Yury Luzhkov

Yury Luzhkov
2nd Mayor of Moscow
Incumbent
Assumed office  June 6, 1992
Preceded by	Gavriil Popov
Born	September 21, 1936 (1936-09-21) (age 74) Moscow, Russian SFSR
Nationality	Russian
Political party	CPSU (1968-1991) Fatherland (1998-2001) United Russia (since 2001)
Spouse(s)	Marina Bashilova (1958–1989) (died) Yelena Baturina (1991–Present)
Children	Mikhail Luzhkov, Alexander Luzhkov, Aleona Luzhkova (born 1992), Olga Luzhkova (born 1994)
Alma mater	Gubkin Moscow Petrochemical & Gas Industry Institute
Religion	Russian Orthodox Church

Yury Mikhaylovich Luzhkov (Russian: Ю́рий Миха́йлович Лужко́в) (born September 21, 1936) is a Russian politician who has served as Mayor of Moscow since 1992. Luzhkov is a vice-chairman and one of founders of the ruling United Russia party.

Contents 1 Family and personal life 2 Professional career 3 Mayoral career 3.1 City Construction 3.1.1 Architecture 3.2 Registration 4 In Russia's politics 5 Controversy 5.1 Stance on Sevastopol 5.2 Destruction of the Rechnik Neighbourhood 5.3 Honoring Stalin 6 Personal views 7 References 8 External links

Family and personal life

Yury Mikhaylovich Luzhkov was born on September 21, 1936 in Moscow, then the capital of the Soviet Union. His father, Mikhail Andreyevich Luzhkov, moved to Moscow from a small village in Tver Oblast in the 1930s.

Luzhkov married his first wife, Marina Bashilova, in 1958, and had two sons with her, Mikhail and Alexander. Bashilova died from liver cancer in 1989. He met his second wife, Yelena Baturina, 27 years his junior, in 1987. They married in 1991. Baturina is a Russian businesswoman and Russia's only female dollar billionaire. She is the joint 279th richest person in the world.^[1] They have two daughters, Aleona (born 1992) and Olga (born 1994), and maintain a home in London.^[2] Luzhkov frequently appears in public at different festivals and celebrations, and is an enthusiastic promoter of the city. His hobbies include tennis and bee-keeping. His support for physical fitness is well known, and a statue of the mayor in tennis garb was erected recently in a Moscow park.

Professional career

From 1953 to 1958, Luzhkov studied at the Gubkin Moscow Petrochemical & Gas Industry Institute. From 1958 until 1964, he worked as a scientific researcher in the Moscow Scientific Research Institute of Plastics. He joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) in 1968. For the next 20 years he worked on automation initiatives in various sectors of the chemical industry (1964-1971: management automation department chief, State Chemistry Committee; 1971-1974: automated management systems department chief, Chemical Industry Ministry of the Soviet Union; 1974-1980: CEO, Experimental Design Office of Automation, Chemical Industry Ministry of the Soviet Union; 1980-1986: CEO, Scientific-Industrial Association "Petrochemautomation".)

Mayoral career

He was first elected as a member of the Moscow city council (Mossovet) in 1977, and in 1987 transferred to the executive branch Moscow city (Mosgorispolkom). He held different positions, usually one level below the Mayor.

In 1991, Gavriil Popov was elected Mayor of Moscow in the first direct elections. However, inexperienced Popov was unsuccessful in solving the city's crisis and resigned in June 1992.

Luzhkov, who held the position of Chairman of the Moscow city government at the time (i.e. head executive branch of the City Council), was appointed Mayor by Boris Yeltsin on June 6, 1992. Luzhkov gained more popular support among Muscovites than Popov. His policies included providing free transportation to the elderly and a strong encouragement of business entrepreneurship. He was first elected as Mayor on June 16, 1996 (winning 95% of the vote), and re-elected on December 19, 1999 (69.9% of the votes) and again on December 7, 2003 (75% of the votes).

City Construction

Under Luzhkov's government, Moscow experienced a construction boom and became the world's most attractive city for estate investments in 2008 according to PriceWaterhouseCoopers: a large number of residential and office buildings were constructed and the city's infrastructure was dramatically improved. After USSR collapse, the number of private cars started to increase, on average, by 150-200 thousand automobiles per year, which got Moscow into severe traffic problems. Under Luzhkov, the city transport system was expanded significantly. The Third Ring Road was built to ease the traffic problem, the MKAD ring road was reconstructed to handle increasing amount of traffic. The Fourth Ring Road is currently under construction for the same purposes. Most of the city major roads were enhanced with elevated highways and road junctions. The Moscow metro expanded beyond the city limits. During this time, new transportation systems for Moscow were introduced such as medium-capacity rail transport system and monorail.

