Natalia Poklonskaya

This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Vladimirovna and the family name is Poklonskaya.
Natalia Poklonskaya
Member of Parliament

Poklonskaya in August 2015
Deputy of the State Duma of Russia
Assumed office
5 October 2016
Prosecutor General of the Republic of Crimea
In office
11 March 2014  27 September 2016[1]
Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov
Personal details
Born (1980-03-18) 18 March 1980
Mikhailovka village, Perevalsk Raion, Voroshilovgrad Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union[2]
Political party United Russia
Spouse(s) Married[3][4]
Children 1 daughter[5] Anastasiya (Russian: Анастасия)[6][7]
Alma mater University of Internal Affairs in Yevpatoria[5]
Profession Attorney
Religion Eastern Orthodox

Natalia Vladimirovna Poklonskaya (Russian: Ната́лья Влади́мировна Покло́нская; IPA: [nɐˈtalʲjə pɐkˈlonskəjə], Ukrainian: Наталія Володимирівна Поклонська, born 18 March 1980) is a Deputy of the State Duma of Russia and a former Prosecutor General of the Republic of Crimea.[1]

As an attorney, Poklonskaya rendered public service to Ukraine from 2002 to February 2014, working in various Prosecutor's Offices or as an assistant district attorney. During the 2014 Crimean crisis, she resigned from Ukrainian service and was appointed Prosecutor General of Crimea on 11 March 2014; a press conference given by Poklonskaya on that day resulted in Poklonskaya becoming an Internet phenomenon. After Crimea came under Russian control, her appointment was confirmed by Russian authorities on 25 March 2014, around the same time Ukrainian judicial authorities declared her a wanted criminal.[8]

Poklonskaya resigned as Prosecutor General on 27 September 2016 due to her election to the State Duma during the 2016 Russian legislative election.[1]

Biography

Early life and Ukrainian service

Natalia Poklonskaya was born 18 March 1980 in the village of Mikhailovka, Voroshilovgrad Oblast (today Luhansk Oblast);[2][9] later in 1990, her family moved to Yevpatoria in Crimea.[9][10] Poklonskaya graduated from the University of Internal Affairs in Yevpatoria in 2002.[5]

After her graduation, Poklonskaya worked in the Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office, initially serving as an assistant prosecutor to the Acting Prosecutor of the Republic of Crimea.[2][9] She was the assistant attorney of Krasnogvardeisky district in Crimea from 2002 to 2006, and the assistant attorney of Yevpatoria from 2006 to 2010. Between 2010 and 2011, she was the deputy chief of a surveillance law enforcement unit of the Prosecutor's Office of Crimea which was responsible for dealing with organised crime.[2]

In 2011 in Simferopol, she acted as the state prosecutor in the high-profile trial of Ruvim Aronov, a former deputy of the Supreme Council of Crimea.[11] In the same year, she was appointed the inter-district environmental prosecutor of Simferopol.[5][12][13] Following that, she was transferred to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office in Kiev, where she served as a senior prosecutor.[5][14]

From October to December 2012, Poklonskaya worked as head of the prosecutors with the proceedings of the Court of Appeal of Crimea, and later after December 2012 up until March 2014 she was a senior attorney of the 2nd division of the General Directorate of Internal Affairs involved in pre-trial investigation and public prosecution management supervision with oversight of law enforcement in criminal proceedings.[2][9]

On 25 February 2014, Poklonskaya handed in her resignation, in which she stated that she was "ashamed to live in the country where neo-fascists freely walk about the streets"[5][9] (a reference to radical Euromaidan activists). The resignation was not accepted. Instead, she was given a vacation and left Kiev for Crimea where her parents lived.[5] In Simferopol, Poklonskaya offered her help to the Crimean government.[15]

Crimean and Russian service

Poklonskaya in uniform as Prosecutor General, March 2015

While the Autonomous Republic of Crimea sought independence from Ukraine,[16] on 11 March, Poklonskaya was appointed Prosecutor of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.[9][17][18] Poklonskaya was appointed to the position by Sergei Aksyonov after the position had been reportedly rejected by four others,[15][19][20] including the former Vice-Prosecutor of Crimea, Vyacheslav Pavlov.[21] Her previous criticism of the opposition protests in Ukraine, and the "anti-constitutional coup"[14][22] led the Ukrainian government to launch a criminal case against her and strip her of the civil service rank of Counsellor of Justice.[14][22]

Immediately following her appointment as Prosecutor, she was involved in an investigation into the violent attacks committed against Crimean Berkut members.[20] On 19 March, Poklonskaya confirmed that investigations were ongoing into a shooting in Simferopol which killed two while denying reports that the shooter had been detained. She compared the shooting to the "sniper attacks on Independence Square in Kiev" from 18 to 21 February 2014, and stated her belief that the shooting was meant to "provoke violence between the military forces" of Ukraine and Crimea.[23][24]

