Eduard Aleksandrovich Basurin (russian: Эдуард Александрович Басурин; Ukrainian: Едуард Олександрович Басурін; born 27 June 1966) is the Deputy Defense Minister and Defense Spokesman of the

Donetsk People's Republic The Donetsk People's Republic ( rus, Донецкая Народная Республика, Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublika, dɐˈnʲetskəjə nɐˈrodnəjə rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə; abbreviated as DPR or DNR, rus, ДНР) is a Territorial ...

(DPR) militia command, which the Ukrainian government has designed a terrorist organization.

Early life

Prior to the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatist forces in Donbas, Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since Feb ...

which began in 2014, he worked for a company that produced paint.

Political career

In 2014 he served as a political commissar of the

Kalmius Battalion The "''Kalmius''" Brigade, a military unit of the Donetsk People's Republic, operates within the United Armed Forces of Novorossiya. Media often refer to it as a battalion of special purpose. Konstantin Kuzmin commanded the unit. The unit's name ...

, a paramilitary group operating under the Donetsk People's Republic organization. From 2014 onwards, he has worked as press secretary, de-facto spokesman for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. Basurin has been accused of repeatedly attempting to obstruct the OSCE mission in Donbas. During the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, Basurin called for using

chemical weapons A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized Ammunition, munition that uses chemicals chemical engineering, formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be an ...

against the defenders of

Mariupol Mariupol (, ; uk, Маріу́поль ; russian: Мариу́поль) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast (Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius River. Prior to the 2022 Russian i ...

.' On 16 April, Ukraine's military intelligence reported that Basurin had been detained by Russia in connection to revealing chemical weapons use. However, these allegations were not substantiated, and Basurin continued in his duties, prodding Ukrainian troops in Sieverodonetsk to surrender on June 13 in an official capacity as DPR military spokesman.

Sanctions

In 2015 he was sanctioned by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

On January 9, 2016, Basurin was sanctioned under the Ukraine Designations Regarding Separatists (E.O. 13660) sanctions program by the United States "For being responsible for or complicit in, or having engaged in, directly or indirectly, actions or policies that threaten the peace security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine"; "Asserting governmental authority over a part or region of Ukraine without the authorization of the Government of Ukraine; and acting for or on behalf of the previously designated, self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) or the previously designated, self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR)" Sanctioned by the UK government in 2015 in relation to

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basurin, Eduard Pro-Russian people of the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine People of the Donetsk People's Republic Living people 1966 births Politicians from Donetsk Pro-Russian people of the war in Donbas Russian individuals subject to European Union sanctions Ukrainian collaborators with Russia Russian individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions

Early life

Political career

Sanctions

See also

References

External links