Yevhen Balytskyi

Yevhen Vitaliiovych Balytskyi[lower-alpha 2] (born 10 December 1969) is a Ukrainian politician and entrepreneur who served as a member of the 7th and 8th Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada convocations.[3] He served as secretary of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on issues of ecological policy. Since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, he has worked alongside Russian forces in Melitopol, being regarded by the Security Service of Ukraine as the de facto mayor of Melitopol.

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming conventions, the patronymic is Vitaliiovych and the family name is Balytskyi.

Yevhen Balytskyi
Євген Балицький
Balytskyi in 2014.
Mayor of Melitopol
(de facto, Russian-installed)[lower-alpha 1]
Incumbent
(disputed)
Assumed office
12 March 2022
Disputed with Ivan Fedorov
Preceded byIvan Fedorov
People's Deputy of Ukraine
In office
12 December 2012 – 29 August 2019
ConstituencyParty of Regions, No. 80 (until 2014)
Opposition Platform — For Life, No. 80
Personal details
Born (1969-12-10) 10 December 1969
Melitopol, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
(now Ukraine)
Political partyOpposition Platform — For Life
Other political
affiliations		Independent (1998–2004)
Party of Regions (2004–2014)
Opposition Bloc (2014)
Children3
Military service
Allegiance Soviet Union (1991)
 CIS (1991–1992)
 Ukraine (1992–1995)
Branch/serviceSoviet Air Forces
Ukrainian Air Force
Years of service1991–1995

Early life and career

Yevhen Vitaliiovych Balytskyi was born in Melitopol, then in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union, on 10 December 1969, to a family of military aviators. In 1987, he graduated from high school. In 1991, he graduated from Tambov Higher Military Aviation School as an engineer. For the next four years, he served in various aviation garrisons, and in 1995 was transferred to the reserve from Melitopol Regiment military transport aircraft with the rank of captain.

From 1995 to 1997, he was the head of the OlZheKa company, which sold and repaired household appliances in Melitopol. In 1996, OlZheKa established the first FM radio station in Melitopol, called Southern Space.

From 1997 to 2007, Balytskyi was head of the Melitopol Brewery, and only in 2007 sold a controlling stake in this company. Since 2000, led Melitopol Avtogidroagregat, a tractor parts company. As of 2012, he was deputy director for economics at Melitopol Avtogidroagregate. Both Melitopol Brewery and Avtogidroagregat achieved economic success under Balytskyi's leadership.[4]

Regional politics

From 1998 to 2002, Balytskyi was a deputy of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Council, as an independent. In 2004, he joined the Party of Regions, and from 2010 to 2012, he again served as a deputy of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Council, serving as a member of the Standing Committee on the Budget, as well as the Acting Director of the Department in the Ministry of Economy and European Integration.

Verkhovna Rada

From 2012 to 2019, Balytskyi was a People's Deputy of Ukraine, serving in the 7th and 8th Ukrainian Verkhovna Radas, elected both times as member of multi-candidate constituency. As a People's Deputy, Balytskyi oversaw the allocation of aid to Melitopol Raion and other rural areas.

Balytskyi (on right) with Sergei Walter during a race in Melitopol, 2015.

In November 2013, Balytskyi met with Chairman of the Melitopol City District Court Viktor Fomin and Chairman of the Court of Appeal of Zaporozhia Viktor Horodovenko about the arrest of Sergei Walter for embezzlement of state property.

On 14 February 2014, he was elected deputy chairman of the Melitopol organisation of the Party of Regions. In April, Balitsky noted environmental problems in the dairy estuary.

On 3 June 2014, Balytskyi left the Party of Regions faction in the Verkhovna Rada, joining the Opposition Bloc. However, only four months later, he was elected as a member of Opposition Platform — For Life's multi-member constituency in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election.

Collaboration with Russian forces

Following the capture of Melitopol by Russian forces during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Balytskyi assisted in the establishment of a new, pro-Russian government in the city. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has claimed that Balytskyi is the éminence grise of the occupation in Melitopol.[5][6]

Awards

Notes
  1. Though Halyna Danylchenko is the de jure mayor of Melitopol instated by Russian authorities, Balytskyi has been reported to effectively control the pro-Russian government within the city.[1][2]
  2. Russian: Евгений Витальевич Бали́цкий, romanized: Yevgeny Vitalyevich Balitsky
    Ukrainian: Євген Віталійович Балицький

References
  1. "Що відомо про депутата Євгена Балицького, який співпрацює з окупантами" [What is known about the deputy Yevhen Balytskyi, who cooperates with the occupiers]. Zaporizhzhian Investigation Centre (in Ukrainian). 25 March 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. Lotareva, Anastasiya; Zakharov, Andrei (1 April 2022). "Экс-"регионал", бухгалтерша и горный инженер: кто стал новой властью на оккупированных украинских территориях" [Ex-regional, accountant and mining engineer: who became the new government in the occupied Ukrainian territories?]. BBC (in Russian).
  3. "Офіційний портал Верховної Ради України". W1.c1.rada.gov.ua. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20140114222625/http://peoplemelitopol.ru/index.php?%2FBALICKIJ-Evgenij-Vitalevich%2FVse-stranicy%2FVse-stranicy.html. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2015. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. "Що відомо про депутата Євгена Балицького, який співпрацює з окупантами" [What is known about the deputy Yevhen Balytskyi, who cooperates with the occupiers]. Zaporizhzhian Investigation Centre (in Ukrainian). 25 March 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. Lotareva, Anastasiya; Zakharov, Andrei (1 April 2022). "Экс-"регионал", бухгалтерша и горный инженер: кто стал новой властью на оккупированных украинских территориях" [Ex-regional, accountant and mining engineer: who became the new government in the occupied Ukrainian territories?]. BBC (in Russian).
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