Arseny Pavlov
<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>
|
Arseny Pavlov
|
|
|---|---|
September 3, 2014
|
|
| Nickname(s) | "Motorola" |
| Born | 2 February 1983 Ukhta, Komi ASSR, Soviet Union[1] |
| Allegiance |  Russia Donetsk People's Republic |
| Service/ |
Russian Naval Infantry United Armed Forces of Novorossiya |
| Years of service | 2014 – present |
| Rank | Lieutenant colonel |
| Unit |  Sparta Battalion |
| Battles/wars | Second Chechen War War in Donbass |
Arseny Sergeyevich Pavlov (Russian: Арсе́ний Серге́евич Па́влов), better known as Motorola (Моторо́ла), is a Russian citizen leading the Sparta Battalion, an armed group fighting the Ukrainian government, in the ongoing War in Donbass. Previously he was a car cleaner in Russia and it was his main source of income, before he went to Ukraine.
Personal life
A Russian citizen, Pavlov was born in Ukhta, Komi ASSR. He lived in Rostov-on-Don and spent some time in the Russian army.[2]:{{{3}}} He publicly married Yelena Kolenkina on July 11, 2014, in a wedding amid the war. The wedding was attended by Igor Girkin and Pavel Gubarev.[3]:{{{3}}} In a June 2014 interview to Russian newspaper Zavtra, Pavlov stated that they were already married and had a five-year-old son.[4]:{{{3}}} He and his bride were featured in a caricature by Donetsk artist Serhiy Zakharov,[5]:{{{3}}} who was subsequently held prisoner and tortured for several months by pro-Russian separatists.[6]:{{{3}}} According to a newspaper report by Georgian Journal he had serious problems with Rostov’s police while working there at a car wash, since he allegedly went on a drunken joyride in a car stolen from there[7]:{{{3}}}. Instead of going to prison he chose to go to fight in Donbas. He rented an apartment in Donetsk for 2,500 hryvnias per month and owns a Lada Niva that was gifted to him by Russian MP Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
Activities in Ukraine
On March 16, 2014, he participated in protests in Kharkiv, Ukraine that called for Russia's intervention. He was caught on camera in video footage of the events by the city's internet news publisher.[8]:{{{3}}} Calling himself 'Motorola', he became the leader of the Sparta Battalion, a pro-Russian armed group fighting in the war in Donbass against the Ukrainian government.[9]:{{{3}}} He declared the region to be "Russian land".[2]:{{{3}}}
Pavlov led his battalion in both the Battle of Ilovaisk and the Second Battle of Donetsk Airport.[10]:{{{3}}} The government of Ukraine placed him on its wanted list for the creation of illegal paramilitary and military formations (Article 260, part 5).[11]:{{{3}}} In February 2015, the European Union added him to its list of sanctioned individuals.[12]:{{{3}}}
On October 2, 2014 Pavlov threatened to go to Poland after the plane of Russian defense minister was not allowed to fly over Polish airspace on August 29, 2014.[13]
War crime allegations
<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>
In April 2015, the Kyiv Post released a recording in which a man alleged to be Pavlov discussed killing fifteen Ukrainian prisoners of war.[14]:{{{3}}} Amnesty International said it was a "chilling ‘confession’", which alongside other evidence, "highlights the urgent need for an independent investigation into this and all other allegations of abuses". Amnesty International reports that Ukrainian government forces are also responsible for the extrajudicial execution of prisoners and for murdering civilians.[15] After Ukrainian soldier Ihor Branovytsky had been captured near Donetsk and was in custody of Pavlovs group, Pavlov is accused to have deliberately killed the prisoner on 21 January 2015 with two headshots.[16]
References
- ↑ COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2015/238 - Official Journal of the European Union, 10 February 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Russian insurgent threatens Poland: 'Motorola' angered by Warsaw snub of Russian Defence Minister. Ukraine Today. 2 September 2014
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Amnesty International: "Ukraine: Breaking Bodies: Torture and Summary Killings in Eastern Ukraine" 22 May 2015
