Yuri Mikhailovich Luzhkov. Born on September 21, 1936 in Moscow - died on December 10, 2019 in Munich. Soviet and Russian state and political figure, mayor of Moscow in 1992-2010.
Father - Mikhail Andreevich Luzhkov, a carpenter, originally from the village of Molodoy Tud (now Oleninsky district of the Tver region), moved to Moscow in 1928. A participant in the Great Patriotic War, he was seriously wounded on March 16, 1942, and was captured. Re-conscripted into the Red Army in 1944 by the Ananyevsky RVK of Odessa. In 1945, he fought in the 960th Infantry Regiment of the 299th Infantry Division of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. Awarded two medals “For Military Merit”.
Mother - Anna Petrovna Luzhkova (nee Syropyatova; 1912-1994), originally from the village of Kalegino, Birsky district, Ufa province (now a village in the Kaltasinsky district of Bashkortostan), worked at a factory as a general worker.
Younger brother - Sergei Mikhailovich Luzhkov (born 1938).
Yuri Luzhkov spent his childhood and youth with his grandmother in Konotop, Sumy region of Ukraine. There he graduated from a seven-year school.
Then he returned to Moscow. In grades 8-10 he studied at school No. 529 (now school No. 1259), graduated in 1953.
In 1954, he worked in the first student team that explored virgin lands in Kazakhstan.
Graduated from the Institute of Petrochemical and Gas Industry named after. Gubkina. While studying at the institute, he was actively involved in Komsomol work and organized public events.
In 1958-1963 he worked at the Research Institute of Plastics as a junior researcher, group leader, and deputy head of the technological process automation laboratory.
In 1964-1971 - head of the department for automation of management of the State Committee for Chemistry.
In 1971-1974 - head of the department of automated control systems (ACS) of the USSR Ministry of Chemical Industry.
In 1974, Luzhkov was appointed director of the Automation Experimental Design Bureau (OKBA). Since 1980, he has been the director of the Khimavtomatika Research and Production Association, which included the Moscow OKBA, which he previously headed.
Since 1986 - Head of the Department of Science and Technology of the USSR Ministry of Chemical Industry.
Member of the CPSU since 1968 (and until its ban in August 1991).
In 1975 he was elected as a deputy of the Babushkinsky District Council of Moscow, from 1977 to 1990 - of the Moscow City Council of People's Deputies (Mossovet).
In 1987-1990 he was a deputy of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR.
In 1987, on the initiative of the first secretary of the Moscow City Committee of the CPSU, who was selecting fresh personnel, he was appointed first deputy chairman of the executive committee of the Moscow City Council of People's Deputies (Moscow City Executive Committee). At the same time, Luzhkov became chairman of the Moscow City Agro-Industrial Committee and headed the city commission on cooperative and individual labor activities.
In April 1990, before the first session of the newly elected democratic Moscow Council, he became acting chairman of the Moscow City Executive Committee as a result of the resignation of the last communist chairman of the executive committee, Valery Saikin. The new chairman of the Moscow City Council, Gavriil Popov, on the recommendation of Yeltsin, nominated Luzhkov to the post of chairman of the Moscow City Executive Committee.
On June 12, 1991, in the first elections of the mayor of Moscow, Luzhkov was elected vice-mayor of Moscow, and Gavriil Popov was elected mayor of Moscow.
On June 24, 1991, he became prime minister of the Moscow government, created instead of the Moscow City Executive Committee. At the same time, he continued to exercise the powers of the chairman of the Moscow City Executive Committee for some time.
During the events of August 1991, Luzhkov took an active part in the defense of the White House.
On August 24, 1991, without leaving the post of Prime Minister of the Moscow Government, he was appointed one of the deputy heads of the Committee for the Operational Management of the National Economy of the USSR, created in place of the Union Cabinet of Ministers. Responsible for issues related to the agro-industrial complex, trade, foreign economic relations and the social sphere. Two months later, Luzhkov left the committee.
On June 6, 1992, Moscow Mayor Gavriil Popov resigned due to interruptions in the supply of food products to the population, some of which had to be distributed using coupons. By decree of Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Luzhkov was appointed mayor of Moscow and combined the positions of mayor and prime minister of the Moscow government. The Moscow City Council unsuccessfully tried to challenge the legality of this combination of positions.
Luzhkov was elected mayor of Moscow three times: in 1996 he received 87.5%, in 1999 - 69.89%, in 2003 - 74.81% of the votes. V.P. was elected vice-mayor together with Luzhkov the first two times. Shantsev, then the post ceased to be elective.
