Alexander Donskoy Mayor of Arkhangelsk Date of Birth: 10.06.1970 Country: Russia

Alexander Donskoy Biography

Alexander Viktorovich Donskoy was born on June 10, 1970, in Arkhangelsk, Russia. After completing his education at School No. 51, he served in the army for two years, attaining the rank of senior sergeant. In 1991, he was discharged from the army and got married. Soon after, he ventured into business, trading scarce goods imported from Moscow in Arkhangelsk.

In 1994, Donskoy founded the trading company "Season" and opened his first kiosk in Arkhangelsk. Within two years, he expanded his business to include eighteen kiosks and one store. By 2003, Donskoy had established two kiosks and sixteen "Season" stores throughout the Arkhangelsk region, employing over 700 people. "Season" became one of the largest organizations in the region, and Donskoy entered the list of influential industrialists and entrepreneurs.

In 2002, Donskoy co-founded the Arkhangelsk branch of the "Party of Russia's Renaissance." In 2004, he participated in the elections for the head of the administration of the Arkhangelsk region, securing approximately 4 percent of the votes and finishing in fourth place. In 2005, he won the mayoral elections in Arkhangelsk, receiving 38.65 percent of the votes. A year later, Donskoy sold his company "Season" to a competitor.

During his tenure as the mayor, Donskoy became well-known for his fight against the Roma community's settlement in Arkhangelsk. Through monetary compensation, he managed to persuade the Roma to leave the city.

In the fall of 2006, Donskoy announced his intention to run for the presidency of Russia in 2008. Shortly after, the regional prosecutor's office filed several criminal cases against him, summoning the mayor for questioning and conducting searches in his apartment and office. Donskoy claimed that he was being politically pressured. In July 2007, law enforcement officers forcefully entered Donskoy's apartment and took him to a pre-trial detention center, alleging that the mayor was wanted. During the raid, Donskoy told journalists that he believed it was retaliation from the head of the Arkhangelsk region, Nikolay Kiselev, for a compromising video that was published on the city's website. The next day, Donskoy was released following a court decision. However, the regional court later returned the case for reconsideration to the district court, which ultimately decided to arrest Donskoy in August 2007.

In August 2007, Donskoy appointed Svetlana Tatyanina, his deputy for urban management, as the acting mayor of Arkhangelsk. However, this decision was contested in court, and Yuri Pachin, the deputy mayor for economic development and finance, took on the responsibilities of the mayor himself. In September 2007, Donskoy was sentenced to pay a fine of 75,000 rubles and received a one-year suspended prison sentence. The verdict could lead to the premature termination of Donskoy's mayoral duties, but his lawyers intend to appeal the district court's decision in the regional court. Shortly after the verdict, the regional prosecutor's office sent another criminal case to court against Donskoy, accusing him of abuse of power.