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Yevhen Zhylin

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Yevhen Zhylin
Евгений Жилин
Unofficial leader of the
Kharkiv People's Republic
In office
April 7, 2014 – April 8, 2014
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byVolodymyr Varshavsky as "People's Governeur"
Personal details
Born6 January 1976[1]
Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Died19 September 2016(2016-09-19) (aged 40)
Gorki-2, Moscow Oblast, Russia
OccupationRussian Separatist

Yevhen Volodymyrovych Zhylin (Ukrainian: Євген Володимирович Жилін, 6 January 1976 – 19 September 2016) was a Russian Separatist in Ukraine from Kharkiv known for his involvement in leading the Titushky during Euromaidan and attempting to form a "Kharkiv People's Republic" of which he was the self-proclaimed "President." Zhylin would be assassinated in Russia in 2016.[2]

Biography

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Zhylin was born in Kharkiv in 1976.[2] Zhylin was a police officer before getting involved in pro-Russian separatist circles.[3][4] Zhylin was the lead suspect in a 2006 attempted assassination of Hennadiy Kernes for which he was detained for two years but ultimately acquitted and released in 2008.[2] In 2010 he opened a mixed martial arts club in Kharkiv named "Oplot" or "Stronghold" claiming that the organization was made to train fighters to oppose neo-Nazis and Banderites.[2][3][5][4] TASS reported that Oplot was made to support former members of the Militsiya who were struggling to find jobs.[6][better source needed]

Euromaidan

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Main articles: Euromaidan, Revolution of Dignity, and War in the Donbass
Proposed flag of the Kharkiv People's Republic, flown by Russian Separatists during the April 7 events

During Euromaidan Zhylin made a name for himself as one of the leading Anti-Maidan voices within the city, using his MMA club as an impromptu paramilitary to engage in street clashes against pro-maidan protesters.[2][3][4] He also sent some of his fighters to Kyiv to fight the protesters there as Titushky.[3] Zhylin was offered to be named the chief of the Titushky, however, the role would ultimately be given to businessman Oleksiy Chebotariov, who was close to then interior minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko, who would coordinate the Titushky remotely in the Maldives while Zhylin was in charge of ground operations. Zhylin oversaw the kidnapping of pro-maidan protesters and personally tortured them on camera, releasing the footage as a threat to those who participate in the protests.[7] After Viktor Yanukovych fled the country following the Revolution of Dignity, Zhylin's street fighters were organized into a militia fighting as a member of the Russian people's militias in Ukraine.[2] Zhylin would attempt to recruit foreign fighters from the former Soviet Union to take up arms against the "neo-Nazis" responsible for Euromaidan, including Mamuka Mamulashvili, who called the proposal "stupid" and went on to form the Georgian Legion, promising to capture Zhylin and fight the separatists.[5] Zhylin then opened more Oplot locations in the Donbass, namely in Donetsk, which were involved in the seizing of government buildings there during the outbreak of the War in the Donbass.[3] Alexander Zakharchenko was a member of the Donetsk branch of Oplot.[4] On April 7, 2014, Zhylin and Oplot where among the anti-maidan militias that stormed the Kharkiv Oblast Council.[2] During the one-day occupation of the building Zhylin would be proclaimed the "President" of the "Kharkiv People's Republic."[2]

Exile in Russia

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Following the failure of the Kharkiv People's Republic to form, Zhylin went into exile in Russia in the spring of 2014 and had a warrant pending for his arrest in Ukraine since 2016 after a two-year-long investigation concluded he was instrumental in the pro-Russian separatist circle.[2][4] Zhylin settled in Moscow where he continued Oplot's activities both as a fight club and as a private security firm.[2][4] He used his organization to finance the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic.[3] It was revealed in 2016 that Zhylin was a close personal friend of Kostiantyn Kulyk the former chief prosecutor of Kharkiv Oblast and made frequent payments, including a gifted car, to Kulyk.[8]

Assassination

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On September 20, 2016, Zhylin and an associate, Andrei Kozyrev, were dining in a high-end restaurant in the Gorki-2 suburb of Moscow when a man with a fake mustache, sunglasses, and hat entered, walked up to the table, and shot Zhylin and Kozyrev. Zhylin was killed instantly while Kozyrev went into a coma.[4][2][3][9]

Russian nationalist politician Aleksandr Borodai stated that the assassination was the result of a "business dispute" between rival security companies,[2][3][4] while the Ukrainian politician Dmytro Tymchuk claimed Zhylin was assassinated by the Federal Security Service "defending the [information] space from those who could give evidence about the initial stage of Russia's hybrid war against Ukraine."[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Военная прокуратура зовет на допрос Жилина". Украинская правда (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Talant, Bermet (20 September 2016). "Leader of Ukrainian separatist organization shot dead in Moscow". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Balmforth, Tom (20 September 2016). "Prominent Ukrainian Anti-Maidan Activist Killed In Moscow Restaurant". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Ukrainian Separatist Yevgeny Zhilin Murdered in Moscow Restaurant". Moscow Times. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b Sukhov, Oleg. "Georgian warrior fights his fourth war against Kremlin". Georgian Journal. Kyiv Post. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Здание Донецкого горсовета захватили активисты харьковской организации "Оплот"". TASS. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  7. ^ Shandra, Alya (24 September 2021). ""King of the titushkas" who attacked Euromaidan protesters sentenced to 8 years in prison". Euromaidan Press. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  8. ^ Kramer, Andrew E.; Schwirtz, Michael (15 October 2019). "The Ukrainian Prosecutor Behind the Dossier Targeting Hunter Biden". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Day 21 of Putin's war. Russians destroy Drama Theater in Mariupol, where hundreds were hiding from shelling". The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
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