Crimea, which in the meantime had come under Russian control[25][26] and become a federal subject of Russia, saw the creation of its new Prosecutor's Office, now subordinated to Russia's Prosecutor General Yury Chaika. On 25 March, Chaika appointed Poklonskaya as acting Prosecutor of the Republic of Crimea for this new office.[9][27][28] Around the same time, Poklonskaya was listed as a wanted criminal on the website of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs,[16][29] due to alleged involvement in conspiracy to overthrow constitutional order or seize state power.[30] The Federation Council of Russia declared the charges against Poklonskaya a "bluff".[31] On 27 March, Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika granted Poklonskaya the rank of Senior Counsellor of Justice.[25][32][33] On 4 April 2014, Poklonskaya gave the approval for the Russian FSB to begin an operation to arrest Yevgeniy Pomelov, the assistant attorney of Yalta, as part of a larger bribery case.[34][35]

On 11 April, the Prosecutor General of Russia personally presented Poklonskaya with her official papers as a Russian legal officer.[36] On 2 May, Russian president Vladimir Putin appointed Poklonskaya Chief Prosecutor of Crimea.[37][38] On 4 May, Poklonskaya accused the Crimean Tatars' self-governmental body (the Mejlis) of extremist activity, warning that the Mejlis could be dissolved and outlawed across Russia.[39][40]

On 12 May 2014, the European Union added Poklonskaya to its sanctions list.[41][42] This barred her from entering EU countries and any of her assets there, if existent, were to be frozen.[9][43] Canada imposed similar sanctions on Poklonskaya a month later,[44] followed by Japan on 4 August.[45] Australia followed soon after, sanctioning the Russian prosecutor on 2 September.[46] On 19 December, the United States introduced its individual sanctions against several Ukrainian separatists and Russians, of which Poklonskaya was the only woman.[47][48]

In June, Poklonskaya was appointed as a judge to "guarantee impartiality in the selection of winners" for Russia's Five Stars singing competition, which would select Russia's entrant for the Intervision Song Contest.[49][50] In September, Poklonskaya declared that those who did not recognize the annexation of Crimea by Russia, as well as those who incited ethnic strife, would be deported.[51] Also in November 2014, Poklonskaya was rated as the sixteenth out of the hundred most promising politicians in Russia by the Institute for Social-Economic and Political Studies.[52]

In March 2015, Poklonskaya was appointed as the head of the Japanese-Russian Friendship Society.[53] On 11 June 2015, Russian president Vladimir Putin granted Poklonskaya the rank of 3rd Class State Counsellor of Justice which corresponds with the military rank of Major General.[54][55]

Poklonskaya resigned as Prosecutor General on 27 September 2016 due to her election as MP in the State Duma during the 2016 Russian legislative election.[1]

Prior to her resignation she was the youngest female general in Russia, at age 36.[56]

Political career

In 2015 Poklonskaya announced that she would be running as an MP in the State Duma for the United Russia party. Poklonskaya was elected during the 2016 Russian legislative election.[1] Throughout Russia she is sometimes referred to as a potential candidate for the presidential elections in 2018.[57] She is listed at number 16 on Forbes' list of most promising politicians.

Internet popularity

Samples of user-generated artwork depicting different impressions of Poklonskaya

After a video of Poklonskaya at a press conference on 11 March 2014 was uploaded to YouTube, her attractiveness and youth went viral among Japanese and Chinese internet users and also became the focus of attention of Internet communities such as Reddit and Vkontakte, which was reported by international news outlets.[58][59][60][61][62] Within a month, the press conference was viewed over 1.7 million times.[63] Many fan-created anime-style moe images of her uploaded to the Internet also attracted international media attention.[5][14][18][58][64][65][66] A music video by Enjoykin based on Poklonskaya's press conferences and interviews has had 20 million views on YouTube.[67]

In 2014, Poklonskaya was among the most searched-for celebrities on the Internet in both Russia and Ukraine. According to Google, she was the year's 7th most searched-for person in Russia[68] and the 8th in Ukraine,[69] and according to Yandex — the 2nd most searched-for female in Ukraine[70] and the 4th in Russia.[71] She was described as a sex symbol by the New York Observer and Die Welt.[47][72]

