Wikipedia

Pavel Gubarev

Pavel Yuryevich Gubarev (Russian: Павел Юрьевич Губарев, pronounced [ˈpavʲɪl ˈjʉrʲjɪvʲɪdʑ‿ˈɡubərʲɪf]; born 10 February 1983) is a Russian and former Ukrainian public figure, primarily known for his pro-Russian activities in Donbas in 2014.[2] He is married to Ekaterina Gubareva.

Pavel Gubarev
Павел Губарев
Gubarev in 2014
Born
Pavel Yuryevich Gubarev

(1983-02-10) 10 February 1983 (age 43)
Sievierodonetsk,[1] Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
CitizenshipRussia
Alma materDonetsk National University
Political party
New Russia Party (since 2014)
Russian National Unity (before 2014)
Progressive Socialist Party (before 2014)
Other political
affiliations
Club of Angry Patriots (since 2023)
SpouseEkaterina Gubareva
ChildrenTwo sons, one daughter

Early life

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Gubarev gained a degree in history from Donetsk National University, and later became an employee of a Donetsk advertising agency.[1] In 2007, he founded and served as the company director of the Morozko company, which supplied Ded Moroz figures for hire in the Donetsk area.[3][4]

Career and activities

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Before the Russo-Ukrainian war

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In the late 1990s, Gubarev was a member of the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, a pro-Russian party based in the southeast of the country.[5] According to an unnamed acquaintance, Gubarev advocated Pan-Slavism.[5] Between 1999 and 2001, Gubarev was a member of the neo-Nazi Russian National Unity paramilitary group. Pavel Gubarev states he was part of Russian Orthodox Army that was organised by RNU under his control, and also declared himself leader of the RNU section in Donetsk.[6][7][8] that later took part in the war in Donbas on the side of pro-Russian forces.[9][10][11][12] Gubarev has publicly given thanks to this group for providing him with military training. In the same interview he said he was not a radical nationalist and described himself as "centre-left".[13]

Separatist political career

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On 1 March 2014, pro-Russian citizens at a meeting in Lenin Square in the center of Donetsk elected Gubarev as governor of the region.[14] On 3 March 2014, Gubarev led pro-Russian protesters who blockaded and occupied the Donetsk Regional State Administration Building.[15] In his memoirs, Gubarev wrote that on the evening of 5 March, he received a phone call from Sergey Glazyev, an advisor to President Vladimir Putin, who expressed approval and moral support.[16] He also wrote that he began thinking of seizing power after this phone call.[17] During a press conference with journalists on 6 March 2014, Gubarev stated that his main goal as the self-proclaimed governor was to declare a referendum on the territorial status of Donetsk Oblast, non-recognition of the new Ukrainian government, and non-recognition of Donetsk governor Serhiy Taruta.[2]

On 6 March 2014, the SBU's Alpha Group arrested Gubarev.[18][19] Following his arrest, Gubarev was reportedly taken to Kyiv for detention.[20] He was later charged with wanting to damage "the territorial integrity and independence of the state".[21] On 16 March, a crowd of pro-Russian protesters stormed government buildings in Donetsk demanding Gubarev's release.[22]

In mid-March, members of his organisation traveled to Crimea and met there with former FSB officer Igor Girkin to secure weapons. They received limited financial support. His wife Ekaterina remained in contact with Girkin and informed the future "people's mayor" of Sloviansk, Vyacheslav Ponomarev, one day before the arrival of Girkin's unit, telling him that "a group was coming for assistance". Ponomarev met Girkin's unit near the border and led them to Sloviansk.[23] Girkin later stated that he had settled on Sloviansk after asking Gubarev's people to name a town willing to take up arms and support him.[17]

On 29 March 2014, far-right philosopher Aleksandr Dugin stated that his Eurasian Movement is "in permanent contact with our country’s leadership" and that "the Russian state and Russian society are absolutely determined to fight for Ukraine's Southeast". Ekaterina was appointed as chairwoman of the DPR's Committee on Foreign Political Relations on 10 April.[16]

On 7 May 2014, Gubarev and two other pro-Russian activists were freed in exchange for SBU officers, detained earlier by the Donbas People's Militia.[24][25] Gubarev appeared in then separatist-held Sloviansk to give a defiant speech on Victory Day, calling for all "Ukrainian Nazis to be eliminated".[26]

