Valery Bolotov is a person who directly influenced the fate of Ukraine. It was his inhabitants of Lugansk who elected the first people's governor. He dreamed of creating New Russia, and he promised to transform the LPR into "little Switzerland."
Biography
Valery Bolotov hails from Taganrog (Rostov Region). He was born in 1970, and when he was 4 years old, the family changed his place of residence. The new home was Ukraine, or rather the city of Stakhanovo, which is not far from Lugansk.
At 18, like most Soviet guys, Valery was drafted into the army. His service took place in the Vitebsk Airborne Division. Valery had to take part in the hostilities. He gained experience in real battles in Karabakh, Yerevan, and Tbilisi. He left the army with the rank of reserve sergeant and returned home.
Valery Dmitrievich faced the question of getting an education. He chose the Lugansk Institute and ultimately received two diplomas - an economist and a process engineer.
Information about his work at the moment in the public domain is very small. It is known that for some time he worked at a private mine in the Luhansk region. Then he worked surrounded by Alexander Efremov - this is a Ukrainian politician, former deputy chairman of the Party of Regions. Bolotov served as driver and guard for his son Efremov.
The creation of the Army of the Southeast
Political leapfrog in Ukraine led to the fact that the inhabitants of Donbass decided on open revolutionary actions. In Lugansk and Donetsk refused to obey the Kiev authorities.
In the spring of 2014, commercials urging to confront the aggressors, i.e. leadership, which is located in Kiev. Masked people led protests and rallies, so in the first weeks of the riots ordinary citizens did not even imagine who they supported.
However, soon Bolotov decided to act openly. He was among the active participants in the seizure of a building belonging to the SBU of the Lugansk region. He also led the rebel movement, which became known as the Army of the Southeast.
In April 2014, Valery Bolotov was elected as a national assembly by the interim head of the Luhansk region. First, the people's governor announced his refusal to submit to Kiev. In particular, the judicial sphere and law enforcement bodies began to report to the People’s Council, which soon appeared in Lugansk.
Bolotov’s actions, of course, outraged many in Ukraine, especially those who were in the highest power structures. Already in May, the people's governor was injured in the assassination attempt. The wound was very serious, Bolotov was urgently transported to Russia for treatment. However, almost immediately after he became a little better, he returned to Lugansk.
The European Union, which did not support the desire of Donbass residents for autonomy, included Bolotov on the sanctions list. This implied a ban on visits to EU member states and the freezing of certain assets. A little later, these actions were supported by Canada and the United States.
In August 2014, Valery Dmitrievich decided to resign. He explained his act by the fact that health after injury does not allow him to fully take care of people who entrusted him with their fate. From that moment on, for some time he completely disappeared from the field of view of journalists.
The fate of Bolotov after the resignation
After the resignation, Valery Bolotov left Lugansk and moved to Russia, to Moscow. But here he continues with all possible means to help residents of the LPR. He led the collection of humanitarian aid and tried to organize a social movement. Some journalists were able to find out that Bolotov joined forces with members of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation to make it easier to help the Donbass.
In 2015, Bolotov participated in the forum of Russian hero cities and was among the awarded veterans. The award was handed to him personally by G. Zyuganov.
Bolotov until the end of his life believed in the possibility of creating New Russia. This structure was to unite the LPR and the DPR (Donetsk People's Republic) and oppose the Ukrainian authorities. Bolotov primarily blamed I. Plotnitsky for his removal and impossibility to realize his plans. He appointed him Minister of Defense in 2014, but his betrayal (according to Bolotov himself) crossed out all plans.
The death of Valery Bolotov
The sudden death of the first head of the LPR happened on January 27, 2017. He died in Moscow, as reported by his wife Elena. The official cause of death was called heart failure and atherosclerosis.
The originally planned time of the funeral of Valery Bolotov had to be postponed at the request of his wife. Elena Bolotova suspected the possibility of poisoning her husband, since nothing foreshadowed such a sudden death.
January 31, 2017 V. Bolotov was buried at the Mashkinsky cemetery in Moscow. He has two sons left, born in 2001 and 2008.
Valery Bolotov with his sons.
The people's governor never spread about his personal life, on the net did not find photographs of his relatives. All this was done solely for the sake of security and the preservation of peace of family.
