Natalia Vladimirovna Poklonskaya (born 18 March 1980) is a Ukrainian-born Russian lawyer and civil servant, serving as advisor to the Prosecutor General of Russia since 14 June 2022.[4]
Poklonskaya became known as a prosecutor of organized crime cases: Alexei Yukhnenko, Andrei Laptev, the organized crime group Bashmaki, Seilem, Imdat, the case of the murder of Andrei Nechepurenko, an accident in Dnepropetrovsk, as well as other high-profile criminal cases while working in the office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.[16] Poklonskaya resigned as Prosecutor Republic of Crimea in 2016 after her election as a Deputy of the State Duma of Russia, where she served as deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs.[17]
Besides her law and diplomatic career, Poklonskaya is also known for her viral 2014 press conference as Prosecutor of the Republic of Crimea amid the Russian annexation of Crimea, which led to many fan-created anime-style moe images of her being created.[18][19][20][21][22] In 2014, Poklonskaya was among the most searched-for celebrities on the internet in both Russia and Ukraine. She was the year's 7th most searched-for person in Russia[23] and the 8th in Ukraine,[24] and the 2nd most searched-for female in Ukraine[25] and the 4th in Russia.[26] She was described as a sex symbol.[27][28] Poklonskaya responded in 2016 that she views her beauty as an asset.[29]
She chose the profession of law enforcement officer in memory of her uncle, who died at the hands of bandits.[33]
She graduated from the University of Internal Affairs in Yevpatoria in 2002.[18] In 2016, she completed professional training at the University of the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation. In 2021, she defended her master's thesis at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.[34]
During her studies, she worked as a waitress and bartender at the local cafe "Izyuminka" in the Crimea.[35]
Work in the Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine
She worked in the Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine, having worked her way up from assistant district Prosecutor to senior prosecutor of the Department of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine.[34]
In 2002-2006 — she was an assistant prosecutor of the Krasnogvardeysky district of Crimea.[34]
In 2006-2010 — she was an assistant prosecutor in Yevpatoria.[34]
Between 2010 and 2011, she was the prosecutor, deputy chief department supervision of Prosecutor Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.[30]
In 2011 in Simferopol, she acted as the state prosecutor in the high-profile trial of Ruvim Aronov, a former deputy of the Supreme Council of Crimea and a former manager of the Saki soccer club.[36][37] Aronov was prosecuted for his leadership role in the Bashmaki gang, an organized crime group that emerged in Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Kyiv after the 1991 dissolution of the USSR. The gang had been "known for its cruelty" and had been implicated in racketeering, robberies, eight abductions, and 50 murders.[37]
As a state prosecutor in the case of the Bashmaki gang, she was poisoned during a business trip to Odesa. Poklonskaya described the situation as follows:
"I drank a bottle of ordinary water at the hotel when I was on a business trip in Odesa. There was an unknown substance in the water. At the hotel, there was water on the nightstand, as usual. It happened at night - nausea, intestinal and stomach upset. A wild headache, my head was splitting to such an extent that I wanted to die."
Subsequently, the unidentified substance was removed from the body; after the poisoning, Poklonskaya filed a report, telling the manager that she would no longer be able to work on this matter.[38]
She also acted as a state prosecutor for members of other organized criminal groups, such as Imdat, Seilem, the organized crime group of Alexei Yukhnenko, and the organized crime group of Andrei Laptev.[39]
In particular, Poklonskaya conducted a criminal case into the murder of Andrei Nechepurenko, the victim worked in a large recreation and sports complex in the Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky district of the Kiev region. In the summer of 2013, the media reported on the mysterious death of Nechepurenko, which occurred at the elite Senator Beach Club on the banks of the Dnieper River. With reference to the versions of the investigation, it was indicated that during a night walk on a boat, a young man in a state of alcoholic intoxication allegedly fell overboard and got under the screws. However, the reported that Nechepurenko could have been thrown overboard as a result of a conflict member in the UDAR party Artur Palatny and Ruslan Oleksenko, whom journalists call the ex-boxer's financial manager Klitschko. Poklonskaya was appointed the senior procedural head of the criminal proceedings.[40]
In 2011-2012, she headed the Simferopol Interdistrict Environmental Prosecutor's Office.[34]
From October to December 2012, she worked as the head of the Department for the participation of prosecutors in the consideration of cases by the Crimean Court of Appeal.
