Sergey Stepashin (born March 2, 1952) is a Russian statesman and politician who in the 1990s held the highest positions in the government of the Russian Federation and was involved in many fateful decisions for the country of 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 short period of time when, after the end of World War II, this port on the shores of the Yellow Sea 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 youth - he himself never spread about this, and the dry lines of several open biographies after the date of birth jump to study at a military school. Considering that Port-Atrur was finally handed over to the Chinese already in 1955, it can be assumed that the Stepashin family was forced to move to another place of residence at their father's new place of work. Most likely, it was one of the naval ports in the B altic, since after school Sergey entered the militaryschool in Leningrad.
Education
So, Sergei Stepashin chose the career of a military political worker when he entered the Higher Political College of the Internal Troops of the USSR. After graduating from it in 1973, he became what was called military commissars during the civil war 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 units. In 1980, Sergei Stepashin returned to his native Leningrad school and began teaching there, while studying at the Military-Political Academy. IN AND. Lenin, from which he graduated in 1981. This is followed by a two-year break in education, and then in 1993-96. - postgraduate study of the political academy. It resulted in a Ph. D. thesis in history on the topic of party leadership of firefighters in besieged Leningrad during the Second World War.
Just think about what an unmeasured field of activity was for military historians-political instructors like Stepashin! Indeed, in addition to firefighters, the party, in fact, led all other areas of life throughout the country and at any period of its history: production workers and teachers, doctors and signalers, military men and students, etc. There is no doubt that the heroism of the Leningrad firefighters during the blockade needed relevant historical research, but here is the party leadership of them… However, Stepashin, who was in the strict framework of his chosen life direction, hardly had a special choice. He did the right thing.
Career in the Soviet period
Before 1990 Sergey Stepashintaught at his native Leningrad political school, having risen to the rank of deputy head of the department of history of the CPSU by 1987. 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 recruited to work in these "hot spots", among which were Baku (the conflict between Azerbaijanis and Baku Armenians), the Ferghana 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 gained in these situations, Sergei Stepashin participated in the development of appropriate special allowances for internal troops.
In 1990 he was elected to the Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR, and at the congress itself he entered the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, where he headed the committee on defense and security for three years.
Sharply opposed the creation of the State Emergency Committee in August 1991, openly supported Boris Yeltsin in his opposition to the putschists.
Career in new Russia
At the end of 1991, Sergei Stepashin was sent to St. Petersburg to a new position as head of the department that united the former Department of Internal Affairs and the KGB, then became head of the regional department of the Ministry of Security. He did a lot to transform the former KGB into security agencies of the Russian Federation. In 1992, he returned to work in the RSFSR Armed Forces as chairman of the Defense and Security Committee.
During the conflict in the fall of 1993 between Boris Yeltsin and the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR supported the president. Shortly thereafter, he headed the Russian counterintelligence. In this capacity he participated inthe first Chechen campaign in 1994-95. (since April 1995 as head of the FSB). After the bloody hostage-taking in Budyonnovsk in the summer of 1995, he was relieved of his post.
And then followed a new four-year period of ascent to the heights of Russian power. First, Stepashin returned to the government apparatus as head of one of their departments and became a member of various government commissions. then, in 1997, he was appointed to lead the Russian Ministry of Justice. When the government was headed by Prime Minister Kiriyenko, the kamikaze, he was given the Ministry of the Interior. He retained his ministerial post even during the premiership of Yevgeny Primakov, but at the same time he also became first deputy prime minister. Boris Yeltsin apparently believed that Sergei Stepashin would be his successor. A photo taken during that period is shown below.
The peak of a career and the loss of a chance to become the leader of the country
After the dismissal of Primakov in May 1999, Sergei Stepashin became prime minister of the Russian government. However, he did not hold this position for long, only until the beginning of August of the same year, when Putin replaced him. And actually, why? After all, Putin and Stepashin are of the same age, so arguments like “the Russians wanted a young energetic leader” do not work here. Stepashin undoubtedly had much more experience in politics and government at the time of his appointment than Putin. At the same time, he stood at the origins of the Russian special services, was the first director of the FSB. Yeltsin clearly intended him as his successor.
Everything was decided by the Basayevites' attack on Dagestan on August 1, 1999. Behind Stepashin there was already an actual defeat in the first Chechen campaign, a shameful resignation after Budyonnovsk. He probably experienced some kind of insecurity in the face of the assertiveness of the Chechen fighters. And at the crucial moment, Colonel-General Stepashin lost his head. At a government meeting in the first days of August of that year, he uttered a phrase that immediately cut off for him the opportunity to lead and lead Russia, and these words were "We can lose Dagestan." Many have personally heard these words of his on TV. Yeltsin realized that Stepashin needed to be changed, and instantly, as soon as he alone could act, he appointed Vladimir Putin as prime minister and his successor (and announced this publicly!) So high was the stake at that moment - the integrity of the Russian state.
After his resignation, Sergei Stepashin honestly served Russia from 2000 to 2013 as head of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation.
