Yevgeny Balitsky
Russian and Ukrainian politician (born 1969) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Yevgeny Vitalyevich Balitsky (Russian: Евгений Витальевич Бали́цкий, Ukrainian: Євген Віталійович Балицький, romanized: Yevhen Vitaliiovych Balytskyi; born 10 December 1969) is a Russian and former Ukrainian politician, entrepreneur and former army officer who is currently serving as the governor of Zaporozhye Oblast, one of the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, since 2022.
Yevgeny Balitsky | |
---|---|
Евгений Балицкий | |
Governor of Zaporozhye Oblast (Russian-installed) | |
Assumed office 9 May 2022 | |
President | Vladimir Putin |
Preceded by | Oleksandr Starukh[lower-alpha 1] |
People's Deputy of Ukraine | |
In office 12 December 2012 – 29 August 2019 | |
Preceded by | Constituency established |
Succeeded by | Serhii Minko |
Constituency | Zaporizhzhia Oblast, No. 80 |
Personal details | |
Born | (1969-12-10) 10 December 1969 (age 54)[1] Melitopol, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
Nationality | Ukrainian Russian (2022–present) |
Political party | United Russia (since 2022) |
Other political affiliations |
|
Children | 3 |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Soviet Union (1991) CIS (1991–1992) Ukraine (1992–1995) |
Branch/service | Soviet Air Forces Ukrainian Air Force |
Years of service | 1991–1995 |
Originally suspected to be de facto mayor of Melitopol by the Security Service of Ukraine, he was later appointed as Governor of Zaporizhzhia Oblast by Russian authorities on 9 May 2022, amidst the occupation of the southern parts of the oblast by the Russian military.
Before that takeover, Balitsky served in the Soviet and Ukrainian Air Force from 1991 to 1995, before entering business, serving as head of a household appliance company in Melitopol.
He entered politics in 1998 as an independent member of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Council and joined the Party of Regions in 2004,[2] and had served as a People's Deputy of Ukraine in the 7th and 8th convocations of the Verkhovna Rada from 2012 to 2019.