Later, from December 2012 up until March 2014, she worked as a senior prosecutor of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine in the 2nd Department of procedural management of pre-trial investigation and Maintenance of the Department for Supervision of Law Enforcement by Internal Affairs Bodies of the 4nd Main Directorate for in Criminal Proceedings.[30] By the time she joined the Prosecutor General's Office, she had the class Rank of Advisor, which corresponds to the rank of lieutenant colonel.[30]
In 2013, Poklonskaya acted as a public prosecutor in a criminal case involving a traffic accident in the city of Dnepropetrovsk.[41]
On 25 February 2014, Poklonskaya handed in her resignation from the post of Senior Prosecutor of the Department of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, but she was instead given a vacation and left Kyiv for Crimea where her parents lived. Poklonskaya was returned her official identification card of an employee of the Ukrainian prosecutor's office.[18]
In March 2014, she completed her career in the Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine, went down in the history of the as a prosecutor investigating criminal cases and supporting state prosecution in courts against leaders and members of well-known organized criminal groups, as well as other high-profile criminal cases.[34]
Prosecutor of Crimea
On 11 March 2014, she was appointed Prosecutor of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea during the early stages of the Crimean crisis, as the region moved toward annexation by Russia. Her press conference that went viral served as Poklonskaya's formal introduction in her new role after she broke with the Ukrainian government in Kyiv. During the session, she denounced the EuroMaidan Revolution, describing the change of government as an "anti-constitutional coup" and an armed takeover. She also stated that she did not propagate Nazism, unlike some functionaries in the new Ukrainian regime, and dismissed legal threats by asserting she was not afraid of the truth. Appearing in her uniform, she detailed specific provisions of the Ukrainian Constitution she believed authorities in Kyiv had violated.[42]
Prosecutor of Crimea Natalia Poklonskaya at the board of the Prosecutor General's Office of Russia, March 2015Prosecutor of Crimea Natalia Poklonskaya at a meeting, 2015Poklonskaya with the head of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov at the event, 2016 year
On 25 March 2014, in connection with the formation of the Prosecutor's offices of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol in the Russian Prosecutor's Office system, Poklonskaya was appointed Acting Prosecutor of the Republic of Crimea by order of the Prosecutor General of Russia Yuri Chaika.[43]
On 27 March, she was awarded the class rank of Senior Adviser to Justice.[44]
On 2 May 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree appointing Poklonskaya Prosecutor of the Republic of Crimea for a five-year term.[45]
On 7 May, she took the oath of office of an employee of the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation.[46]
In 2016, Poklonskaya completed professional training at the University of the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation[48]
On 26 September 2016, she sent an application to the Russian Prosecutor General's Office for her dismissal from the post of Prosecutor of the Republic of Crimea in connection with her election to the State Duma of the Russian Federation.[49]
On 6 October 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed Poklonskaya from the post of prosecutor of Crimea.[50]
Prior to her resignation, she was the youngest female general in Russia, at age 36.[51]
Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation
On 27 June 2016, Poklonskaya took part in the second stage of the XV Congress of the United Russia political party in Moscow.[52] By the decision of the Supreme and General Councils of the United Russia Party, at the suggestion of the chairman of the party, the Chairman of the Government of Russia Dmitry Medvedev — included in the election list of the United Russia party for the 2016 elections to the Russian State Duma.[53][54]
On 22 August 2016, she officially became a candidate for deputy of the State Duma of the VII convocation.[55]
Member of the United Russia faction from 2016 to 2021.[57]
On 24 September 2016, she participated in a joint meeting of the Supreme Council and the General Council of the United Russia political party.[58]
