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 (born 1957), Professor of Computer Engineering.
Volodymyr Biletskyy (born 1950), Ukrainian scientist.
Anatoly Timofeevich Fomenko (born 1945), Russian Mathematician and lecturer at the Moscow University. Promoter of New Chronology.
Valeriy Konovalyuk (born 1966), an economist and businessman.
Alexander Kuzemsky (born 1944), Soviet and Russian theoretical physicist.
Kirill Borisovich Tolpygo (1916–1994), Soviet physicist and a Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Artists

Viktor Burduk (born 1957), an artist, a blacksmith.
Pavlo Vigderhaus (1925–2013), Soviet architect, Monument to a Miner creator.

Athletes

Aleksandr Androshkin (1947–2010), Soviet sports shooter.
Polina Astakhova (1936–2005), Ukrainian gymnast.
Konstantin Bakun (born 1985), Ukrainian volleyball player.
Nadiya Beshevli (born 1982), Ukrainian former swimmer.
Yuliya Beygelzimer (born 1983), Ukrainian tennis.
Artem Bloshenko (born 1985), Ukrainian heavyweight judoka.
Vyacheslav Bobrov (born 1992), Ukrainian basketball player.
Danyil Boldyrev (born 1992), Ukrainian speed climber.
Joel Bolomboy (born 1994), Ukrainian-born Russian-American professional basketball player.
Bogdan Bondariew (born 1974), Ukrainian former professional cyclist.
Serhiy Bubka (born 1963), Ukrainian pole vault athlete; Olympic Games champion: 1988; World Champion: 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995, European Champion: 1986; Champion of the USSR: 1984, 1985.
Vladyslav Bukhov (born 2002), Ukrainian swimmer.
Igor Bychkov (born 1987), Ukrainian-born pole vaulter.
Yuriy Dehteryov (1948–2022), Soviet goalkeeper.
Tetiana Dovzhenko (born 2002), Ukrainian female rhythmic gymnast.
Volodymyr Dzhus (born 1993), Ukrainian professional racing cyclist.
Yuri Evseichik (born 1971), Israeli Greco-Roman wrestler.
Marta Fiedina (born 2002), Ukrainian synchro swimmer.
Yuriy Gavrilov (born 1967), Ukrainian handballer player, Olympic gold medallist.
Julia Glushko (born 1990), Ukrainian-born Israeli tennis player.
Marina Goliadkina (born 1997), Ukrainian-born Russian synchronised swimmer.
Olena Grechykhina (born 1991), Ukrainian competitor in synchronized swimming.
Veronika Hryshko (born 2000), Ukrainian synchronised swimmer.
Yelyzaveta Hubareva (born 2004), Ukrainian artistic gymnast.
Ali Ismayilov (born 1974), Ukrainian boxer.
Viktor Ivanov (1956–2007), Ukrainian boxer.
Yevhen Kanana (born 1953), Soviet footballer and referee.
Stanyslav Kashtanov (born 1984), Ukrainian-Russian boxer.
Oleksandra Kashuba (born 1996), Ukrainian competitor in synchronized swimming.
Valeriya Khanina (born 1999), Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast.
Oleksandr Khotsianivskyi (born 1990), Ukrainian freestyle wrestler.
Ganna Klymenko (born 1992), Ukrainian competitor in synchronized swimming.
Natalia Kosmina (born 1982), Ukrainian para table tennis player.
Vasyl Krainyk (born 1996), Ukrainian Paralympic swimmer.
Andriy Kravchenko (born 1980), Ukrainian racecar driver.
Nikita Kryvonos (born 1986), American former professional tennis player.
Natalya Kushch-Mazuryk (born 1983), Ukrainian pole vaulter.
Aleksandr Lebziak (born 1969), Russian boxer.
Inna Logutenkova (born 1986), Ukrainian Olympic dressage rider.
Denys Lukashov (born 1989), Ukrainian basketball player.
Natalya Mammadova (born 1984), Ukrainian and Azerbaijani volleyball player.
Oleksandr Martynenko (born 1989), Ukrainian cyclist.
Nikita Mashtakov (born 1999), Ukrainian tennis player.
Ilya Mate (born 1956), Soviet and Ukrainian freestyle wrestler.
Maksym Mazuryk (born 1983), Ukrainian pole vaulter.
Evgenij Miroshnichenko (born 1978), Ukrainian chess player.
Viktor Miroshnichenko (born 1959), Ukrainian boxer.
Mark Padun (born 1996), Ukrainian cyclist.
Elina Partõka (born 1983), Estonian former swimmer.
Oleksiy Pecherov (born 1985), a Ukrainian basketball player.
Vitaly Petrov (born 1945), Ukrainian athletics coach, mainly specialising in pole vault.
Volodymyr Pianykh (born 1951), Ukrainian football player.
Valeriy Pidluzhny (1952–2021), Ukrainian long jumper.
Lilia Podkopayeva (born 1978), a Ukrainian gymnast, and the 1996 Olympic All Around Champion.
Svitlana Prokopova (born 1993), Ukrainian group rhythmic gymnast.
Serhii Rebrov (born 1974), football player.
Olha Saladukha (born 1983), Ukrainian former triple jumper.
Issuf Sanon (born 1999), Ukrainian professional basketball player.
Hanna Shelekh (born 1993), Ukrainian athlete.
Alina Shynkarenko (born 1998), Ukrainian synchronised swimmer.
Viktor Sidyak (born 1943), 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).
Viktor Smyrnov (born 1986), Paralympic swimmer.
Aleksandr Tkachenko (born 1955), Soviet Olympic boxer.
Nadiya Tkachenko (born 1948), Ukrainian Olympic-gold winning pentathlete.
Dmitri Tolstenkov (born 1973), Ukrainian former track cyclist.
Oleg Tverdovsky (born 1976), Russian ice hockey player.
Iryna Ustymenko (born 1966), Ukrainian former butterfly and freestyle swimmer.
Yanika Vartlaan (born 1999), Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast.
Oleg Verniaiev (born 1993), Ukrainian artistic gymnast, Olympic gold medallist.
Alexander Yagubkin (born 1961), Soviet Olympic boxer.
Yelyzaveta Yakhno (born 1998), Ukrainian synchronised swimmer.
Yuriy Yermakov (born 1970), Ukrainian gymnast.
Artem Yevlyanov (born 1986), Ukrainian football player.
Viktor Yevsyukov (born 1956), Soviet javelin thrower.
Yevhen Yudenkov (born 1993), Ukrainian artistic gymnast.
Denys Yurchenko (born 1978), Ukrainian pole vaulter.

