Sergei Stepashin (born March 2, 1952) is a Russian statesman and politician who in the 90s held senior positions in the government of the Russian Federation and was involved in many decisions that were crucial for the country in that turbulent decade.
Origin
So, where was Sergey 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 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 has never been disseminated about this, and the dry lines of several open biographies after the date of birth skip 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 service. Most likely, it was one of the naval ports in the Baltic, because after school Sergey entered the military school in Leningrad.
Education
So, Sergey Stepashin chose the career of a military political worker when he entered the Higher Political School of the USSR Internal Troops. After graduating from it in 1973, he became the one whom during the time of the civil and Great Patriotic War was called military commissars, and for eight years he served in special troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, apparently, in the posts of political officers of various units. In 1980, Sergei Stepashin returned to his native Leningrad school and began to teach there, while studying at the military-political academy named after IN AND. Lenin, which ends in 1981. This is followed by a two-year break in education, and then in 1993-96. - study at the graduate school of political academy. The result was a Ph.D. thesis on history on the party leadership of firefighters in besieged Leningrad during the Second World War.
Just think about what an immeasurable field of activity was for military historians and political officers 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 signalmen, military and students, etc. There is no doubt that the heroism of the Leningrad firefighters during the blockade relevant historical research, but here’s 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 what was supposed to be.
Career during the Soviet period
Until 1990, Sergei Stepashin taught at his native Leningrad Political School, having risen by 1987 to the deputy head of the Department of History of the CPSU. The last years of the existence of the USSR were marked by numerous ethnic conflicts. Experienced officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, including Stepashin, were involved in these "hot spots", among which were Baku (conflict between Azerbaijanis and Baku Armenians), Ferghana Valley (conflict between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz), Nagorno-Karabakh (conflict between Azerbaijanis and Karabakh Armenians ), Abkhazia (conflict between Georgians and Abkhazians). Summarizing the experience gained in these situations, Sergey Stepashin participated in the development of appropriate special manuals for the internal troops.
In 1990, he was elected as a deputy of the Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR, and at the congress he joined the Supreme Council 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 supporting Boris Yeltsin in his opposition to the coup.
Career in New Russia
At the end of 1991, Sergey Stepashin was sent to St. Petersburg to a new position as the head of the department, combining the previous police departments and the KGB, then became the head of the regional department of the Ministry of Security. He did a lot to transform the former KGB into the security organs of the Russian Federation. In 1992, he returned to work in the Armed Forces of the RSFSR as chairman of the Committee on Defense and Security.
During the conflict in the fall of 1993 between Boris Yeltsin and the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, he supported the president. Soon after, 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 hostage-taking in Budennovsk in the summer of 1995, he was relieved of his post.
And then a new four-year period of ascent to the heights of Russian power followed. 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 Kamikaze Kiriyenko, he was given the Ministry of the Interior. He retained his ministerial post during the premiership of Yevgeny Primakov, but at the same time he also became the first deputy prime minister. Boris Yeltsin, obviously, believed that it was Sergei Stepashin who would succeed him. The photo taken during that period is shown below.
The peak of a career and the loss of a chance to become a country leader
After the removal of Primakov in May 1999, Sergei Stepashin became Prime Minister of the Russian government. However, he did not hold this post 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 pass here. Stepashin undoubtedly had much more experience in political and state activities 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 read it to his successors.
Everything was decided by the attack of the "Basayevites" on Dagestan on August 1, 1999. Stepashin already had an actual defeat in the first Chechen campaign, a shameful resignation after Budennovsk. He probably experienced some uncertainty about the assertiveness of Chechen fighters. And at the crucial moment, Colonel-General Stepashin was confused. At a government meeting in the early days of August of that year, he uttered a phrase that at once cut off for him the opportunity to lead and lead Russia, and these words were "We can lose Dagestan." Many personally heard these his words 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 from 2000 to 2013 honestly served Russia as head of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation.