Mikhail Vasilyevich Kovalev (; 16 August 1925 – 5 July 2007) was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of

Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор� ...

from 10 January 1986 to 7 April 1990. He led the BSSR when the

Chernobyl disaster The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. It is one of only two nuc ...

happened in neighboring Ukraine. He was preceded by

Vladimir Brovikov Vladimir Ignatevich Brovikov ( Belarusian: Уладзімір Ігнатавіч Бровікаў) (12 May 1931 – 10 February 1992) was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic from 8 July 1983 to 10 Jan ...

and succeeded by Vyacheslav Kebich, who then served as the first Prime Minister of independent Belarus. He was born on 16 August 1925 in Dubrovytsia, Klimovichi district, Mogilev. Kovalev fought during World War II with the Red Army. In 1954, he graduated from the Leningrad Mining Institute. He participated in the Great Patriotic War, was wounded twice. After 1948 he worked at the Minsk Engine Plant. From 1954 - 1962 he was master, foreman, chief of construction management, and head of building trust No. 1 in Minsk. From 1962 - 1966 he was head of the Construction Department and head of the construction trust No. 3 in Soligorsk. He became the Deputy Minister of Construction of the BSSR in 1966. From 1967 to 1977 he was Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee. From 1977 to 1978 he was First Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Committee of the BSSR. He then served as the first deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Byelorussian SSR. He died on 5 July 2007 in Minsk, and was buried in Minsk Eastern Cemetery.

References

1925 births 2007 deaths Eleventh convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Belarusian people of World War II Heads of government of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic Mayors of Minsk Members of the Central Committee of the 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Byelorussia Members of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic People from Klimavichy District Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Order of the Red Star Saint Petersburg Mining University alumni Soviet military personnel of World War II {{Belarus-politician-stub