In September-October 1993, during the constitutional crisis, he sided with Yeltsin. As a measure of pressure on the deputies who did not want to leave, the Supreme Council ordered to turn off the electricity and hot water in parliament, and telephones in the entire surrounding area. September 24, 1993 and. O. Russian President Alexander Rutskoy issued a decree that had no practical consequences on the dismissal of Yu. M. Luzhkov from the post of mayor of Moscow. In fact, Luzhkov continued to perform his duties until the 1996 mayoral elections, in which he won.
In December 1994, Luzhkov established the first commercial television company in Russia - Teleexpo.
Luzhkov repeatedly expressed support for the policies of Yeltsin and the government in Chechnya.
In 1995, he took part in the creation of the “Our Home is Russia” movement and supported it in the Duma elections at the end of that year. However, he himself did not join the NDR.
In 1996, he took an active part in the presidential campaign, supporting Boris Yeltsin.
In December 1996, at the initiative of Luzhkov, the Federation Council recognized Sevastopol as part of Russian territory and qualified the actions of the Ukrainian leadership to secede it as contrary to international law.
At the elections in 1999, together with he headed the Fatherland - All Russia electoral bloc, which criticized the policies of President Yeltsin and advocated his early resignation.
Member of the Federation Council, served on its committee on budget, tax policy, currency regulation, and banking (1996-2001). He held the position of member of the Federation Council in accordance with the procedure in force at that time as the head of a subject of the federation, representative Russian Federation in the Chamber of Regions of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe.
Since November 1998, Luzhkov has been the leader of the All-Russian political public organization "Fatherland". In 2001, at the founding congress of United Russia, he was elected co-chairman of the Supreme Council of the United Russia party.
Since 2000, he has been a member of the State Council of the Russian Federation.
In August 2001, the post of prime minister of the Moscow government was abolished. The mayor of Moscow became the head of the capital's government (up to this point, there were two positions: mayor and prime minister, and both were held by Yuri Luzhkov).
In 2002, he came up with the idea of returning the monument to Dzerzhinsky to Lubyanka Square in Moscow, but this initiative did not receive support from the authorities.
In June 2007, on the recommendation of the President of the Russian Federation, deputies of the Moscow City Duma, Yuri Luzhkov was again vested with the powers of the mayor of Moscow for a four-year term.
Moscow under Luzhkov has grown significantly as an important economic center. Thus, the total retail area of the city increased from 2.3 million m² in 1997 to 3.06 million m² by January 1, 2001. The number of hotel-type organizations increased by almost a quarter. The index of industrial production, as a percentage of the previous year, is 77% in 1992, 99% in 1997, 102% in 1998, 114% in 1999. The construction market has risen quite strongly.
During this period, the appearance of Moscow underwent significant changes: many new buildings, highways and transport interchanges were built.
In the 1990s, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Kazan Cathedral and the Iveron Gate were completely restored.
In 1995, the Moscow government, with the active participation of Luzhkov, decided to create the Rogozhskaya Sloboda architectural reserve and transfer the buildings and structures of the ensemble to the Russian Orthodox Church for free and indefinite use. The decision was timed to coincide with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the unsealing of the altars of the churches of the Rogozhskoe cemetery.
For the 50th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, a memorial complex and Victory Park were founded on Poklonnaya Hill. The Bolshoi Theater opened after restoration. A considerable number of office and residential buildings, cultural and entertainment centers have been built. New sculptures and monuments are also being created, and in 2010, in honor of the 65th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, two new Eternal Flames were lit on Poklonnaya Gora and Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery.
During Luzhkov's work, Gostiny Dvor (with the addition of an ultra-modern glass roof in Luzhkov's style), part of the Kitai-Gorod wall, the Petrovsky Travel Palace and several large parks of the capital, such as Kuskovo and Kuzminki, were reconstructed or restored.
In 2008, the Church of Pope Clement was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church, and on the initiative of Luzhkov, a large-scale restoration began there to recreate the historical appearance.
In February 2010, they ordered the reconstruction of Khitrovskaya Square and the surrounding historical buildings.
Under Luzhkov, the construction of skyscrapers, such as the buildings of the Moscow City complex, began for the first time.
Yuri Luzhkov has repeatedly been criticized for the alleged preferences he provided as mayor of Moscow to the structures of his wife Elena Baturina. Thus, it was noted that in the summer of 2009, at a time when other development companies faced significant difficulties associated with the economic crisis, Baturina’s company Inteko repaid bank loans in the amount of 27 billion rubles ahead of schedule. One of the sources of debt repayment was the sale of a land plot with an area of 58 hectares in the south-west of Moscow for 13 billion rubles, that is, 220 million rubles. for 1 hectare (this price, according to Vedomosti, corresponded to the pre-crisis price and was approximately twice as high as the current price at that time). The buyer of the land was a structure close to the Bank of Moscow, and, according to the newspaper, the purchase was paid for with a loan from this bank. At the same time, the largest shareholder of the Bank of Moscow is the Moscow Government. With all this, Inteko remained the developer of the land already sold and the beneficiary in the implementation of projects on this site. The Kommersant newspaper, the day after Luzhkov’s resignation, announced that the Investigative Committee and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation were conducting a pre-investigation check regarding these facts.
