Vladimir Polonsky

Vladimir Ivanovich Polonsky (Azerbaijani: Владимир Полонски Ыван оғлу, romanized: Vladimir Polonski Ivan oğlu, Russian: Владимир Иванович Полонский; 17 June 1893 – 30 October 1937) was a Soviet politician and the 5th First Secretary of Azerbaijan Communist Party.

Vladimir Polonsky
Владимир Полонский
First Secretary of the Azerbaijan Communist Party
In office 5 August 1930 – January 1933
Head of the Organizational-Instruction Department of the Central Committee
In office January – August 1933
Preceded by	Pavel Postyshev
Succeeded by	Post abolished
Personal details
Born	Ruven Gershevich Polonsky (1893-06-17)17 June 1893 Tobolsk, Russian Empire
Died	30 October 1937(1937-10-30) (aged 44) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Political party	RSDLP (Bolsheviks) (1907–1918) Russian Communist Party (1918–1937)
Spouse	Esfir Iosifovna Mogilevskaya
Children	Liya, Vladimir

Early life

Polonsky was born to a Jewish family in Tobolsk, Russia. Since 1907, he was a member of the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP). Starting from 1908, Polonsky has been a sailor and worked blue collar jobs in Saint Petersburg.

Political career

In 1913, he became a member of union administration. He was jailed for his political activities in 1914. In 1918–1920, he was a division commissar on Western and Southern fronts and the chairman for the southern region of Trade unions in the Soviet Union. In 1930–1933, Polonsky was the First Secretary of the Azerbaijan Communist Party and the Secretary of Transcaucasian Committee of CP of Soviet Union.

Portrait of Polonsky after his arrest by the NKVD

He was arrested on 22 June 1937. Claims that he was tortured are not accompanied by evidence. He was sentenced to death by the Military Tribunal of USSR and executed by firing squad on 30 October 1937 in Lubyanka prison.^[1]

Awards

Polonsky was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour.