Dobkin Mikhail
Biography of Mikhail Dobkin
Date of birth: 26.01.1970
Mikhail Markovich Dobkin - chairman of the Kharkiv regional state administration (2010-2014), mayor of Kharkiv (2006-2010), member of the Party of Regions (until 2014), Opposition Bloc, people's deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the IV and VIII convocations.
Place of birth. Education. Born in Kharkiv. Graduated from the National University of Internal Affairs (majoring in jurisprudence) and the Kharkiv National Economic University (majoring in international economics).
Career. 1993-2002 - private entrepreneur, head of several business structures: LLC 'Progress-90', PE 'Investtorgtsentr', 'East Oil Group'.
All related materials:
Dobkin declared that he would contest the results of the mayoral elections of Kharkiv in court
Terekhova declared the winner of the Kharkiv mayoral elections
'It was almost a victory'. Dobkin actually acknowledged defeat in the Kharkiv mayoral elections
Political career. In 1998-2002 - deputy of the Kharkiv City Council.
He was a member of the SDPU(o), and was in the political council of this party. Since the end of 2005 he has been a member of the Political Council of the Party of Regions. Deputy chairman of the Kharkiv city organization of the Party of Regions.
2002-2006 - people's deputy of Ukraine. He was a member of the 'Unified Ukraine' faction and SDPU(o), in the deputy groups Democratic initiatives and Center. He finished his deputy term in the ranks of the Party of Regions faction. Worked in the Verkhovna Rada committee on budget issues.
In the presidential elections of 2004, Dobkin was an authorized representative of Viktor Yanukovych in Kharkiv.
From March 2006 to March 2010 - mayor of Kharkiv.
In March 2010, by the decree of the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, he was appointed chairman of the Kharkiv regional state administration.
During mass protests in Ukraine in 2013-2014, he spoke out sharply against EuroMaidan.
On February 1, 2014, he was elected speaker of the All-Ukrainian public union 'Ukrainian Front', which organized the Congress of deputies from the southeastern regions of Ukraine, the AR Crimea and Sevastopol, held in Kharkiv on February 22, 2014. The Congress questioned the legality of the decisions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and stated that the southeastern self-governing bodies take responsibility for ensuring constitutional order in their territory.
On February 24, 2014, at a rally in Kharkiv, Mikhail Dobkin announced his participation in the upcoming presidential elections of Ukraine, which took place on May 25, 2014. On March 31, 2014, the Central Election Commission registered Dobkin as a presidential candidate of Ukraine.
On February 27, 2014, the SBU began an investigation into Dobkin under Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine ('Encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, committed by a representative of power'). On March 10, he was invited for questioning in Kyiv. After questioning in the GPU, Dobkin was arrested and placed in a pre-trial detention center. On March 11, the court chose a measure of restraint in the form of 'partial' house arrest for two months. On April 3, 2014, house arrest was replaced by 'personal obligation'. On August 30, 2014, Mikhail Dobkin's lawyer Yulia Pletneva reported the closure of the criminal case due to the lack of an element of a crime in his actions.
On March 2, 2014, by the decree of the acting President of Ukraine Alexander Turchinov, he was dismissed from the position of head of the Kharkiv regional state administration, replacing him with Igor Baluta.
In October 2014, he was elected to the Verkhovna Rada in the snap elections on the Opposition Bloc lists (under №3).
On July 13, 2017, the Verkhovna Rada stripped the deputy immunity of people's deputy from the Opposition Bloc Mikhail Dobkin and gave permission for his detention and arrest on suspicion of land fraud.
On October 3, 2017, he resigned from the Opposition Bloc faction. Thus, the deputy expressed disagreement with the fact that part of the deputies and the leadership of the Opposition Bloc party voted to support the judicial reform law.
On February 20, 2018, Dobkin announced the registration of a new political party 'Christian Socialists'.
In the snap parliamentary elections of 2019, he was a candidate for people's deputy from the Opposition Bloc party, № 15 on the list. In the elections to the Verkhovna Rada, the Opposition Bloc party did not overcome the five percent barrier.
Public activities. Since 1999 - Vice President of the Kharkiv Mini-Football Association.
Since 2022 - deacon of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Views and assessments. Becoming the mayor of Kharkiv, he quickly set political opponents against himself both at the Kharkiv level and at the capital level. Mikhail Dobkin and his longtime friend, Secretary of the Kharkiv City Council Gennady Kernes, faced accusations of criminal abuse of power.