Boris Karlovich Pugo
Encyclopedia
Boris Karlovich Pugo, OAN
(February 19, 1937 – August 22, 1991, in Moscow) was a hardline Soviet
Communist
political figure.
Pugo was born in Kalinin, Russian SFSR (now Tver
, Russia
) into a family of Latvian communists who had left Latvia after Latvia was proclaimed as an independent country in 1918. His family returned to Latvia after Soviet Union occupied and annexed it in 1940.
Pugo graduated from Riga Polytechnical
in 1960 and worked in various Komsomol
, Communist Party
and Soviet government positions since then, both in Latvia and Moscow
. His positions between 1960 and 1984 included the first secretary
of the Central Committee
of Komsomol of Latvian SSR
, a secretary of the Central Committee
of Komsomol of USSR, the first secretary of Riga
City Committee of Communist Party and the chairman of KGB
in Latvia.
Pugo was the first secretary of the Communist Party of the Latvian SSR
from April 14, 1984 to October 4, 1988.
Between 1990 and 1991, he was the Minister of the Interior Affairs of the USSR
. He was a member of the August Coup in 1991. He soon after committed suicide
. He shot his wife and himself as soon as he realized that the coup had failed.
Several media (including Moscow Times and TIME
) have cast doubts on the circumstances of his suicide, suggesting he might have been killed and the murder masked as a suicide.
Order of Alexander Nevsky
The Order of Alexander Nevsky is an order of merit bestowed by the Russian Federation. It is named in honour ofAlexander Nevsky's struggle with the Teutonic Knights....
(February 19, 1937 – August 22, 1991, in Moscow) was a hardline Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
political figure.
Pugo was born in Kalinin, Russian SFSR (now Tver
Tver
Tver is a city and the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: 403,726 ; 408,903 ;...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
) into a family of Latvian communists who had left Latvia after Latvia was proclaimed as an independent country in 1918. His family returned to Latvia after Soviet Union occupied and annexed it in 1940.
Pugo graduated from Riga Polytechnical
Riga Technical University
Riga Technical University is located in Riga, Latvia.- Riga Polytechnical Institute, 1862-1918 :...
in 1960 and worked in various Komsomol
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
, Communist Party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
and Soviet government positions since then, both in Latvia and Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. His positions between 1960 and 1984 included the first secretary
General Secretary
The office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
of the Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
of Komsomol of Latvian SSR
Latvian SSR
The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Latvian SSR for short, was one of the republics that made up the Soviet Union. Established on 21 July 1940 as a puppet state during World War II in the territory of the previously independent Republic of Latvia after it had been occupied by...
, a secretary of the Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
of Komsomol of USSR, the first secretary of Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
City Committee of Communist Party and the chairman of KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
in Latvia.
Pugo was the first secretary of the Communist Party of the Latvian SSR
Communist Party of Latvia
Communist Party of Latvia was a political party in Latvia.- Latvian Social-Democracy prior to 1919 :The party was founded at a congress in June 1904. Initially the party was known as the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party . During its second party congress in 1905 it adopted the programme of...
from April 14, 1984 to October 4, 1988.
Between 1990 and 1991, he was the Minister of the Interior Affairs of the USSR
Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs
The Ministerstvo Vnutrennikh Del is the interior ministry of Russia. Its predecessor was founded in 1802 by Alexander I in Imperial Russia...
. He was a member of the August Coup in 1991. He soon after committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. He shot his wife and himself as soon as he realized that the coup had failed.
Several media (including Moscow Times and TIME
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
) have cast doubts on the circumstances of his suicide, suggesting he might have been killed and the murder masked as a suicide.