What is the former head of the USSR government Nikolai Ryzhkov famous for?

On February 28, former Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, ex-State Duma deputy and senator Nikolai Ryzhkov died. Details of his biography are in the Kommersant certificate.

Ryzhkov Nikolai Ivanovich was born on September 28, 1929 in the village of Dyleevka, Donetsk region, into the family of a miner. He graduated from the Kramatorsk Mechanical Engineering College (now the Mechanical Engineering College of the Donbass State Engineering Academy) and the Ural Polytechnic Institute named after Kirov (Ural Federal University). Candidate of Economic Sciences, defended his dissertation on the topic “Managing the quality of industrial products in new economic conditions.”

In 1950, he began working at Uralmashplant, where until 1975 he worked his way up from shift foreman to general director. In 1975–1979 he was First Deputy Minister of Heavy and Transport Engineering of the USSR. In 1979–1982, he was the first deputy chairman of the USSR State Planning Committee with the rank of Minister of the USSR. The department was responsible for national planning for the development of the national economy of the USSR and monitoring the implementation of national economic plans (including five-year ones).

Then for another three years he worked as secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and at the same time head of the economic department of the CPSU Central Committee. From April 23, 1985 to July 13, 1990 – member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. He was a deputy of the Supreme Council of the USSR in 1979–1989, and the Supreme Council of the RSFSR of the 21st convocation (1985–1990). In 1989–1991 – People’s Deputy of the USSR.

From 1985 to 1990 – Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. Participated in the development of the concept of reforming the Soviet economy. He advocated a gradual transition to market socialism, the preservation of planned economic management, and the development of cooperation. He supported the policies of Mikhail Gorbachev and opposed the nomination of Boris Yeltsin as first secretary of the Moscow City Committee of the CPSU.

In 1986, he headed the headquarters for eliminating the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in 1988 – the headquarters for eliminating the consequences of the earthquake in Armenia. For his contribution to the organization of restoration work in the Armenian Spitak, a monument was erected to Mr. Ryzhkov. Personal pensioner of union significance since 1991.

In 1991, he participated in the presidential elections of the RSFSR and took second place with 16.85% of the votes. Colonel-General Boris Gromov ran alongside him (claimed the post of vice president). In 1992, he acted as a witness on behalf of the CPSU at the trial in the Constitutional Court in the case of checking the constitutionality of President Boris Yeltsin’s decrees regarding the ban on the activities of the communist parties of the USSR and the RSFSR.

In 1992–1993 he worked as an expert at the Military-Industrial Investment Company. In 1993–1995 – advisor, chairman of the board of directors of Tveruniversalbank. He was also the main adviser to the project for the construction of a transnational gas pipeline from North Yakutia to South Korea.

In 1995–2003, he was a deputy of the State Duma of the second and third convocations, and led the parliamentary group “People’s Power”. In 1996-1998 – Chairman of the Executive Committee of the People’s Patriotic Union of Russia (NPSU), in 1998-2000 – Co-Chairman of the NPSR.

From 1998 to 2011, he headed the Coordination Council for Assistance to Domestic Producers (Russian Union of Commodity Producers). He was honorary president of the Russian Union of Commodity Producers.

Since 2003, he was a member of the Federation Council from the administration of the Belgorod region. He was one of the oldest senators (after Vladimir Dolgikh). In 2006–2011, he headed the Federation Council Committee on Natural Monopolies; since December 2011, he was a member of the Committee on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Government and Northern Affairs. On September 25, 2023, the powers of 94-year-old Senator Nikolai Ryzhkov were terminated early.

Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation (2019). Awarded two Orders of Lenin (1974, 1976), two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor (1966, 1979), Orders of the October Revolution (1971), Orders of the Patriotic War, I degree (1985), Honor (2013), “For Services to the Fatherland” I and IV degrees (2014, 2004), P. A. Stolypin medal I and II degrees (2014, 2019).

Nikolai Ryzhkov is the author of monographs in the field of mechanical engineering and economics, the books “Perestroika: a series of betrayals” (1992), “I am from a party called “Russia”” (1995), “Ten years of great upheavals” (1995), “Return to politics “(1998), “Reflections on the past, present and future” (2012).

The politician was married and has a daughter.