Oleh Meydanovych Babaiev (; October 21, 1965 – July 26, 2014) was a Ukrainian politician and an owner of two professional football clubs in the
Poltava Oblast
Poltava Oblast (), also referred to as Poltavshchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of central Ukraine. The capital city, administrative center of the oblast is the city of Poltava. Most of its territory was par ...
Kremenchuk
Kremenchuk (; , , also spelt Kremenchug, ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The city serves as the administrative center of Kremenchuk Raion and Kremenchuk urban hromada within ...
.Oleg Babaev He was assassinated in his car in front of his house on July 26, 2014.
Biography
Oleh Meydanovych Babaiev was born in 1965 in
Kursk
Kursk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur (Kursk Oblast), Kur, Tuskar, and Seym (river), Seym rivers. It has a population of
Kursk ...
,
Russian SFSR
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...
. He was of Azerbaijani descent. After completing high school in Kursk in 1982, he studied at the Higher Military-Political College in
Minsk
Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...
and graduated in 1986. He eventually moved to Ukraine, while his parents remained residents of Kursk. In 2000, he graduated from
Kyiv University
The Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (; also known as Kyiv University, Shevchenko University, or KNU) is a public university in Kyiv, Ukraine.
The university is the third-oldest university in Ukraine after the University of Lviv and ...
.
From 1986 to 1990 Babaiev served in the
Soviet Army
The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army.
After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...
. He was stationed in the Soviet Union's Far East and later in
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. After the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, Babaiev's unit withdrew from Czechoslovakia and he was stationed in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
. In 1990, he obtained Ukrainian citizenship. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Babaiev served as a reserve officer in the
Ukrainian army
The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...
until 1996, eventually reaching the rank of colonel. He became Chairman of JSC Kremenchukmyaso in 1998 and President of a football club,
FC Vorskla Poltava
FC Vorskla Poltava ( ) is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Poltava. The team set to compete in Ukrainian First League, the second tier of Football in Ukraine, Ukrainian football after relegation from Ukrainian Premier League in ...
, in 2005. He was also the honorary president of
FC Kremin Kremenchuk
Football Club Kremin Kremenchuk (; ) is a professional association football, football club based in Kremenchuk, Ukraine. The current club is administered by the city of Kremenchuk and was established in 2003, but it traces its heritage to the pr ...
(lower leagues).
Babaiev was elected to the
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameralism, unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 Deputy (legislator), deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovn ...
All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland"
The All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" (), referred to as Batkivshchyna (), is a political party in Ukraine led by People's Deputy of Ukraine, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. As the core party of the former Yulia Tymoshenko Blo ...
, but left the party in late 2010 after he was elected Mayor of
Kremenchuk
Kremenchuk (; , , also spelt Kremenchug, ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The city serves as the administrative center of Kremenchuk Raion and Kremenchuk urban hromada within ...
(with 42.34% of the votes), stating that "The mayor should be apolitical". As mayor, Oleh Babaiev was perhaps best known for the recreational projects he promoted within the city. Being an avid sportsman, Babaiev invested heavily in rebuilding the aging
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
-era parks and sports stadiums within the city. Some of the most notable parks to be restored under Babaiev's tenure as mayor of Kremenchuk were the October Square, later renamed Babaiev Square after his honor, and the Pridneprovsky Park in the city's center.
Death
Babaiev was shot dead on July 26, 2014.Mayor of central Ukrainian city shot dead
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency ...
Ukrainian Interior Ministry
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (; ; ) is the ministry of the Ukrainian government that oversees the interior affairs of Ukraine.
History
Name
*People's Committee of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR (1919–1930, regional au ...
, he was killed in his car in front of his house when an unidentified person fired three shots from a gun with a silencer from another car. 50,000 people attended his funeral, including
Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...