Ekaterina Yurevna Gubareva is a Ukrainian pro-Russian activist and Putin-backed political figure. Gubareva has earlier held senior roles in pro-Russian separatist-held territory. She was the minister of Foreign Affairs” in Russian-occupied Donetsk for the Donetsk People’s Republic. Gubareva was imprisoned and then discharged from her last position, as deputy leader of the collaborationist Kherson Military-Civilian Administration in Russian-occupied Ukraine. She is one of the creators of the pro-Russian organization People’s Militia of Donbas.
Frequently she met with Igor Girkin, the Russian terrorist, the man who was implicated in the shooting down of flight MH17 Malaysia Airlines.
Gubareva was sanctioned by the UK administration in 2014 concerning the Russo-Ukrainian War. The EU has also sanctioned Gubareva. She was barred from entering the European Union and her accounts in European banks were frozen. According to EU officials: In her capacity as so-called “Minister of Foreign Affairs” she is responsible for defending the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic”, thus sabotaging the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. In addition, her bank account is utilised to finance illegal armed separatist groups. In taking on and operating in this capacity she has therefore sustained actions and policies which undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
On 16 June 2022, during the Russian attack on Ukraine, Gubareva took a post as Chief of Staff and Deputy Leader of the Russian-occupation government named “Kherson Military-Civilian Administration” for Digitalization, Communications, Legal Issues, and Domestic and Foreign Policy. In comments made of a planned referendum to join Russia, she argued that the Russian Federation was repeating the history of Empress Catherine who devised the “wild fields” following the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774.
Gubareva was briefly documented as having ‘disappeared’ on 15 November 2022. On 16 November, Russian media said that Gubareva had been confined by the Russian police concerning a corruption case implicating embezzlement of public funds. Gubareva was later discharged and dismissed from her position.
