Kravchenko Yuri: biography and photos

Kravchenko Yuri Fedorovich - minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine of the times Leonid Kuchma, whose supporter he was. At the peak of his career left the service because of the "cassette scandal" that broke out in the fall of 2000 after the murder of journalist G. Gongadze. What is known about this person who died in March 2005 as a result of suicide, the reality of which is still impossible to believe?

Short biography, education

A native of the Kirovograd region (the city of Alexandria) was born on March 5, 1951. The young man could make a sporting career, had the abilities and excellent physical data (height - 190 cm), but life connected him with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he traveled from the youngest ranks.

The first educational institution after school was the local industrial technical school, after which began working at the mine. An electrician by profession, Yuri Kravchenko served in the army, after which he worked in Kirovograd at the Yatran factory. In 1978 he completed his studies at the Higher School of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Gorky), returning to his native Kirovograd region, where he began his career with a rank-and-file inspector of the OBKhSS. Already in adulthood in Kharkov he defended his thesis on jurisprudence, received his doctorate.

Career

Ten years after receiving the diploma at the university, Kravchenko Yuri Fedorovich (photo presented in the article) rose to the head of the regional police department. This was preceded by work in the department of the threat to the native Alexandria, which he headed at the age of thirty. Transfer to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR to the post of the head of the department combating drug addiction, and then the appointment of the deputy head of the 7th Directorate, secured a career rise.

At 41 (1992) he was already deputy minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR, and several years later he headed the State Customs Committee. It was from this post in 1995 that Kravchenko will be appointed Minister of Internal Affairs. Ambitious, strong-willed, he was the owner of rare qualities that earned him the respect of his fellow citizens. An educated, responsible, real patriot and a great family man (with his wife Tatyana Petrovna, the couple lived in peace and harmony for over 30 years, raising two daughters), Kravchenko Yuri was named among Leonid Kuchma's successors.

"Cassette scandal"

Everything changed from a resonant case about the violent death of an opposition journalist who disappeared in September 2000 - Georgy Gongadze. In the hands of the deputy A. Moroz, there were 300-hour audio recordings from the office, which recorded the conversation between President Kuchma, the head of his administration V. Lytvyn and Minister Yu. Kravchenko about the liquidation of the undesirable journalist. Records transferred Nikolai Melnichenko, personal bodyguard Leonid Kuchma, hiding in the US. Two months later, Gogadze's disfigured body without a head was discovered in Tarashchansky forest.

The examination did not confirm or deny the reliability of audio cassettes. Subsequently, the court does not recognize the possibility of appealing to them as evidence in the murder case, but a wave of protest against Kuchma began in the country, as a result of which Kravchenko Yuri lost his post in March 2001.

Further activities

First, the ex-minister headed the Kherson administration, then for a short time led the Institute of Law, until in 2002 he was appointed chairman of the STAU. But he lost this post two years later. Public man, who loved to be in the spotlight, it was morally difficult for him to stay out of work. Living in an elite village near Kiev, he could not help but understand that he was being watched outdoors. Under the influence of the "orange revolution" in 2004, the investigation into the Gongadze case was resumed. Under suspicion were police officers, led by General A. Pukach.

On March 3, 2005, Prosecutor General S. Piskun reported to the press: for interrogation Yuri Kravchenko, former Minister of Internal Affairs, was summoned. The new president, Viktor Yushchenko, publicly announced the complete completion of the investigation of the case. It remains only to arrest A. Pukach, who was wanted. In 2009, he will be detained. When referring the case to the court, the Prosecutor General's Office officially recognized the existence of an oral order by the Minister of the Interior to liquidate an opposition journalist.

March 2005: the tragic death

The defendant himself failed to confirm or deny the statement, because he did not appear for questioning. On March 4, he was found dead in the shed of a country house among the garbage baskets. On the eve he was going to visit his daughter Irina, who had recently given birth to her grandson. Instead, he shot himself twice in the head with an award pistol. The presence of a suicide note, found in the inner pocket of trousers, allowed the development of a single version, which the investigation followed - suicide.

Do Ukrainians believe that Yuri Kravchenko did it himself? Survey statistics show that most exclude suicide, because the general was too fond of life and himself. In addition, there are many circumstances that raise doubts in the official version.

Insolvency of the official version

Kravchenko's guilt in the murder of Gongadze is based on an audio record not recognized by the court, and the testimony of A. Pukach. He, sentenced to life imprisonment, said that he was ready to accept punishment if he was followed by L. Kuchma and V. Lytvyn. Friends and relatives doubt that Yuriy Kravchenko would sacrifice his reputation at the peak of his career and give the order to eliminate a person. Especially knowing that there is a listening system in his office.

Professionals find in the actions of the investigation into the suicide case of the former minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there are many shortcomings. They are interested in answers to a number of questions:

• Where is the notebook and pen necessary for writing a suicide note?
• How could a second shot be made by a man who, after the first, was supposed to be unconscious?
• Why on the right hand there are no traces of blood, and on cartridges - fingerprints of the murdered?
• How did the sleeves find themselves at a remote distance from each other?

Kravcheno Yuri is buried in the Baikovo cemetery, where on the 10th anniversary of his death many Kievites came to know the truth about the demise of a well-known person in the country. They still hope that justice will triumph and the mystery of the death of the general will finally be revealed.