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 People's Governor
Succeeded byIgor Plotnitsky
Personal details
Born(1970-02-13)13 February 1970
Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, Russian SFSR or
Kadiivka, Voroshilovgrad Oblast, Ukrainian SSR,[1] USSR
Died27 January 2017(2017-01-27) (aged 46)
Moscow, Russia
NationalityLugansk
Signature
Military service
Allegiance Soviet Union
 Luhansk People's Republic
Branch/service Airborne Troops
Years of service1988–90
2014–17
Rank Senior sergeant (see staff sergeant)

Valery Dmitrievitch Bolotov (Russian: Вале́рий Дми́триевич Бо́лотов, IPA: [vɐˈlʲerʲɪj ˈdmʲitrʲɪjɪvʲɪdʑ ˈbolətəf]; Ukrainian: Вале́рій Дми́трович Бо́лотов; 13 February 1970 – 27 January 2017)[1] was a Ukrainian leader known for his involvement in the Donbas war in eastern Ukraine, and as the leader of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic.

Biography

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]

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] Bolotov was then briefly captured by the Ukrainian army on May 17 after he attempted to re-enter Luhansk following his having received treatment for his injury at a hospital in Russia.[6] However, armed supporters of the Luhansk People's Republic attacked the Ukrainian army checkpoint where Bolotov was being held shortly afterwards and successfully freed the "People's Governor".[6] He resigned from the position on 14 August 2014.[7]

Death

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.[8][9][10] His wife later claimed that he may have been poisoned.[11] 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,[12] 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,[13] it became later known that Bolotov met with ex-speaker of the People's council of the LNR Alexey Karyakin and Valery Alexandrovich as he had said and added also that the meeting was appointed by request of Bolotov himself.[14] 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.[12]

His widow has two children.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 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. May 19, 2014. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 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). April 23, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 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. May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Separatists recapture their leader on the eve of peace talks in Ukraine". Reuters. May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Ukraine fighting: Rebel official resigns; shells fall on Donetsk". CNN. August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Тело бывшего главы ЛНР Валерия Болотова обнаружила его супруга".
  9. ↑ Умер первый глава ЛНР Валерий Болотов
  10. ↑ "СМИ узнали причину смерти первого главы ЛНР Валерия Болотова". Росбизнесконсалтинг. 2017-01-28. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  11. ↑ "Bolotov's wife suspects that her husband was poisoned". ukropnews24.com. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  12. 1 2 "Судмедэксперты проверяют кровь Болотова на наличие ядов". Life.ru. January 31, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Жена первого главы ЛНР Болотова подозревает, что его отравили чашкой кофе". Life.ru. January 31, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Грани.Ру: Вдова Болотова: Мужа отравили чашкой кофе".
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