Poklonskaya at the first meeting of the State Duma of the VII convocation, 5 October 2016
On 25 September 2016, United Russia nominated her for the post of chairman of the State Duma Commission for the control of the authenticity of income declarations of deputies.[59]
On 20 December 2016, she took part in an off-site meeting of the United Russia faction.[60]
From 5 October 2016 to 10 September 2019[61] — Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption.[62]
On 13 September 2018, she was deprived of the post of chairman of the State Duma commission for the control of the reliability of information on income, property and in connection with the merger with the Ethics Commission.[63]
From 10 September 2019 to 12 October 2021 – Deputy Chairman of The State Duma Committee on International Affairs.[64]
On 28 May 2021, she withdrew her candidacy from the pre-voting, transfer to a new job,[68][69] application form The parliamentarian was sent to the federal organizing committee of the United Russia party.[70] According to the results of the primaries, almost 125,000 residents of Crimea supported Poklonskaya's candidacy, having become one of the leading candidates in the party primaries for participation in the elections of the State Duma of the Russian Federation in 2021.[71]
On 17 June 2021, she took part in the last meeting of the State Duma The State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the VII convocation.[72]
Legislative activity
Poklonskaya in at a meeting of the State Duma CommissionPoklonskaya and Deputy of the State Duma Ruslan Balbek at the signing of the agreement between Yevpatoria and Marignan, 14 May 2018
On 14 October 2016, she did not support the draft law "On Municipal Police in the Russian Federation".[73]
In 2017, she developed a draft law on Russian citizenship on "law of the soil". The document received a positive opinion from the Duma Committee on Nationalities and was subsequently reviewed.[74]
Poklonskaya, together with deputies of the State Duma, proposed a bill on responsibility for establishing conflicts of interest in the work of deputies of the State Duma and senators of the Federation Council of Russia.[75] On 11 December 2018, the bill was passed by the lower house of parliament, and on 28 December it was signed by the President.[76]
On 25 June 2018, she co-authored a draft law on the establishment of a memorable date in Russia.: 19 April is the Day when Crimea, Taman and Kuban were accepted into the Russian Empire (1783). The bill was adopted and published on 3 August 2018.[77]
On 19 July 2018, Poklonskaya became the only member of the United Russia faction, who participated in first reading draft law Pension reform in Russia and those who voted against raising the retirement age despite the faction's decision on consolidated voting on this issue.[78] On 29 August 2018, after an explanatory speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the pension bill,[79] Poklonskaya proposed her author's amendments before the second reading, maintaining the old retirement age, but providing for increased payments at a later retirement.[80]
From 2016 to 2019, during her term as a deputy of the State Duma of the VII convocation, she co-authored more than 18 legislative initiatives and amendments to draft federal laws.[81]
On 14 January 2020, she proposed to grant Russians the right to influence the revision or repeal of laws. According to the MP, if laws get in the way, they need to be reviewed or repealed. It would be possible to register such citizens' appeals on portal of Public Services.[82]
On 4 January 2020, through her Telegram channel, she proposed renaming the draft law "On the Prevention of Domestic Violence in the Russian Federation" and calling it the Law on Strengthening and Preserving the Family, explaining that one should not "expose the family to a place of horror and constant beatings." In her opinion, serious changes should be made to the bill.[83] On 30 January 2020, she did not support this law, proposing the following changes: changing the procedure for obtaining a protective order.[84][85]
On 24 January 2020, she announced the development of a law on the responsibility of officials for insulting citizens.[86] On 16 December 2020, the State Duma adopted in the third reading amendments on the administrative responsibility of officials for insulting citizens.[87]
She also acted as the subject of the right of legislative initiative for a number of important bills.[88]
On 24 November 2020, she initiated the removal of her name from among the authors of the draft law N1057895-7 "On Amendments to the Federal Law on Education in the Russian Federation".[89]
