Vitaly Mukha

Vitaly Petrovich Mukha (; 17 May 1936 — 22 May 2005) was a Ukrainian-born Russian politician, who served as the first and third Governor of Novosibirsk Oblast from 1991 to 1993 and from 1995 to 2000.

He also served as the 14th first secretary of the Novosibirsk regional committee of the CPSU from 1989 to 1990.

Biography

Vitaly Mukha was born in Kharkiv to a Ukrainian family.

Education and work

In 1960, he graduated from the Kharkiv Aviation Institute with a degree in mechanical engineer, associate professor. From 1960 to 1966 he was a foreman, deputy head of the shop, head of the shop of the V.P. Chkalov Novosibirsk Aviation Plant, since 1966 — head of department, deputy chief engineer, chief engineer, since 1973 — director of the Novosibirsk plant of electrothermal equipment at PA Sibelektroterm.

On 30 October 1989, Mukha was promoted to the First Secretary of the Novosibirsk Regional Committee of the CPSU. He was a delegate to the 19th Party Conference (1988) and the 28th Congress of the CPSU (1990), a member of the Central Committee of the CPSU (1990-1991).

From 1990 to 1993, Mukha was the People's Deputy of Russia in the Chulym constituency No. 533 in the Novosibirsk Oblast. At the 1st Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR, he was a member of the deputy group "Communists of Russia", starting from the 2nd Congress he was not a member of any factions and blocs. During the August coup of 1991, he called on the population of Novosibirsk Oblast to be guided by the provisions of the Constitution of the USSR and not to give in to the calls of the President of the RSFSR, Boris Yeltsin for a general strike.

In September 1993, Mukha was one of the organizers of the all-Siberian meeting of representatives of local councils, which put forward demands to Yeltsin to lift the blockade from the building of the Supreme Soviet of Russia in Moscow under the threat of blocking the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Since January 1996, he was a member of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, and a member of the Committee on Economic Policy. On 19 December 1999, Mukha took third place in the first round of the elections, with 18% of the votes, and dropped out of the further struggle. He was buried on May 24 at the Zayeltsovskoye Cemetery in Novosibirsk.

He was married twice, had three sons and a daughter, and grandchildren.

Awards and titles

Order of Honour (May 17, 1996) — for services to the state and long-term conscientious work; Order of the Red Banner of Labour; Medal "For Civil Merit" (November 29, 1999, Moldova) — for merits in the development of cooperation and strengthening friendship between the peoples of the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation, active charitable activities and significant contribution to the construction, reconstruction and restoration of monuments dedicated to important historical events; Full member of the Housing and Communal Services Academy of the Russian Federation.