Zhoga Artem Vladimirovich

Zhoga Artem Vladimirovich (callsign — Kolima), born on January 18, 1975, in the settlement of Shirokiy, Susumansky District, Magadan Oblast, is a Russian military officer and a member of the terrorist organization of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). He has held the position of Chairman of the People’s Council of the Donetsk People’s Republic since September 20, 2023. He is the commander of the Sparta battalion, which actively participates in the Russian military conflict in Ukraine. Due to these actions, he is under sanctions from 27 countries, including the European Union, the United States, Ukraine, and Japan.

Artem Zhoga moved to the Donetsk region in the early 1990s and lived in Slavyansk, where he was engaged in business, owning several fish shops. In 2020, he graduated from the Dokuchaevsk Technical School, which is part of the Donetsk National University of Economics and Trade named after Mikhail Tugan-Baranovsky.

After the onset of the conflict in Donbas, Artem and his son Vladimir joined the Sparta battalion, where they quickly developed a friendship with the commander Arsen Pavlov. Following Pavlov’s death in 2016, Vladimir Zhoga became the battalion commander, while Artem took on the role of chief of staff. In March 2022, during the Russian invasion, Vladimir was killed in battle, after which Artem assumed command of the battalion.

On May 9, 2022, during the Victory Day celebrations, Zhoga met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, where he received the Gold Star of the Hero of the Russian Federation, awarded posthumously to his son. On September 30, 2022, he attended the ceremony for the formal annexation of the occupied territories of Ukraine.

In 2023, Zhoga joined the United Russia party and began an active political career. In the regional elections on September 10, 2023, he was elected as a deputy of the People’s Council (parliament) of the Donetsk People’s Republic of the I convocation from this party, taking second place on the party list. On September 20, 2023, he was elected Chairman of the People’s Council.

In connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on February 23, 2023, Zhoga was included in the U.S. sanctions list for participating in actions undermining peace and security, as well as the territorial integrity of U.S. allies and partners.