In September 2010, several documentaries were released on central television channels criticizing Luzhkov’s activities as mayor of Moscow: “It’s About the Cap” on NTV, then “Lawlessness. Moscow, which we lost” on Russia-24. On September 27, 2010, Yuri Luzhkov handed over to the head of the Russian Presidential Administration Sergei Naryshkin a letter addressed to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in which he expressed indignation at the president’s inaction regarding the appearance of negative programs about himself on television.
On September 28, 2010, the President of Russia signed a decree “On the early termination of the powers of the Mayor of Moscow”, according to which Luzhkov was relieved of his post as mayor of Moscow “due to the loss of confidence of the President of the Russian Federation”. Medvedev used this formulation for the first time; before him, this procedure was used by Vladimir Putin several times during his second presidency to impeach regional heads (governor of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug Vladimir Loginov in March 2005, arrested head of the administration of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug Alexey Barinov in July 2006 and under investigation governor of the Amur region Leonid Korotkov in May 2007).
Later Yuri Luzhkov on the reasons for his dismissal from the post of mayor of Moscow said that he was dismissed because he refused to support Dmitry Medvedev’s intention to run for a second presidential term. In his autobiographical book “Moscow and Life,” Luzhkov noted that in April 2010, businessman Boris Khait came to him and asked him to support Medvedev in the 2012 elections. Khait also warned that refusing to support the incumbent president would lead to the end political career Luzhkov, and also that “sanctions will follow.” Luzhkov writes that he “resolutely refused” the offer and asked Khait to convey that the meeting was a failure. About ten days later, the entrepreneur asked for a meeting again. After another refusal by the current mayor of Moscow, “accusations of causing smoke in Moscow with burning peat bogs in the Moscow region” followed, “provocative films” were made about his family, accusations were made on television and in the printed press. Yuri Mikhailovich Luzhkov considered all this a manifestation of revenge. After some time, the mayor of Moscow met with Sergei Naryshkin (head of the Russian Presidential Administration), who suggested that the mayor write a letter of resignation of his own free will. Luzhkov writes that he said: “Look how the press is forming around your figure, you need to write a letter of resignation of your own free will.” Yuri Mikhailovich replied that he saw no reason to write such a statement and would not do so, and also considered it a staged act and the result of political pressure. Then Naryshkin said that this would be followed by the dismissal of the mayor. According to Luzhkov, they agreed with Naryshkin to take a break for a week and meet later so that Luzhkov “had the opportunity to think.” The mayor wrote a statement, but not about dismissal. “I wrote a statement that I do not consider Medvedev a normal president and that all his measures towards me do not smell of democracy, but smell of persecution for my beliefs and disagreement to support his candidacy. And he said not to regard the statement as a request for resignation,” Luzhkov said. As a result, President Medvedev signed a decree on September 28, 2010, terminating the powers of Yuri Luzhkov.
After resigning as mayor on October 1, 2010, Luzhkov was appointed dean of the faculty of management of large cities at the International University in Moscow. The order of appointment was signed by the president of the university, the former mayor (and Luzhkov's predecessor as mayor) of Moscow, Gavriil Popov. The Faculty of Management of Large Cities was created in 2002 on the initiative of Yu. M. Luzhkov, in the same year Luzhkov became the scientific director of this faculty and an honorary professor of the university.
On January 17, 2011, the Latvian authorities confirmed that at the end of 2010, Luzhkov submitted an application for a residence permit in Latvia, justifying it with an investment in the capital of one of the Latvian banks in the amount of about 200 thousand US dollars. This confirmation was followed by a message that, based on information from the security authorities, Luzhkov was included in the list of persons undesirable for Latvia. On January 18, Interior Minister Linda Murniece said she included Luzhkov on the list on the grounds that he “does not like this country and has a hostile attitude towards Latvia.”
A year after his resignation, Luzhkov said that Russian authorities were persecuting his family and that “today it is impossible to do business in our country.” According to Luzhkov, this is precisely why his family lives in London. After all the accusations of corruption, the authorities did not come to a common conclusion, thereby the prosecution did not find compelling arguments and evidence.
On December 6, 2011, Luzhkov stated that in the 2011 State Duma elections he did not vote for the United Russia party, of which he was one of the founders. The former mayor kept silent about who he voted for exactly.
