"People's Mayor"

At a time of turbulence in Ukraine following the Euromaidan revolution, and then protests in the country's eastern Donbas, Ponomarev emerged from apparent obscurity, having owned a soap production company, declaring himself mayor after leading an assault on the Sloviansk mayor's office on 14 April 2014, as part of the 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine.^[2] Ponamarev was a strong opponent of the government of Ukraine that formed in Kiev after the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, referring to it as fascist, and claiming Ukraine was being run by "Nazis" and "homosexuals".^[2]

In May 2014, Ponomarev stated that he commanded around 2,500 men in the vicinity of Sloviansk.^[1] He is a veteran of the Soviet–Afghan War and served in a "special operations unit" of the Arctic-based Northern Fleet.

Detentions and Disappearance

Ponomarev's tenure as 'People's Mayor' was noted for a string of detentions. Ponomarev is known to have been personally involved in the following:

• On 25 April 2014, a vehicle with OSCE representatives was stopped and the observers detained by Ponomarev's forces.^[3][4]
• His men held the elected mayor of Sloviansk, Nelya Shtepa, in captivity, though Ponomarev said that his government was protecting her from Ukrainian law enforcement after the Security Service of Ukraine opened a case against her for separatism.^[5][2] He also stated that there was conflict between him and Shtepa, in which she acted "incorrectly". In an interview to Gazeta.ru, Ponomaryov said that she was given protection
• On the direction of Ponomarev, his men detained American Vice News journalist Simon Ostrovsky on 20 April,^[6] who declared after his release that he had been intimidated and beaten during his detention.^[7] According to the journalist, Ponomaryov's men had his photo and were looking for him. According to Ponomaryov, Ostrovsky has dual citizenship and was a spy. In an interview to Gazeta.ru on 23 April, Ponomaryov acknowledged that he had kept Ostrovsky for exchange.^[5] Ostrovsky was released only after the intervention of representatives from OSCE and the United States Department of State.^[3] Ponomaryov told the media that Ostrovsky was not a hostage, but a 'guest', and that he simply 'accommodated Ostrovsky with lodging'.^[3]
• Irma Krat - a Euromaidan activist who had arrived in the city to cover the conflict as an activist, and blogger. Krat was later paraded in front of the press.^[8]

Ponomarev later declared that kidnapping of people is a retaliation for all his detained "comrades".^[3]

• Also, according to the Security Service of Ukraine, on 20 April 2014 Ponomaryov received orders from Igor Girkin to dispose of the body of local representative of Horlivka city council Volodymyr Rybak, who had been kidnapped and tortured to death.

Arrest and Dismissal

Ponomarev had a fractious relationship with Igor Girkin / Strelkov, who was in charge of the military operations of the pro-Russia side in Sloviansk. On 10 June 2014, on Girkin / Strelkov's command, Ponomarev was arrested and taken to the headquarters of the Donbass People's Militia in a former SBU building.^[9][10][11] With charges relating to misappropriation of civic funds, Ponomarev was dismissed from his duties, and Volodymyr Pavlenko was appointed a mayor of Slovyansk.^[11] Ponomarev was then released, and spent the rest of June under house arrest. He was next seen, along with the withdrawing pro-Russian militia, leaving Sloviansk on 5 July 2014.^[11]

After 2014

While many of the pro-Russia side headed for Donetsk, Ponomarev is believed to have gone straight to Moscow, where he left public life. As of 2018, he was reported to be working on a building site in Moscow.^[12]