However, in the time of his detention, other senior separatist figures had emerged, notably Igor Girkin and Alexander Borodai, meaning that freed, Gubarev had an uncertain position in the separatist hierarchy going forward.[27] With Borodai serving as prime minister of the Donetsk People's Republic, and Gubarev's post of "people's governor" largely superseded, Gubarev took to mostly engaging himself in media activities, being effectively sidelined from any meaningful role in DPR affairs.[28] Gubarev was sanctioned by the United Kingdom on 25 July 2014 in relation to his actions from earlier in 2014.[29]

The Izborsky Club became the most important platform for promoting the uprising in Donbas. In June 2014, the Izborsky Club opened a branch in Donetsk, which was headed by Gubarev. In an interview in August 2014, Alexander Prokhanov stated that he often called Gubarev and that they shared the same views.[30]

In October 2014, Gubarev's car came under gunfire in a planned attack. Gubarev lost control of the car, and sustained a head injury in the resulting crash.[31][32] Gubarev had planned to stand in November's 2014 Donbas general elections representing his New Russia Party, however he excluded by the election commission from participating "because his party was not able to hold a founding conference".[28] This exclusion from the ballot effectively marked the end of Gubarev as a key player in the Donbas political scene.

In 2016, he published his memoirs in which he celebrated his membership in the RNU and described himself as an imperial-minded person fighting for the unity of Russian civilisation.[33] He also wrote in his book that "here [in the Donbas] there was no ethnic enmity".[34]

After some time away from public life, in February 2016, Gubarev was appointed Yasynuvata Raion mayor by the Donetsk People's Republic. Although some reported this as Gubarev's comeback, he would only hold this position for a few months.[35] Following the assassination of Alexander Zakharchenko on 31 August 2018, elections were planned in the Donetsk People's Republic for a new leader, and Gubarev stated his intention of standing as a candidate for the post of head of the Donetsk People's Republic.[36][37] However, Gubarev was excluded from standing after being accused of having forged signatures on his nomination papers, with it said that his candidacy had displeased Denis Pushilin, who at that time was acting head of the DPR, and favourite to take the post permanently, which he duly did.[38] This effectively marked the end of Gubarev's political career in the DPR. His wife Ekaterina's political career would continue in Russian-occupied territories following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[39]

Full-scale invasion of Ukraine

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Those are Russian people, who are possessed. We aren't coming to kill you, but to convince you. But if you don't want us to convince you, we'll kill you. We'll kill as many as necessary: 1 million, 5 million, or exterminate all of you.

— Pavel Gubarev[40]

In 2022, Gubarev signed a short-term contract with the Russian Armed Forces, as a private, in order to participate in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[41] During his service there, he declared in an interview their goal to free from "possession" those who he considers to be Russians, even at the cost of killing them all, which would amount to genocide on Ukrainians.[40]

In May 2023, Gubarev became one of the leaders of the newly-founded Russian pro-war ultranationalist Club of Angry Patriots.[42]

In November 2023, Gubarev, publicising his new autobiography, spoke to Russian bloggers in interview. Gubarev spoke in detail on how the Donetsk People's Republic was created and managed under full control of Moscow represented by Vladislav Surkov, with local members of the criminal fraternity appointed as its "officials", such as Alexander Zakharchenko.[43][44]

In February 2026, an administrative case was opened against Gubarev under Russia's law on "discrediting" the armed forces.[45]

In April 2026, Gubarev gave a four-hour interview to Russian journalist Yury Dud, in which he openly admitted to Russian regular army participating in the war in Donbas, including shooting down MH17, organised crime controlling the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics and mass-scale forced takeover of local businesses and property (in which Gubarev himself participated). Some of these details were already mentioned in his autobiographies, although Gubarev added that some of them were removed from his books at an explicit request from Surkov.[46]

Works

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  • Gubarev, Pavel (2016). Факел Новороссии [Torch of New Russia] (in Russian). Moscow: Piter. ISBN 978-5-496-02041-1.
  • — (2023). Факел Новороссии. От Русской весны до СВО. 2014—2023 [Torch of New Russia. From the Russian Spring to the SMO. 2014–2023] (in Russian) (2nd ed.). Moscow: Knizhny Mir. ISBN 978-5-6050307-6-8.

