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Victor LozinskyFormer Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada deputy accused of 'hunting a man'
Date of Birth: 06.04.1963
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
- Former Ukrainian MP Accused in 'Human Hunt'
- Police Career and Dismissal
- Business and Political Connections
- Golovanivsky Bazaar LLC
- Investigation and Parliamentary Removal
- Disappearance and International Manhunt
- Personal Life and Hobbies
Former Ukrainian MP Accused in 'Human Hunt'
Early Life and Military ServiceVictor Aleksandrovich Lozynsky was born on April 6, 1963, in the town of Golovanivsk, Ukrainian SSR. According to his own account, he fought in Afghanistan (likely between 1981-1983) before joining the police force as a criminal investigation officer in the Maloviskivsky District of the Kirovohrad Oblast. He was a member of the Komsomol (Communist Youth League).
Police Career and Dismissal
In 1985, Lozynsky graduated from the Kherson Special Secondary School of Militia of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs and became an operative in October that year. He reportedly rose to the rank of lieutenant. In 1988, he was dismissed from the police for concealing crimes, blackmail, and "inappropriate behavior towards citizens."
Business and Political Connections
Following his dismissal from the police, Lozynsky allegedly divorced his first wife and married a second time. Through his second wife, he met future Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and Viktor Medvedchuk, who later became head of the Presidential Administration. According to the online publication "Tema," Lozynsky was involved in racketeering in the 1990s and owned a law firm in Kyiv called "Dobrodiy."
In the late 1990s, Lozynsky reportedly became close to criminal authority Vachagan Rostomyan, nicknamed "Vachek." He defended Rostomyan from prosecution and allegedly collaborated with him in controlling the Kirovohrad Oblast. "Tema" suggests that Rostomyan helped Lozynsky enter politics.
After Rostomyan moved to Kyiv, Lozynsky remained the de facto "master" of the Golovanivsky District and actively interfered in local government affairs. He also established several businesses, including:
Golovanivsky Bazaar LLC
Kopenkuvate LLCGolache LLC
Golovanivsky Bread JSC
Political Career and 'Human Hunt' Allegations
In 2004, Lozynsky served as a representative for Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych in the presidential elections. In 2007, he ran for the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) from the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT). He won a seat on BYuT's electoral list, ranked 96th. He joined the BYuT parliamentary faction as an independent.
Lozynsky gained notoriety in 2009 when he became implicated in the murder of Valery Oleynik, a 54-year-old former police officer. According to Lozynsky, he was inspecting hunting grounds with the chief of the Golovanivsky District Police Department, Mykhailo Kovalsky, and the district prosecutor, Yevhen Horbenko. They allegedly encountered Oleynik, who was mistaken for a poacher and shot at them. Kovalsky pursued Oleynik on foot while Lozynsky and Horbenko chased him into the forest. They tried to disarm him but were forced to let him go after he resisted with a knife.
Police officers eventually apprehended Oleynik, who was wounded in the abdomen. He died from blood loss on the way to the hospital. Some speculated that Oleynik was a hired killer targeting Lozynsky. However, media reports suggested that the incident was a deliberate "human hunt" by Lozynsky, Kovalsky, and Horbenko.
Neighbors claimed Oleynik was unarmed, and Lozynsky and his companions had decided to hunt him after drinking in a local bar. Oleynik's body was reportedly found with multiple gunshot wounds, and his leg was missing. His mother stated that he was unarmed and had been killed while visiting a nearby village.
Investigation and Parliamentary Removal
The Kirovohrad Prosecutor's Office opened a criminal investigation into aggravated assault resulting in death. Lozynsky, Kovalsky, and Horbenko were initially listed as witnesses. However, on June 25, 2009, President Viktor Yushchenko demanded a thorough investigation and the dismissal of Kovalsky and Horbenko. Yulia Tymoshenko announced she would support stripping Lozynsky of his parliamentary immunity.
Kovalsky and Horbenko were dismissed on June 27, 2009. On July 1, 2009, it was reported that they had confessed to 15 murders, most of whose bodies were buried in the Golovanivsky District forests. On July 2, it was discovered that corpses matching missing persons' descriptions from previous years had been found near the location of Oleynik's murder.
On July 3, 2009, the General Prosecutor's Office (GPU) determined that Lozynsky, Kovalsky, and Horbenko had intentionally wounded Oleynik, causing his death. The GPU requested that the Verkhovna Rada lift Lozynsky's immunity. Lozynsky also requested his immunity be waived and submitted a resignation letter on July 2. The Verkhovna Rada voted to prematurely terminate Lozynsky's parliamentary powers on July 3 due to the lengthy process of reviewing the GPU's request.
Disappearance and International Manhunt
Lozynsky disappeared shortly after. On the evening of the same day, he was declared wanted by the GPU and subsequently by the Security Service of Ukraine. MP Andriy Parubiy suggested that Lozynsky had fled abroad. On July 30, 2009, Lozynsky was declared an international fugitive.
Personal Life and Hobbies
Lozynsky's official biography on the Verkhovna Rada website states that he has a higher education. According to "Tema," he formally obtained a higher education in 2005. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church awarded Lozynsky the Order of Illya Muromets III degree in 2005 for his contributions to the construction of a church in the village of Kopenkovate.
Lozynsky was married twice. He had a daughter from his first marriage and two daughters from his second. He was an avid hunter and claimed to have traveled to Alaska to hunt grizzly bears.
