Valery Bolotov is a person who directly influenced the fate of Ukraine. It was his inhabitants of Lugansk who were elected the first people's governor. He dreamed of creating Novorossiya, and promised to turn the LPR into a "little Switzerland".
Biography
Valery Bolotov is from Taganrog (Rostov region). He was born in 1970, and when he was 4 years old, the family changed their place of residence. Ukraine, more precisely the city of Stakhanovo, not far from Luhansk, has become a new home.
At the age of 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 of real battles in Karabakh, Yerevan, Tbilisi. He retired from 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 degrees - an economist and a process engineer.
There is very little information about his work activity in the public domain at the moment. It is known that for some time he worked at a private mine in the Luhansk region. Then he worked in the entourage of Alexander Efremov - this is a Ukrainian politician, former deputy chairman of the Party of Regions. Bolotov acted as a driver and security guard for the son of Efremov.
Creation of the Army of the South-East
The political leapfrog in Ukraine led to the fact that the inhabitants of Donbass decided to take open revolutionary actions. In Lugansk and Donetsk, they refused to obey the Kiev authorities.
In the spring of 2014, these cities began to actively broadcast videos urging to resist the aggressors, i.e. management, which is located in Kiev. The protests and rallies were led by people in masks, so in the first weeks of the riots, ordinary citizens did not even know who they were supporting.
However, Bolotov soon decided to act openly. He was among the active participants in the seizure of the building belonging to the SBU of the Luhansk region. He also led the rebel movement, which became known as the Army of the South-East.
In April 2014, Valery Bolotov was elected by the people's gathering as the interim head of the Luhansk region. First of all, the people's governor announced his refusal to subordinate to Kiev. In particular, the judiciary and law enforcement agencies began to report to the People's Council, which soon appeared in Lugansk.
Bolotov's actions, of course, angered many in Ukraine, especially those in the highest power structures. Already in May, the people's governor was wounded in an assassination attempt. The wound was very serious, Bolotov was urgently transported to Russia for treatment. However, almost immediately after he felt a little better, he returned to Luhansk.
The European Union, which did not support the Donbas residents' aspirations for autonomy, included Bolotov on the sanctions list. This included a ban on visits to EU member states and the freezing of some 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 his health after being wounded does not allow him to fully care for the people who entrusted him with their fate. From that moment on, he completely disappeared from the field of view of journalists for some time.
Bolotov's fate after resignation
After his resignation, Valery Bolotov left Lugansk and moved to Russia, to Moscow. But here, too, he continues to help the inhabitants of the LPR in every possible way. He directed the collection of humanitarian aid and tried to organize a social movement. Some journalists were able to find out that Bolotov has joined forces with members of the Russian Communist Party to make it easier to help Donbass.
In 2015, Bolotov took part in the Forum of Russian Hero Cities and was among the awarded veterans. The award was presented to him personally by G. Zyuganov.
Bolotov until the end of his life believed in the possibility of creating Novorossiya. This structure was supposed to unite the LPR and the DPR (Donetsk People's Republic) and resist the authorities of Ukraine. Bolotov primarily blamed I. Plotnitsky for his dismissal and inability to implement his plans. He was appointed Minister of Defense in 2014, but his betrayal (according to Bolotov himself) canceled all plans.
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 scheduled time of Valery Bolotov's funeral had to be postponed at the request of his wife. Elena Bolotova suspected the possibility of her husband's poisoning, since nothing foreshadowed such a sudden death.
On January 31, 2017, V. Bolotov was buried at the Mashkinskoye cemetery in Moscow. He has two sons, born in 2001 and 2008.
The people's governor never spread about his personal life, and you cannot find photos of his relatives on the Internet. All this was done solely for the sake of safety and keeping the family calm.
Memory
In 2018, the Stakhanov authorities unveiled a memorial plaque in memory of Bolotov. It is located on the building of the school where he studied until the eighth grade.
A memorial sign also appeared on the wall of the house in Lugansk, where Valery Dmitrievich lived.
In 2018, the LPR authorities issued a series of postage stamps entitled "They were the first." This is how the fourth anniversary of the founding of the republic was celebrated. The stamps featured portraits of V. Bolotov and G. Tsypkalov (the first chairman of the LPR Council of Ministers).
