Mikhail Vasilyevich Kovalev (; 16 August 1925 – 5 July 2007) was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic from 10 January 1986 to 7 April 1990. He led the BSSR when the Chernobyl disaster 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 Vyacheslav Frantsevich Kebich ( be, Вячаслаў Францавіч Кебіч, Vjačaslaŭ Francavič Kjebič , russian: Вячесла́в Фра́нцевич Ке́бич; 10 June 1936 – 9 December 2020) was a Belarusian politician and ...

, who then served as the first Prime Minister of independent

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

. He was born on 16 August 1925 in Dubrovytsia, Klimovichi district, Mogilev. Kovalev fought during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

with the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

. In 1954, he graduated from the Leningrad Mining Institute. He participated in the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sou ...

, 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 Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

, 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