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Victor Chernomyrdin — news, coverage & facts — IJR

Prime Minister of Russia

Gaidar was considered a liberal political reformist, and the Congress of People's Deputies of Russia refused to confirm his nomination to serve as permanent prime minister. This led Yeltsin to instead nominate Chernomyrdin. Chernomyrdin was not regarded to have established much of a political identity for himself up to that point, making his nomination a surprise. However, the fact that he had staked out no political positions during his brief time in Gaidar's cabinet made it easier for Chernomyrdin's nomination to win sufficient approval. On 14 December 1992, Yeltsin formally nominated him. He was confirmed the same day by the Congress of People's Deputies.

According to Felipe Turover Chudínov, who was a senior intelligence officer with the foreign-intelligence directorate of the KGB, Chernomyrdin secretly decreed in the early 1990s that Russia would become an international hub for narcotics trafficking including importing cocaine and heroin from South America and heroin from Central Asia and Southeast Asia and exporting narcotics to Europe, North America including the United States and Canada, and China and the Pacific Rim.

While he had been critical of his predecessor Gaidar, Chernomyrdin largely continued Gaidar's policies.

Alongside U.S. vice president Al Gore, he served as co-chair of the Gore–Chernomyrdin Commission. The commission met biannually to discuss U.S.–Russia cooperation, but produced few tangible results. One outcome was U.S.–Russian cooperation in space exploration. In September 1993, he and Gore announced plans for the two nations to build a new space station, which eventually became the International Space Station. They also reached an agreement for the United States to begin participating heavily in the Mir programme in advance of the launch of the new space station, setting the ground for the Shuttle–Mir Programme.

In April 1995, he formed a political bloc called Our Home – Russia, which won 10% of the vote and 55 seats to come third in the 1995 Russian legislative election.

In 1995, Chernomyrdin signed a decree calling for the development of a national strategy for tiger conservation.

On 18 June 1995, as a result of Shamil Basayev-led terrorists taking over 1500 people hostage in Budyonnovsk, negotiations between Chernomyrdin and Basayev led to a compromise which became a turning point for the First Chechen War. In exchange for the hostages, the Russian government agreed to halt military actions in Chechnya and begin a series of negotiations.

When Boris Yeltsin was undergoing a heart operation on 6 November 1996, Chernomyrdin served as acting president for 23 hours.

Chernomyrdin remained prime minister until his sudden dismissal on 23 March 1998. Following the 1998 Russian financial crisis in August, Yeltsin re-appointed Chernomyrdin as prime minister, and attempted to groom him as his successor. However, the Duma twice refused to confirm Chernomyrdin as the head of the government. Rather than risking a third rejection and thus forcing the dissolution of the State Duma and political crisis, Chernomyrdin withdrew his nomination and the president asked the more popular Yevgeny Primakov to form a new cabinet.

Honours and awards

State awards of the Russian Federation and USSR

Order of Merit for the Fatherland

1st class (24 March 2009) – for outstanding contribution to strengthening the international prestige of the Russian Federation and many years of fruitful activity

2nd class (23 March 1998) – for outstanding contribution to the development of the Russian state

3rd class (9 April 2008) – for outstanding contribution to the development of Russian-Ukrainian relations

4th class (9 April 2010) – for long-term fruitful state activity

Order of Friendship (8 April 2003) – for outstanding contribution to the strengthening and development of friendship and cooperation between Russia and Ukraine

Order of the October Revolution (1986)

Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1979)

Order of the Badge of Honour (1974) – for achievements in the construction and development of the design capacity of the first stage of Orenburg gas complex

Jubilee Medal "300 Years of the Russian Navy" (7 June 1996)

Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" (6 September 1997)

Medal "In Commemoration of the 1000th Anniversary of Kazan" (23 August 2005)

Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary since the Birth of Vladimir Il'ich Lenin" (1970)

Jubilee Medal "Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" (1985)

President and the Government of the Russian Federation

Diploma of the President of the Russian Federation (12 December 2008) – for active participation in the drafting of the Constitution and a great contribution to the democratic foundations of the Russian Federation

Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (9 November 1993)

Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (14 August 1995) – for active participation in the preparation and conduct of the 50th anniversary of Victory in Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945

Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (12 July 1996) – for active participation in organizing and conducting the election campaign of President of Russian Federation in 1996

Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (30 July 1999) – for his great personal contribution to a political settlement between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and NATO, consistent defense of Russia's position in the Balkans

Diploma of the Russian Federation Government (9 April 2003) – for his great personal contribution to the development of Russian-Ukrainian trade and economic cooperation

Diploma of the Russian Federation Government (9 April 2008) – for long-term fruitful state activity

Foreign awards

Medal "100th Anniversary of Birth of Georgi Dimitrov" (People's Republic of Bulgaria, 1982)

Mkhitar Gosh (Armenia, 4 December 1998) – for outstanding contribution to the elimination of the consequences of the Spitak earthquake, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction work. Medal awarded 18 April 2002

Order of Parasat (Kazakhstan, 1 September 1999) – for his contribution to the development of oil and gas industry in Kazakhstan

Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 5th class (Ukraine, 8 April 2003) – for outstanding contribution to the development of bilateral relations between Russia and Ukraine, weighty personal contribution in strengthening the friendly ties between the Russian and Ukrainian peoples

Order of Merit, 3rd class (Ukraine, 17 June 2009) – for his contribution to the development of Ukrainian-Russian relations, the long-term diplomatic activity

Awards of states of the Russian Federation

Order "For Merit" (Republic of Ingushetia, 19 June 2001) – for outstanding contribution to the establishment and development of the economy of Ingushetia

Order of the "Key of Friendship" (Kemerovo Region, 7 March 2008)

Faith awards

Order of St. Sergius, 2nd class (Russian Orthodox Church, 29 March 2007) – for their efforts in strengthening the unity of Orthodox peoples

Order of Christmas, 2nd class (UOC)

Jubilee medal "1020 years of the Baptism of Kievan Rus" (PCM, 25 November 2008)

Departmental awards

Honorary Worker of the Ministry for Oil and Gas Construction (1 April 1988)

Veteran of Labour in the Gas Industry (8 April 1998)

Honorary Worker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2 April 2003) – for active participation in the implementation of Russian foreign policy

Other recognitions

A Russian icebreaker is named after Chernomyrdin