Mykhailo Dobkin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mykhailo Dobkin
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Михайло Добкін
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Dobkin in 2008
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| People's Deputy of Ukraine | |
| In office 27 November 2014 – 29 August 2019 |
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| Constituency | Opposition Bloc, No. 3 |
| In office 14 May 2002 – 25 May 2006 |
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| Constituency | Kharkiv Oblast, No. 174 |
| Governor of Kharkiv Oblast | |
| In office 10 March 2010 – 2 March 2014 |
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| President | Viktor Yanukovych |
| Preceded by | Volodymyr Babayev (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Ihor Baluta |
| 4th Mayor of Kharkiv | |
| In office 26 March 2006 – 10 March 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Volodymyr Shumilkin |
| Succeeded by | Hennadiy Kernes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 January 1970 Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine) |
| Political party | Party of Christian Socialists (since 2018) |
| Other political affiliations |
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Mykhailo Markovych Dobkin (born on January 26, 1970) is a Ukrainian politician. He has served as the Governor of Kharkiv Oblast, the Mayor of Kharkiv, and a member of the Ukrainian parliament.
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Early Life and Education
Mykhailo Dobkin was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine. He studied law at the National University of Internal Affairs. Later, he also earned a degree in international economics from the Kharkiv National University of Economics.
Before becoming a politician, Dobkin worked as an entrepreneur. From 1993 to 2002, he was a director for several businesses.
Serving in Parliament (2002–2006)
In 2002, Mykhailo Dobkin was elected as a People's Deputy of Ukraine. This means he became a member of the Ukrainian parliament. During his time in parliament, he changed political parties a few times. He started with For United Ukraine!, then joined the Democratic Initiatives group. Later, he moved to the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united). Finally, he joined the Party of Regions in 2005 and stayed with them until the parliament's term ended in 2006.
Mayor of Kharkiv (2006–2010)
From March 2006 to March 2010, Dobkin served as the Mayor of Kharkiv. During this time, he worked closely with Hennadiy Kernes.
Election Video
In 2007, a video was shared online that showed how Dobkin's election speech was prepared in 2005. The video also featured Hennadiy Kernes. This video became very popular online and led to many Internet memes. Dobkin said the video was "partially edited."
Governor of Kharkiv Oblast (2010–2014)
In March 2010, President Viktor Yanukovych appointed Dobkin as the Governor of Kharkiv Oblast. This made him the head of the Kharkiv region.
During a period of political change in Ukraine in 2014, Dobkin created an organization called the Ukrainian Front. This group supported President Yanukovych. Dobkin also suggested moving Ukraine's capital from Kyiv to Kharkiv. He also believed that Ukraine should have a federal government structure.
Political Changes in 2014
After major political events in Ukraine in early 2014, Dobkin was a key figure among officials in Eastern Ukraine. He questioned the new government's actions. Dobkin resigned from his position as governor on February 26, 2014, because he decided to run for president. On March 2, 2014, he was officially dismissed as governor.
On March 10, 2014, Dobkin was arrested. However, the case against him was closed later that year in August 2014.
Presidential Campaign (2014)
On March 25, 2014, Dobkin officially registered to run in the 2014 Ukrainian presidential election. His political party, the Party of Regions, supported his nomination.
During his campaign, Dobkin talked about several ideas:
- He supported regionalism and wanted Ukraine to become a federal state.
- He suggested Ukraine should join the Eurasian Customs Union.
- He wanted to improve Russia–Ukraine relations.
- He aimed to protect the shared history, culture, and traditions between Russia and Ukraine.
- He also supported Ukraine remaining neutral and wanted to end military conscription.
In the presidential election, Dobkin received about 3% of the votes. He had stronger support in eastern Ukraine, especially in Kharkiv Oblast and Luhansk Oblast.
Return to Parliament
In the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Mykhailo Dobkin was again elected to the Verkhovna Rada. He was part of the Opposition Bloc party list.
In July 2017, the parliament removed his special protection as a member. He was then arrested on suspicion of misusing his power and helping with fraud related to land in Kharkiv. He was later released on bail.
Dobkin left the Opposition Bloc in October 2017. In February 2018, he started his own party called the Party of Christian Socialists. In 2019, he joined a new political group called Opposition Bloc (2019). He ran for parliament again in the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election but was not re-elected.
Kharkiv Mayoral Elections (2020 and 2021)
In July 2020, Dobkin announced he would run for Mayor of Kharkiv in the 2020 Kharkiv local elections. However, he later withdrew his candidacy in favor of the current mayor, Hennadiy Kernes, who was his political friend.
After Mayor Kernes passed away in December 2020, a special election was held on October 31, 2021, to choose a new mayor for Kharkiv. Dobkin ran for mayor again in this election. He finished in second place with 28.4% of the votes. Ihor Terekhov was declared the winner.
Personal Life
Mykhailo Dobkin is married and has four children: one son and three daughters.
He was a close friend and political partner of Hennadiy Kernes since 1998. Kernes took over as Mayor of Kharkiv after Dobkin in 2010.
Dobkin's younger brother, Dmytro Dobkin, also served as a member of the Ukrainian parliament.
Mykhailo Dobkin is sometimes known by his nickname "Dopa." In 2022, he became a Deacon in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
See also
In Spanish: Mijailo Dobkin para niños
- List of mayors of Kharkiv