Personal life and family

Poklonskaya is married and has one daughter from a previous marriage.[3][73] Her parents are both retired, living in Crimea,[10] and both her grandfathers died during the Second World War, with only her grandmother surviving the German occupation.[20] Poklonskaya stated in March 2014 that she intends to apply for Russian citizenship.[19] After investigations into gang activities, Poklonskaya suffered an attack in 2009 that left her unable to control a part of her face.[74][75]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 (Ukrainian) Poklonska resigned, Ukrayinska Pravda (27 September 2016)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Official biography by the Press Office of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Crimea" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  3. 1 2 Наталья Поклонская заявила, что у нее полноценная семья
  4. Наталья Поклонская рассказала о подарках на день рождения
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "(Interview) Prosecutor of the Republic" (in Russian). Rossiyskaya Gazeta. 20 March 2014. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  6. "Наталья Поклонская. Путь на Родину". ntv.ru. 14 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  7. Дочь Натальи Поклонской спела в хоре для прокуроров
  8. Mezzofiore, Gianluca (26 March 2014). "Natalia Poklonskaya: Crimean Prosecutor-General Wanted by Ukraine's Security Service". International Business Times. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "'I want my child to live in an honest country' – Natalia Poklonskaya". Voice of Russia. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  10. 1 2 Козлов, К. (22 March 2014). "Новый прокурор Крыма Наталья Поклонская: "Поклонники не звонят, я ведь не супермодель!"". Комсомольская правда. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  11. "Бывшего крымского депутата Аронова из банды "Башмаки" начали судить за убийства (ВИДЕО)". NR2.ru (Новый Регион). 28 January 2011.
    "Как новый прокурор Крыма Наталья Поклонская стала популярным героем аниме". dp.ru. ЗАО "Бонниер Бизнес Пресс". 26 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  12. "Структура Прокуратури АРК". Прокуратура Автономної Республіки Крим. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011.
  13. "Natalia Poklonskaya she is the Putins new sexy prosecutor assigned by Russian for Crimea !". National Turk. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Japan: Crimean attorney general inspires anime fan art". BBC News. Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  15. 1 2 "Наталья Поклонская: О том, что стала героиней аниме, узнала от дочери. Лучше бы люди оценили мою работу". Komsomolskaya Pravda. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  16. 1 2 "Crimean chief prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya 'wanted' by Ukraine's security service". 27 March 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  17. Прокурор Крыма Наталья Поклонская стала звездой японского интернета (in Russian). Mail.ru. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  18. 1 2 Прокурор Крыма нашла обожателей в Японии (in Russian). Voice of Russia. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  19. 1 2 "'She annexes your heart': Reasons why Crimea prosecutor Poklonskaya not to be messed with". RT.com. 30 March 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014. During her first press conference on the new position
  20. 1 2 3 Снегирёв, Ю (20 March 2014). "Прокурор республики". Российская газета – Неделя № 6336 (64). Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  21. 4 March 2014, Прокурор Крыма подал в отставку. Выбрали нового, Крымский Вектор. Original quote: "Бывший прокурор Крыма Вячеслав Павлов подал в отставку по собственному желанию." Translation: "Former Attorney of Crimea Vyacheslav Pavlov resigned voluntarily."
  22. 1 2 "New Crimea prosecutor brands EuroMaidan as 'coup'". Voice of Russia. 16 March 2014. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  23. "Russia: Simferopol sniper still at large – Crimean prosecutor". Ruptly. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  24. "Ukrainian crisis: March 19". LB.ua. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  25. 1 2 "Acting Crimean Prosecutor General receives Russian rank". RAPSI. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  26. "BBC News – Crimea crisis: Russian President Putin's speech annotated". BBC News. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  27. "Russia confirms web sensation Natalya Poklonskaya as prosecutor in Crimea". Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  28. Генеральный прокурор Российской Федерации Юрий Чайка издал приказ об образовании прокуратуры Республики Крым и прокуратуры города Севастополя (in Russian). Генеральная прокуратура РФ. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  29. МВС оголосило у розшук кримську прокурорку-"няшку" (in Ukrainian). TCH.ua. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  30. МВД Украины объявило в розыск и. о. прокурора Крыма Наталью Поклонскую — Новости Политики — Новости Mail.Ru
  31. "В СФ решение объявить в розыск и.о. прокурора Крыма назвали "блефом"". RIA Novosti. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  32. 27 March 2014, Прокурора Крыма Поклонскую повысили в звании до старшего советника юстиции, Росбалт.RU
  33. "Crimea's attorney Natalya Poklonskaya to fight crimes in Prime World game". Voice of Russia. 19 April 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  34. Помощника прокурора Ялты задержали при получении взятки Лента.ру