Since 2012, he has been a member of the board of directors of OJSC United Oil Company (the executive body of Ufaorgsintez), which is under the control of the AFK Sistema group and the structures of Yakov Goldovsky.
In 2013, he bought 87% of the shares of the Weedern stud farm, on the basis of which he began conducting agricultural production in the Kaliningrad region. Since 2015, the company has been producing buckwheat, with plans to grow mushrooms. In the elections to the State Duma in the fall of 2016, he was confidant candidate for deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, admiral and ex-commander of the Black Sea Fleet Vladimir Komoyedov.
On September 21, 2016, on Luzhkov’s 80th birthday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree awarding Yuri Mikhailovich the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree, “for active social activities" The ex-mayor himself, who personally received the award the next day, regarded it as “a symbol of return from timelessness” and “the end of disgrace.”
Yuri Mikhailovich Luzhkov owned the rights to use many inventions. He has more than a hundred patents, including such as a method for producing hydrogen and thermal energy and a rotary internal combustion engine, two versions of the Vorobyovy Gory sports and recreation complex and a method for photoinactivation of the avian influenza virus. In the Rospatent database, Luzhkov is listed as a co-author of 123 patents, 49 applications for inventions and 10 industrial designs.
Yuri Luzhkov was a Doctor of Chemical Sciences, an honorary professor at Moscow State University, the Academy of Labor and Social Relations, a number of domestic and foreign universities, and an academician of a number of Russian academies.
Death of Yuri Luzhkov:
I had heart problems for a long time.
In December 2019, in Munich, at the Grosshadern University Clinic, he underwent heart surgery. The surgical intervention was carried out successfully, but then complications arose and Luzhkov was unable to recover from anesthesia.
Later, the chief physician of the Munich Grosshadern Clinic, Karl-Walter Jauch, voiced. According to him, Luzhkov had a heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital and examined. It turned out that all the most important vessels were closed. “We managed to open them with the help of a catheter,” the doctor noted. Luzhkov's condition improved briefly, but bleeding from the coronary vessels of the heart was soon discovered. Doctors performed another catheterization to stop the bleeding, but the heart stopped. “They couldn’t start the heart,” Yauch said.
Yuri Luzhkov's height: 174 centimeters.
Personal life of Yuri Luzhkov:
Was married three times.
First wife - Alevtina Luzhkova. They got married as students, but quickly divorced.
Second wife - Marina Mikhailovna Bashilova (1934-1988). They met at the Institute of Oil, Gas and Chemical Industry. They got married in 1958. The wife died of liver cancer.
The marriage produced two sons - Mikhail and Alexander.
Third wife - (born March 8, 1963), Russian entrepreneur, philanthropist, philanthropist. We met when Luzhkov was the chairman of the Moscow City Agro-Industrial Committee and headed the city commission on cooperative and individual labor activities, and Baturina was the secretary of this commission. They got married in 1991.
The marriage produced two daughters - Elena (born 1992) and Olga (born 1994). Before the resignation of Yuri Luzhkov, the daughters studied at Moscow State University. Later they moved to London, where they studied politics and economics at University College London.
Olga entered the Faculty of Economics at Moscow State University in 2010, then studied at University College London for two years. Then she graduated from New York University with a bachelor's degree, and by 2016 she was studying for a master's degree in hotel management and food sciences. At the end of 2015, Olga opened the Herbarium bar next to the Grand Tirolia hotel in Kitzbühel, owned by Elena Baturina. Olga will also be interested in interior design.
The eldest daughter Elena works in one of the structures associated with the hotel business.
In January 2016, Luzhkov and Baturina got married.
Yuri Luzhkov with his daughter Olga
Luzhkov's famous headdress is a cap.
His hobbies include beekeeping, tennis, and horse riding. A few years ago, a statue of the mayor-tennis player was erected in one of the Moscow parks. Luzhkov likes to give honey from his apiary, which after retirement was transported to Medyn, Kaluga region, where his brother lives, as a gift to friends on special occasions.
