Sergey Valeryevich Aksyonov

Born on November 26, 1972, in Bălți, Moldova. He is a Russian politician who served as a deputy in the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea from October 31, 2008, to March 17, 2014. Since February 27, 2014, Aksyonov has been the self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the Russian occupying administration in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Since October 9, 2014, he has held the position of the so-called “Head of the Republic of Crimea,” and since March 17, 2014, he has been the chairman of the “Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea.” Previously, he led the pro-Russian party “Russian Unity” and was a member of the Supreme Council of the “United Russia” party in Crimea (2008-2014).

Aksyonov began his criminal activities as a member of the criminal gang “Greeks.” In the mid-1990s, Aksyonov was listed in police databases as a participant in the criminal gang “Seilam” under the nickname Goblin. Mikhail Bakhariev, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, claimed that “Russian Unity” was involved in the raider capture of a bus station in Simferopol, several residential buildings, the Yevpatoria sanatorium “Iskra” for children with cerebral palsy, as well as an attempt to capture the “Mountain Sun” sanatorium.

On March 17, 2014, the United States imposed personal sanctions on Sergey Aksyonov and several other individuals who threaten the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as undermine democratic institutions and processes in Ukraine. Aksyonov has also been sanctioned by Canada, Switzerland, the EU, and Ukraine.