Panteleimon Ponomarenko facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Panteleimon Ponomarenko
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Пантелеймон Пономаренко
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Ponomarenko in 1959
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| First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan | |
| In office 6 February 1954 – 7 May 1955 |
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| Preceded by | Zhumabay Shayakhmetov |
| Succeeded by | Leonid Brezhnev |
| Minister of Culture | |
| In office 15 March 1953 – 9 March 1954 |
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| Premier | Georgy Malenkov |
| Preceded by | Nikolai Bespalov |
| Succeeded by | Georgy Aleksandrov |
| Minister of Procurement | |
| In office 27 October 1950 – 12 December 1952 |
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| Preceded by | Boris Dvinskiy |
| Succeeded by | Nikolai Ignatov |
| Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic | |
| In office 7 February 1944 – 17 March 1948 |
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| Preceded by | Ivan Bylinsky |
| Succeeded by | Aleksey Kleshchev |
| First Secretary of the Communist Party of Byelorussia | |
| In office 18 June 1938 – 7 March 1947 |
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| Preceded by | Aleksei Volkov |
| Succeeded by | Nikolai Gusarov |
| Candidate member of the 19th Presidium | |
| In office 5 March 1953 – 14 February 1956 |
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| Full member of the 19th Presidium | |
| In office 16 October 1952 – 5 March 1953 |
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| Member of the 18th, 19th Secretariat | |
| In office 1 July 1948 – 5 March 1953 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 August [O.S. 27 July] 1902 Kuban Oblast, Russian Empire |
| Died | 18 January 1984 (aged 81) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Resting place | Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow |
| Nationality | Ukrainian |
| Political party | Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1925–1978) |
| Alma mater | Moscow State University of Railway Engineering |
| Signature |  |
Panteleimon Kondratyevich Ponomarenko (born August 9, 1902 – died January 18, 1984) was an important leader and politician in the Soviet Union. He played a big role during World War II, especially in leading groups that fought against the enemy in Belarus. He also held many important jobs in the government of Belarus and Kazakhstan.
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Early Life and Education
Panteleimon Ponomarenko was born in a small village called Shelkovskiy in the Kuban Oblast region. His family were farmers from the Kharkov Governorate. When he was just twelve years old, he started working as an apprentice in a workshop. Later, he learned to be a blacksmith.
In 1918, Ponomarenko joined the Red Army. He fought in the Russian Civil War, helping to defend the city of Yekaterinodar (now Krasnodar). After the war, from 1919, he worked in the oil fields of the North Caucasus and then on the railways. Between 1922 and 1926, he worked with the Komsomol, which was a youth organization. He became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1925.
In 1927, he finished his studies at the Krasnodar Rabfak, a special school for workers. That same year, he went to the Moscow Institute of Transport Engineers. He continued his studies and graduated in 1932 from the Moscow Electromechanical Institute of Railway Engineers. After graduating, he worked as an assistant director at the Moscow Institute of Transport Engineers.
Early Career and Military Service
From 1932 to 1937, Ponomarenko served in the Red Army. He was a battalion commander in different military districts. In 1936, he became an engineer at the All-Union Electrotechnical Institute. In 1938, he started working for the main office of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Leading Belarus
From 1938 to 1947, Ponomarenko was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Byelorussia. This meant he was the top leader of the Communist Party in Belarus. From 1944 to 1948, he was also the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Belarus, which is like being the Prime Minister.
During his time as a leader, Ponomarenko helped protect famous Belarusian poets, Yanka Kupala and Yakub Kolas, from being punished by the government. He even went to meet with Joseph Stalin to ask for their safety. Both poets later received a high award called the Order of Lenin.
In 1939, when the Soviet Union entered Western Belarus, Ponomarenko was part of the military council that helped lead the troops. He also supported the National Jazz Orchestra in Minsk, inviting a famous musician named Eddie Rosner to lead it.
Role in World War II
When Operation Barbarossa began in 1941, starting a major part of World War II, Ponomarenko became a member of the Military Council of the Western Front. He also served on other military councils during the war.
During World War II, Ponomarenko was a key leader of the Communist partisan units in Belarus. These were groups of people who fought secretly against the Nazi forces occupying Belarus. From May 1942 to March 1943, he was the Chief of Staff for the Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement. In March 1943, he was given the rank of Lieutenant general.
Ponomarenko's reports stated that the partisan groups under his command in Belarus caused significant damage to the German army. They destroyed many trains, bridges, tanks, and aircraft. He came up with the idea of destroying railway tracks to stop German troops from moving easily.
After World War II
After the war, from 1944 to 1948, Ponomarenko continued to lead the Council of People's Commissars in Belarus. He then worked as a secretary in the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1948 to 1950.
In 1946, a review of the Communist Party of Byelorussia found some problems with how money was being managed. Ponomarenko was accused of building a house for himself using party funds. He was also criticized for allowing people to praise him too much. Ponomarenko admitted his mistakes, and soon after, he was replaced as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Belarus by Nikolai Gusarov.
From 1952 to 1953, Ponomarenko was a member of the Politburo, a very powerful group in the Soviet government. He also served as Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. After the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, Ponomarenko's influence decreased for a while.
Later Career and Diplomacy
In 1954, Ponomarenko became the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Kazakh SSR. Then, from 1955 to 1957, he served as the Soviet ambassador to Poland. During this time, he received the keys to the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw from the Polish government.
Ponomarenko continued his diplomatic career as the Soviet ambassador to India and Nepal from 1957 to 1959. From 1959 to 1962, he was the ambassador to the Netherlands. However, his time in the Netherlands ended when he was declared persona non grata (an unwelcome person) by the Dutch government. This happened after an incident at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol involving a Soviet scientist and his wife who sought political asylum.
From 1963 to 1967, Ponomarenko was the Soviet Union's representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. In his later years, from 1964 to 1974, he was a professor at the Institute of Social Sciences. From 1978, he lived as a retired government official.
Panteleimon Ponomarenko passed away on January 18, 1984. He is buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.
Honours and Awards
Ponomarenko received many awards for his service.
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Four Orders of Lenin |
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Order of the October Revolution |
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Order of Suvorov, 1st class |
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Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class |
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Order of the Badge of Honour |
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Medal "To a Partisan of the Patriotic War", 1st class |
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Medal "For the Defence of Moscow" |
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Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" |
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Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" |
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Cross of Grunwald, 1st class (Poland) |
Streets in the cities of Minsk and Mogilev in Belarus are named after Ponomarenko. There is also a factory in Gomel, Belarus, named after him. In 2012, an exhibition was held in Belarus to celebrate 110 years since his birth.
Fun Fact
- The Belgian artist Henri Van Herwege chose his unique artist name, Panamarenko, after hearing the name Ponomarenko on the radio. He liked the sound of it!