References

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  1. 1 2 Самопроголошений губернатор Донеччини Павло Губарєв: еполети, сталінізм та "еллінські традиції" [Self-proclaimed governor of Donetsk Oblast Pavel Gubarev: epaulettes, Stalinism and "Hellenic traditions"]. The Ukrainian Week (in Ukrainian). 7 March 2014. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 Shevchenko, Daryna (6 March 2014). "Donetsk's self-proclaimed separatist governor talks to journalists, gets arrested". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  3. ↑ Донецкий "народный губернатор" работал Дедом Морозом по вызову [Donetsk "people's governor" worked as a call Ded Moroz]. Focus (in Russian). 14 March 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  4. ↑ "Ukraine: 'People's governor' worked as Santa-for-hire". BBC News. 13 May 2014. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  5. 1 2 Moyon, Germain (9 March 2014). "Pro-Russian Gubarev, a symbol of east Ukraine separatism". Digital Journal. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  6. ↑ Laruelle, M. (2019). Russian Nationalism: Imaginaries, Doctrines, and Political Battlefields. United Kingdom: Routledge. (p. 208)
  7. ↑ Mitrokhin, Nikolay (2015). "Infiltration, instruction, invasion: Russia's war in the Donbass" (PDF). Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society. 1 (1): 234, note 38. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2022. In the Donbass region, the RNE organized the small but highly effective group Russkaia pravoslavnaia armiia (Russian Orthodox army), which was de facto under the control of RNE member Pavel Gubarev, by Gubarev's own account.
  8. ↑ Likhachev, Vyacheslav (July 2016). "The Far Right in the Conflict between Russia and Ukraine" (PDF). Russie.NEI.Visions in English. pp. 18–28. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  9. ↑ Snyder, Timothy (17 March 2014). "Far-Right Forces are Influencing Russia's Actions in Crimea". The New Republic. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  10. ↑ Coynash, Halya (18 March 2014). "Far-Right Recruited as Crimea Poll Observers". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  11. ↑ Matsuka, Oleksiy; Sizov, Vitaliy (10 April 2014). "Russia's deep ties to Donetsk's Kremlin collaborators". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  12. ↑ Кремлевские неонацисты консультируют сепаратистов в Украине для расширения империи [Kremlin neo-Nazis consult separatists in Ukraine for expanding the empire] (in Russian). TSN. 10 April 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  13. ↑ Павел Губарев: Я благодарен РНЕ за военную подготовку [Pavel Gubarev: I'm grateful to the RNU for military training]. novorossia.su (in Russian). Novorossia News Agency. 7 June 2014. Archived from the original on 9 June 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  14. ↑ В Донецке задержан "народный губернатор" Губарев ["People's governor" Gubarev detained in Donetsk] (in Russian). RBK Group. 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  15. ↑ Kushch, Lina (3 March 2014). "Pro-Russia protesters occupy regional government in Ukraine's Donetsk". Reuters. Archived from the original on 16 July 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  16. 1 2 Hauter, Jakob (2023). Umland, Andreas (ed.). Russia's Overlooked Invasion: The Causes of the 2014 Outbreak of War in Ukraine's Donbas. Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society. Vol. 270. Stuttgart: Ibidem. pp. 112, 114. ISBN 978-3-8382-1803-8.
  17. 1 2 Kim, Lucian (2024). Putin's Revenge: Why Russia Invaded Ukraine. Woodrow Wilson Center Series. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 129, 133. doi:10.7312/kim-21402. ISBN 978-0-231-21402-5.
  18. ↑ Risch, William Jay (2026). Ukraine's Euromaidan: From Revolutionary Euphoria to the Madness of War. London: Bloomsbury Academic. p. 224. ISBN 978-1-3505-5872-4.
  19. ↑ McElroy, Damien (6 March 2014). "Pro-Russian leader arrested in Donetsk as Kiev hits back". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  20. ↑ "Pro-Russian Protest Leader In Eastern Ukraine Said Taken To Kyiv". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  21. ↑ Kushch, Lina (6 March 2014). "Ukrainian flag again flies over Donetsk regional HQ". Reuters. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  22. ↑ "Ukraine crisis: Pro-Russians flock to Crimea vote". BBC News. 16 March 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  23. ↑ Kudelia, Serhiy (2025). Seize the City, Undo the State: The Inception of Russia's War on Ukraine. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 87–88. doi:10.1093/9780197795576.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-779553-8.