Business

Rinat Akhmetov (born 1966), Ukraine's wealthiest businessman, founder of System Capital Management, No. 47 in Forbes' The World's Billionaires.
Serhiy Arbuzov (born 1976), head of Ukrainian Bank.
Akhat Bragin (1953–1995), businessman and mobster.
Valeriy Konovalyuk (born 1966), an economist and businessman.
Oleksandr Ryzhenkov (born 1950), Hero of Ukraine recipient
Ihor Sorkin (born 1967), head of the Ukrainian National Bank.

Entertainers

Vera Filatova (born 1982), actress.
Jinjer, Ukrainian heavy metal band.
Yuri Kara (born 1954), Russian film director and producer.
Anna Korsun (born 1986), Ukrainian singer, pianist, organist, conductor, composer and academic teacher, based in Germany.
Khrystyna Kots-Hotlib (born 1983), Ukrainian singer.
Tatyana Kravchenko (born 1953), 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 (born 1986), a Russian-Mexican actress.
Omnia (born 1987), Ukrainian DJ and music producer and sometimes singer.
Vadim Pisarev (born 1965), Ukrainian dancer and art Director of Donetsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Solovyanenko.
Aleksandr Revva (born 1974), comedian.
Denis Shaforostov (born 1992), Ukrainian musician, vocalist for Asking Alexandria.
Tatiana Shmailyuk (born 1987), Vocalist for Ukrainian metal band Jinjer.
Anyuta Slavskaya (born 1983), Ukrainian-Russian singer and TV presenter.
Oleg Stefan (born 1959), Russian actor.
Anatoliy Solovyanenko (1932–1999), Soviet opera singer.
Vladimir Grigoryevich Zakharov (1901–1956), Soviet composer.
Svitlana Zakharova (born 1987), Ukrainian singer-songwriter in the jazz, classical and estrada genres as well a director of concert programs.
Zhanulka (born 2004), singer, songwriter.

Journalists

Stanislav Aseyev (born 1989), Ukrainian writer and journalist.
Dmytro Gnap (born 1977), journalist, investigating corruption.
Oleksiy Matsuka (born 1983), corruption investigator, Reporters Without Borders named Matsuka in its list of 100 Information Heroes.

Military

Fyodor Berezin (born 1960), Russian-language science fiction writer and Deputy Minister of Defence of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Mikhail Krichevsky (1897–2008), the last surviving World War I veteran who fought for the Russian Empire.
Aleksandr Zakharchenko (1976–2018), Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

Politicians

Zalman Aran (Aharonovich) (1899–1970), Israeli social-democratic politician, minister of education (1955–1960) and (1963–1969).
Mykola Azarov (born 1947), former Prime Minister of Ukraine
Nikita Khrushchev (1894–1971), 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 (born 1946), Mayor of Donetsk and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada.
Natan Sharansky (born 1948), former Soviet dissident, anticommunist, Zionist, Israeli politician and writer.
Petro Symonenko (born 1952), head of the Communist Party of Ukraine.
Viktor Yanukovych (born 1950), deposed former president of Ukraine (due to Euromaidan Revolts of 2013–2014)
Aleksandr Zakharchenko (1976–2018), Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (deceased).

Writers

Emma Andijewska (born 1931), Ukrainian poet.
Fyodor Berezin (born 1960), Russian-language science fiction writer and Deputy Minister of Defence of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Dmytro Hnap (born 1977), Ukrainian journalist at Slidstvo.Info and Hromadske.TV.
Iya Kiva (born 1984), Ukrainian poet, translator, journalist, and critic.
Yuri Levitansky (1922–1996), Russian-language poet and translator.
Oleksiy Matsuka (born 1983), Ukrainian journalist.
Vladislav Adolfovitch Rusanov (born 1966), Russian-language science fiction writer and chairman of the Donetsk People's Republic Writer's Union.
Vasyl Stus (1938–1985), Ukrainian poet and publicist, one of the most active members of Ukrainian dissident movement.

Other

Ismail Abdullaiev (born 1966), director of pro-Russian television channels in Ukraine.
Diana Berg (born 1979), human rights activist and graphic designer.
Dmytriy Leonidovich Cherniavskiy (born 1971), senior manager and political adviser.
Elvira Gasanova (born 1991), fashion designer and brand owner.
Yevgeny Khaldei (1917–1997), Soviet photographer known for his photograph of a Soviet soldier raising a flag over the Reichstag.
Marina Tsvigun (born 1960), religious sect leader, new age movement.