On 26 January 2021, supported the draft Federal Law No. 1043391-7 "On Amendments to Chapters 23 and 25 of Part Two of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation".[88]
On 13 October 2021, by Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, she was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Cape Verde.[91]
On 19 January 2022, Poklonskaya announced the cancellation of plans for her assumption of the post of Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Cape Verde due to personal circumstances.[92]
Two weeks later, on 2 February 2022, by Decree of the President of Russia, Natalia Poklonskaya was relieved of her duties as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to the Republic of Cape Verde.[93]
On 7 February 2022, she announced that, as deputy head of Rossotrudnichestvo, she would be in charge of protecting the rights of compatriots and culture.[95]
On 14 June 2022, she was appointed advisor to Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation. Upon taking this advisor role, she announced a complete withdrawal from social media and all public activity.[97][98]
Personal life
Internet attention
Samples of user-generated anime artwork depicting different impressions of Poklonskaya
After a video of Poklonskaya at a press conference on 11 March 2014 was uploaded to YouTube, she went viral among mainly Japanese and Chinese internet users, and also became the focus of attention of Internet communities such as Reddit, 4chan and VKontakte, which was reported by international news outlets.[20][99][100] Within a month, the press conference was viewed over 1.7 million times.[101] Many fan-created anime-style moe images of her uploaded to the Internet also attracted international media attention.[18][19][20][21][22]
In 2014, Poklonskaya was among the most searched-for celebrities on the internet in both Russia and Ukraine. According to Google, she was the year's 7th most searched-for person in Russia[23] and the 8th in Ukraine,[24] and according to the Russian search engine Yandex – the 2nd most searched-for female in Ukraine[25] and the 4th in Russia.[26] She was described as a sex symbol by the New York Observer and Die Welt.[27][28] Poklonskaya told the website Novorossia Today in March 2016 that she views her beauty as an asset: "My looks have never been an obstacle – I hope they deceive my enemies."[29]
Family
Due to the international media coverage she received from 2014, Poklonskaya has been intentionally reticent about her personal life.[102][103]
On 13 August 2018 Poklonskaya married 47-year-old Ivan Nikolaevich Soloviev, a veteran of law enforcement agencies, honoured lawyer of Russia, and head of the office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia. The wedding took place in Crimea.[104] A year later, in September 2019, Soloviev revealed that he and Poklonskaya had separated.[105]
Views
Poklonskaya at a meeting with members of the French Parliament in State Duma Russia
Poklonskaya said that since March 2014 she has not been a citizen of Ukraine.[107] In 2014, Poklonskaya declared that she considers Russia a great power.[108] In April 2022 amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent Russo-Ukrainian war, Poklonskaya referred to Russia and Ukraine as her "two native countries".[109] It was reported in The Moscow Times that Poklonskaya had labelled the Ukraine war as a "catastrophe",[110] also stating, "People are dying, houses and entire cities are destroyed [leaving] millions of refugees. Bodies and souls are mutilated. My heart is bursting with pain. My two native countries are killing each other, that's not what I wanted and it's not what I want."[110] Poklonskaya's break with Russia's official line that the war is a "special military operation" to "de-Nazify and demilitarize" Ukraine was practically unheard of for a sitting official.[110]
In March 2017, she claimed that a bronze bust of TsarNicholas II in Simferopol was seeping fragrant myrrh.[112] The Russian Orthodox Church stated that they did not detect traces on the bronze bust, but instructed the church priest to continue observation; in the past some Roman Catholic worshippers had made claims of weeping statues of the Virgin Mary.[112]
In February 2017, Poklonskaya led a campaign to block the release of the film Matilda portrayal of the affair between Tsar Nicholas II (who has been canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church) and the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya.[113]
Other details
