Vladimir Kryuchkov
| Vladimir Kryuchkov Владимир Крючков |
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| 7th Chairman of the Committee for State Security (KGB) | |
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In office 1 October 1988 – 22 August 1991 |
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| Premier | Valentin Pavlov |
| Preceded by | Viktor Chebrikov |
| Succeeded by | Leonid Shebarshin (as acting Chairman) |
| Full member of the 27th Politburo | |
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In office 20 September 1989 – 14 July 1990 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
29 February 1924 Tsaritsyn, Soviet Union (now Volgograd, Russia) |
| Died | 23 November 2007 (aged 83) Moscow, Russia |
| Nationality | Soviet and Russian |
| Political party | Communist Party of the Soviet Union |
Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov (Russian: Владимир Александрович Крючков) (29 February 1924 – 23 November 2007) was a Soviet lawyer, diplomat and head of the KGB, member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU.
Initially working in the Soviet justice system as a prosecutor's assistant, Kryuchkov then graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of the Soviet Foreign Ministry and became a diplomat. During his years in the foreign service, he met Yuri Andropov, who became his main patron. From 1974 until 1988, Kryuchkov headed the foreign intelligence branch of the KGB, the First Chief Directorate (PGU). During these years the Directorate was involved in funding and supporting various communist, socialist and anti-colonial movements across the world, some of which came to power in their countries and established pro-Soviet governments; in addition, under Kryuchkov's leadership the Directorate had major triumphs in penetrating Western intelligence agencies, acquiring valuable scientific and technical intelligence and perfecting the techniques of disinformation and active measures. At the same time however, during Kryuchkov's tenure the Directorate became plagued with defectors, had major responsibility for encouraging the Soviet government to invade Afghanistan and its ability to influence Western European communist parties diminished even further.
From 1988 until 1991, Kryuchkov served as the 7th Chairman of the KGB. He was the leader of the abortive August coup and the GKChP.
Kryuchkov was born in February 1924 in Tsaritsyn (later Stalingrad, and now Volgograd), to a working-class family. His parents were strong supporters of Joseph Stalin. He joined the Communist Party in 1944 and became a full-time employee of the Communist Youth League (Komsomol). After earning a law degree, Kryuchkov embarked on a career in the Soviet justice system, working as an investigator for the prosecutor's office in his home city of Stalingrad.
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