Vitaliy Pavlovich Khotsenko (; born 18 March 1986) is a Ukrainian-born Russian politician, who serves as

Governor of Omsk Oblast The Governor of Omsk Oblast () is the Governor (Russia), head of government of Omsk Oblast, a Federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia. The position was introduced in 1991 as ''Head of Administration of Omsk Oblast''. The Governor is ...

since September, 2023 (Acting Governor since March, 2023). He had previously held several statewide positions in Stavropol Krai,

Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (; ) also known as Yamalia () is a federal subject of Russia and an autonomous okrug of Tyumen Oblast. Its administrative center is the town of Salekhard, and its largest city is Novy Urengoy. The 2021 Russian ...

and the

Donetsk People's Republic The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR; , ) is Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, occupied territory in Ukraine that the Russian Federation has claimed to annex and declared as a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia, comprising parts o ...

Biography

Early life

Khotsenko was born on 18 March 1986 in

Dnipro Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

petrovsk (now known as Dnipro). His father, Pavel Vitalyevich Khotsenko, led the Organized Crime department of the

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...

. In addition, he led the directorate of a hotel complex in

Novy Urengoy Novy Urengoy (, lit: “New Urengoy”) is the most populous city in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia. In 2021, it had a population of 107,251. Novy Urengoy is located around 450km away from Salekhard, the capital of the Autonomous Okrug. ...

and of the

Sochi National Park Sochi National Park (, also Sochinsky National Park) is Russia's oldest national park, established on May 5, 1983. It is located in the Western Caucasus, near the city of Sochi, in Southern Russia. Topography Sochi National Park covers within t ...

. Khotsenko graduated from the Faculty of Sociology in

Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...

, from the Singapore Institute of Marketing with a degree in Business Management and from the Specialized Institute of Jurisprudence with a degree in the field. He also graduated from the

Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) is a federal state-funded institution of higher education located in Moscow, Russia. With the merger of Academy of National Economy (ANE), Russian Academy ...

with a master's degree in State regulation of the Economy, as well as postgraduate studies at Moscow State University. After training in the military department of Moscow State University, Khotsenko attained the rank of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. He is also fluent in English.

Political career

Khotsenko first worked as an assistant to a member of the

Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation The Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation (), sometimes shortened to Civic Chamber (), is a consultative civil society institution with 168 members created in 2005 in Russia to analyze draft legislation and monitor the activities of the parliame ...

. According to local media, his rapid promotion was related to his father's connections in the

. From 2008 to 2010, Khotsenko worked as the head of the analysis and forecasting department of the Yamalo-Nenets Okrug. From March 2010, he worked as the Director of the department of Science and Innovation in the Okrug, as an assistant, as the expert adviser to the Okrug's first deputy governor, and as a supervisor of Industry, Fuel, Energy, and Natural Resources. On 16 December 2013, Khotsenko was appointed Minister of Energy, Industry and Communications of Stavropol Krai. On September 12, 2019, Khotsenko became the Director of the Department of Industrial Policy and Project Management in the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade. On 8 June 2022, the

People's Council of the Donetsk People's Republic The People's Council (), formerly the Supreme Council (), is the regional parliament of the Donetsk People's Republic, a disputed entity annexed as a federal subject by Russia from Ukraine in 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Hist ...

approved Khotsenko's candidacy for the position of Prime Minister of the

. That day, Khotsenko was appointed to the position by the

Head of the Donetsk People's Republic A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may not ...

Denis Pushilin Denis Vladimirovich Pushilin (born 9 May 1981) is a Russian politician who has served as the Head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) since 2018. He has held the position in an acting capacity ever since the Russian annexation of the DPR in ...

. On 21 December 2022, Khotsenko was injured by shelling along with

Dmitry Rogozin Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin (; born 21 December 1963) is a Russian nationalist politician serving as the senator from the Russian-occupied Zaporozhye Oblast since 23 September 2023. He previously served as General Director of Roscosmos from 2018 ...

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...

; the attack killed two people according to DPR head Denis Pushilin, while Ukraine's border service confirmed that the Ukrainian military perpetrated the attack. On 29 March 2023, he was appointed acting

. On April 22, 2023, Andrei Turchak, secretary of the United Russia General Council, said that Khotsenko will become the party's candidate for the Omsk Region gubernatorial election in 2023. On September 22, 2023, Khotsenko has officially taken office.

Sanctions

Khotsenko was sanctioned by the US Treasury and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 2022 following the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

Awards

Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" The Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" () is a Russian medal. It was established on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree No.442. Its award criteria were modified on 6 January 1999 by Presidential Decree 19 and again on 7 September 201 ...

II class (2022) Order of Honour (2023)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khotsenko, Vitaliy 1986 births Living people Politicians from Dnipro People from the Donetsk People's Republic Pro-Russian people of the war in Donbas Acting heads of the federal subjects of Russia Governors of Omsk Oblast Moscow State University alumni Russian individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions Russian individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration alumni Recipients of the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia)