Vasily Zakharov

Vasily Georgievich Zakharov (Russian: Василий Георгиевич Захаров; 5 January 1934 – 17 October 2023) was a Soviet and Russian economist who served as the minister of culture between 1986 and 1989 in the Soviet Union. He was a member of central committee of the Communist Party.

Vasily Zakharov
Василий Захаров
Minister of Culture
In office 17 August 1986 – June 1989
Premier	Nikolai Ryzhkov
Preceded by	Pyotr Demichev
Personal details
Born	Vasily Georgievich Zakharov (1934-01-05)5 January 1934 Khriply, Firovsky district, Kalinin region, RSFSR
Died	17 October 2023(2023-10-17) (aged 89)
Nationality	Russian
Political party	Communist Party
Alma mater	Leningrad State University

Biography

Zakharov was born in the village of Khriply, Firovsky district, Kalinin region, on 5 January 1934.^[1] He is a graduate of Leningrad State University where he received a PhD in economics in 1957.^[2] He later became a full professor.^[3] He taught at the Tomsk Polytechnic Institute and Leningrad Technological Institute.^[2]

Zakharov's career at the Communist Party began in 1973 when he was named as the head of the propaganda and agitation department in Leningrad.^[3] He moved to Moscow in 1983 because of his appointment as first deputy chief of the propaganda department of the party's central committee.^[4] From January 1986 he worked as the second secretary of the Moscow City central committee under Boris Yeltsin.^[3][4] In March 1986 Zakharov became one of the central committee members of the Communist Party.^[4] On 17 August 1986 he was named the minister of culture, replacing Pyotr Demichev in the post.^[2][4] In June 1989 Zakharov was again proposed by Soviet Premier Nikolai Ryzhkov as minister of culture.^[5] However, he and other five nominees were rejected by the Supreme Soviet in July 1989.^[6]

Zakharov died on 17 October 2023, at the age of 89.^[1]