Viktor Vasilevich Krotov

Born Dec. 16 (29), 1912, in Perm’. Soviet state and party figure. Member of the CPSU since 1944.

The son of a worker, Krotov graduated from the Perm’ Industrial Technicum in 1933 and from the correspondence program of the S. M. Kirov Urals Polytechnic Institute in 1957. He was employed at the V. I. Lenin Plant in Perm’ as a worker in 1928 and 1929; he was again associated with the plant, in various engineering and administrative capacities, in 1933 and 1934 and from 1936 to 1945. Between 1945 and 1957 he was the director of a series of plants in Khabarovsk and Sverdlovsk. Krotov was deputy chairman of the Sverdlovsk council of the national economy in 1957 and 1958. From 1958 to 1963 he was director of the S. Ordzhonikidze Urals Heavy Machine-Building Plant. From 1963 to 1965 he was chairman of the Central Urals council of the national economy.

In 1965, Krotov became chairman of the State Committee on Heavy, Power Engineering, and Transportation Machine Building under Gosplan (State Planning Committee) of the USSR; he held the rank of a minister of the USSR. Between 1965 and 1975 he was deputy minister and first deputy minister of heavy, power engineering, and transportation machine building of the USSR. He was named minister of power engineering machine building of the USSR in 1975.

A candidate member of the Central Committee of the CPSU from 1961 to 1966, he was again elected a candidate member in 1976. A deputy to the tenth convocation of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, he became a member of the Central Committee of the CPSU in 1981. He received the State Prize of the USSR in 1969. Krotov has been awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, five other orders, and various medals.