Alexander Khodakovsky

Alexander Sergeevich Khodakovsky (Russian: Алекса́ндр Серге́евич Ходако́вский , IPA: [ɐlʲɪˈksandr sʲɪrˈɡʲejɪvʲɪtɕ xədɐˈkofskʲɪj] , Ukrainian: Олександр Сергійович Ходаковський Olexander Serhiyovich Khodakovsky) is the commander of the pro-Russian Vostok Battalion formed in early May 2014 during the 2014 insurgency in Donbass. Khodakovsky is a former commander of the Alpha special unit of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). During the 2014 insurgency in Donbass, he left Ukrainian state service and became the leader of the pro-Russian "Patriotic Forces of Donbass" in Donetsk Oblast, and later (until July 16, 2014 when he was replaced by Vladimir Antyufeyev) the Security Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic. In May 2018 Khodakovsky relocated to Russia and in September 2018 he claimed that Russian border guards did not let him return to Donetsk.

On July 23, 2014, the international news agency Reuters reported Khodakovsky had in an interview confirmed that pro-Russian rebels had obtained a Buk missile system from Russia, which they used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and then "probably" sent it back to Russia to remove proof of its presence.

In November 2014, he repeated his claim that the separatists had a Buk launcher at the time, but stated that the vehicle, under control of fighters from Luhansk, had still been on its way to Donetsk when MH17 crashed. It then retreated in order to avoid being placed under blame.

On 19 August 2014, reports began to emerge that Khodakovsky had been arrested by law enforcement agencies. It was later clarified by the Interior Ministry that it was Semyon Khodakovsky, a junior rebel commander, that had been detained.