Zahid Krasnov

Zahid Hennadiiovych Krasnov (; born Zahiddin Habibulayevich Gabibulayev ; 24 October 1965) is a Ukrainian pro-Russian In his official biography published by the Central Election Commission of Ukraine, he listed his place of birth as Baku, Azerbaijan SSR (now Azerbaijan).

In 1983, he graduated from Secondary School No. 2 in Belidzhi, Dagestan ASSR. He has practiced martial arts since the seventh grade.

In 1983, Krasnov moved to Dnipropetrovsk and enrolled at the Dnipropetrovsk Institute of Civil Engineering. From 1984 to 1986, he completed his compulsory military service in the Soviet Army, serving in the Strategic Missile Forces of the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division.

In 1986, he resumed his studies at the Dnipropetrovsk Institute of Civil Engineering, graduating in 1990 with a degree in civil engineering. After graduation, he intended to join the KGB and completed the required selection procedures; however, the dissolution of the Soviet Union prevented his recruitment. Following graduation, he worked for one year as a martial arts instructor. According to Krasnov, his martial arts background led business partners to invite him into private business.

During the 1990s, Krasnov officially headed the Association of Entrepreneurs of Dnipropetrovsk. According to journalist investigations published by Obozrevatel, his activities during this period were allegedly connected with racketeering and later with debt collection. During this period he also adopted the name Zahid. After taking his wife's surname, Zahiddin became known as "Krasnov".

Krasnov married in Dagestan on 23 October 1992. His wife is Elvira Shakhveledovna Gabibullayeva.

On 3 September 2001, Krasnov and his wife legally changed their surname, patronymic, and given names, while his wife's first name remained unchanged.

In 2005, Krasnov graduated from the Humanitarian University "Zaporizhzhia Institute of State and Municipal Administration" (now part of the Classic Private University) with a degree in law, qualifying as a lawyer. In 2016, he graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Institute of Public Administration of the National Academy for Public Administration under the President of Ukraine.

Allegations of criminal ties and controversies in the 1990s

According to an investigative report by Obozrevatel, Krasnov (then known by his birth surname, Habibulayev) was associated with the criminal underworld of Dnipropetrovsk during the 1990s. Media reports linked him to the criminal group headed by Mukhtar Magomedov ("Mukhtar"), alleging that he acquired the nickname "Zahid" during this period and was involved in racketeering (including at the Nahirnyi Market), providing protection to businesses, and exercising control over prostitution, drug trafficking, and armed groups. Following the killing of Mukhtar during the so-called "Dnipropetrovsk gang war" in the early 2000s, media reports alleged that Krasnov assumed leadership of part of the organization. Krasnov has denied these allegations.

In 2012, Krasnov was detained on suspicion of involvement in a 2008 traffic collision on Zavodska Naberezhna in Dnipro. According to prosecutors, his Porsche Cayenne exceeded the speed limit and collided with another vehicle, leaving its driver with serious bodily injuries.

Family ties to Russia

Krasnov's brother, Ramiz Gabibulayev, has served for many years as the head of the administration of the settlement of Belidzhi in Dagestan. Since at least 2011, he has also been a member of the Russian political party United Russia.

According to RBC-Ukraine, in 2024 Gabibulayev participated in a ceremony honoring Russian serviceman Muslim Muslimov, who had been awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation for his role in the Battle of Avdiivka (2023–2024). On 26 March 2026, Gabibulayev also became a deputy of the People's Assembly of the Republic of Dagestan.

Krasnov has stated that he maintains contact with his brother and other relatives in Dagestan. According to statements published on his official website, he and his brother continued to visit one another after the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014.

According to Krasnov, his son, Ruslan Krasnov, a deputy of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Council, has also visited relatives in Moscow and Dagestan.

Political career

From April to October 2004, Krasnov served as Chief Consultant of the Organizational Control Department of the Coordination Committee for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime under the President of Ukraine, during the presidency of Leonid Kuchma.

