Pro-Government Militias
Oplot (Ukraine)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 636 |
| Country: | Ukraine |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 2014 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The PGM was set up in 2014 in opposition to the Maidan protesters by supporters of President Yanukovych, namely Alexander Bobkov, who was an MP at the time, and Sergei Arbuzov. |
| Date dissolved: | Feb. 22, 2014 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The group is coded as terminated in February 2014 due to a change in government. |
| Termination Type(s): | change in government |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | yes |
| Former Armed Group? | no information |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | yes |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister; political party; sub-national government |
| If link to party, name of party: | Party of Regions |
| Training and Equipment: | no information |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no information |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government; corporation |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ideology; ex soldiers |
| Primary Membership: | other |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Kharkiv, Kiev |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | unarmed political opposition, government critics; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | fight insurgents |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | Oplot is a martial arts fight club based in Kharkiv and strongly opposed the Maidan. It had ties to Russia and its name translates to “stronghold” in Russian. The group’s leader Zhilin was imprisoned for murder for three years and owns a security and accounting firm besides the Oplot night club. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The main purpose of the group was to take action against the Maidan movement and officially it served as a civilian police auxiliary. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | faster mobilization |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | There are reports of attacks against Maidan activists having been perpetrated by the group. The PGM has also been accused of arranging murders. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | It is reported that the group consisted of “paid thugs”, although it is not explicitly said whom they were paid by. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | While news sources report that the group itself provided military training, there is no evidence on it receiving any training or being armed by the government. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The leader of the PGM was Yevhen Zhilin. One source states that there was some temporary funding from Kharkiv Region's former governor (Mykhaylo Dobkin) and the region’s mayor (Hennadiy Kernes). Financial assistance reportedly also came from the surroundings of Rinat Akhmetov. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.