  35. Помощник ялтинского прокурора стал фигурантом дела о взятке Интерфакс
  36. Наталья Поклонская получила удостоверение сотрудника Генпрокуратуры России. Vechernyaya Moskva (in Russian). 11 April 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  37. "Назначены прокуроры Республики Крым и Севастополя". Kremlin.ru. 2 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  38. "Putin appoints Poklonskaya Crimea's chief prosecutor". Voice of Russia. 2 May 2014.
  39. Doloov, Anna. "Authorities Threaten to 'Liquidate' Crimean Tatar Council". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  40. "Interview: Crimean Tatar Leader Expects Tensions To Rise". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  41. "ЕС ввел санкции против прокуроров Крыма и Севастополя". Vesti. 12 May 2014.
  42. "EUR-Lex – JOL_2014_137_R_0002 – EN". EUR-Lex. 12 May 2014.
  43. "EU adds 13 people, 2 firms to Ukraine list". Associated Press. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  44. "Canada: sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian people". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  45. "Japan's darling Natalia Poklonskaya on Tokyo Russia sanctions list". RT (TV network). 5 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  46. Consolidated List - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  47. 1 2 Klikushin, Mikhail. "US Sanctions Russian Sex Symbol". The New York Observer. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  48. Parfitt, Tom (21 December 2014). "US slaps sanctions on Putin's biker gang over Ukraine". Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  49. "Crimean Superstar Prosecutor 'Nyash-Myash' Goes Pop". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  50. "Crimea Prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya To Take On Conchita Wurst". austriantimes.at. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  51. "Ukraine Today: Kremlin prosecutor Poklonskaya targets Crimean Tatars". Ukraine Today. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  52. "Поклонская обошла Аксенова в рейтинге самых перспективных политиков России". Krymedia. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  53. "Crimea's attorney general to head Japanese-Russian Friendship Society". Russia Beyond The Headlines. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  54. Официальное опубликование правовых актов в электронном виде
  55. Наталья Поклонская получила генеральский чин: Полиция и спецслужбы: Силовые структуры: Lenta.ru
  56. Самый красивый и самый молодой генерал России
  57. "Russia Elections 2016: Crimea Prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya To Run For Russian Parliament?". International Business Times. July 20, 2015.
  58. 1 2 Bershidsky, Leonid. "Cartoonish Crimean Prosecutor a Hit in Japan". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  59. "Crimea's attorney general Natalia Poklonskaya goes viral in China and Japan". International Business Times. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  60. "Beauty of Crimean attorney general to 'save the world". Global Times. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  61. 克里米亚未婚美女检察长爆红 称"美丽挽救世界" (in Chinese). China News Service. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  62. "Newly appointed Crimean Gen.Prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya draws Chinese netizens' attention". Guangming Online. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  63. "Russia tries to curb Crimean prosecutor's Internet fame". Agence France-Presse. 2 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  64. Brian Ashcraft (19 March 2014). "Crimea's Attorney General Spawns Anime Fan Art". Kotaku.
  65. 20 March 2014, ロシア編入・クリミアの検事総長が「美人すぎ」! ネットユーザー萌えまくり, J-CAST
  66. "Японцы признались в любви прокурору Крыма в стиле аниме". Ino TV. 19 March 2013.
  67. "'Prosecutie' Poklonskaya hits right note in Crimean palace (VIDEO)". RT (TV network). Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  68. "Google Тренды: лидеры (Все категории)". Google.
  69. "Google Zeitgeist 2014: топ-запити року в Україні". Google Ukraine official blog. 10 December 2014.
    "В Украине рейтинг поисковых запросов среди персоналий в 2014 г. возглавил Виктор Янукович, - Google". RBC Ukraine. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014.
  70. "Что украинцы искали в Яндексе в 2014 году?". Revolver Lab. 10 December 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014.
    "Список самых популярных поисковых тем "Яндекса" возглавили Янукович и Порошенко". Komsomilskaya Pravda in Ukraine. 10 December 2014.
  71. "Natalya Poklonskaya got in TOP-5 most popular women on the Internet". Krymedia. 10 December 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014.
    "Наталья Поклонская попала в ТОП-5 самых популярных женщин в интернете". Krym 24. 10 December 2014.
    "Дары волхвов обогнали по популярности снимки обнажённых звёзд в топе запросов "Яндекса" за 2014 год". TJ. 10 December 2014.
  72. Michael Ginsburg (26 March 2014). "Fahndung nach dem Sexsymbol der Krim-Annexion". Die Welt. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  73. "Биография Натальи Поклонской". RIA Novosti. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  74. "Прокурор Крыма Наталья Поклонская пережила несколько покушений". Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  75. "Страшная тайна Поклонской: «няшного» прокурора покалечили бандиты". Retrieved 11 August 2016.
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Natalia Poklonskaya
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Natalia Poklonskaya.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.