Awards and titles of Yuri Luzhkov:
Medal “Defender of Free Russia” (November 9, 1993) - for the performance of civic duty in defending democracy and the constitutional order on August 19-21, 1991;
- award weapon - 7.62-mm semi-automatic carbine "Saiga" (June 6, 1995) - from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 189 dated June 6, 1995 “For exemplary performance of duties related to the preparation and conduct of events dedicated to 50th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War";
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree (November 14, 1995) - for services to the state, great personal contribution to the implementation of reforms aimed at restructuring the city’s economy, successful reconstruction of the historical center of the capital, revival of churches, construction of the Victory memorial complex on Poklonnaya Hill;
- Medal “In memory of the 850th anniversary of Moscow”;
- Order of Honor (August 19, 2000) - for his great contribution to the preservation and restoration of cultural and architectural monuments of the city of Moscow;
- Medal “In memory of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg”;
- Order of Military Merit (October 1, 2003) - for great personal contribution to increasing the combat readiness of troops and ensuring the defense capability of the Russian Federation;
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 1st degree (September 21, 2006) - for outstanding contribution to the strengthening of Russian statehood and the socio-economic development of the city;
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree;
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (September 21, 2016) - for active social activities;
- Order “Duslyk” (Tatarstan, 2016);
- Medal “For the development of virgin lands” (1954);
- Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1976);
- Order of Lenin (1981);
- Medal “For Strengthening the Military Commonwealth”;
- Order of the Republic of Tyva (2001) - for many years of fruitful cooperation and great personal contribution to the socio-economic development of the republic;
- Medal “For Services to the Chechen Republic” (2005);
- Order named after Akhmat Kadyrov (2006, Chechen Republic);
- Medal “60 years of education of the Kaliningrad region” (2006);
- Order “For Merit to the Kaliningrad Region” (Kaliningrad Region, January 16, 2009) - for special services to the Kaliningrad Region associated with making a great contribution to the socio-economic development of the Kaliningrad Region and a significant contribution to the protection of citizens’ rights;
- Order of St. Mesrop Mashtots (Armenia);
- Francis Skaryna Medal (Belarus, September 19, 1996) - for significant contribution to strengthening friendly relations between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation;
- State Prize for Peace and Progress of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2003);
- Anniversary medal “Tynga 50 zhyl” (“50 years of virgin soil”) (Kazakhstan);
- Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, V degree (Ukraine, January 23, 2004) - for significant personal contribution to the development of cooperation between - Ukraine and the Russian Federation;
- Order of Friendship of Peoples (Belarus, February 16, 2005) - for great personal contribution to strengthening economic, scientific, technical and cultural ties between the Republic of Belarus and the city of Moscow of the Russian Federation;
- Order of Francis Skaryna (Belarus);
- Medal “Astana” (Kazakhstan);
- Order “Danaker” (Kyrgyzstan, February 27, 2006) - for significant contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation, development of trade and economic relations between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federation;
- Order of the Polar Star (Mongolia);
- Order of the Lebanese Cedar;
- Bavarian Order of Merit (Germany);
- Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, 1st degree (November 1993) - for participation in the restoration of the Cathedral of the Icon of the Kazan Mother of God on Red Square;
- Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, 1st degree (ROC);
- Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow, 1st degree (ROC);
- Order of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Demetrius Donskoy, 1st degree (ROC);
- Order of St. Innocent Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, 1st degree (ROC, 2009);
- Order of St. Andrei Rublev, 1st degree (ROC, 2009);
- Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov, 1st degree (September 22, 2016) - in connection with the 80th anniversary of his birth and in recognition of his great contribution to the construction of churches in the city of Moscow;
- Order of St. Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow, II degree (ROC);
- Order of St. Sava, 1st degree (Serbian Orthodox Church);
- Order “Al-Fakhr” (Order of Honor) (Council of Muftis of Russia);
- Medal of Anatoly Koni (Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation);
- Gold medal of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia “For contribution to the development of the agro-industrial complex of Russia”;
- Medal “Participant in emergency humanitarian operations” (Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia);
- Olympic Order (IOC, 1998);
- Medal “100 years of trade unions” (FNPR);
- International Leonardo Prize 1996;
- Laureate of the national business reputation award “Darin” of the Russian Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship (2001);
- Theater Award “Golden Mask” (Award “For Support of Russian Theatrical Art”, 1998);
- Honorary badge (order) “Sporting Glory of Russia”, 1st degree (editorial office of the newspaper “Komsomolskaya Pravda” and the board of the Russian Olympic Committee, November 2002) - for organizing the mass construction of sports facilities in Moscow;
- Laureate of the national award “Russian of the Year” (2006);
- Medal “For the liberation of Crimea and Sevastopol” (March 17, 2014) - for personal contribution to the return of Crimea to Russia;
- Second place in the Privacy International nomination “Blatantly idiotic security measures” - for maintaining the Soviet institution of registration in the capital (2003);
- Three thanks from the President of Russia;
- Laureate of the USSR State Prize;
- Laureate of the State Prize of Russia;
- Laureate of the State Prize for Peace and Progress of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
- Laureate of the Prize of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia;
- “Honored Chemist of the Russian Federation”;
- “Honored Builder of the Russian Federation”;
- “Honored Worker of Railway Transport”;
- Honorary Citizen of Veliky Ustyug (1999);
- Honorary Citizen of Yerevan (2002);
- Honorary citizen of Tiraspol;
- Honorary citizen of Chisinau;
- Honorary citizen of Dushanbe;
- Honorary citizen of Ashgabat;
- Honorary citizen of Severodonetsk
Today is the 80th birthday of former Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov. Let's remember some Interesting Facts about him.
