Igor Vsevolodovich Girkin (,; 17 December 1970), also known by the alias Igor Ivanovich Strelkov (), is a Russian army artillery veteran who played a key role in the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and later the War in Donbas as an organizer of the Donetsk People's Republic's militant groups. Girkin led a group of militants into Ukraine where he participated in the Siege of Sloviansk. During the battle he increased his influence and ultimately became the de-facto military commander of all separatist forces in the Donbas region, which was confirmed by Donetsk People's Republic prime minister Alexander Borodai who appointed him as official Defense Minister.