Alexander Alexandrovich Volkov ( Udmurt and russian: Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Во́лков; 25 December 1951 – 20 May 2017) was the President of the Udmurt Republic. As President, Volkov was the highest official in the

Udmurt Republic Udmurtia (russian: Удму́ртия, r=Udmúrtiya, p=ʊˈdmurtʲɪjə; udm, Удмуртия, ''Udmurtija''), or the Udmurt Republic (russian: Удмуртская Республика, udm, Удмурт Республика, Удмурт � ...

, the head of the republic's highest executive body, and leader of its two million citizens. Volkov took office November 3, 2000, for a five-year term after the first presidential elections in the Udmurt Republic took place on October 15, 2000. Prior to the elections, Volkov was the speaker of the Udmurtia Republican Legislature.

Personal life

Born into a worker's large family, Alexander Volkov graduated from a technical school and then worked as a foreman, chief engineer, and head of a construction department while studying at the Polytechnic Institute. Volkov was an experienced and flexible regional politician whose 2000 election as President of the Udmurt Republic was "not exactly a birthday present for the Kremlin," according to political consultant Igor Mintoussov. The danger of terrorism was the main concern of many among Volkov's constituents, especially for the 600,000 residents of

Izhevsk Izhevsk (russian: Иже́вск, p=ɪˈʐɛfsk; udm, Ижкар, ''Ižkar'', or , ''Iž'') is the capital city of Udmurtia, Russia. It is situated along the Izh River, west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. It is the 21st-largest city i ...

, where Volkov occupied a palace and where Russia's oldest armaments factory is located, about 1,300 km east of

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

. Surrounding rural regions are relatively impoverished and were said to turn to Volkov and the Udmurtia Legislature for support. Along with Udmurt technical experts, Volkov negotiated with Gazprom, Russia's largest natural gas extractor, in collaborative efforts to develop the region's gas supply system and establishing a centralized gas distribution company. In President Volkov's most recent State of the Union address, he expressed appreciation that religious and interconfessional relations were stable last year, noting reconstruction began last year on the Saint Mikhail Cathedral, and that "this event is extremely outstanding." Volkov also stressed, "The growth of investment into economics of the Republic was and is the main task of the Government." Volkov died on 20 May 2017 in Germany, where he was being treated at a clinic.

Public image

There was a long-running conflict between Volkov and '' Zolotoya Provintsiya'' since his tenure as the parliamentary speaker of Udmurtia. Volkov was named 'Man of the Year' in a contest initially billed as 'Sex Symbol of the Year'. The next day, the publication hit the newsstands with a collage featuring the body of Michelangelo's David fitted with Volkov's head. Volkov found the image insulting and initiated a challenge that made its way to the Republican Constitutional Court. Zolotaya Provintsiya was charged with pornography, libel and invasion of privacy.

Honours and awards

* Order of Merit for the Fatherland 3rd class * Order of Merit for the Fatherland 4th class *

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds ...

Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" The Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" (russian: Медаль «В память 850-летия Москвы») is a commemorative medal of the Russian Federation created to denote the 850th anniversary of the city of Mos ...

Medal "In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg" The Medal "In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg" (russian: Медаль «В память 300-летия Санкт-Петербурга») is a state commemorative medal of the Russian Federation established on February ...

*Honoured Builder of the Russian Federation *Honoured Engineer of the Russian Federation

Personal life

Volkov was married to Nina Volkova and has two children. Volkov is also the grandfather of four children. His son, Andrey, is a notable alumni from the Izhevsk State Technical University, and his daughter, Vera is an attorney. His hobbies were football,

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

, and spending some time helping out in the

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

. Volkov was notably a very experienced musician, as he could play the accordion. When on holiday, Volkov usually went to

Bryansk Bryansk ( rus, Брянск, p=brʲansk) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Desna (river), River Desna, southwest of Moscow. Population: Geography Urban la ...

to meet his family. Volkov was fluent in

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

and could speak some

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

References

External links

Enc. Official SiteGazprom.ru Gazprom's delegation visited machine building compainies in Perm region and Udmurtia
* ttp://www.udmurt.ru/about/president/face/ Personal Life {{DEFAULTSORT:Volkov, Alexander Alexandrovich 1951 births 2017 deaths People from Bryansk Heads of the Udmurt Republic Members of the Federation Council of Russia (1994–1996) Members of the Federation Council of Russia (1996–2000) Members of the Federation Council of Russia (after 2000) United Russia politicians 21st-century Russian politicians Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class