In our politics there are not many figures around whom an extensive mythology is formed. Let's try to understand this mythological tree. And at the same time remember what Yuri Mikhailovich remembered in Altai.
Luzhkov and his real name
This is a favorite topic for conspiracy theorists. Many of them constantly tried to find out its origin. They said that his last name was supposedly not real. But the real one is considered indecent by nationalists and fans of all kinds of conspiracies. They said Luzhkov was the name of the politician’s first wife.
I remember that in 1998, the respected Nina Danilova, then a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, now the regional Legislative Assembly, said at a press conference that Yuri Mikhailovich’s real name was Katz. Many then simply ignored this speech, but journalists were happy to replicate this statement like lightning.
They say that Luzhkov himself fueled these rumors in order to tell the public: look what morons my opponents are, they are even trying to find worms in my family tree! And he used all this in political games.
However, the version that Katz is hiding under the name “Luzhkov” was invented by the once famous nationalist, leader of the RNE organization that has sunk into oblivion, Alexander Barkashov, who, by the way, had good relations with Luzhkov. Members of his movement formed several private security companies and received lucrative orders from the mayor’s office for the protection of facilities and public events. Everyone was busy: some spread stories, some guarded them, and at the top of the entire pyramid sat the famous mayor and made fun of everyone.
Luzhkov and sick Yeltsin
In November 1998, Yuri Luzhkov came to Barnaul together with the then head of Gazprom, Rem Vyakhirev. Before the press conference in the large hall of the regional administration, journalists shared their opinions and jokingly discussed who would ask the question about the name Katz. In the end, nothing was decided, and the question was not raised either.
That press conference was remembered by many. After it, many of Luzhkov’s statements were quoted in reports from NTV, TVC and other leading federal media. Apparently, it was important for Yuri Mikhailovich to make a number of statements in a region remote from the capital and disseminate them throughout the country.
In his speech, Luzhkov spoke very harshly about Boris Yeltsin and his health. He said that “if there are serious problems here, then a decision needs to be made, no matter how difficult it may be, and not make the country hostage to its health.” By the way, after this statement, relations between Yeltsin and Luzhkov never normalized.
Luzhkov and Moscow
The conflict with Yeltsin allowed Lukov to increase his political capital, but the Kremlin could not ignore it. In the fall of 1999, a killer information weapon was rolled out from there, which killed the mayor’s rating - Sergei Dorenko’s programs on ORT (now Channel One), in which the host every Sunday butchered Luzhkov and politicians close to him. Even trials on claims brought by the mayor against Dorenko became reasons for program plots and new caustic attacks.
Luzhkov then made it clear that dissatisfaction with federal policy among residents of the capital was quite high, and all the turbulent events that changed the vector Russian politics, take place precisely in Moscow. And who knows what the next outbreak of mass discontent will lead to.
The Kremlin caught the signal and reached an agreement with Luzhkov. And in Moscow, after Yeltsin left, a special model of life began to take shape, different from the one that exists in other regions of the country. It was she who made Moscow a city where residents of other regions of the country began to leave in search of a better life. Yes, people went to the capital for this before, but it was in the 2000s that the capital became the main center of salvation from provincial hopelessness. And the creator of this model was Luzhkov.
Now it is worth recalling that it was Luzhkov, back in the 90s and 2000s, who constantly recalled the Russian affiliation of Crimea and Sevastopol, and in 1996, the Federation Council, on his initiative, adopted a resolution recognizing Sevastopol as part of Russia and qualifying the actions of the Ukrainian leadership on its rejected as contrary to international law.
On September 28, 2010, Yuri Luzhkov was removed from his post “due to the loss of the president’s confidence.” And Luzhkov left and became a “grandfather in a cap,” as he was sometimes called by mocking politicians.
Soviet and Russian political and statesman. Headed Moscow in 1990—1991 years as chairman of the executive committee of the Moscow City Council. 18 years (1992-2010) occupied post of mayor of Moscow. From 2001 to 2010 he was co-chairman of the Supreme Council of the party "United Russia". He left the party immediately after his dismissal from the post of mayor of Moscow.
