Valentin Tsvetkov

Valentin Tsvetkov
Валентин Цветков
Governor of Magadan Oblast
In office
15 November 1996 – 18 October 2002
Preceded byViktor Mikhailov
as Head of Administration
Succeeded byNikolay Dudov
Member of the State Duma from Magadan constituency No. 103
In office
17 December 1995 – 15 November 1996
Preceded byYevgeny Kokorev
Succeeded byVladimir Butkeyev
Personal details
Born
Valentin Ivanovich Tsvetkov

(1948-08-27)August 27, 1948
DiedOctober 18, 2002(2002-10-18) (aged 54)
Moscow, Russia
Alma materZaporizhzhia Machine Construction Institute
AwardsAlt text

Valentin Ivanovich Tsvetkov (Russian: Валентин Иванович Цветков; 27 August 1948 – 18 October 2002) was a Russian politician who served as the governor of Magadan Oblast in the Russian Far East from 1996 until his assassination.

Biography

Valentin Tsvetkov was born on 27 August 1948. In 1974 he graduated from the Zaporozhye Machine Construction Institute. From 1974 to 1980 he was a foreman, then senior foreman, then head of the department of the Magadan repair and mechanical plant. 1980-83 - Deputy Director of the Magadan Woodworking Plant. 1983-86 - deputy director, then director (1986-94) of the Magadannerud enterprise. In 1990, the KGB opened a criminal case on industrial smuggling against the Spark JV, whose director was Tsvetkov. On 17 April 1991, the case was dropped "for lack of corpus delicti."[1]

On 12 December 1993 he was elected to the first Federation Council. On 17 December 1995, he was elected to the State Duma in Magadan constituency. In May 1997, Tsvetkov's mandate in the by-election was won by Vladimir Butkeyev.

On 3 November 1996, Tsvetkov was elected Governor of the Magadan Region. In January 1997, he became ex officio member of the second Federation Council.

Death

On 18 October 2002, Tsvetkov was shot dead near the Magadan Oblast representative office on New Arbat Avenue in Moscow. The killer who was waiting at the building shot Tsvetkov in the head. The main version of the assassination is connected with the distribution of fishing quotas in the region and attempts by organized criminal groups (including ethnic ones) to weaken government control of Magadan Oblast gold mines.

Perpetrators

The suspects in the murder were Russian citizens Alexander Zakharov and Martin Babakekhyan. They were arrested on 7 July 2006 in the Spanish resort of Marbella. On 18 August 2007 Spain extradited Zakharov to Russia. Babakekhyan was extradited five months later. In 2011, the jury found that the guilt of Martin Babakekhyan, Artur Anisimov, Alexander Zakharov and Masis Akhunts in involvement in the murder was proven.[2][3]

Awards

  • Order of Honour (29 July 1998) — "for a great personal contribution to the socio-economic development of the region and many years of conscientious work."[4]
  • Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 4th class (7 May 2001) — "for a great contribution to the strengthening of Russian statehood and the implementation of economic reforms."[5]

References

  1. ^ Tsvetkov Valentin Ivanovich
  2. ^ "Подсудимые по делу об убийстве губернатора Цветкова признаны виновными" [Defendants in the case of the murder of Governor Tsvetkov found guilty] (in Russian). Lenta.ru. 2011-02-15.
  3. ^ "Соучастникам убийства губернатора Цветкова дали от 13,5 до 19 лет" [The accomplices in the murder of governor Tsvetkov were given from 13.5 to 19 years] (in Russian). Lenta.ru. 2011-02-21.
  4. ^ Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of July 29, 1998 No. 911 "On awarding the Order of Honor to V.I. Tsvetkov"
  5. ^ Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 7, 2001 No. 524 "On awarding the Order of Merit to the Fatherland, 4th class to V.I. Tsvetkov"