Krasnov later became the leader of Hromada, the political party founded by Pavlo Lazarenko. In the 2006 Ukrainian local elections, the party won seats in the Dnipropetrovsk City Council. With the support of Party of Regions Member of Parliament Oleg Tsaryov, Krasnov formed a governing coalition in the city council together with the Party of Regions, the Viche faction, the People's Opposition Bloc of Natalia Vitrenko, and the Communist Party of Ukraine. Since 2006, he has headed the Lazarenko Bloc faction in the Dnipropetrovsk City Council.

Between 2007 and 2010, Krasnov led the "Ridnyi Dnipropetrovsk" ("Native Dnipropetrovsk") coalition in the Dnipropetrovsk City Council. In July 2010, he announced his candidacy for Mayor of Dnipropetrovsk. Following the withdrawal of Ihor Tsyrkin from the race, Krasnov became one of the principal challengers to incumbent mayor Ivan Kulichenko. On 30 September 2010, he was officially nominated for mayor by the city organization of Our Ukraine. Krasnov also served as the head of Serhiy Tihipko's presidential campaign in Dnipropetrovsk.

In 2014, Krasnov was a candidate in the snap parliamentary election to the Verkhovna Rada.

In the 2010 Dnipropetrovsk mayoral election, held on 31 October 2010, Krasnov finished fourth behind Ivan Kulichenko, Andriy Pavelko, and Sviatoslav Oliinyk. Because his political party, Hromadska Syla, was denied registration for the election, its members ran on the list of the People's Order party, which failed to win representation in the city council.

Krasnov again ran for Mayor of Dnipropetrovsk in the 2015 Ukrainian local elections, receiving 12.42% of the vote and finishing third. His party, Hromadska Syla, won seven seats in the Dnipropetrovsk City Council, receiving approximately 11% of the vote.

Cooperation with Oleg Tsaryov

During the second half of the 2000s, Krasnov cooperated in the Dnipropetrovsk City Council with Oleg Tsaryov, then a member of the Party of Regions and later a collaborator with Russia.

Following the 2006 local elections, the Hromada faction led by Krasnov joined the governing majority formed with the participation of the Party of Regions. Several Ukrainian media outlets described the relationship between Krasnov and Tsaryov as a political and business partnership, reporting that they jointly influenced the formation of the governing majority in the city council and appointments to senior municipal positions.

During the 2010 Ukrainian presidential election campaign, several media outlets reported that Krasnov headed the Dnipropetrovsk campaign headquarters of presidential candidate Serhiy Tihipko, while Tsaryov, despite remaining one of the leaders of the regional organization of the Party of Regions, also supported Tihipko contrary to his party's official position. The publications stated that this decision had been coordinated by Krasnov and Tsaryov.

Following the Revolution of Dignity and Tsaryov's subsequent pro-Russian activities, Ukrainian media revisited his previous political ties, including his cooperation with Krasnov.

Links to Viktor Medvedchuk

In 2012, Krasnov joined Ukrainian Choice, a public movement founded and led by Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian politician widely regarded as pro-Russian and known as the godfather of Russian President Vladimir Putin's daughter.

During the 2020 Ukrainian local elections and in the following years, Ukrainian journalists and political commentators drew attention to Krasnov's political and media contacts with organizations associated with Medvedchuk, who at the time served as chairman of the political council of the pro-Russian party Opposition Platform — For Life. The Chesno movement included Krasnov in its publication "Local deputies, a priest and media figures: who participated in Medvedchuk's political projects", which examined individuals involved in political initiatives associated with Medvedchuk over the years.

According to monitoring by the Chesno movement and other Ukrainian media outlets, during the 2020 campaign for the Dnipro City Council Krasnov was a frequent guest on the pro-Russian television channels 112 Ukraine, NewsOne, and ZIK. At the time, these broadcasters were widely reported to be associated with Medvedchuk through Member of Parliament Taras Kozak. During his appearances, Krasnov criticized the central government, expressed support for restoring economic cooperation with Russia, opposed certain aspects of Ukraine's decommunization and language policies, and spoke positively of Medvedchuk's role in negotiations over prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia.

Investigative reporting

Investigations into Hromadska Syla

The civic organization and political party Hromadska Syla, founded by Krasnov, has been the subject of several investigations by Ukrainian journalists concerning land allocation schemes, alleged manipulation of public opinion through staged opinion polls, the use of administrative resources, the protection of business interests through political activity, and the use of charitable organizations for political purposes.

