What is the head of Zaporizhzhya Evgeny Balitsky known for? – Picture of the Day – Kommersant

Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree appointing Yevgeny Balitsky as acting governor of the Zaporozhye region, who headed the military-civilian administration of the region before joining the Russian Federation. Details of his biography – in the material “Kommersant”.

Balitsky Evgeny Vitalievich was born on December 10, 1969 in Melitopol, Zaporozhye region (Ukrainian SSR). In 1991 he graduated from the Tambov Higher Military Aviation Pilot School named after Raskova with a degree in pilot-engineer. He spent four years in the service in various aviation garrisons, was transferred to the reserve with the rank of captain.

From 1995 to 1997, he headed the OlzheKa private enterprise, which was engaged in the sale and warranty repair of household appliances. In 1996, he founded the first Melitopol FM radio station “South Prostor”. Since 1997, he headed the Melitopol brewery, in 2007 he sold a controlling stake in the enterprise. Since 2000, he has been in charge of the local Avtogidroagregat plant.

In 1998–2012, he was a deputy of the Zaporozhye Regional Council. In 2010, he joined the Party of Regions. In 2012, he was elected a People’s Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the VII convocation in the majority constituency No. 80 (Zaporozhye region). In June 2014, he left the faction of the party in parliament.

Following the results of the parliamentary elections in October 2014, he received the mandate of the deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of the VIII convocation. In May 2015, he joined the Opposition Bloc parliamentary faction. Voted for the laws on January 16, 2014, signed by former President Viktor Yanukovych. In July 2014, he announced the registration of the deputy group “For Peace and Stability”, whose deputies attended a meeting of the State Duma of Russia in September of the same year. Mr. Balitsky refused the invitation.

In December 2016, the deputy submitted to the Parliament a draft law “On ensuring state support for measures to develop, popularize and protect the Russian language, other languages ​​of national minorities in Ukraine”. Later, the SBU announced that the organization of the submission of the law was supervised and paid for by foreign customers. In 2017, the prosecutor’s office of the Zaporozhye region opened a criminal case against the politician on the fact of separatist statements that the latter made on the air of the 112 Ukraine TV channel. In political Ukrainian talk shows, he was called an agent of the Kremlin.

In December 2018, he was included in the sanctions list of Russia. Then Yevgeny Balitsky expressed the opinion that this list was not compiled in the Kremlin: “Legs grow definitely not from the Kremlin. Legs grow from Ukraine. If you look, only the group that remained in the “Opposition Bloc” got there from this bloc, did not leave it.”

Since 2018, he actually lived with his family on the territory of Crimea. In February 2022, after the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, he became part of the military-civilian administration of the Zaporozhye region, on May 24 he was appointed its head. On July 5, 2022, he stated that he was one of the first in the region to receive a Russian passport. On September 26, 2022, he joined the United Russia party.

In 2013, he was awarded the Order of Merit, II degree, by the Ukrainian authorities.