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Valery Bolotov

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Valery Bolotov
Валерий Болотов
Bolotov in 2014
Head of the Luhansk People's Republic[1]
In office
18 May 2014 – 14 August 2014
Prime MinisterVasily Nikitin
Marat Bashirov (acting)
DeputySergey Tsyplakov
Preceded byHimself as LPR's "People's Governor"
Succeeded byIgor Plotnitsky
Personal details
Born(1970-02-13)13 February 1970
Taganrog, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died27 January 2017(2017-01-27) (aged 46)
Moscow, Russia
PartyParty of Regions
Children2
Signature
Military service
Allegiance Luhansk People's Republic
Years of service
2014–2017
Battles/wars

Valery Dmitrievitch Bolotov (Russian: Валерий Дмитриевич Болотов;[a] Ukrainian: Валерій Дмитрович Болотов, romanized: Valerii Dmytrovych Bolotov; 13 February 1970 – 27 January 2017)[1] was a Ukrainian pro-Russia militant. In 2014, he became a prominent belligerent in the War in Donbas after being elected as the "People's Governor" of the internationally unrecognized Luhansk People's Republic, which was a Russia-aligned separatist quasi-country within Ukraine at the time. In 2017, he was found dead inside of his home in Moscow, Russia, under disputed circumstances; the exact cause of his death remains undetermined.

Biography

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Soviet era

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Little is known about Bolotov's life prior to 2014; in a video of him voting in a local referendum, he presents a Ukrainian passport which indicates that he was born in Taganrog, Rostov Oblast on 13 February 1970. In 1974, he moved to Kadiivka, in the Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine.[2]

Bolotov claimed to be a senior sergeant of the Soviet Airborne Troops in Vitebsk (presumably the 103rd Guards Airborne Division), and between 1989 and 1990 participated in a number of conflicts, including those in Tbilisi, Yerevan and Karabakh.[3] He later became the head of the airborne veterans group, while no one of the Luhansk Oblast group cell can confirm it.[3]

Post-Soviet era

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Bolotov worked as a manager and director at a meat factory and used to run a small business.[2]

Before the pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine, Bolotov was a representative of Oleksandr Yefremov who supervised illegal mining in the region.[4]

In 2014, Bolotov became a leader of an armed group during the 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine. On May 13, 2014, Bolotov survived an assassination attempt as assailants fired automatic weapons towards his car, wounding the militant leader.[5] Ukraine’s prosecution opened three criminal for promoting separatism, and there was a warrant against him. He was then briefly captured by border guards at Dovzhansky border checkpoint on May 17, 5:45 am, after he attempted to re-enter Luhansk following his having received treatment for his injury at a hospital in Russia.[6][7] However, from 150 to 200 armed supporters of the Luhansk People's Republic attacked the Ukrainian army checkpoint where Bolotov was being held shortly afterwards at 7:50 am[6] and successfully freed the "People's Governor".[7] He resigned from the position on 14 August 2014.[8]

Death and legacy

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Bolotov was found dead on 27 January 2017 in his own home in Moscow, Russia.[1] Investigators tried to determine the cause of his death as the preliminary results of clinical tests showed an acute heart failure as the cause of his death.[9][10][11] His wife later claimed that he may have been poisoned.[12] Though more detailed report of the local police office claimed that there were no obvious signs of acute heart failure and only small atherosclerotic plaques were identified instead,[13] it was known that before death he was complaining to his wife about his health deterioration, which happened right after drinking a cup of coffee at the business meeting in company with two men he allegedly knew,[14] it became later known that Bolotov met with ex-speaker of the People's Council of the LPR [ru] Alexey Karyakin and Valery Alexandrovich as he had said and added also that the meeting was appointed by request of Bolotov himself.[15] Bolotov's corpse was later tested for the presence of the poisoning drugs in his body at the request of his wife, but as of 2018, the results are unknown.[13]

His widow has two children.[3]

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 Dergchov, V. There died the first leader of LPR (Умер первый глава ЛНР Валерий Болотов). RBC. 27 January 2017
  2. 1 2 "Top officials appointed in Luhansk people's republic". Interfax-Ukraine. 19 May 2014. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 Кто они, "народные губернаторы": Харьков возглавил автослесарь, а Луганск – десантник [Who are those, "People's Governors"? Kharkov- a mechanic, while Lugansk – a paratrooper]. Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian). 23 April 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Former chief of Luhansk SBU Petrulevych: The terrorists groups of Russian GRU is already in Kiev and anticipating a signal". Gordon. July 2, 2014. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Pro-Russian Separatist Leader Survives Assassination Attempt in Ukraine". Mashable.com. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  6. 1 2 Grytsenko, Oskana (17 May 2014). "Luhansk separatist leader Bolotov free in Ukraine after suspicious 'shootout'". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 5 September 2026. Retrieved 5 September 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Separatists recapture their leader on the eve of peace talks in Ukraine". Reuters. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Ukraine fighting: Rebel official resigns; shells fall on Donetsk". CNN. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "Тело бывшего главы ЛНР Валерия Болотова обнаружила его супруга". 27 January 2017.
  10. ↑ Умер первый глава ЛНР Валерий Болотов
  11. ↑ "СМИ узнали причину смерти первого главы ЛНР Валерия Болотова". Росбизнесконсалтинг. 28 January 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  12. ↑ "Bolotov's wife suspects that her husband was poisoned". ukropnews24.com. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  13. 1 2 "Судмедэксперты проверяют кровь Болотова на наличие ядов". Life.ru. 31 January 2017.
  14. ↑ "Жена первого главы ЛНР Болотова подозревает, что его отравили чашкой кофе". Life.ru. 31 January 2017.
  15. ↑ "Грани.Ру: Вдова Болотова: Мужа отравили чашкой кофе".
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