Denis Pushilin

Denis Vladimirovich Pushilin (born 9 May 1981 ) is a Russian politician who is serving as the Head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) since 2018.

He holds the position in acting capacity ever since the Russian annexation of the DPR in 2022.

He had previously served as Chairman of the People's Council, and became the acting head of state and government following the assassination of incumbent Alexander Zakharchenko amidst the conflict in the east Ukraine region.

Pushilin was born 9 May 1981 in Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast, in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Pushilin is the son of workers of the Makiivka Metallurgical Factory, Vladimir Pushilin and Valentina Khasanova.

From 1989 to 1994, a Russian Ponzi scheme called MMM cost its participants millions of dollars prior to disbanding.

He graduated in 1998 from Makiivka Lyceum No. 1, a school combining secondary and professional education.

From 1999 to 2000, he served in the National Guard of Ukraine in a special assignment battalion in Crimea.

After leaving the military, he studied Enterprise Economics at Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture, but did not receive a degree.

From 2002 to 2006, Pushilin worked for a trading firm, Solodkye Zhittya ("Sweet Life”).

In 2011, Sergei Mavrodi launched a new MMM.

Pushilin volunteered for this successor company from 2011 to 2013 and became a key leader.

The new MMM openly admitted to being a pyramid scheme.

Pushilin was not shy in promoting involvement with the company.

The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine allowed registration of the MMM Party under the chairmanship of Mavrodi.

It is interpreted as an abbreviation for "We Have a Goal" (Ми Маємо Мету).

Pushilin joined this new party in 2012.

Opposing Yanukovych and unknown in the Kyiv region, Pushilin got 0.08% of the votes and failed to win a seat in the December 2013 repeat elections of the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election in the 94th district (located in Obukhiv).

According to his December 2013 election information, Pushilin was "not working" at the time.

On 5 April 2014, Pushilin led a rally in Donetsk, identifying himself as deputy to Pavel Gubarev, the "People's Governor" of Donetsk.

Pushilin demanded a referendum, like that of Crimea, on the question of independence from the new Ukrainian government in Kyiv.

By the end of April, the European Union (EU) had placed sanctions on Pushilin, which included freezing assets and banning him from entering EU member states.

In June, the United States added Pushilin to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

His name has since been added to sanction lists of Australia, Canada, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

He was also sanctioned by the UK government.

On 19 May 2014, Pushilin became the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Donetsk People's Republic, and under the draft constitution adopted on May 15, the new republic's head of state.

In June 2014, he announced that DPR businesses which engaged in tax evasion would be nationalized.

Pushilin did not envision the Donetsk People's Republic becoming an independent state but preferred to join the Russian Federation (which he saw as a potential renewed Russian Empire).

Pushilin survived two assassination attempts, both occurring within a week on the 7th and 12th of June 2014.

Pushilin was in Moscow on those dates, as was widely reported at the time.

Pushilin resigned from his post of the Chairman of the Donetsk People's Republic in July 2014.

From 14 November 2014 to 4 September 2015, he served as a vice-chairman of the Donetsk People's Republic Council; then he replaced Andrei Purgin and became the Chairman of the council once again.

From 2014 to 2018, Pushilin officially represented the DPR at the Trilateral Contact Group and the Minsk II agreements.

The Minsk II agreements subsequently failed, with each side accusing the other of violating the ceasefire terms.

He successfully ran for election to a full term in the controversial 2018 elections.

Pushilin's role in MMM Global prior to his political career is cited by critics that describe him as a fraudster who was involved in a Ponzi scheme.

On 31 August 2018, DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko was assassinated in a bombing of a restaurant in Donetsk.

After a week-long interim leadership by Dmitry Trapeznikov, Pushilin was appointed acting Head of the DPR on 7 September 2018; he was to hold this position until elections on 11 November 2018.

He claimed to have won those elections with 60.85% of the vote.

On 6 December 2021 Pushilin became a member of the Russian ruling party United Russia.