Rebel leader Alexander Borodai named Vladimir Antyufeyev deputy minister of the Dontesk People’s Republic on July 9, making him one of the newest faces in the conflict. Mr. Antyufeyev, a native of Russia, is also known as Vadim Shevtsov. He has a history of showing up in places where there are pro-Russia separatist movements, including Transnistria, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia. The European Union, which added him to its blacklist on July 25, says he was previously a security minister in Transnistria.
Antyufeyev replaced a Donetsk native, Alexander Khodakovsky as deputy minister, one of several such reshuffles that sidelined locals. When Reuters asked Antyufeyev about divisions between rebels, he responded, “I am the authority. I have no problems... If they do not understand that, that’s their problem. I am a professional in making (people) understand.”