According to journalists and civic activists, some charitable renovation projects publicly attributed by Hromadska Syla to its own funding were either financed from the municipal budget or could not be verified.

LB.ua also published documents described as Krasnov's campaign strategy during the 2010 mayoral campaign. According to the publication, the strategy proposed the use of imitation opinion polls, "preliminary elections", and staged public events intended to demonstrate public support. Critics alleged that civic organizations affiliated with Hromadska Syla were used as instruments of political campaigning and public opinion manipulation.

While Krasnov's political faction exercised significant influence in the Dnipro City Council, the organization was also criticized for allegedly facilitating the expansion of unauthorized kiosk trading. Dnipro mayor Borys Filatov later referred to the widespread installation of kiosks during previous administrations as part of corrupt practices involving municipal property.

Investigations by Chesno, Bihus.Info, and other media outlets also examined charitable foundations associated with Hromadska Syla, including Sonechnyi and Dzherelo Maibutnoho. According to the reports, these organizations distributed publicly funded social assistance while the party itself reported little or no financial activity in its official disclosures.

Ukrzaliznytsia procurement

Companies linked by journalists to Krasnov have repeatedly appeared in investigations concerning procurement contracts awarded by Ukrzaliznytsia.

In 2016, Nashi Hroshi reported that the state enterprise Ukrzaliznychpostach had awarded contracts worth more than UAH 220 million to Dniprozaliznychpostach. According to the investigation, the company purchased products from the Dnipropetrovsk Switch Works, which journalists associated with Krasnov, before reselling them to the state enterprise at substantially higher prices. The publication estimated the price difference at approximately UAH 37 million and noted that the investigation was based on a ruling of the Pecherskyi District Court concerning possible embezzlement of public funds through inflated procurement prices.

A subsequent investigation published in 2017 alleged that rail fastening systems supplied by the Zaporizhzhia Reinforced Concrete Sleeper Plant, of which Krasnov was a co-owner, had been sold to Ukrzaliznytsia at prices significantly higher than those paid the previous year. The publication also noted that an earlier procurement involving similar products had become the subject of an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

In 2019, Nashi Hroshi reported that several procurement tenders issued by Ukrzaliznytsia appeared to contain technical specifications corresponding to products manufactured by the Dnipropetrovsk Switch Works. The publication also noted that similar tender requirements had previously been ruled anti-competitive by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine.

Outdoor advertising market

In 2019, Bihus.Info published an investigation into the outdoor advertising market in Dnipro. The investigation identified the company Sill as the city's largest outdoor advertising operator and linked it to Krasnov. According to the report, Krasnov's son, Ruslan Krasnov, was a co-owner of Sill and Alesan, while several other advertising companies were also associated with the Krasnov family.

According to Bihus.Info, these companies controlled a substantial share of Dnipro's outdoor advertising market, resulting in a high concentration of advertising assets among a small number of politically connected businesses.

In June 2026, several Ukrainian media outlets reported that companies linked by journalists to Krasnov were seeking more than UAH 130 million in compensation from the Dnipro municipal budget through court proceedings related to dismantled advertising structures and advertising at public transport shelters.

Pro-Russian positions and statements

Krasnov has been accused by Ukrainian journalists and political opponents of promoting pro-Russian and Soviet historical narratives and has been criticized for his political and business associations with individuals who supported Russia following the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War. The criticism has focused on his statements concerning Ukraine's Soviet past, the Holodomor, the Ukrainian liberation movement, the formation of Ukraine's modern borders, and his previous cooperation with former Ukrainian member of parliament Oleg Tsaryov, who later supported Russia, as well as with pro-Russian politician and businessman Viktor Medvedchuk, who has close personal ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Statements on the Soviet Union

In a May 2011 interview with Censor.NET concerning the use of the Soviet red flag, Krasnov supported displaying the flag during Victory Day commemorations. He stated that it was necessary to honor veterans of the Red Army and described the soldiers who fought under the red flag as heroes. Krasnov also contrasted historical memory in eastern and western Ukraine, saying that figures commemorated in western regions were regarded by some people in eastern Ukraine as "bandits".

