Mykhailo Markovych Dobkin (born 26 January 1970) is a Ukrainian politician, former governor of Kharkiv Oblast, former mayor of Kharkiv, and a former deputy of the Ukrainian parliament.
Early life and career
Mykhailo Dobkin was born to a Jewish father and Ukrainian mother in Kharkiv. He graduated from the National University of Internal Affairs with a degree in law and the National University of Kharkiv, majoring in international economics.
From 1993 until 2002, Dobkin was an entrepreneur and director of several businesses. In his 2015 tax declaration, Dobkin stated that he owned 12 luxury cars.
People's Deputy of Ukraine (2002-2006) In the 2002 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Dobkin was elected as People's Deputy of Ukraine. Dobkin changed his political party several times while serving as a People's Deputy, going from For United Ukraine! to the group less than a year after his election. Two years later, Dobkin again switched his party to the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united), and the year afterwards joined the Party of Regions, where he remained until the Verkhovna Rada was dissolved for the 2006 Ukrainian parliamentary election. From late 2005, Dobkin was a member of the political council of the Party of Regions.
Mayor of Kharkiv (2006-2010) From March 2006 to March 2010, Dobkin was Mayor of Kharkiv. In office, Dobkin was close to Hennadiy Kernes, who exerted unofficial power upon Dobkin. In 2007, a leaked video of Kernes vulgarly instructing Dobkin became famous in Ukraine, and led to the creation of several internet memes as a result.
Governor of Kharkiv Oblast (2010-2014) In March 2010, President Viktor Yanukovych appointed Dobkin as Governor of Kharkiv Oblast.
In 2014, amidst Euromaidan, Dobkin formed the Ukrainian Front, an organisation in support of Yanukovych. Dobkin furthermore stated his intention to "clean and purify our Ukrainian land of those who come here with plans for occupation." In February 2014, Dobkin called for Ukraine’s capital to be moved from Kyiv to Kharkiv, and for a federal structure of government to be established in Ukraine. He also claimed that by late February 2014, "all peaceful protesters of Euromaidan had left" and that "Negotiations with [remaining protesters] will be to no avail. They need to disarm, and those who resist and kill people physically destroyed".
Revolution of Dignity and 2014 pro-Russian unrest
Following the Revolution of Dignity, Dobkin was a leading participant of local officials in Eastern Ukraine, which questioned the legality of the new government's actions and declared local officials would take responsibility for their own oblasts until order was restored. Dobkin was later reported to have fled to Russia, along with Kharkiv mayor Hennadiy Kernes, but he returned to attend a pro-Russian rally in the city.
In late February 2014, he indicated that he intended to run for president in the upcoming Ukrainian presidential election due to his concerns regarding the behaviour of the revolutionary government towards the Russophone population. Dobkin tendered his resignation as governor on 26 February 2014, "following [a] decision to run for the office of the President of Ukraine". On 2 March 2014, a decree by acting President Oleksandr Turchynov formally dismissed Dobkin as governor. On 10 March 2014, Dobkin was arrested on charges of leading a separatist movement. However, on 20 August 2014, Dobkin's criminal case was closed "in the absence of corpus delicti".
2014 presidential campaign
On 25 March 2014, Dobkin filed documents to the Central Election Commission to run in the 2014 Ukrainian presidential election. On 29 March, a Party of Regions convention supported Dobkin's nomination as a presidential candidate.
During his presidential campaign, Dobkin advocated for regionalism and the establishment of a federal Ukraine, Ukraine joining the Eurasian Customs Union, improving Russia–Ukraine relations, "defending the joint Russian-Ukrainian history, culture and traditions", maintaining Ukrainian neutrality, tax relief in the agricultural sector over the next 15 years, and the abolition of conscription.
In the presidential election, Dobkin received 3.03% of the vote, ranking 6th among all candidates, and performed well in eastern Ukraine, receiving 26.25% of the vote in Kharkiv Oblast and 8.02% of the vote in neighbouring Luhansk Oblast.
Return to parliamentary politics
In the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Dobkin was again re-elected into the Verkhovna Rada, this time as third on the party list for Opposition Bloc.