According to the declaration published on the website of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Crimea, Poklonskaya has an apartment of 116.6 m2 in use, and her income for 2014 amounted to 1.926 million rubles. According to the declaration published by the Central Election Commission in 2016, Poklonskaya’s income for 2015 amounted to 2.3 million rubles. From 1 January to 31 December 2016, Poklonskaya’s income, according to the declaration published on the website of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, amounted to 2.6 million rubles; for 2017, income increased noticeably and amounted to more than 4.5 million rubles; for 2018, income amounted to 4,736,578.30 rubles. She also owns a land plot for individual housing construction of 1014 ±11 m².[114]
Poklonskaya has frequently shared her affinity for dolphins, often citing her visits to dolphinariums as a primary way to manage stress. During her tenure in Crimea, she reportedly engaged in dolphin therapy at facilities such as the Yalta Dolphinarium, viewing the experience as a vital emotional reprieve from her high-pressure legal and political roles. Her personal interest in dolphins was widely documented through interviews and photographs showing her swimming with the animals.[115]
Poklonskaya in March 2019, signing one of her books
On 8 February 2018, the Book World publishing house published Poklonskaya’s book Devotion to Faith and Fatherland, dedicated to the events of 2013-2014.[116] In February 2019, the Prospekt publishing house published Poklonskaya's second book Crimean Spring: Before and After.[117]
Poklonskaya plays the piano. On her visit to the summer residence of Tsar Nicholas II, she played (among other pieces) Masquerade, a waltz by Soviet Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian.[29]
Reports from late 2025 and early 2026 indicate Poklonskaya has legally changed her name to Radveda and has publicly explored ancient myths and neo-pagan traditions.[118][119]
Criminal case and sanctions
Following her appointment as Prosecutor General of Crimea on 11 March 2014, Poklonskaya was listed as a wanted criminal on the website of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs,[120] due to alleged involvement in conspiracy to overthrow constitutional order or seize state power.[121] Poklonskaya's previous criticism of the opposition protests in Ukraine, and the "anti-constitutional coup"[19] led the Ukrainian government to launch a criminal case against her and strip her of the civil service rank of Counsellor of Justice.[19]
Poklonskaya was sanctioned by the United Kingdom on 5 May 2014 in relation to "actively implementing" Russia's annexation of Crimea.[122][123] On 12 May, the European Union added Poklonskaya to its sanctions list.[124][125] This barred her from entering EU countries and any of her assets there, if existent, were to be frozen.[126]Canada imposed similar sanctions on Poklonskaya a month later,[127] followed by Japan on 4 August.[citation needed]Australia followed soon after, sanctioning Poklonskaya on 2 September.[128] On 19 December, the United States introduced its individual sanctions against several Ukrainian separatists and Russians, of which Poklonskaya was the only woman.[27][129]
Honours
Order "For Loyalty to Duty" (13 March 2015, Crimea) — for courage, patriotism, active social and political activity, personal contribution to strengthening unity, development and prosperity of the Crimea.
Order of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna (19 May 2015)[131]
Order of the Holy Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (1 July 2015)[131]
Bibliography
Poklonskaya N.V. Devotion to Faith and Fatherland . - M.: Book World, 2018. - 320 p. — ISBN978-5-6040154-4-5
Poklonskaya N.V., Solovyov I.N. Crimean spring: before and after. First hand story. - M .: Prospekt, 2019. - 208 p. — ISBN978-5-392-29891-4
Notes
↑From the point of view of Ukraine, Poklonskaya retained her Ukrainian citizenship because she did not follow the official procedures for loss of citizenship.[2] From the point of view of Russia, she is not a Ukrainian citizen, since all Crimean residents who did not express in writing that they do not want to transfer to the Russian citizenship, automatically terminated their Ukrainian citizenship and obtained Russian citizenship.[3]
↑Снегирёв, Ю (20 March 2014). "Прокурор республики". Российская газета – Неделя № 6336 (64). Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
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State Counselor of Justice 3rd Class 
