Vadim Bakatin


Vadim Viktorovich Bakatin is a Russian 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 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.

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 the disintegration of KGB he served as head of the Inter-republican Security Service of the Soviet Union.
Bakatin had been put forth as a candidate for the Communist Party's nomination for the 1990 Soviet Union presidential election. However, he decided not to compete.
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 were eventually retracted.
In 1992 Bakatin was appointed vice-president and director of the department of political and international relations of the international "Reforma" fund. Since 1997 Bakatin has been a director/advisor of Baring Vostok.

1991 presidential campaign

Bakatin was a candidate in the 1991 Russian presidential election. His running mate was Ramazan Abdulatipov. He ultimately placed last in the election out of six candidates, receiving 2,719,757 votes.

Family

Vadim Bakatin, 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

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