Denis Pushilin
Head of the Donetsk People's Republic
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 November 2018 Acting: 7 September 2018–20 November 2018
Prime Minister	Himself (Acting) Alexander Ananchenko (Acting)
Preceded by	Alexander Zakharchenko Dmitry Trapeznikov (Acting)
Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic Acting
In office 7 September 2018 – 18 October 2018
Preceded by	Dmitry Trapeznikov (Acting)
Succeeded by	Alexander Ananchenko (Acting)
Chairman of the People's Council of the Donetsk People's Republic
In office 4 September 2015 – 14 September 2018
Preceded by	Andrei Purgin
Succeeded by	Olga Makeeva
Vice Chairman of the People's Council of the Donetsk People's Republic
In office 14 November 2014 – 4 September 2015
Permanent Representative of the People's Democratic Republic at the negotiations of the tripartite contact group in Minsk
In office 9 November 2014 – 12 September 2018
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Nataliya Nikonorova
Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Donetsk People's Republic
In office 15 May 2014 – 18 July 2014
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Vladimir Makovych (Acting)
Personal details
Born	(1981-05-09) 9 May 1981 (age 43) Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union[1]
Nationality	Ukrainian
Political party	MMM (2011–2013) Donetsk Republic (2014–present) United Russia (2021-present)
Spouse	Elena Pushilina
Children	2
Signature

Denis Vladimirovich Pushilin (Russian: Дени́с Влади́мирович Пуши́лин, pronounced [dʲɪˈnʲis vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ pʊˈʂɨlʲɪn]; Ukrainian: Денис Володимирович Пушилін, romanized: Denys Volodymyrovych Pushylin; born 9 May 1981^[1]) is the Head of State of the Donetsk People's Republic, a breakaway state in the Donbas region that is at war with the state of Ukraine and is supported by the Russian Federation. Pushilin has been the DPR's head of state since September 2018.

On 7 September 2018, after his predecessor Alexander Zakharchenko was killed in a bomb blast,^[2] Pushilin was appointed acting Head of the DPR; a position which he held until elections on 11 November 2018 when the position became permanent.^[3]

Pushilin previously served as head of state briefly in 2014 following the entity's founding. He went on to serve as Chairman of the People's Council (Speaker of Parliament) of the DPR until the death of Zakharchenko in 2018.^{[citation needed]}

Pushilin is a native of a mining city of Makiivka, a son of workers of the Makiivka Metallurgical Factory Vladimir Pushilin and Valentina Khasanova.^[4] He graduated from the Russian public school of Makiivka city council, Makiivka lyceum.

His military obligation Pushilin served in the National Guard of Ukraine in 1999–2000 as a servicemember of special assignment battalion in Crimea.^[4] In 2000s he studied at the Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture, faculty "Enterprise economy".^[4] According to documents that Pushilin submitted to the Central Election Commission of Ukraine, he reported of having full secondary education.^[5] In 2002–2006 he worked for a confectionery "Solodke zhyttia" (Sweet life).^[4]

In 2011–2013 Pushilin volunteered for a recent successor of the Russian Ponzi scheme company MMM, which in 1990s cost its customers millions of dollars before it was disbanded in 1994 and revived in 2011.^[6][7][4] Pushilin never denied involvement with the company.^[8] Despite the MMM's record, the Ministry of Justice allowed registration of the MMM party in Ukraine.

As a member of the newly created MMM-party and part of the MMM Global as an abbreviation for "We Have One Goal" (Ukrainian: Ми Маємо Мету), Pushilin failed to win a seat in the 15 December 2013 repeat elections of the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election in simple-majority constituencies number 94 (located in Obukhiv) because got only 0.08% of the votes.^[9][10] Pushilin's (only 1 page long) election program did not contain any statement on a wanted change of Ukraine's current borders.^[1][5] According to his election information, in December 2013 Pushilin was "temporarily not working".^[1][5]

On 19 May 2014 Pushilin became the self-declared Chairman of the Supreme Council (Speaker of parliament) of the Donetsk People's Republic, and therefore, under the draft Constitution adopted on May 15, the self-declared republic's head of state.^{[citation needed]}

Denis Pushilin, the self-proclaimed chairman of the republic stated that he does not envision the Donetsk People's Republic becoming an independent state, instead preferring to join a renewed Russian Empire.^[11]

Pushilin has survived two assassination attempts so far, both occurring within a week on the 7th^[12] and 12th^{[citation needed]} of June 2014. Pushilin was in Moscow on those dates, as was widely reported at the time.^[13]

While in Moscow in June 2014, Pushilin announced that enterprises in the areas claimed as the Donetsk People's Republic refusing to pay taxes to the republic would be nationalized.^[14]

According to the Interfax agency, on 18 July 2014, Pushilin resigned from his post of the Chairman of the Donetsk People's Republic.^[15]

From 14 November 2014 to 4 September 2015, he served as a vice-chairman of the Donetsk People's Republic Council then he replaced Andrei Purgin and became the Chairman of the Council once again.^[16]

On 31 August 2018, DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko was killed by a bomb in a restaurant in Donetsk.^[2] On 7 September 2018, Pushilin was appointed acting Head of the DPR; it was said he would hold this position until elections on 11 November 2018.^[3]

On 6 December 2021 Pushilin became a member of the Russian ruling party United Russia.^[17] United Russia chairman Dmitry Medvedev personally handed him his party ticket during the party's annual congress in Moscow.^[17]

• Denis Pushilin official Facebook
• The new leader of the Donetsk separatists used to be member of MMM. Mirror Weekly. 6 April 2014.