List of people from Donetsk

The citizens of Donetsk are commonly called Donechyani (Ukrainian: донеччани, Russian: дончани). The following is a list of famous people that were born or brought up in the city:

Academics

• Alexander Anoprienko, Professor of Computer Engineering
• Volodymyr Biletskyy, Ukrainian scientist.
• Anatoly Timofeevich Fomenko, Russian Mathematician and lecturer at the Moscow University. Promoter of New Chronology.
• Valeriy Konovalyuk, an economist and businessman.
• Alexander Kuzemsky - Soviet and Russian theoretical physicist.
• Kirill Borisovich Tolpygo, Soviet physicist and a Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Artists

• Viktor Burduk, an artist, a blacksmith.
• Pavlo Vigderhaus, Soviet architect, Monument to a Miner creator.

Athletes

• Polina Astakhova, Ukrainian gymnast.
• Serhiy Bubka, Ukrainian pole vault athlete; Olympic Games champion: 1988; World Champion: 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995, European Champion: 1986; Champion of the USSR: 1984, 1985.
• Yuriy Dehteryov, Soviet goalkeeper.
• Yuriy Gavrilov, Volleyball player, Olympic gold medallist.
• Aleksandr Lebziak, Russian boxer.
• Natalya Mammadova, Azeri volleyball player.
• Ilya Mate, Olympic champion in 1980.
• Oleksiy Pecherov, a Ukrainian basketball player.
• Lilia Podkopayeva, a Ukrainian gymnast, and the 1996 Olympic All Around Champion
• Sergiy Rebrov, footballer.
• Viktor Smyrnov, Paralympic swimmer.
• Viktor Sidyak, fencing, first Soviet individual sabre Olympic gold medal in Munich 1972, multiple times winner of World Championships and Olympic medalist (1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980).
• Nadezhda Tkachenko, Olympic-gold winning pentathlete.
• Oleg Tverdovsky, Russian ice hockey player.
• Alexander Yagubkin, boxer.
• Oleg Vernyayev, Gymnast, Olympic gold medallist.

Business

• Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine's wealthiest businessman, founder of System Capital Management, No. 47 in Forbes' The World's Billionaires.
• Serhiy Arbuzov, head of Ukrainian Bank.
• Akhat Bragin, businessman and mobster.
• Valeriy Konovalyuk, an economist and businessman.
• Ihor Sorkin, head of the Ukrainian National Bank.

Entertainers

• Vera Filatova, actress.
• Yuri Kara, Russian film director and producer.
• Tatyana Kravchenko, Soviet and Russian actress.
• Make Me Famous - English language Metalcore band.
• Master SheFF, the leader of Bad Balance and creator of Russian hip hop.
• Siouzana Melikián, a Russian-Mexican actress.
• Vadim Pisarev, Ukrainian dancer and art Director of Donetsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Solovyanenko.
• Aleksandr Revva, comedian.
• Denis Shaforostov, Ukrainian musician, vocalist for Asking Alexandria
• Oleg Stefan, Russian actor.
• Anatoliy Solovyanenko, Soviet opera singer.
• Vladimir Grigoryevich Zakharov, Soviet composer.

Journalists

• Dmytro Gnap, journalist, investigating corruption.
• Oleksiy Matsuka, corruption investigator, Reporters Without Borders named Matsuka in its list of 100 Information Heroes.

Military

• Fyodor Berezin, Russian-language science fiction writer and Deputy Minister of Defence of the Donetsk People's Republic.
• Mikhail Krichevsky, the last surviving World War I veteran who fought for the Russian Empire.
• Aleksandr Zakharchenko, Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

Politicians

• Zalman Aran (Aharonovich), Israeli social-democratic politician, minister of education (1955–1960) and (1963–1969).
• Mykola Azarov, former Prime Minister of Ukraine
• Nikita Khrushchev, General Secretary of the CPSU and Premier of the Soviet Union 1953–1964 (born in Kalinovka, Kursk Oblast, Russia but grew up in Yuzivka).
• Volodymyr Rybak, Mayor of Donetsk and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada.
• Natan Sharansky, former Soviet dissident, anticommunist, Zionist, Israeli politician and writer.
• Petro Symonenko, head of the Communist Party of Ukraine.
• Viktor Yanukovych, deposed former president of Ukraine (due to Euromaidan Revolts of 2013–2014)
• Aleksandr Zakharchenko, Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

Writers

• Emma Andijewska, Ukrainian poet.
• Fyodor Berezin, Russian-language science fiction writer and Deputy Minister of Defence of the Donetsk People's Republic.
• Vladislav Adolfovitch Rusanov, Russian-language science fiction writer and chairman of the Donetsk People's Republic Writer's Union.
• Vasyl Stus, Ukrainian poet and publicist, one of the most active members of Ukrainian dissident movement.

Other

• Yevgeny Khaldei, Soviet photographer.
• Evgenij Miroshnichenko, Ukrainian chess player.
• Marina Tsvigun, religious sect leader, new age movement.