Childhood and youth
Yuri Mikhailovich was born September 21, 1936 in Moscow. Father Mikhail Andreevich worked as a carpenter, participated in the Great Patriotic War, and was drafted into the Red Army in 1941 by the Kirov RVK of Moscow. Seriously wounded on March 16, 1942. Was captured. Re-called into the Red Army in 1944 by the Ananyevsky RVK of Odessa. In 1945, he fought in the 960th Infantry Regiment of the 299th Infantry Division of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. He was awarded two medals “For military merits”, and his mother Anna Petrovna (nee Syropyatova) was a general worker at the factory. He spent his childhood and youth with his grandmother in the city of Konotop (Ukrainian SSR).
Luzhkov in his youth (left)
In 1953, he graduated from seventh grade at school No. 529 and left for Moscow. Since 1954, he worked in the first student detachment that explored virgin lands in Kazakhstan. Completed his studies at the Institute of Petrochemical and Gas Industry named after. I. M. Gubkina. While studying at the institute, he actively organized social events and conducted Komsomol work.
The beginning of Luzhkov's political career
In 1958, he got a job at the Plastics Research Institute as a junior employee, group leader. Since 1964, he was the head of the department for automation of management of the State Administration for Chemistry, and after 22 years (in 1986) he moved up the career ladder to the head of the department for science and technology of the Ministry of Chemical Industry of the USSR.
In 1975, he was elected deputy of the Babushkinsky District Council of Moscow. From 1987 to 1990 he was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of the 11th convocation.
In 1987, according to the decision of the new first secretary of the Moscow City Committee of the CPSU, he was appointed to the position of first deputy chairman in the executive committee of the Moscow City Council of People's Deputies (Moscow City Executive Committee). At the same time, Luzhkov became chairman of the Moscow City Agro-Industrial Committee and became head of the municipal commission on cooperative and individual labor activities.
In the first elections for the mayor of Moscow, held June 12, 1991 was elected to the post of mayor Gabriel Popov, Luzhkov took the post of vice-mayor at that time.
Luzhkov - Mayor of Moscow
Due to interruptions in the supply of food products to the capital, to the point that some of them had to be distributed using coupons, Moscow Mayor Gavriil Popov resigned on June 6, 1992. To his position, by order of the President of Russia Boris Yeltsin, Yuri Luzhkov was appointed.
Due to the combination of the positions of mayor of Moscow and prime minister of the Moscow government, disputes arose in the Moscow Council regarding the legality of such actions. The Moscow Soviet made several attempts to prove the correctness of its beliefs, but they were unsuccessful.
Luzhkov served as mayor of Moscow for 14 years. Until 1999, he supported Boris Yeltsin in projects, crises, and various innovations. In 1996, he took part in the presidential campaign, supporting Boris Yeltsin. Yuri Mikhailovich has repeatedly expressed support for the political actions of the Russian president and government in Chechnya.
However, already at the elections held in 1999, together with he headed the electoral bloc "Fatherland - All Russia", who criticized the policies of President Yeltsin and advocated his early resignation.
During the time that Yuri Luzhkov served as mayor of Moscow, the capital was transformed. Support for small businesses contributed to an increase in the city's trading area by 1.5 times. The construction market also had a positive impact. The number of hotel complexes increased by 1/4. The Social Mortgage program has opened, helping low-income citizens of the Russian Federation purchase housing at reduced loan rates. The Department of Social Protection was created for pensioners and disabled people. The number of jobs in enterprises increased every year.
Using budget funds, Yuri Mikhailovich contributed to the construction of new buildings at Moscow State University. He did not ignore the revival of religious buildings such as the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Kazan Cathedral and the Iveron Gate. It was with him that the first concert took place. Michael Jackson at the stadium in Luzhniki
After the victory Vladimir Putin in the 1999 presidential elections, the political bloc "Fatherland - all Russia" joined the party "United Russia", where Yuri Luzhkov was able to retain the position of chairman.
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In June 2007, on the recommendation of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, deputies of the Moscow City Duma restored Yuri Luzhkov all the powers of the mayor of Moscow for four years.
Personal life and family of Luzhkov
Yuri Luzhkov married three times. Luzhkov's first wife was Alevtina; they married as students, but they quickly divorced. There are no children left from his first marriage.
The politician met Marina Mikhailovna Bashilova, who became his second wife, while studying at the Institute of Oil, Gas and Chemical Industry. The girl was from a wealthy family; her father was Deputy Minister of the Petrochemical Industry of the USSR. They got married in 1958, and already in 1988 Marina died of liver cancer, giving Luzhkov two sons - Mikhail (b. 1959) and Alexander (b. 1973)
The third marriage took place in 1991 with Elena Baturina. In Luzhkov’s marriage, two girls were born - Elena was born in 1992, and Olga in 1994. Initially, the sisters studied at Moscow State University, but after their father’s resignation they moved to London, where they received higher education. Elena Baturina - famous entrepreneur and billionaire, company owner "Inteko", carries out production and construction contracts throughout the Moscow region and beyond.
