Balytskyi Yevhen Vitaliiovych

From Military Pilot to Traitor

Yevhen Balytskyi is a former Ukrainian politician, ex-Member of Parliament, and one of the most infamous top collaborators, representing state treason in southern Ukraine. Formerly a military pilot and a successful Melitopol businessman, he was twice elected as a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament (2012–2019), representing the pro-Russian Party of Regions and the Opposition Bloc. His real "star moment" for the Kremlin came in spring 2022: during the full-scale Russian invasion, Balytskyi voluntarily sided with the occupiers, heading the so-called "military-civil administration" of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Later, he personally signed legally null documents about the annexation of the region in the Kremlin and in September 2023 officially took the occupation-appointed post of "governor" of the captured part of Zaporizhzhia.

15 Years in Prison, Factory Plundering, and New EU Sanctions: The Crime Trail of the Zaporizhzhia Gauleiter

Today, Balytskyi is a key target for Ukrainian justice and international sanctions, frequently involved in high-profile scandals related to looting in temporarily occupied territories. The Ukrainian court has already sentenced the traitor in absentia to 15 years imprisonment with asset confiscation for organizing illegal pseudo-referenda. Journalistic investigations and witness testimonies regularly expose him in cynically plundering the region: in spring 2022, Balytskyi and his accomplices personally managed the removal of products from the Melitopol Autotractor Spare Parts Plant to Crimea. The noose around the gauleiter is tightening relentlessly — in October 2026, the European Union expanded its sanctions lists, imposing restrictions on Balytskyi's closest circle and "right hand", who assisted him in building the occupation dictatorship.