Nikolai Mitkin ( lt, Nikolajus Mitkinas, russian: Николай Андреевич Митькин, 13 March 1929 – 9 February 1998) was a figure 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 ...

Biography

In 1953, Mitkin graduated from the Karelia-Finnish University. In 1954, he joined the

(CPSU). From 1959 to 1961, he worked at the Karelian Regional Committee of CPSU. Later, he was secretary (1961–1963) and 2nd secretary (1963–1965) of the Petrozavodsk city committee of the CPSU. In 1968, he graduated from the and became a candidate of historical sciences. He then worked as a lecturer at the Karelian Regional Committee of CPSU (1968–1969) and instructor of the

Central Committee Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of Communist party, communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party org ...

of CPSU (1969–1984). In 1986, he became the Second Secretary of the Communist Party of Lithuania (CPL), joined the Central Committee and the Bureau of CPL. He was also elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR. In the Lithuanian SSR, Mitkin worked to suppress the independence movement. In January–February 1988, he coordinated actions against commemoration of Lithuania's independence day on February 16. He unsuccessfully tried to prevent the establishment of Sąjūdis, openly calling it fascist and demanding that its members be expelled from the communist party. In 1988, due to his staunch belief in Marxism-Leninism and personal ambitions, his resignation was demanded by employees of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences and participants in Sąjūdis' rallies. On 28 September 1988, on Mitkin's initiative and with the approval of the first secretary of CPL Ringaudas Songaila, special units of the Internal Troops of the Soviet Union were used against the participants of a peaceful rally organized by the

Lithuanian Liberty League The Lithuanian Liberty League or LLL ( lt, Lietuvos laisvės lyga) was a dissident organization in the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic and a political party in independent Republic of Lithuania. Established as an underground resistance group ...

. In October 1988, Mitkin was dismissed from his duties by a decision of the Central Committee of the CPL. It was the first time that CPL overrode decisions of the Central Committee of CPSU. Vytautas Tininis. ''Nikolajus Mitkinas''. Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija, T. XV (Mezas-Nagurskiai). – Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas, 2009. 254 psl.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitkin, Nikolai 1929 births 1998 deaths Party leaders of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania