Galina Danilchenko Explained

Galina Danilchenko
Native Name Lang:ru
Office:Mayor of Russian occupied Melitopol
(Russian-installed)
Termstart:12 March 2022
disputed with Ivan Fedorov[1] [2]
Birth Date:5 July 1964
Birth Place:Orlovo, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
(now Ukraine)
Preceded:Ivan Fedorov[3]
Party:United Russia (2022–present)
Status:Incumbent
(contested)
Alma Mater:
Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy

Galina Viktorovna Danilchenko[4] [5] [6] (born 5 July 1964) is a Russian and Ukrainian accountant and politician who was installed by Russia as the acting mayor of Melitopol during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, following the kidnapping of Ivan Fedorov by the Russian military. She was a former member of the Melitopol City Council, elected in 2015, and became its secretary soon thereafter.

Biography

Danilchenko was born 5 July 1964[7] in Orlovo, a village in the Melitopol district.[8] She studied at the She graduated from the Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy. She worked in a kindergarten for a few weeks and worked in a laboratory at a hydraulic tractor plant.

After completing a specialization in economics and auditing, she worked as an accountant at a motor plant. In 2000, she began working as an accountant for Melitopol Plain Bearing Plant until 2015. She is now the director of the factory.[9] The company is owned by Yevhen Balytskyi.

Balitsky suggested that Danilchenko enter politics. Until 2015, she was a member of the Party of Regions.[10] In 2015, she was elected to the Melitopol City Council as a member of the Opposition Bloc and was appointed its secretary by Balytskyi soon thereafter. In 2021, Danylchenko was nominated to the position of director of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Contact Centre.

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Danilchenko, former member of the City Council,[11] was installed by the Russian occupation forces as acting mayor on 12 March 2022, the day after mayor Ivan Fedorov's abduction by the Russian military.[12] At the same time she announced that the City Council was being abolished and replaced by a "committee of people's deputies".[13] She urged city residents to accept "the new reality in order to start living in a new way as soon as possible." Danylchenko thanked the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, for humanitarian aid.

On 13 March 2022 Iryna Venediktova, Prosecutor General of Ukraine, opened an investigation against Danilchenko for the crime of treason for attempting to set up an occupying government in Melitopol; the investigation was opened at the request of the Melitopol City Council.[14] On the same day, Danylchenko announced that Russian TV channels would be broadcast in Melitopol, claiming that "a great deficit of trustworthy information being circulated" existed.

According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and BBC, Danylchenko does not wield power as mayor of Melitopol, and is instead a front for Yevgeny Balitsky, who she worked under prior to entering politics.[15] [16]

Sanctions

Sanctioned by the UK government in 2022 in relation to Russo-Ukrainian War. [17]

Personal life

Danilchenko lives in in the Melitopol district. She voted for Viktor Yushchenko but was not satisfied by his presidency. In 2017, she called Petro Poroshenko the worst president, and stated that she regretted voting for him.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Новая Неля Штепа: в Мелитополе экс-"регионалка" перешла на сторону оккупантов и объявила себя "мэром" . New Nelya Shtepa: in Melitopol, the ex-"regional" went over to the side of the occupiers and declared herself a "mayor" . telegraf.com.ua . 13 March 2022 . ru . 12 March 2022.
  2. Web site: В Мелитополе российские оккупанты назначили нового "мэра": известно имя предательницы . In Melitopol, the Russian invaders appointed a new "mayor": the name of the traitor is known . ТСН.ua . 13 March 2022 . ru . 12 March 2022.
  3. Web site: Folmar . Chloe . 2022-03-11 . Mayor of Ukrainian city Melipotol detained by Russians . 2022-03-14 . TheHill . en.
  4. Web site: Welle (www.dw.com) . Deutsche . Russia uses kidnappings to intimidate locals in occupied Ukraine DW 31.03.2022 . 2022-04-23 . DW.COM . en-GB.
  5. Web site: Russians kidnap journalist's father in Melitopol and demand she return and report to them . 2022-04-23 . Ukrayinska Pravda . en.
  6. Web site: 2022-03-14 . New mayor of occupied Ukraine city urges Russias TV for "true information" . 2022-04-23 . Newsweek . en.
  7. Web site: Mazur . Ivan . 2022-03-13 . Кто Галина Данильченко и как предала Украину KLIKER . 2022-03-13 . Kliker . ru-RU.
  8. Web site: Vovk . Valeria . 2017-01-28 . Галина Данильченко: "Я воспринимаю Евгения Балицкого как образец лидера" Местные Вести . 2022-03-13 . Актуальные новости Мелитополя и региона – Местные вести . ru.
  9. Web site: Клочков . Владимир . Директором коммунального предприятия облсовета хотят назначить Галину Данильченко "НАШ ГОРОД" новости Мелитополя и Запорожской области . 2022-03-13 . ru-RU . 8 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220608053106/https://news.mspravka.info/direktorom-kommunalnogo-predprijatija-oblsoveta-hotjat-naznachit-galinu-danilchenko/ . dead .
  10. Web site: 2022-03-12 . "Гауляйтер в юбке": оккупанты назначили "врио мэра" Мелитополя . 2022-03-14 . ФОКУС . ru.
  11. News: 13 March 2022 . Russia installs 'new mayor' in Ukrainian city after allegedly kidnapping predecessor . www.timesofisrael.com . Times of Israel . 13 March 2022.
  12. News: Santora . Marc . MacFarquhar . Neil . The Russians Might Have Expected a Warm Welcome. Instead the Mayor Labeled Them 'Occupiers.' . 15 March 2022 . The New York Times . 12 March 2022.
  13. Web site: У Мелітополі депутатка від Оппоблоку закликала мешканців співпрацювати з російськими окупантами. nv.ua. 2022-03-13. uk.
  14. News: Murphy . Paul . Pennington . Josh . 13 March 2022 . March 13, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news / Treason investigation launched into newly installed mayor of Russian-occupied Melitopol . en . CNN . 14 March 2022.
  15. Web site: 25 March 2022 . Що відомо про депутата Євгена Балицького, який співпрацює з окупантами . What is known about the deputy Yevhen Balytskyi, who cooperates with the occupiers . 1 May 2022 . Zaporizhzhian Investigation Centre . uk.
  16. News: Lotareva . Anastasiya . Zakharov . Andrei . 1 April 2022 . Экс-"регионал", бухгалтерша и горный инженер: кто стал новой властью на оккупированных украинских территориях . ru . Ex-regional, accountant and mining engineer: who became the new government in the occupied Ukrainian territories? . .
  17. Web site: CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK . 16 April 2023.