Nationality Soviet/Russian Name Vadim Bakatin | Role Politician Preceded by Alexander Vlasov | |
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Party Communist Party of the Soviet Union Education Russian Academy of Public Administration Similar People Oleg Kalugin, Vladimir Kryuchkov, Leonid Shebarshin, Viktor Barannikov, Vitaly Fedorchuk | ||
Vadim Viktorovich Bakatin (Russian: Вадим Викторович Бакатин; born 6 November 1937) is a former Soviet politician who served as the last chairman of the KGB in 1991. He is the last surviving former chairman of this organization. He was appointed to dismantle the KGB, but he was unable to control this organization and to fulfill the task due to the political reasons. He was able to fulfill plan of KGB disintegration into separate organizations. He ran for the Russian presidency as an independent candidate in June 1991.
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Early life and education
Vadim Bakatin was born in Kiselyovsk, Kemerovo Oblast in 1937. He is a graduate of the Novosibirsk Civil Engineering Institute and the Academy of Social Sciences under the CPSU Central Committee.
Career
From 1960 to 1971 Bakatin was supervisor, chief engineer, director of construction works. From 1964 to 1991 he was the member of the CPSU. From 1986 to 1990 he served as the member of CPSU Central Committee. Bakatin was appointed as Minister of Interior of the Soviet Union in 1988, replacing Alexander Vlasov. Bakatin's tenure lasted until 1990. In 1991 he was made the head of KGB. Eventually he was able to disintegrate KGB, dismiss Forth Department of the Chief Directorate "З", Fifth Chief Directorate, the actual political police apparatus that ran the secret informants, political dossiers, and dissident-hunting machinery.
After disintegration of KGB he served as head of the Inter-republican Security Service of the Soviet Union.
In 1991 Vadim Bakatin as Chief of KGB revealed to the US ambassador Robert Schwarz Strauss the methods that had been used to install covert listening devices in the building that had been intended to replace Spaso House as the American embassy in Moscow. Strauss reported that this revelation was made out of a sense of cooperation and goodwill, with "no strings attached". Bakatin's action was met with harsh criticism, including allegations of treason which finally were retracted.
In 1992 Bakatin was appointed vice-president and director of department of political and international relations of the international "Reforma" fund. Since 1997 Bakatin has been a director/advisor of Baring Vostok (Moscow).
Family
Vadim Bakatin (Russian: Вадим Бакатин), grandson, born 24 June 1998, an International football player. Currently plays for AS Monaco F.C. He played for Russia U16 and U17s National Teams, Vice champion of Russia in 2013 and 2014
Quotes
The traditions of chekism must be eradicated, must cease to exist as an ideology.