Apartment construction market developed rapidly, as many apartment buildings are raised every year. However, this sphere became controversial, as many critics claimed that Inteco, the company run by Elena Baturina, Luzhkov's second wife, became nearly a monopoly in apartment construction.^[3]

Architecture

Under Luzhkov's leadership, Moscow was modernized considerably. A significant number of glass-and-metal houses were built, as well as skyscrapers, such as in Moscow-Сity, the international trade center, are under construction. Luzhkov also promoted restoration of Moscow's several architectural heritages such as Kitay-gorod Walls and Moscow Gostiny Dvor. Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was rebuilt, and Moscow Victory park opened to celebrate the 50th anniversary of victory in World War II.

At the same time, many of the old Soviet landmarks, such as Rossiya Hotel or Voentorg, were reconstructed or demolished^[4], as well as such historical buildings as several old buildings around the Kadashi Church in the proximity of the Moscow Kremlin. Many neighbourhoods, like Zamoskvorechye, have been dramatically changed^{[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]}. Sculptor Zurab Tsereteli enjoyed Luzhkov's personal support in setting many of his works over the city.

As a result, many NGOs blame Luzhkov and his government for "the current destruction of much of the history of Moscow" as well as "bulldozing Moscow's architectural heritage and replacing it with mock-palaces" (The Guardian) including the construction of Catherine II's unbuilt palace in Tsaritsyno and the reconstruction of the Kolomenskoye Palace of Tsar Alexis (demolished as early as the 18th century).

Registration

In the Soviet Union every citizen was required to live where he had permanent living place, as the government wanted to limit uncontrolled migration and homelessness. Since most flats in large cities were state-owned, it was also difficult to legally rent a home (in smaller cities some percentage of homes was private, so it was possible to sign a renting contract). This was changed after perestroika, which allowed people to temporarily rent now-privatized flats.

However, Moscow under Luzhkov invited several restrictions to this rule, partially keeping the old system. Each non-resident, who arrives in the city, must register with the local police department within 90 days of their arrival. The fine for noncompliance is 2500 rubles of penalty, and he or she would have trouble getting legal employment. Moscow police frequently ask for people's ID's to check if they have a registration ticket.

Luzhkov's rationale for registration has been that Moscow's city infrastructure could not handle a rapidly growing population. Some of the most blatant limitations were removed by the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court after a long fight with Luzhkov's lawyers, making the registration process somewhat simpler.

For his role in instituting the registration system, Luzhkov was selected as the runner-up for Privacy International's Most Egregiously Stupid Award of 2003. ^[14]

In Russia's politics

In 1998, as Boris Yeltsin's political troubles grew partly because of the August economic crisis, Luzhkov formed his own national political faction, Otechestvo (Fatherland), to serve as his base for the upcoming presidential election. Otechestvo had the support of many powerful regional politicians, and it gained further support when it merged with another party, Vsya Rossiya (All Russia) to form Otechestvo-Vsya Rossiya. Many observers of Russian politics believed that Luzhkov and his new ally, former prime minister Yevgeniy Primakov, would be likely to displace both Yeltsin and his inner circle in the parliamentary and presidential elections due to be held in late 1999 and mid-2000, respectively.^{[15] [16]}

However, Luzhkov's fortunes turned when Boris Yeltsin appointed Vladimir Putin as Chairman of the Russian Government (predsedatel', or prime minister) in August 1999. While virtually an unknown when first appointed, observers of Russian politics argued that Putin rapidly gained popular support due to a hard-line law and order image and the backing of powerful state-owned and state-allied media and economic interests. The hard-fought autumn 1999 Duma campaign ended up with Otechestvo-Vsya Rossiya only at 3rd place. Compromising, Luzhkov and his party accepted integration with pro-Putin Unity party into single party United Russia, and supported Putin in the 2000 presidential elections, which he won easily. Though still a co-chairman of United Russia, in latest years Luzhkov became less active in federal politics.

Controversy

In 2002, Luzhkov proposed returning to Lubyanka Square the fifteen ton iron statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky, founder of the Soviet Cheka. The statue was removed after the failure of an attempted coup against the Soviet government of Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991. Opponents of the proposal collected the signatures of 114,000 Moscow residents against the statue's return. ^[17]

Alexander Korzhakov, former chief of the RF president's security service, told journalists that Boris Berezovsky had tried to talk him into assassinating Vladimir Gusinsky, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, singer and Duma deputy Joseph Kobzon, and others (Novy Vzglyad newspaper, 19 October 1996) ^[18],^[19].

