the 2014 Donbass parliamentary elections.[2] These elections also eliminated the post of "People's Governor".[2] Gubarev was not a major figure in local politics prior to the beginning of the 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine.

Shortly after declaring himself "People's Governor" on March 6, Gubarev was arrested by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) for "advocating separatism" and "illegal seizure of power". He faced up to ten years in prison.[6] On 7 May, Gubarev was freed in exchange for SBU officers detained earlier by the Donbass People's Militia.[7][8]

Early life

Gubarev gained a degree in history from the Donetsk National University, and later became an employee of a Donetsk advertising agency.[3] In 2007 he founded and served as the company director of the "Morozko" company, which supplied hired Ded Moroz (Santa Claus) figures in the Donetsk area.[9][10]

Pavel Gubarev with Ekaterina Gubareva (holding their children) and Miroslav Rudenko, 9 May 2012

Career

Gubarev was a member of the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, a pro-Russian party based in the southeast of the country.[6][11] According to an unnamed acquaintance, Gubarev advocates Pan-Slavism.[6] In earlier years Gubarev was a member of the neo-Nazi Russian National Unity paramilitary group.[12][13][14][15] Gubarev has publicly given thanks to this group for providing him with military training. In the same interview he said he was not a radical nationalist and described himself as "centre-left".[16]

On 1 March 2014, pro-Russian citizens at a meeting in Lenin Square in the center of Donetsk elected Gubarev as governor of the region.[17]

From the beginning of the 2014 Crimean crisis, Gubarev led pro-Russian protesters who blockaded and occupied the Donetsk Regional State Administration building.

During a press-conference with journalists on 6 March 2014, Gubarev stated that his main goal as the self-proclaimed governor was to declare a referendum on the territorial status of Donetsk Oblast, non-recognition of the new Ukrainian government, and non-recognition of Donetsk governor Serhiy Taruta.[18]

On 6 March 2014 the Security Service of Ukraine arrested Gubarev.[19] Following his arrest, Gubarev was reportedly taken to Kiev for detention.[20] He was later charged with wanting to damage "the territorial integrity and independence of the state".[21]

On 16 March, a crowd of protesters stormed government buildings in Donetsk demanding Gubarev's release.[22]

On 7 May 2014 Gubarev and two other pro-Russian activists were freed in exchange for SBU officers, detained earlier by the Donbass People's Militia.[7][8]

In October 2014, during a failed assassination attempt on him, Gubarev lost control of his car when it came under gunfire and suffered a head injury.[23] He later regained consciousness and was moved from intensive care to the ordinary ward of the hospital.[24]

Gubarev was excluded by the election commission from participating in the 2014 Donbass parliamentary elections "because his party was not able to hold a founding conference".[2]

Early February 2016 Gubarev was appointed Yasynuvata Raion mayor by the Donetsk People's Republic.[25]

References

  1. "Demonstrators in Donetsk press for release of ‘people’s governor’". ITAR-TASS News Agency. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Дадут ли Новороссии сделать выбор? [Will Novorossia be given a choice?]. Moskovskij Komsomolets (in Russian). 31 October 2014. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014.
    Oleg Sukhov (1 November 2014). "A prelude to a farce: Prearranged ballots for Kremlin-backed breakaway regions". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  3. 1 2 Самопроголошений губернатор Донеччини Павло Губарєв: еполети, сталінізм та "еллінські традиції" [The self-proclaimed governor of Donetsk Pavel Gubarev: epaulettes, Stalinism and "Hellenic tradition"]. The Ukrainian Week (in Ukrainian). 7 March 2014. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  4. Halya Coynash (17 April 2014). "East Ukraine crisis and the 'fascist' matrix". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 17 April 2014.
  5. "Суд арестовал губернатора-самозванца Губарева на два месяца" [Court arrested the impostor governor Gubaryov for two months]. UNIAN. 7 March 2014. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 "Pro-Russian Gubarev, a symbol of east Ukraine separatism". GlobalPost. 10 March 2014. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Donetsk people's governor Pavel Gubarev freed in echange for SBU officers". ITAR-TASS. 7 May 2014. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Пленных сотрудников Альфы обменяли на трех лидеров сепаратистов - СБУ". UNIAN. 7 May 2014. Archived from the original on 9 September 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  9. Донецкий "народный губернатор" работал Дедом Морозом по вызову [Donetsk's "national governor" worked as an on-call Santa Claus] (in Russian).
  10. "Ukraine: 'People's governor' worked as Santa-for-hire". BBC News. 13 May 2014. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  11. Germain Moyon (9 March 2014). "Pro-Russian Gubarev, a symbol of east Ukraine separatism". Digital Journal. AFP. Archived from the original on 17 April 2014.
  12. Snyder, Timothy (17 March 2014). "Far-Right Forces are Influencing Russia's Actions in Crimea". The New Republic. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014. In Donetsk Gubarov was known as a neo-Nazi and as a member of the fascist organization Russian National Unity.
  13. Coynash, Halya (18 March 2014). "Far-Right Recruited as Crimea Poll Observers". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014. Pavel Gubarev, a former member of the neo-Nazi, Russian chauvinist Russian National Unity movement
  14. Oleksiy Matsuka and Vitaliy Sizov (10 April 2014). "Russia’s deep ties to Donetsk's Kremlin collaborators". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014. In Donetsk, Pavel Gubarev, a Ukrainian citizen and former member of the Russian National Unity movement, attempted to head the protest.
  15. "Кремлевские неонацисты консультируют сепаратистов в Украине для расширения империи" [Kremlin-oriented neo-Nazis advise separatists in Ukraine on expanding their empire]. TSN. 10 April 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014. It is worth noting that Gubarev was recently an activist of the Russian radical nationalist organization - Russian National Unity, which is included in the International Union of National Socialists.
  16. "Павел Губарев: Я благодарен РНЕ за военную подготовку – Новороссия". novorossia.su. Archived from the original on 14 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  17. В Донецке задержан "народный губернатор" Губарев ['People's Governor' Gubaryev held in Donetsk]. RBK (in Russian). РосБизнесКонсалтинг. 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014. 1 марта пророссийски настроенные граждане на площади Ленина в центре Донецка избрали губернатором региона Губарева, затем они захватили здание обладминистрации. [On 1 March pro-Russian-inclined citizens on Lenin Square in the center of Donetsk elected Gubarev as governor of the region; then they seized the building of the oblast administration.]
  18. Daryna Shevchenko (6 March 2014). "Donetsk's self-proclaimed separatist governor talks to journalists, gets arrested". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  19. Damien McElroy (6 March 2014). "Pro-Russian leader arrested in Donetsk as Kiev hits back". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014.
  20. "Pro-Russian Protest Leader In Eastern Ukraine Said Taken To Kyiv". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  21. Lina Kushch (6 March 2014). "Ukrainian flag again flies over Donetsk regional HQ". Reuters. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  22. "Ukraine crisis: Pro-Russians flock to Crimea vote". BBC News. 16 March 2014. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  23. "East Ukraine rebel leader Gubarev unconscious after ambush". BBC News. 13 October 2014. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  24. "Yekaterina Gubareva writes on Pavel Gubarev’s page in Facebook". Novorossia News Agency. 14 October 2014. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  25. Ukraine’s eastern separatist leaders turn on each other, New Eastern Europe (3 March 2016)
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