  24. ↑ "Donetsk people's governor Pavel Gubarev freed in exchange for SBU officers". ITAR-TASS. 7 May 2014. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  25. ↑ Пленных сотрудников Альфы обменяли на трех лидеров сепаратистов - СБУ [Captured Alpha personnel were exchanged for three separatist leaders - SBU] (in Russian). Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 7 May 2014. Archived from the original on 9 September 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  26. ↑ Bazhenova, Natalya (9 May 2014). Народный губернатор Донецкой республики Павел Губарев: "Дадим отпор фашистской нечести! [sic]" [People's governor of the Donetsk republic Pavel Gubarev: "Let's fight back against the fascist scum!"]. Moskovskij Komsomolets. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  27. ↑ Премьер-министром ДНР стал россиянин Александр Бородай [Russian Alexander Borodai became the prime minister of the DPR]. Moskovskij Komsomolets. RIA Novosti. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  28. 1 2 Avakov, Artur (31 October 2014). Дадут ли Новороссии сделать выбор? [Will Novorossiya be given a choice?]. Moskovskij Komsomolets (in Russian). No. 26664. p. 3. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
    Sukhov, Oleg (1 November 2014). "A prelude to a farce: Pre-arranged ballots for Kremlin-backed breakaway regions". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  29. ↑ "Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK" (PDF). Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, HM Treasury. 13 June 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  30. ↑ Laruelle, Marlène (2018). Russian Nationalism: Imaginaries, Doctrines, and Political Battlefields. London: Routledge. pp. 197–198. doi:10.4324/9780429426773. ISBN 978-1-138-38652-5.
  31. ↑ "East Ukraine rebel leader Gubarev unconscious after ambush". BBC News. 13 October 2014. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  32. ↑ "Yekaterina Gubareva writes on Pavel Gubarev's page in Facebook". novorossia.today. Novorossia News Agency. 14 October 2014. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  33. ↑ Laruelle, Marlène (September 2019). "Back From Utopia: How Donbas Fighters Reinvent Themselves in a Post-Novorossiya Russia". Nationalities Papers. 47 (5): 729. doi:10.1017/nps.2019.18.
  34. ↑ Kuromiya, Hiroaki (August 2019). "The War in the Donbas in Historical Perspective". The Soviet and Post-Soviet Review. 46 (3): 246. doi:10.1163/18763324-04603003. ISSN 1075-1262.
  35. ↑ Quinn-Judge, Paul (3 March 2016). "Ukraine's eastern separatist leaders turn on each other". New Eastern Europe. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  36. ↑ Боевики на Донбассе назначили "выборы" [Militants in Donbas have scheduled "elections"]. Ukrainska Pravda (in Russian). 7 September 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  37. ↑ Kazanskyi, Denys (8 October 2018). "The danger of wanting to be boss". The Ukrainian Week. Translated by Wolanskyj, Lidia. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  38. ↑ "Боевики ОРДО не пустили на "выборы" своего "народного губернатора"" [Militants of certain districts of Donetsk Oblast prevented their "people's governor" from participating in the "elections"]. Ukrainska Pravda (in Russian). 6 October 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  39. ↑ Roscoe, Matthew (16 November 2022). "Kherson Region deputy head Ekaterina Gubareva reportedly missing". EuroWeekly News. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  40. 1 2 Browning, Oliver (12 October 2022). "DPR separatist Pavel Gubarev vows to 'exterminate' all Ukrainians who refuse to join Russia". The Independent. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  41. ↑ Мнение: Павел Губарев под Киевом [Opinion: Pavel Gubarev near Kyiv]. ryb.ru (in Russian). 18 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  42. ↑ Faulconbridge, Guy (13 May 2023). "Pro-war nationalists say they are entering Russian politics to counter turmoil". Reuters. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  43. ↑ То что мы 10 лет твердили! Губарев слил дыныры, Суркова и всю кремлевскую ОПГ [What we've been saying for 10 years! Gubarev sold out the DPR, Surkov, and the entire Kremlin organised crime group] (in Russian). Om TV. 27 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023 – via YouTube.
  44. ↑ Kazanskyi, Denys (24 November 2023). "ДНР создавали люди Януковича, это было не за идею а за деньги!" Губарев раскрыл всю правду про 2014 ["The DPR was created by Yanukovych's people, not for the idea, but for money!" Gubarev revealed the whole truth about 2014]. Denis Kazanskyi (in Russian). Retrieved 28 November 2023 – via YouTube.
  45. ↑ "Ex-"DPR" leader Pavel Gubarev charged with "discrediting" the Russian army". The Insider. 19 February 2026. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  46. ↑ Губарев – кто управляет Путиным, миллион погибших, кто сбил Боинг [Gubarev – who controls Putin, a million dead, who shot down the Boeing]. vDud (in Russian). 9 April 2026. Retrieved 13 April 2026 – via YouTube.
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