According to David Satter, the Moscow-based company AFK Sistema run by Luzhkov's brother-in law Vladimir Yevtushenkov is linked to Semion Mogilevich, the "most dangerous gangster in the world," and the Solntsevo Russian mafia gang. ^[20]

Stance on Sevastopol

On May 12, 2008 Luzhkov was banned from entering Ukraine. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has forbidden him from entering the territory of Ukraine after this statement concerning the legal status of the Ukrainian city of Sevastopol:

“

In 1954 the city of Sevastopol was not included into the Oblast, the territory, which was transferred to Ukraine by Nikita Khrushchov. We state that this issue remained unresolved.

”

The SBU are also investigating Luzhkov for possible money laundering at the territory of Sevastopol, and have stated that if evidence is found they will prosecute him.^[21]

Destruction of the Rechnik Neighbourhood

It was Luzhkov who controversially ordered the destruction of houses built in the Rechnik neighborhood of Moscow. According to an interview published in the Moskovsky Komsomolets, Luzkhov said that the residents were squatting on land in a "protected environmental zone." Residents claim that Soviet-era permits to the land, which was set aside as a gardening collective in the 1950s, gave them de facto title over the land the houses are built on and many of these titles were bought or inherited from the original owners; Luzhkov was accused lobbying the interests of building companies.^[4]. However, the City Hall claims that no permissions for private house building on this land were given since the 1950's and that the residents could never claim for the countryside amnesty because of that. Nevertheless, Luzhkov stated that the city was ready to provide full compensation by offering other land plots in the vicinities of Moscow for veterans of the World War II who lived in the Rechnik since the Soviet times.^[22][23]

Honoring Stalin

In 2010, Yury Luzhkov made public his plans to honor Soviet leader Joseph Stalin with 10 posters of Stalin in the city of Moscow, for the first time in around fifty years after Stalin's crimes became widely known (see De-Stalinization). The proposal caused a storm of controversy in Russia as well as international outcry, yet Luzhkov insisted on his plans. Luzhkov claims that the history must be objective and that Stalin's contributions to Russia's (USSR) development and to the victory of WWII cannot be neglected, also stating that he "is not a Stalin apologist". ^[24]Critics are concerned that Stalin is being rehabilitated as memories of his reign of terror fade.^[25][26][27]

Personal views

Yuri Luzhkov is a devoted Orthodox Christian believer, often appearing at Christmas and Easter liturgies.^[28] He was quite friendly with Patriarch Alexius II. In 2005 he was given an award from International Fund of unity of Orthodox Christians.^[29] Luzhkov keeps conservative and traditionalist views. He is considered a great friend of the Greek Orthodox Church as well.

He is critical of homosexuality and issued several bans on the Moscow Pride, organized by Nikolai Alekseev. Yuri Luzhkov has consistently opposed gay parades in the capital for a variety of reasons. In 2007 he attracted international attention when he said of the 2006 parade: "Last year, Moscow came under unprecedented pressure to sanction the gay parade, which cannot be called anything other than satanic. [...] We did not let the parade take place then, and we are not going to allow it in the future." He blamed groups which he accused of receiving grants from the West for spreading what he called "this kind of enlightenment" in Russia. "We think that destructive sects and propaganda of same-sex love are inadmissible," he said of attempts to promote gay rights in Russia. Gay activists accuse him of homophobia ^[30] and sent their appeals to the European Court of Human Rights, complaining the breach of Freedom of Assembly, which is granted in the European Convention on Human Rights.^[31] On January 25, 2010, he explained: "It is high time to crack down on the parade with all the power and justice of the law, instead of talking about human rights. (...) We need a social whip or something like that." ^[32]

Luzhkov is known as an enthusiastic advocate of Northern river reversal project, which he believes would solve the water problem of Central Asia and earn money to Russia.^[33]

He is fond of football (he is a fan of FC Moscow and visits many of its matches. The club was even nicknamed "caps" by other fans, as reference to Luzhkov wearing a cap), and tennis.

References

External links

• Luzhkov's official site (Russian)
• CityMayors feature

Political offices
Preceded by Gavriil Popov	Mayor of Moscow 1992 – present

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Persondata
Name	Luzhkov, Yury Mikhaylovich
Alternative names	Ю́рий Миха́йлович Лужко́в (Russian)
Short description	Mayor of Moscow
Date of birth	September 21, 1936
Place of birth	Moscow, Russia
Date of death	living
Place of death