Sergey Stepashin - military historian and statesman

Sergei Stepashin (born March 2, 1952) is a Russian state and political figure who in the 90s held senior positions in the government of the Russian Federation and was involved in many crucial decisions for the country during that turbulent decade.

Origin

So, where was Sergei Stepashin born? His biography began in an amazing place, in the city of Port Arthur, in that brief period of time when, after the end of World War II, this port on the Yellow Sea coast was under the control of the Soviet Navy. Here in the family of a naval officer Sergey Stepashin was born. There is no information about his childhood and adolescence - he himself never spread about this, and the dry lines of several open biographies after the date of birth skip to study in a military school. Given that Port-Atrur was finally transferred to the Chinese in 1955, it can be assumed that the Stepashin family was forced to move to another place of residence at the new duty station of the father. Most likely, it was one of the military seaports in the Baltic, because after school Sergei entered the military school in Leningrad.

Education

So, Sergei Stepashin chose the career of a military political worker when he entered the Higher Political School of the USSR Internal Troops. After graduating in 1973, he became the one who was called military commissar during the civil and the Second World War, and served for eight years in the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, apparently in the positions of political instructors of various parts. In 1980, Sergei Stepashin returned to his native Leningrad school and began to teach there, while studying at the Military-Political Academy. IN AND. Lenin, which ends in 1981. Then follows a two-year break in education, and then in 1993-96. - study in graduate school of the political academy. The result of her was a Ph.D. thesis on history on the topic of party leadership of firefighters in besieged Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War.

Just think about what nemeryannoe field of activity was for military historians, political instructors like Stepashin! After all, in addition to firefighters, the party, in fact, directed all other areas of life throughout the country and at any period of its history: production workers and teachers, medics and communications, military and students, etc. It is undeniable that the heroism of the Leningrad firefighters during the blockade needed Corresponding to historical research, but here is the party leadership of them ... However, Stepashin, who was in the rigid framework of his chosen life direction, hardly had a special choice. He did what it was supposed to do.

Career in the Soviet period

Until 1990, Sergei Stepashin taught in his native Leningrad political school, having served by 1987 to the deputy head of the history department of the CPSU. The last years of the existence of the USSR were marked by numerous interethnic conflicts. Experienced officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, including Stepashin, were hired to work in these "hot spots", among which were Baku (the conflict between Azerbaijanis and Baku Armenians), the Fergana Valley (the conflict between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz), Nagorno-Karabakh (the conflict between Azerbaijanis and Karabakh Armenians ), Abkhazia (conflict between Georgians and Abkhazians). Summarizing the experience accumulated in these situations, Sergei Stepashin participated in the development of appropriate specialties for internal troops.

In 1990 he was elected to the Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR, and at the very congress he joined the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, where he headed the Defense and Security Committee for three years.

He sharply opposed the creation of the State Emergency Committee in August 1991, openly supported Boris Yeltsin in his confrontation with the putschists.

Career in new Russia

At the end of 1991, Sergei Stepashin was sent to St. Petersburg for a new post of head of the department, uniting the former Internal Affairs Directorate and the KGB, then became the chief of the Department of Security of the Ministry of Security. Much has been done to transform the former KGB into Russian security agencies. In 1992 he returned to work in the Armed Forces of the RSFSR as chairman of the Defense and Security Committee.

During the conflict in the fall of 1993, Boris Yeltsin and the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR supported the president. Soon after that he headed the Russian counterintelligence. In this capacity, he participated in the first Chechen campaign in 1994-95. (Since April 1995 as head of the FSB). After the bloody seizure of hostages in Budennovsk in the summer of 1995, he was released from his post.

And then a new four-year period of ascent to the heights of Russian power followed. First Stepashin returned to the government office as the chief of one of their departments and became a member of various government commissions. Then, in 1997, was appointed to lead the Russian Ministry of Justice. When the government headed the prime minister Kamikaze Kiriyenko, he was given the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He retained a ministerial post and during the premiership of Yevgeny Primakov, but at the same time he became also the first vice-premier. Boris Yeltsin, obviously, believed that his successor would be Sergei Stepashin. The photo taken during that period is shown below.

The peak of the career and the loss of the chance to become the leader of the country

After the dismissal of Primakov in May 1999, Sergei Stepashin became the prime minister of the Russian government. This position, however, did not last long, until the beginning of August of the same year, when he was replaced by Putin. And actually, why? After all, Putin and Stepashin are of the same age, so arguments like "Russians wanted a young energetic leader" do not pass here. Stepashin, undoubtedly, had much more experience of political and state activity at the time of his appointment than Putin. At the same time he was at the sources of Russian special services, he was the first director of the FSB. Yeltsin clearly prophesied him to his successors.

All decided the attack of the "Basayevites" on Dagestan on August 1, 1999. Behind Stepashin there was already an actual defeat in the first Chechen campaign, a shameful resignation after Budennovsk. Probably, he felt some kind of uncertainty about the assertiveness of the Chechen militants. And at a critical moment, Colonel-General Stepashin became embarrassed. At the government meeting in the first days of August of that year, he uttered a phrase that at once cut off the opportunity for him to lead and lead Russia, and these words were, "We can lose Dagestan." Many people have personally heard these words on television. Yeltsin realized that Stepashin needed to be changed, and instantly, as soon as he alone could act, appointed Prime Minister and his successor (and announced it publicly!) To Vladimir Putin. So high was the rate at that moment - the integrity of the Russian state.

After his resignation, Sergei Stepashin from 2000 to 2013, honestly served Russia as head of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation.