Oleksandr Ponomaryov (politician)
 |
Oleksandr Ponomarov | |
|---|---|
| Олександр Пономарьов | |
 | |
| People's Deputy of Ukraine | |
| Assumed office 12 December 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Constituency | Zaporizhzhia Oblast, No. 78 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 January 1962 Berdiansk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine) |
| Political party | Platform for Life and Peace (since 2022) |
| Other political affiliations |
|
| Alma mater | Zaporizhzhia National Technical University |
| Disappeared | 20 March 2022 (aged 60) Berdiansk, Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast |
| Status | Missing for 2 years, 7 months and 10 days |
Oleksandr Serhiiovych Ponomarov (Ukrainian: Олександр Сергійович Пономарьов; born 7 January 1962 – disappeared 20 March 2022) is a Ukrainian economist and politician. He has served as a People's Deputy of Ukraine since 12 December 2012 from Ukraine's 78th electoral district, representing south-eastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Political activity
From 2002 to 2006, Ponomarov was a deputy of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Council. He was elected to the Berdiansk City Council in 2006 before again becoming a deputy of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Council in 2010, on which he served until 2012.
In 2012, Ponomarov was elected as a People's Deputy of Ukraine from Ukraine's 78th electoral district as an independent, representing south-eastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast and including Berdiansk. He was subsequently re-elected twice, in 2014 as an independent and 2019 as a member of Opposition Platform — For Life.[1] In 2019, he won with 36.85% of the vote. His closest opponent was Vitalii Bohovin from Servant of the People, who gained 32.44% of the votes.[1] He is chairman of subcommittee on the questions of roads and the public road system of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Transport Questions.[2]
Following the banning of OPZZh amidst the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was reported that Ponomarov had joined the Platform for Life and Peace in April 2022.[3] Ponomarov remained in Berdyansk after the beginning of the invasion and later moved to Crimea; he re-emerged in Ukraine in January 2023.[4] In late 2021, it was reported that Ponomarov holds Russian citizenship, and therefore is expected to lose his position as a people's deputy in 2023.[5]
Russian citizenship controversy
Ponomarov applied for and received Russian citizenship in 2003.[6] According to his application, he obtained citizenship because he had "lived continuously in Russia for at least 5 years."[6] In February 2022, after "Schemes" had discovered Ponomarov's dual citizenship, Ponomarov could not explain the purpose for which he applied for Russian citizenship in 2003 and added that he "never used it."[6] He also stated that he considered the passport annulled and did not know if it was valid.[6]
2022 forced disappearance
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Russian occupation of southern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, it was reported by the Berdiansk City Council that Ponomarov was forcibly disappeared by Russian forces on 20 March 2022 for refusing to cooperate with occupational authorities.[7] Leader of OPZZh Yuriy Boyko also claimed Ponomarov had been abducted, saying, "I am appealing to all citizens for help. Our colleague Oleksandr Ponomarov has disappeared and cannot be contacted. In Berdiansk, he helped people evacuated from Mariupol."[8]
According to former member of the Berdiansk Raion Council Viktor Dudukalov, the Donetsk People's Republic was conducting an investigation into Ponomarov regarding alleged financial support for the Azov Regiment and Right Sector. Following Ponomarov's disappearance, multiple factories in Berdiansk were reported to have stopped working, either in protest of his disappearance[7] or due to a lack of safety guarantees for the factories' workers.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Електоральна пам'ять". ukr.vote.
- ^ "Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine". Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- ^ Klishchuk, Liudmyla (21 April 2022). "ОПЗЖ перейменувала себе у "Платформу за життя і мир" і продовжить працювати у ВР як група" [OPZZh renames itself to "Platform for Life and Peace", will continue in VR as a group]. Novynarnia (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ "СМИ: еще четырех депутатов Рады от ОПЗЖ лишат мандатов". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 23 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ^ "СМИ: еще четырех депутатов Рады от ОПЗЖ лишат мандатов". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 23 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d (in Ukrainian) The media found a Russian passport from the People's Deputy of the OPZH, Ukrayinska Pravda (4 February 2022)
- ^ a b Lysohor, Iryna (23 March 2022). "Бердянська міська рада заявила про викрадення народного депутата Пономарьова" [Berdiansk City Council reports abduction of People's Deputy Ponomarov]. LB.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ^ a b Yankovskyi, Oleksandr (24 March 2022). "Народний депутат – у полоні окупантів. Що відомо про зникнення "тіньового господаря Бердянська"?" [People's Deputy captured by occupiers: What's known about the disappearance of Berdiansk's "master in the shadows"?]. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 5 November 2022.
External links
Media related to Oleksandr Ponomariov at Wikimedia Commons- Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, official web portal
