Viktor Chernomyrdin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Viktor Chernomyrdin
Виктор Черномырдин |
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Chernomyrdin in 2010
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| Prime Minister of Russia | |
| In office 23 August 1998 – 11 September 1998 Acting |
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| President | Boris Yeltsin |
| Preceded by | Sergei Kiriyenko |
| Succeeded by | Yevgeny Primakov |
| In office 14 December 1992 – 23 March 1998 |
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| President | Boris Yeltsin |
| Preceded by | Yegor Gaidar |
| Succeeded by | Sergei Kiriyenko |
| Acting President of Russia | |
| In office 5 November 1996 – 6 November 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Boris Yeltsin |
| Succeeded by | Boris Yeltsin |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Russia | |
| In office 30 May 1992 – 14 December 1992 |
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| President | Boris Yeltsin |
| Prime Minister | Boris Yeltsin Yegor Gaidar (acting) |
| Minister of Gas Industry of the Soviet Union | |
| In office 13 February 1985 – 17 July 1989 |
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| Premier | Nikolai Tikhonov Nikolai Ryzhkov |
| Preceded by | Vasili Dinkov |
| Succeeded by | Post abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Viktor Stepanovich Chernomyrdin
9 April 1938 Chernyi Otrog, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 3 November 2010 (aged 72) Moscow, Russia |
| Political party | Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1961–1991) Independent (1991–1995) Our Home – Russia (1995–2001) United Russia (2001–2010) |
| Spouse |
Valentina Chernomyrdina
(m. 1961; died 2010) |
| Children | Andrey Vitali |
| Awards | Order of Friendship |
Viktor Stepanovich Chernomyrdin (Russian: Ви́ктор Степа́нович Черномы́рдин; 9 April 1938 – 3 November 2010) was an important politician and businessman from Russia. He served as the Minister of Gas Industry of the Soviet Union and later became the first head of the energy company Gazprom. He was also the second-longest-serving Prime Minister of Russia from 1992 to 1998.
Chernomyrdin played a big role in Russia during the 1990s. He helped Russia change from a planned economy (where the government controls everything) to a market economy (where businesses and people make more decisions). From 2001 to 2009, he was Russia's ambassador to Ukraine. After that, he became an adviser to the president.
He was well-known in Russia for his unique way of speaking. He often used malapropisms, which are words used incorrectly but sound similar to the right word. Many of his sayings became popular aphorisms and idioms in the Russian language. A famous example is: "We wanted the best, but it turned out like always."
Chernomyrdin passed away on 3 November 2010 after a long illness. He was buried next to his wife in Novodevichy Cemetery on 5 November. His funeral was shown live on Russian TV channels.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Viktor Chernomyrdin was born in Chernyi Otrog, a village in Orenburg Oblast, Russia. His father was a worker, and Viktor was one of five children in his family.
He finished school in 1957. After school, he started working as a mechanic at an oil refinery in Orsk. He worked there until 1962. During this time, he also completed his military service from 1957 to 1960. He held different jobs at the plant, including machinist and operator.
In 1961, he joined the Communist Party. In 1962, he began studying at Kuybyshev Industrial Institute. He didn't do very well on his entrance exams, especially in math. However, he was still accepted because there wasn't much competition. He graduated from the institute in 1966. Later, in 1972, he continued his studies in economics through a correspondence course.
Beginning His Career
Chernomyrdin started his political career working for the Communist Party in Orsk. He did this from 1967 to 1973. In 1973, he became the director of a natural gas refining plant in Orenburg. He held this job until 1978.
From 1978 to 1982, Chernomyrdin worked in the heavy industry department of the Communist Party's Central Committee. In 1982, he was made the deputy Minister of the natural gas industries for the Soviet Union. From 1985 to 1989, he served as the Minister of Gas Industries.
Founding Gazprom
In August 1989, under Chernomyrdin's leadership, the Ministry of Gas Industry changed. It became the State Gas Concern, known as Gazprom. This was Russia's first state-corporate company. Chernomyrdin was chosen as its first chairman.
Even though it was a corporation, the state still controlled Gazprom. This control was done through shares of stock, all of which were owned by the state. When the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, Gazprom kept the gas assets located in Russia. It became the main company for gas in the country.
Gazprom's political power grew a lot when Russian President Boris Yeltsin made Chernomyrdin his Prime Minister in 1992. Rem Viakhirev then took over Chernomyrdin's role as chairman of Gazprom. Gazprom became a very important part of Russia's economy in the 1990s. In the 2000s, it grew to be the world's largest natural gas extractor and the biggest company in Russia.
