page_title: Donetsk
section_title: Notable people
hierarchical_section_title: Donetsk / Culture / Notable people
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Фёдор Дмитриевич Березин — русский писатель-фантаст (гражданин Украины). Фотография сделана в Донецке во время встречи с донецкими писателями-фантастами и автограф-сессии. English: Fyodor Dmitrievich Berezin is a Russian science fiction writer.
context_page_description: Donetsk, formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Hughesovka, Yuzovka, Stalin and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in the disputed Donetsk region. While internationally recognized as in Ukraine, the city is under the de facto administration of the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic, which claims it as its capital city. The population was estimated at 929,063 in the city core, with over 2,000,000 in the metropolitan area. According to the 2001 Ukrainian Census, Donetsk was the fifth-largest city in Ukraine.
  Administratively, Donetsk has been the centre of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the larger economic and cultural Donets Basin region. Donetsk is adjacent to another major city, Makiivka, and along with other surrounding cities forms a major urban sprawl and conurbation in the region. Donetsk has been a major economic, industrial and scientific centre of Ukraine with a high concentration of heavy industries and a skilled workforce. The density of heavy industries determined the city's challenging ecological situation.
context_section_description: The citizens of Donetsk are commonly called Donchyani (Russian: Дончани). The following is a list of famous people who were born or brought up in the city:
  Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine's wealthiest businessman, founder of System Capital Management, No. 47 in Forbes' The World's Billionaires.
  Emma Andijewska, Ukrainian poet.
  Alexander Anoprienko, Professor of Computer Engineering
  Zalman Aran (Aharonovich), Israeli social-democratic politician, minister of education (1955–1960) and (1963–1969).
  Serhiy Arbuzov, head of Ukrainian Bank.
  Polina Astakhova, Ukrainian gymnast.
  Mykola Azarov, former Prime Minister of Ukraine
  Fyodor Berezin, Russian-language science fiction writer and Deputy Minister of Defence of the Donetsk People's Republic.
  Volodymyr Biletskyy, Ukrainian scientist.
  Serhii Bubka, Ukrainian pole vault athlete; Olympic Games champion: 1988; World Champion: 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995, European Champion: 1986; Champion of the USSR: 1984, 1985.
  Viktor Burduk, artist, blacksmith.
  Vera Filatova, actress.
  Yuriy Dehteryov, Soviet goalkeeper.
  Anatoly Timofeevich Fomenko, Russian mathematician and lecturer at the Moscow State University, promoter of New Chronology.
  Yuriy Gavrilov, volleyball player, Olympic gold medallist.
  Julia Glushko (born 1990), Israeli tennis player.
  Dmytro Gnap, journalist, investigating corruption.
  Yuri Kara, Russian film director and producer.
  Yevgeny Khaldei, Soviet photographer.
  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 Yuzovka).
  Valeriy Konovalyuk, economist and businessman.
  Tatyana Kravchenko, Soviet and Russian actress.
  Mikhail Krichevsky, last surviving World War I veteran who fought for the Russian Empire.
  Alexander Kuzemsky, Soviet and Russian theoretical physicist.
  Aleksandr Lebziak, Russian boxer.
  Make Me Famous - English language Metalcore band.
  Natalya Mammadova, Azeri volleyball player.
  Oleksiy Matsuka, corruption investigator, Reporters Without Borders named Matsuka in its list of 100 Information Heroes.
  Siouzana Melikián, Russian-Mexican actress.
  Evgenij Miroshnichenko, Ukrainian chess player.
  Master SheFF, the leader of Bad Balance and creator of Russian hip hop.
  Ilya Mate, Olympic champion in 1980.
  Oleksiy Pecherov, a Ukrainian basketball player.
  Vadim Pisarev, Ukrainian dancer and art Director of Donetsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Solovyanenko.
  Lilia Podkopayeva, a Ukrainian gymnast, and the 1996 Olympic All Around Champion
  Sergiy Rebrov, footballer.
  Aleksandr Revva, comedian.
  Volodymyr Rybak, Mayor of Donetsk and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada.
  Vladislav Adolfovitch Rusanov, Russian-language science fiction writer and chairman of the Donetsk People's Republic Writer's Union.
  Denis Shaforostov, Ukrainian musician, vocalist for Asking Alexandria
  Natan Sharansky, former Soviet dissident, anticommunist, Zionist, Israeli politician and writer.
  Oleg Stefan, Russian actor.
  Anatoliy Solovyanenko, Soviet opera singer.
  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).
  Vasyl Stus, Ukrainian poet and publicist, one of the most active members of Ukrainian dissident movement.
  Petro Symonenko, head of the Communist Party of Ukraine.
  Ihor Sorkin, head of the Ukrainian National Bank.
  Kirill Borisovich Tolpygo, Soviet physicist.
  Nadiya Tkachenko, Olympic-gold winning pentathlete.
  Marina Tsvigun, religious sect leader, new age movement.
  Oleg Tverdovsky, ice hockey player.
  Kirill Borisovich Tolpygo, Soviet physicist and a Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
  Alexander Yagubkin, boxer.
  Viktor Yanukovych, former president of Ukraine; deposed due to the Euromaidan Revolts of 2013–2014.
  Oleg Vernyayev, Gymnast, Olympic gold medallist.
  Pavlo Vigderhaus, Soviet architect, Monument to a Miner creator.
  Vladimir Grigoryevich Zakharov, Soviet composer.
caption: Science fiction writer Fyodor Berezin, a native of Donetsk, became the Deputy Minister of Defence of the Donetsk People's Republic in 2014.
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