Viktor Chernomyrdin, Former Russian Prime Minister, Dies at 72
Chernomyrdin was the longest-serving prime minister of Russia in modern times.
He was also a close ally of Boris Yeltsin and was considered a potential successor to the presidency.
Viktor Chernomyrdin, who served as prime minister of Russia from 1992 to 1998, has died at the age of 72. Chernomyrdin died on November 3, 2010, after a lengthy illness.
Chernomyrdin was born on April 9, 1938, in the village of Chyorny Otrog, in the Orenburg Oblast of the Russian SFSR. He graduated from the Moscow Institute of Chemical Technology in 1961 and began his career in the gas industry.
In 1989, Chernomyrdin was appointed minister of the gas industry of the Soviet Union. He played a key role in the development of the Russian gas industry and was instrumental in negotiating gas deals with Western countries.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Chernomyrdin was appointed prime minister of Russia by President Boris Yeltsin. He served in this position from 1992 to 1998, making him the longest-serving prime minister of Russia in modern times.
Chernomyrdin was a close ally of Yeltsin and was considered a potential successor to the presidency. However, he was never able to build a strong political base and was eventually overshadowed by Vladimir Putin.
After leaving office, Chernomyrdin served as Russia's ambassador to Ukraine from 2001 to 2009. He was also a member of the Russian Duma, the lower house of parliament, from 1999 to 2003.
Chernomyrdin's death is a significant loss for Russia. He was a key figure in the transition from the Soviet Union to the Russian Federation and played a major role in the development of the Russian economy.
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