Putin appointed the Donetsk separatist Zhoga as his ambassador to the Urals
Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Donetsk separatist Artyom Zhoga as his plenipotentiary representative in the Ural Federal District. Zhoga was the commander of the “Sparta” battalion, which since 2014 fought for the separation of Donbass from Ukraine, and after February 2022 is participating in a full-scale war in Ukraine on the side of Russia. In 2023, Zhoga joined the “United Russia” party, and since September last year he headed the People’s Council of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic.
At the meeting with Zhoga, Putin said that being the president’s plenipotentiary in the Urals is a big responsibility, there are many defense industry enterprises in the region. Zhoga himself was never connected with the Urals.
In December 2023, Artyom Zhoga publicly asked Vladimir Putin to run for the fifth presidential term, after which Putin confirmed that he would participate in the elections. In the March 2024 elections, Zhoga was the co-chairman of Putin’s election headquarters.
Artyom Zhoga has been under US sanctions since February 2023, and under EU sanctions since February 2024. The “Sparta” battalion is included in the sanctions list of the European Union as “an armed separatist group that actively supports actions that undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine and continue to destabilize the situation in Ukraine.” The battalion is accused of war crimes, torture and murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
- The “Agency” edition notes that Zhoga is one of the 83 participants in the first stream of the “Time of Heroes” program. This is a program for training personnel for civil service from participants in the war in Ukraine. Zhoga’s mentor during training was Anton Vaino, the head of the presidential administration, governors and members of the government were trainees during the second military training, writes “Agency”.
