Kirill Mazurov

Born Mar. 25 (Apr 7), 1914, in the village of Rudnia-Pribytkovskaia, now in Gomel’ Raion, Gomel’ Oblast. Soviet statesman and party figure. Member of the CPSU since 1940. Son of a peasant.

Mazurov graduated from the Gomel’ Highway Technicum in 1933 and the Higher Party School of the Central Committee of the ACP (Bolshevik) in 1947. Prior to 1936 he worked as a technician and director of a raion road section. After serving in the Soviet Army in 1936-38, he worked in the political section of the Byelorussian railroad. From 1940 to 1941 he served as secretary of the Gomel’ city committee of the Komsomol and then as first secretary of the Brest Oblast Committee of the Komsomol of Byelorussia. He served in the Soviet Army in 1941-42 in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45. He was wounded in the war. In September 1942, Mazurov was sent to the rear lines of the fascist German forces in Byelorussia as a representative of the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He worked in large partisan units until late 1943. He was secretary of the underground Central Committee of the Komsomol of Byelorussia. In 1943-47 he was second, and then first, secretary of the Central Committee of the Komsomol of Byelorussia.

From 1947 to 1948, Mazurov served on the staff of the Central Committee of the CP (Bolshevik) of Byelorussia. His subsequent posts included second, and then first, secretary of the Minsk city committee of the CP(B) of Byelorussia (1949-50), first secretary of the Minsk Oblast Committee of the Party (1950-53), chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Byelorussian SSR (1953-56), first secretary of the Central Committee of the CP of Byelorussia (1956-65), and first deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR (from March 1965). He was elected a member of the Central Committee of the CPSU at the Twentieth (1956), Twenty-second (1961), Twenty-third (1966), Twenty-fourth (1971), and Twenty-fifth (1976) Congresses of the Party. In 1957, Mazurov became a candidate member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU, and in 1965 a member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU. In April 1966 he became a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU. He has been a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR at the third through ninth convocations and a member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (1958-66). Mazurov has been awarded four Orders of Lenin, two other orders, and a number of medals. [15-630-1; updated]