Oleksandr Kobets

Oleksandr Yuriyovych Kobets[lower-alpha 2] (born 27 September 1959) is a Ukrainian politician, businessman and former intelligence officer serving as the de facto mayor of Kherson since 26 April 2022 following his installment by the Russian military during the Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast.[1][2][3][4]

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

Oleksandr Kobets
Олександр Кобець
Blurred image of Kobets released by SBU
Mayor of Kherson
(de facto, Russian-installed)
Incumbent
(contested)
Assumed office
26 April 2022
disputed with Ihor Kolykhaiev
Preceded byIhor Kolykhaiev[lower-alpha 1]
Personal details
Born (1959-09-27) 27 September 1959
Kherson, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
(now Ukraine)
NationalityUkrainian

Biography

Kobets was born on 27 September 1959 in Kherson, in what was then the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union. He served as a KGB officer until 1991, when he started working for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Kobets supervised economic issues in the 1990s, in particular, the work of the Kherson Oil Refinery. In the early 2000s, Kobets was transferred to the head office of the SBU. He retired from the SBU in 2010.[5]

Following his retirement, Kobets, together with his wife, founded a company which handles contract mediation for goods, production of juices, mineral water, soft drinks and trade. The Centre for Journalistic Investigations revealed that Kobets has not repaid a loan of 80 thousand dollars for several years.[5]

Prior to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kobets lived in Kyiv.[5]

On 26 April, during the Russian occupation of Kherson, Kobets was appointed mayor of Kherson by the Russian military.[3][2][1][4][5] The start of his term was marked by protests against the Russian occupation of Kherson.[6]

Notes
  1. Kolykhaiev was removed by the Russian military administration in Kherson on 26 April 2022, but continues to claim the title of mayor of Kherson.
  2. Ukrainian: Олександр Юрійович Кобець
    Russian: Александр Юрьевич Кобец, Aleksandr Yuryevich Kobets

References
  1. "Херсон: окупанти призначили своїх "голову ОДА" та "мера"". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  2. "Новым мэром Херсона стал бывший сотрудник КГБ СССР". www.mk.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  3. "Kherson mayor on 'referendum', captives, remote work under occupation". english.nv.ua. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  4. "Знакомые все лица: оккупанты назначили известных коллаборантов новыми главами Херсона и области". ukrainenews.fakty.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  5. "Оккупационный «мэр» Херсона Кобец служил в КГБ-СБУ, занимался бизнесом в Киеве и имеет долги". Центр журналистских расследований (in Russian). 29 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  6. Times, The Moscow (28 April 2022). "Russian-Occupied Kherson Names New Leadership Amid Pro-Ukraine Protests, Rocket Attacks". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.