Prime Minister of Russia
In May 1992, President Boris Yeltsin appointed Chernomyrdin as Deputy Prime Minister. His job was to manage fuel and energy. On 14 December 1992, Chernomyrdin was officially confirmed as Prime Minister.
Even though he had criticized the previous Prime Minister, Gaidar, Chernomyrdin mostly continued Gaidar's economic plans. In April 1995, he started a political group called Our Home – Russia. This group won 10% of the votes in the 1995 Russian legislative election.
In 1995, Chernomyrdin signed an order to create a national plan for protecting tigers. This showed his interest in environmental issues.
A difficult event happened on 18 June 1995. Terrorists, led by Shamil Basayev, took over 1500 people hostage in Budyonnovsk. Chernomyrdin negotiated with Basayev, which led to an agreement. This agreement was a turning point for the First Chechen War. In exchange for the hostages, the Russian government agreed to stop military actions in Chechnya and start peace talks.
When Boris Yeltsin had heart surgery on 6 November 1996, Chernomyrdin served as Acting President for 23 hours.
Chernomyrdin remained Prime Minister until he was suddenly dismissed on 23 March 1998. After the 1998 Russian financial crisis in August, Yeltsin tried to re-appoint Chernomyrdin as Prime Minister. He hoped Chernomyrdin would become his successor. However, the State Duma (Russia's parliament) refused twice to confirm him. To avoid a political crisis, Chernomyrdin withdrew his nomination. President Yeltsin then asked Yevgeny Primakov to form a new government.
Diplomatic Work
During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, Chernomyrdin was Russia's special representative in Yugoslavia. In December 1999, he was elected as a member of the State Duma.
In May 2001, Vladimir Putin appointed Chernomyrdin as the Ambassador of Russia to Ukraine. Some people thought this was a way to move Chernomyrdin away from the main political scene in Russia. In 2003, he said that Russia would not apologize for the Holodomor Famine that happened in the Soviet Union.
In February 2009, Chernomyrdin caused some tension between Ukraine and Russia. He said in an interview that it was "impossible to come to an agreement on anything with the Ukrainian leadership." Ukraine's foreign ministry considered declaring him "persona non-grata" (an unwelcome person).
On 11 June 2009, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev removed Chernomyrdin from his role as Russian Ambassador in Kyiv. Instead, he was appointed as a "presidential adviser and special presidential representative on economic cooperation with CIS member countries." As he left his ambassador role, Chernomyrdin stated that Russia should not apologize to Ukraine for being concerned about Ukraine's ability to pay for natural gas.
Death
Viktor Chernomyrdin passed away on the morning of 3 November 2010. He had been ill for a long time. People close to him said he was deeply affected by the death of his wife, Valentina, who had passed away seven and a half months earlier.
Chernomyrdin was buried next to his wife in Novodevichy Cemetery on 5 November 2010. On 3 November, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered that Chernomyrdin's funeral be shown live on Russian federal TV channels. This honor is usually given only to former presidents or important religious leaders. The head of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Sergey Naryshkin, oversaw the funeral ceremony.
Many leaders expressed their sadness about Chernomyrdin's death. These included Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.
His Famous Sayings
In Russian-speaking countries, Chernomyrdin is famous for his many unique and sometimes grammatically incorrect sayings. These sayings are often called Chernomyrdinki. They are similar to "Bushisms" in English, which are funny or unusual phrases said by George W. Bush.
One of his most famous expressions is: "We wanted it as good as possible, but it turned out as always." (In Russian: Хотели как лучше, а получилось как всегда). He said this after a difficult money exchange that happened in Russia in July 1993. This phrase became very popular and is still often quoted today.
Awards and Honors
Viktor Chernomyrdin received many awards for his work and service.
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland: He received this high Russian award four times, in different classes, for his contributions to strengthening Russia's international standing and for his long work for the state.
- Order of Friendship: Awarded in 2003 for helping strengthen relations between Russia and Ukraine.
- Soviet-era awards: He also received several awards from the Soviet Union, such as the Order of the October Revolution and the Order of the Red Banner of Labour.
He also received awards from the President and Government of the Russian Federation, foreign countries like Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, and even from the Russian Orthodox Church.
- A Russian icebreaker (a ship that breaks ice) was named after Chernomyrdin to honor him.
See also
In Spanish: Víktor Chernomyrdin para niños
