Heorhiy Kirpa statue inside Uzhhorod Uzhhorod railway station

Heorhiy Mykolayovych Kirpa ( uk, Георгій Миколайович Кірпа) (20 July 1946 in Klubivka, Khmelnytskyi Oblast – 27 December 2004 in Bortnychi,

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

) was a Ukrainian railway manager, statesman and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

, best known as the head of the

Ukrzaliznytsia Ukrainian Railways ( uk, Укрзалізниця, Ukrzaliznytsia, abbreviated as UZ) is a state-owned joint-stock company of rail transport in Ukraine, a monopoly that controls the vast majority of the railroad transportation in the country. I ...

national railway company and Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications under President

Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma ( uk, Леоні́д Дани́лович Ку́чма; born 9 August 1938) is a Ukrainian politician who was the second president of Ukraine from 19 July 1994 to 23 January 2005. Kuchma's presidency saw numerous corru ...

Political career

In May 2002, Kirpa was appointed Minister of Transport by the then President Leonid Kuchma and on April 23 was awarded an honourable title

Hero of Ukraine Hero of Ukraine (HOU; uk, Герой України, ''Heroi Ukrainy'') is the highest national title that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the President of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as ...

. In a publicly debated move in 2003, the President placed paramilitary railroad armed forces under the direction of Kirpa. Kirpa was a staunch supporter of Prime Minister

Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych ( uk, Віктор Федорович Янукович, ; ; born 9 July 1950) is a former politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 until he was removed from office in the Revolution of D ...

, and the BBC described him as "one of the most influential figures" in Yanukovych's government.

Death

Heorhiy Kirpa was found shot dead at his holiday home in Bortnychi (the outskirt of Kyiv), on 27 December 2004. The official police report states that Kirpa committed suicide.POLICE CONFIRM GEORGI KIRPA'S DEATH AS SUICIDE

Ukrinform The National News Agency of Ukraine ( uk, Українське національне інформаційне агентство), or Ukrinform ( uk, Укрінформ), is a state information and news agency, and international broadcaster of ...

(6 January 2005)

Remembrance

Late December 2009 the

Southwestern Railways Southwestern Railways (PZZ), ( uk, Південно-Західна залізниця) headquartered in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, is a component part of the Ukrzaliznytsia company, its regional branch. It is named "Southwestern" because it ...

requested the

Kyiv City Council Kyiv City Council ( uk, Київська міська рада, translit=Kyivska miska rada), also known as Kyivrada ( uk, Київрада), is the city council of Kyiv municipality, the highest representative body of the city community. The me ...

to rename

Petrozavodsk Petrozavodsk (russian: Петрозаводск, p=pʲɪtrəzɐˈvotsk; Karelian, Vepsian and fi, Petroskoi) is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, which stretches along the western shore of Lake Onega for some . The population ...

a Street, which is located in the Solomianskyi Raion of Kyiv, as Heorhiy Kirpa Street.Southwestern Railroad asks Kyiv council to rename a street

Kyiv Post The ''Kyiv Post'' is the oldest English-language newspaper in Ukraine, founded in October 1995 by Jed Sunden. History American Jed Sunden founded the ''Kyiv Post'' weekly newspaper on Oct. 18, 1995 and later created KP Media for his holdings. ...

(24 December 2009) The Bortnychi railway station, the closest to Kirpa's residence and death place, was renamed "Heorhiy Kirpa Station" in his honor by Ukrzaliznytsia.

Key projects

*Bridges:

New Darnytskyi Bridge The New Darnytskyi Bridge () is a combined road and railroad bridge in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It spans across the Dnieper River connecting the left and right banks of the city, the Darnytsia and Holosiiv districts of Kyiv, respectively. ...

*Train stations: Uzhhorod railway station, Darnytsia railway station, Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi, Karavaevi Dachi railway station *Highways: Highway M05 *Other: Sports Palace "Lokomotyv"

References

External links

Reaction to his appointment as Minister of Transport
1946 births 2004 deaths Ukrainian politicians who committed suicide Suicides by firearm in Ukraine Ukrainian rail workers Transport ministers of Ukraine Recipients of the title of Hero of Ukraine People from Khmelnytskyi Oblast 2003 Tuzla Island conflict Revival (Ukraine) politicians Ukrainian Railways Laureates of the State Prize of Ukraine in the Field of Architecture Laureates of the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology {{Ukraine-business-bio-stub