Criticism of politics
The liberal media and business community often seriously criticized the urban planning activities and economic policies of the capital's government under Luzhkov.
Patronage of such creative people as the artist A. M. Shilov, the sculptor Z. K. Tsereteli, as well as the low artistic taste of the former mayor of Moscow, who embodies himself in the architecture of new buildings in the city, attracted the attention of cultural figures and art critics and was condemned.
Luzhkov was accused by the opposition of the fact that all the capital's courts are under his control, since they most often made their decisions in a way that was convenient for the mayor, his associates and supporters at that moment.
In 2009, there was an attempt to introduce a program that would significantly reduce the cost of cleaning Moscow streets. But the leadership of the Moscow region and environmentalists criticized the idea of redistributing precipitation in the capital and the region, as they feared that this could harm the environment.
Representatives of sexual minorities accused Yuri Luzhkov of constant discrimination, since all public demonstrations were strictly prohibited. In one interview, the politician called homosexuals “faggots” and gay pride parades “satanic acts.”
The consignment "United Russia" criticized not only Luzhkov, but also some human rights organizations for allowing ten portraits to be placed on the streets of the capital before the celebration of the 65th anniversary of Victory Day Stalin.
D. A. Medvedev shared with Russian journalists: “It is the duty of any leader of our country to monitor the territory itself. We all know and love Moscow. There are a huge number of problems in this city. Corruption is on an unprecedented scale, traffic jams, transport collapse, and not only because the president or prime minister passed by in a car. We mindlessly bumped into buildings. Competitive environment: who won all the contracts and tenders until recently? I know how such decisions were made, all this must end.”
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But despite numerous criticism from the opposition, cultural figures, liberals, and authorities regarding Yuri Mikhailovich, the newspaper "Vedomosti" indicated that the level of trust on the part of Muscovites remains high: in 2010, more than 56% of the population of the Moscow region believed that Luzhkov was needed as mayor of the capital.
Removal from the post of Mayor of Moscow
One of the factors in Luzhkov’s removal from the post of mayor were documentaries that criticized his political activities, which were released in 2010 on central television. On NTV - "It's the cap." On Russia-24 - “Mayhem. Moscow, which we lost". Outraged by such permissiveness in the media, Yuri Mikhailovich handed over to the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation a letter addressed to the then-current President Dmitry Medvedev, where he expressed his negative attitude towards the lack of any action by the authorities regarding the appearance of programs about himself on federal television channels.
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And already on September 28, 2010, the current President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev issued an order according to which Yuri Luzhkov prematurely terminated his powers as mayor of Moscow “due to the loss of confidence of the President of the Russian Federation”
According to Yuri Luzhkov himself, he was fired not because of political activities, but because he refused to support Dmitry Medvedev during his candidacy for a second presidential term. The former mayor considered all this a manifestation of revenge.
The ex-mayor of Moscow still pays attention to political events in Russia and the world; he expresses his thoughts in "twitter". Quotes from the former mayor of the capital are popular on the social network, but Luzhkov does not run an official website.
Yuri Mikhailovich has a farm in the Ozersky district of the Kaliningrad region. The ex-mayor is engaged in his favorite hobby - beekeeping, and also grows mushrooms - oyster mushrooms.
Graduated from the Gubkin Institute of Petrochemical and Gas Industry.
Death
On December 10, 2019, Luzhkov died of heart disease. The politician’s life was cut short at the age of 84.
Luzhkov Yuri Mikhailovich is a prominent political figure of the Russian Federation, who ruled Moscow for 18 years, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, writer, last years- farmer. Yuri Mikhailovich was born in Moscow (date of birth - September 21, 1936), but early childhood, as well as seven school years he spent in Konotop - in his grandmother’s house.
After his resignation, Luzhkov moved his family to London, where his daughters continued their studies at Moscow State University, and his wife continued to develop the business. Later, the Luzhkov family chose Austria as their place of residence.
In 2012, it became known that the former mayor of the capital was on the board of directors of Ufaorgsintez, and in 2013 he bought 87% of the shares of Weedern (buckwheat production, mushroom cultivation). Yuri Luzhkov, having long been interested in agriculture, in 2015 created his own farm in the Kaliningrad region, where, in addition to livestock, he grew winter crops and corn.
The “end of disgrace” happened on September 21, 2016, when, by decree of Vladimir Putin, Luzhkov was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland. The award, according to Yuri Mikhailovich himself, became a real gift for his 80th anniversary. After the gala event, Luzhkov and Putin had a long conversation, the former mayor of Moscow thanked the president for getting out of the “timelessness in which he was immersed” since 2010.