Regarding the Ukrainian liberation movement, Krasnov said that residents of eastern Ukraine should not be compelled to accept Roman Shukhevych as a national hero. At the same time, he stated that the compulsory display of Soviet symbols in communities whose residents had fought in the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army against the Red Army would further deepen social divisions.

Views on Russia, NATO, and Ukraine's foreign policy

During a 2016 election campaign, Krasnov referred to Russia's aggression as a "conflict in eastern Ukraine" and supported implementation of the Minsk agreements, stating that the conflict required an immediate peaceful resolution. He attributed the absence of such a settlement to what he described as a lack of political will on the part of the Ukrainian government.

In September 2018, during an appearance on NewsOne, a pro-Russian television channel then associated with Medvedchuk's political network, Krasnov opposed making a decision on Ukraine's accession to NATO while the Russo-Ukrainian War was ongoing. He argued that membership in a military alliance should be decided in a national referendum, but only several years after what he described as the "conflict in eastern Ukraine" had subsided. Krasnov also stated that national security should primarily be ensured through economic development rather than membership in a military alliance.

In November 2018, during an appearance on the pro-Russian television channel NASH, Krasnov advocated a non-aligned foreign-policy model for Ukraine, citing Finland as an example. He argued that an economically developed and internally consolidated state could provide for its security without joining NATO.

In another television appearance, Krasnov claimed that corruption in Ukraine benefited both the United States and the European Union because it enabled them to influence Ukrainian politicians. In a separate broadcast, he stated that Russia and the United States both violated international law, using the comparison as an argument against Ukraine joining NATO.

In March 2019, during an appearance on NewsOne, Krasnov supported restoring direct purchases of natural gas from Russia. He argued that gas purchased by Ukraine from European suppliers was originally of Russian origin and that a direct contract could reduce its price. In other television appearances, he criticized the reduction of economic ties with Russia, claiming that it had harmed the Ukrainian economy.

The collision involved Krasnov's Porsche and another passenger vehicle, whose driver died. Krasnov was subsequently released subject to a written undertaking not to leave his place of residence.

The proceedings were later closed on the grounds that no criminal offence had been established, and the allegations against Krasnov were withdrawn.

Assessments of political activity

Krasnov's political activity has been the subject of commentary by Ukrainian journalists and political analysts. In 2010, the online publication LB.ua published an article titled "The End of the Taiga Emperor", which portrayed Krasnov as a politician who had repeatedly changed political affiliations and allies.

The same publication alleged that Krasnov used Tihipko's presidential campaign to advance his own political profile and publicly portrayed himself as Tihipko's representative in the region. According to the article's author, Tihipko did not publicly confirm that Krasnov had been officially authorized to represent his interests in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. According to corporate records, Krasnov is also associated through related persons with a number of companies operating primarily in the real estate sector.

Media reports have described Krasnov as the beneficial owner of the Informator media holding, which includes the Informator news website and radio station in Dnipro, as well as the Ukraine Now Telegram channel network.

According to annual asset declarations and investigative reporting, Krasnov and members of his family own substantial real estate holdings, land, corporate rights, and other assets.

His 2025 asset declaration reported that Krasnov, together with his wife Elvira and son Ruslan, owned a 1,258.4 m² residence in Dnipro situated on three adjoining land plots near Obukhivka. Adjacent to the property is a 5.4-hectare municipally owned parcel leased by the Lisnyi service cooperative, of which Krasnov is a member. According to an investigation by Dnipro.media, the cooperative's fenced territory effectively restricted access to the bank of the Dnipro River. Legal experts interviewed by the publication argued that this arrangement could be inconsistent with the requirements of Ukraine's Water Code. According to the report, most of the parcels had previously been transferred free of charge to local councillors and individuals associated with Hromadska Syla before subsequently being acquired by Krasnova. Experts interviewed by the publication stated that any potential legal violations would likely have occurred during the initial transfer of municipal land into private ownership rather than during the subsequent purchases.

In April 2026, Dnipro.media reported that the family's declared assets had grown substantially in recent years through the acquisition of additional real estate, land, and corporate rights, while noting that a significant proportion of these assets was registered in the names of Krasnov's family members.