Igor Plotnitsky

Biography

Plotnitsky was born either in Luhansk or in the town of Kelmentsi to Venedikt and Nina Plotnitsky. He also has a brother Mykhailo Plotnitsky who resides in Kiev. According to a journalist research, Plotnitsky graduated school in Kelmentsi. According to one of his classmates Plotnitsky went to live in Luhansk in 1982, when he joined the army. Other sources claim that he was drafted to the army in 1982, Plotnitsky served in Penza where he also graduated the Penza Artillery and Engineer College. In 1991 Plotnitsky retired from the Soviet Army as a major and moved to Luhansk.

Plotnitsky was a reserve officer of the Soviet Army and started to dedicate himself to business activities after the fall of Soviet Union. Eventually Plotnitsky opened his own business in sale of fuel and lubrication materials. In 2004-2012 he worked for the regional Inspection in protection of Consumer Rights.

Luhansk People's Republic

With the start of 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine (in the Donbass region), Plotnitsky sided with so called Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). In April 2014 he organized the rebel battalion Zarya and on 21 May 2014 he was appointed as the Minister of Defense for Luhansk People's Republic. After resignation of Valeriy Bolotov on 14 August 2014, Plotnitsky succeeded him as a Head of LPR.

Plotnitsky won the 2014 Luhansk Presidential Election with 63% of the vote. The Russian Foreign Ministry recognized the elections despite the Minsk Protocol which they signed. When Plotnitsky was participating in election of the Head of LPR, Plotnitsky later stated that he was appointed to the post, but did not specify by whom.

Another journalist's research points on a direct connection between Plotnitsky and a former Ukrainian official, Oleksandr Yefremov (former Governor of Luhansk Oblast), one of the leaders of Party of Regions. On 30 October 2014, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine issued a statement, that he and Aleksandr Popov are suspected for kidnapping Nadiya Savchenko. Since 10 November 2014 Plotnitsky has been wanted by the Security Service of Ukraine for his role in LPR.

Plotnitsky challenged Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to a duel (possibly to be broadcast live on TV) in an open letter published on 19 November 2014 in which he proposes "Whoever wins will dictate their terms to the opposing side". Plotinsky said that if he won the duel, he would begin by ending all military action in the country's turbulent east, and would then force "all legal, half-legal, paralegal and illegal armed groups" into exile.

On 11 February 2015, the LPR leadership signed the Minsk II agreement that arranged rebel-held territory reintegration into Ukraine and the overhauling the Ukrainian constitution to grant it a special status within Ukraine's borders. The next week Plotnitsky said that "If Ukraine remains like it is now, we will never be together", but that if the Ukrainian government would carry out the reforms laid out in the Minsk agreement "Time will show whether we will be part of the future, new and renewed Ukraine."

On 18 January 2017 Plotnitsky (on his "official website") declared "we will never return to Ukraine!" and that the LPR was "returning to his home - Russia, the Russian world".

2016 assassination attempt

On 6 August 2016 Plotnitsky´s car exploded, injuring passengers including Plotnitsky. According to the separatists an explosive device had been planted and detonated near a set of traffic lights. They also claimed Ukrainian "saboteurs" might be behind the "terrorist" attack - a claim denied by the Ukrainian authorities. On 7 August 2016 Plotnitsky was said to be stable after hospital treatment.

Conflict with Cossaks

Members of Russian Cossaks, particularly Pavel Dryomov blamed Plotnitsky in embezzlement of state property and called for an armed coup-d'état against Plotnitsky. The statement came out on 31 December 2014 soon after a major conflict between supporters of Plotnitsky and the Russian Cossaks in Antratsyt during which according to the RNBO were killed 18 people and disappearance of a leader of Russian Cossaks Nikolay Kozitsyn. Dryomov also pointed out that the regional administration (of Luhansk Oblast) is being controlled by "people of Oleksandr Yefremov", while Plotnitsky was promoted by another Ukrainian parliamentarian Natalia Korolevska. Another conflict ensued in the city of Rovenky on 21 January 2015 and another street fight with use of grenade launchers and armoured personnel vehicles in Krasny Luch on 28 February 2015.

Anti-Semitism

In June 2015, Plotnitsky told an audience at a Russian university that Ukraine's Euromaidan revolution was masterminded by a cabal of Jews, and that the name "Euromaidan" was really "Evreimaidan", which translates from Russian to 'Jewmaidan'. He also referred to President Petro Poroshenko as "Valtzman" (there is an unproven urban legend that Poroshenko's father was actually named Valtzman until he adopted his wife's Yevgenya's last name). In the speech he also said "I have nothing against the Jews as a people, as the ‘Chosen People,’ we can talk about this separately if we have the time". Jewish leaders commenting on his remarks agreed they were anti-Semitic. The Anti-Defamation League also condemned Plotnitsky.