Alexander Zakharchenko
Alexander Vladimirovich Zakharchenko[a] (26 June 1976 – 31 August 2018) was a Ukrainian separatist leader[3][4] who was the head of state and Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic, a self-proclaimed state and Russian-backed rebel group which declared independence from Ukraine on 11 May 2014.[5][6][7][8] Zakharchenko was appointed Prime Minister in August 2014 after his predecessor Alexander Borodai resigned, and went on to win the early November 2014 election for the position.
In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Vladimirovich and the family name is Zakharchenko.
Alexander Zakharchenko
Himself
Office established
(Pavel Gubarev as People's Governor)
Dmitry Trapeznikov (Acting)
Denis Pushilin
Himself
Vladimir Antyufeyev
Ravil Khalikov
Alexander Borodai
Andrei Purgin
Dmitry Trapeznikov (Acting)
office established
26 June 1976
Donetsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
31 August 2018 (aged 42)
Pushkin Boulevard, Donetsk, Ukraine
Natalia Zakharchenko
4
Major General DNR[2]
Major General LNR
Oplot Battalion
Human rights abuses[edit]
In October 2014, Zakharchenko declared that he can shoot at any Ukrainian city with a clear conscience. In an interview he said: "I don't care at all. If I don't shoot in Avdiivka because my people live there, then I can shoot in any other Ukrainian city, and I won't feel sorry for the civilians or anyone else. This is a different war. You came to kill us, just to destroy us. So you will get what you are doing here".[40]
During the war in Donbas there were many cases of forced disappearances in the Donetsk People's Republic. Zakharchenko said that his forces detained up to five "Ukrainian subversives" every day. It was estimated that about 632 people were under illegal detention by separatist forces by 11 December 2014.[41]
Freelance journalist Stanislav Aseyev was abducted on 2 June 2017 under espionage charges. At first, the de facto DNR government denied knowing his whereabouts, but on 16 July an agent of the DNR's Ministry of State Security confirmed that Aseyev was in their custody and that he was suspected of espionage. Independent media was not allowed to report from the DNR-controlled territory. Amnesty International demanded that Zakharchenko release Aseyev.[42] He was released in 2019.[43]