Biography:

Yevgeny Savchenko was born on April 8, 1950 in Krasnaya Yaruga in Kursk region which became Belgorod region in 1954. After high school and technical college he worked as agronomist in Rakiraynsky farm, and then as director of the farm. Going up the party ladder, he first worked in district and then in regional party bodies, the Central Committee and the Ministry of Agriculture of the RSFSR.  

On October 11, 1993 Viktor Berestov, former head of Belgorod administration, was dismissed from office. Boris Yeltsin appointed Savchenko acting head of administration of Belgorod region and on December 18 approved him in this post.

In 1995 he was elected governor by a majority of the votes.

In the 1999 he won the elections by a wide margin, leaving Vladimir Zhirinovsky behind.

In 2003 he was elected to a third term with 61% of the vote, outdoing the main opponent, Vasily Altukhov of the Communist party.

On June 6, 2007 Russian President Vladimir Putin once again proposed Savchenko as Governor and on June 16 he was re-confirmed in office.

Awards:

Order of Merit for the Fetherland, IV degree (2000)

Medal of Honour (1996)

Order "Badge of Honour"

Medal for promoting Emergency Matters (Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 2009)

Honourary Certificate of the President of the Russian Federation (2010)

Order of Merits, III degree (Ukraine, 2000)

He was a member of the Agrarian Party of Russia, and later joined United Russia.

Savchenko is known for persecution of all denominations but the Orthodox churches.

He is married and has two daughters.

Savchenkos income in 2010 amounted to 1.652 million rubles. List of the governor’s property for in 2010 comprised three items, all real estate. These include a land plot of ​​2.619 thousand square metres, a house of 167 square metres, and, thirdly, an apartment of 109.1 square metres. Head of the region owns no vehicles. Income of his wife, Nedazhda Savchenko, in 2010 amounted to 57.8 thousand rubles. She owned a third in a flat of ​​109.1 square metres.

Source: Wikipedia

 

Dossier:

 

In the late 1980s Savchenko held a high position in the regional hierarchy. According to the media, already at that time he was involved in speculative reallocation of Volga cars, intended for citizens who received social benefits from the state. More than 50 such cars were illegally sold. Savchenko was removed from office, and his accomplice served six months in Matrosskaya Tishina prison.

Source: Moskovsky Komsomolets, 06 October 2005

 

On March 28 Oleg Polukhin, Savchenko’s deputy, approved a plan to provide confessional security in 2010. The plan provided for the course on Spiritual Security in programmes of religious and educational centres, Sunday schools, in Belgorod Regional Training Institute, and Belgorod seminary. Classes in the framework of this course were held with the staff of youth affairs bodies within municipalities and local governments.

The regional library was supposed to promote the book Spiritual security and spiritual health of individuals, families and society by Andrey Khvyly-Olinter and to hold seminars on this book.

The plan also provided for prohibiting celebration of Valentine's Day and Halloween in educational, cultural and other subordinate institutions in cities and districts of the.

Source: SOVA Infrormational and analytical centre, 19 May 2010

 

In 2010 Vladimir Shatilo, head of Belgorod City Hall administration for consumer market, appealed to owners of local clubs, cafes and restaurants with a request to "deny premises" for holding “heavy metal music” concerts. The official said that the ban on rock concerts initiated under Governor Savchenko program designed "to ensure the spiritual safety of Belgorod region" and id necessary to "restraint activities of Satan."

Source: Kommersant, 20 May 2010

 

On February 14, 2011 the media reported that Belgorod extended the ban to prohibit the play Oxygen by Ivan Vyrypaev, Planet by Yevgeny Grishkovets, and The open couple by Dario Fo. The banning decision was made by arts council of the theatre chaired by Litvinova upon a request from Irina Ignatova the rector of Belgorod Institute.

Valentina Dubyanskaya, theatre art department head, confirmed the information concerning banning the plays. According to her, she supported the ban in order "to keep her job and that of Oksana Pogrebnyak, lecturer of theatre art."

The ban emerged due to the fact that plays by student theatre New Stage were found "spiritually dangerous." Moreover, according to Pogrebnyak, actors in the play The Moon and transformer by Andrey Krupin the university art council accused of pedophilia.

Source: Lenta.ru, 15 February 2011