The "Dnipropetrovsk Mafia" was the name given to an informal group of Soviet politicians who held high office while

Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; uk, links= no, Леонід Ілліч Брежнєв, . (19 December 1906– 10 November 1982) was a Soviet Union, Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Gener ...

was First Secretary or General Secretary of the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union "Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first) Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...

(CPSU) in 1964–82, whom he knew from his time as a provincial party official in 1946–56. The group took its name from the

Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper Rive ...

region of Ukraine, where Leonid Brezhnev began his political career after graduating from the Dnipropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute. He was First Secretary of the

Zaporizhzhia Oblast Zaporizhzhia Oblast ( uk, Запорі́зька о́бласть, translit=Zaporizka oblast), also referred to as Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запорі́жжя, links=no), is an oblast (province) of southeast Ukraine. Its capital is Zaporizhzhia. The ...

regional party committee in 1946–48, the Dnipropetrovsk party committee in 1948–50, and the Central Committee of the

Communist Party of Moldavia The Communist Party of Moldavia ( ro, Partidul Comunist al Moldovei, PCM; Moldovan Cyrillic: Партидул Комунист ал Молдовей; russian: Коммунистическая партия Молдавии) was the ruling and the ...

in 1950–52. Most members of the 'mafia' were pensioned off – or, in a few cases, arrested – either soon after Brezhnev died, in 1982, or when

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

took over as General Secretary of the CPSU in 1985.

Members

, General-Secretary of the Communist Party 1964–1982. *

Konstantin Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko uk, Костянтин Устинович Черненко, translit=Kostiantyn Ustynovych Chernenko (24 September 1911 – 10 March 1985) was a Soviet politician and the seventh General Secretary of the Commun ...

, General-Secretary of the Communist Party following

Yuri Andropov Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov (– 9 February 1984) was the sixth paramount leader of the Soviet Union and the fourth General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. After Leonid Brezhnev's 18-year rule, Andropov served in the po ...

's death, 1984–1985. *

Nikolai Tikhonov Nikolai Aleksandrovich Tikhonov (russian: Николай Александрович Тихонов; ukr, Микола Олександрович Тихонов; – 1 June 1997) was a Soviet Russian-Ukrainian statesman during the Cold War. H ...

, Premier of the Soviet Union 1980–1985. *

Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko (russian: Андрей Геннадьевич Кириленко; born February 18, 1981) is a Russian-American basketball executive and former professional basketball player, currently the commissioner of the Russ ...

, Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee 1966–76. *

Volodymyr Shcherbytsky Volodymyr Vasylyovych Shcherbytsky, russian: Влади́мир Васи́льевич Щерби́цкий; ''Vladimir Vasilyevich Shcherbitsky'', (17 February 1918 — 16 February 1990) was a Ukrainian Soviet politician. He was First Secr ...

, First Secretary of the

Communist Party of Ukraine The Communist Party of Ukraine, Abbreviation: KPU, from Ukrainian and Russian "" is a banned political party in Ukraine. It was founded in 1993 as the successor to the Soviet-era Communist Party of Ukraine which was banned in 1991 (accord ...

1972–89. *

Viktor Chebrikov Viktor Mikhailovich Chebrikov (russian: Виктор Михайлович Чéбриков; 27 April 1923 – 2 July 1999) was a Soviet public official and security administrator and head of the KGB from December 1982 to October 1988.Montgomery, ...

, Deputy Chairman of the KGB 1968–82, Chairman of the KGB 1982–1988. * Semyon Tsvigun, First Deputy Chairman of the KGB 1967–1982. *

Nikolai Shchelokov Nikolai Anisimovich Shchelokov; uk, Микола Онисимович Щолоков ( – 13 December 1984) was a Soviet statesman and army general who served sixteen years as minister of internal affairs from 17 September 1966 to 17 Decembe ...

, Minister of Interior 1966–1982. * Georgi Tsinev, Deputy Chairman of the KGB 1970–82. *

Veniamin Dymshits Veniamin Emmanuilovich Dymshits (February 15, 1910,German National Library, Berlin State Library, Bavarian State Library, Austrian National Library /General Regulatory Control– 2012–2016 Feodosia, Taurida Governorate – May 23, 1993, Moscow ...

, Chairman of

Gosplan The State Planning Committee, commonly known as Gosplan ( rus, Госплан, , ɡosˈpɫan), was the agency responsible for central economic planning in the Soviet Union. Established in 1921 and remaining in existence until the dissolution of ...

1962–85. * Konstantin Grushevoi, head of the political administration of the Moscow Military District 1965–1982. * Ivan Novikov, Deputy Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers responsible for the construction industry 1962–1983. * Georgi Pavlov, Chief of Administration of the Central Committee of the CPSU 1965–1983. * Georgi Tsukanov, Personal Assistant to the General Secretary of the Central Committee, (i.e. head of Brezhnev's private office) 1966–1983. * Sergei Trapeznikov, head of the Science and Education Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU, 1965–1983.

References

{{Reflist Dnipro Communist Party of the Soviet Union Leonid Brezhnev Politics of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma Yulia Tymoshenko