Ukrainian politician, former head of the Transcarpathian and Luhansk regional state administrations Gennady Moskal has passed away. He died at the age of 73 after a long and difficult illness.
Death of Gennady Moskal
Gennady Moskal’s relatives claim that he had cancer. Periodically, he traveled to the border to treat his illness, but constantly lived and worked on the territory of Ukraine.
Gennady Moskal was a police general during Kuchma's presidency (from 1994 to 2005). At the same time, he led the fight against banditry in Crimea.
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Subsequently, Gennady Moskal became a close associate of former Ukrainian presidents Viktor Yushchenko and Petro Poroshenko, and was also a critic of the current head of state Vladimir Zelensky.
Gennady Moskal — facts from biography
Gennady Moskal was born on December 11, 1950 in the village of Zadubrovka, Chernivtsi region, into a family of employees. His father, Gennady Khadeyovich Gaifulin, was a Tatar. Mother — Stepania Pavlovna Moskal.
In 1970, Gennady Moskal completed his studies at the Chernivtsi College of Railway Transport. As a 20-year-old boy, he became an inspector of cars in the carriage department of the Ternopil branch of the Lviv Railway.
And from November 1970 until 1972, he served in military service in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union.
Soon he entered the Lvov Special Secondary Police School of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, and in 1975 he began working in the internal affairs bodies. He held positions from inspector to deputy minister of internal affairs of Ukraine, police lieutenant general.
In 1973 — In 1978, Gennady Moskl worked as an inspector, senior inspector of the internal affairs department of the Leninsky Regional Department of Internal Affairs of the city of Chernivtsi, head of the criminal investigation department of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Chernivtsi Regional Executive Committee, first deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Chernivtsi region, head of the criminal police and held other positions.
Fighting crime in Crimea
He became famous throughout Ukraine after the fight against criminal gangs in Crimea, which took place in 1997 — 2000 Then he was the chief of the Crimean police and was the deputy minister of internal affairs.
— He managed to defeat the local terrible and all-powerful criminal groups Salem and Bashmaki, and decriminalize the Crimean government. It was a cruel and terrible struggle. This will remain one of the very important pages in the history of Crimea, — says editor-in-chief of Black Sea News Andrey Klimenko.
The Ukrainian journalist is convinced that Gennady Moskal did not trust anyone in Crimea, thanks to him he fought crime on the peninsula.
Political career
In 2001, Gennady Moskal became the head of the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration. He was appointed to this position by the then President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma.
During the time of fugitive President Viktor Yushchenko, Moskal served as Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs (in 2005), head of the Lugansk Regional State Administration (2005 — 2006), presidential representative in Crimea (2006 — 2007), Deputy Head of the SBU (in 2007).
In the period from 2007 to 2014, Gennady Moskal was a people's deputy in the Verkhovna Rada from the political parties Our Ukraine and Batkivshchyna. In 2014, he was expelled from Batkivshchyna when Yulia Tymoshenko returned to leadership.
Position of the head of the Lugansk region
However, Moskal returned to government power, heading the Luhansk Regional State Administration during the Russian invasion in September 2014.
— Now no one will say that Kyiv is appointing “Benderites” to lead the eastern Ukraine. On the contrary — only Muscovites, — he joked then.
Former Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko remembered that Gennady Moskal loved extreme sports, could use obscene language, but worked around the clock just for the people.
— Fuel, American maternity center, textbooks for schools, fortifications, water and bread in front-line villages. For this, even his enemies respected him, — Yuriy Lutsenko is convinced.
Photo: UNIAN
Work in Transcarpathia
In July 2015, riots occurred in Mukachevo, after which the then President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko appointed Gennady Moskal as head of the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration.
Already in 2019, when the second round of presidential elections took place in 2019, Gennady Moskal resigned. He supported Poroshenko even after he did not win the election.
In 2022, when Russia carried out a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Gennady Moskal almost stopped conducting public activities.
What is Gennady Moskal remembered for
Gennady Moskal is remembered for his vivid statements, sometimes with the use of profanity and surzhik. He criticized various opponents and people whom he considered involved in criminal activities.
In 2015, Gennady Moskal did not allow a truck with alcohol to enter the temporarily occupied territory of the Lugansk region, which was then controlled by militants of the so-called LPR.
— If you feed terrorists, then you are at one with them. They staged a riot and threats against me. I don’t care about your threats, you will walk on both sides. Beer? Let them drink urine. They wanted a referendum? Let them provide it, — Gennady Moskal said then.
In March 2015, Gennady Moskal said that it was impossible to hold democratic elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
— Theoretically it is possible, but practically — No. So that Plotnitsky, his company and gangs democratically give power? To whom — Efremov and Tikhonov? I very little believe in this. Hypothetically, this can be allowed, practically — No. And are they really in control? They are being led by Russia, or more precisely by a group formed from intelligence and administrative bodies from Putin’s entourage. Will he allow the transfer of power in the occupied territories to someone else? Perhaps only God can say. I think not, — he said.
During the same period, Moskal threatened to beat up political scientist Oleg Soskin because, in his opinion, he had insulted the residents of the Lugansk region.
— I don’t know who was so smart talking about “Lugandonia”. Residents of the Lugansk region live here, and not “Lugandonia”. Whoever said this himself… Come here and fight, and don't appear on TV, — Gennady Moskal said live.
And already in the summer of 2015, Gennady Moskal ironized that the militants “LPR” come almost every day.
— I am here all the time and hear: “LPR” is coming. Either on Thursday, then on Friday, then from 1, then from 15 (dates of the month, — Ed.). We are looking forward to them with great impatience. We have everything ready to receive them. Even the coffins have already been ordered, — said Moskal.
Even then he was convinced that Russia would recognize “LDNR”.
— Russia recognizes “LPR” and “DPR”. But not within these “borders”. That is, they have plans to chop off another piece of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions from us. After this they recognize them, — he noted.
Referring to his own sources, in 2015 Gennady Moskal said that the militants, or rather Russia, need access to the sea through Mariupol. The aggressor country implemented these plans later, when it carried out a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
— To the north they need Artemovsk and Popasnaya. This is all one springboard. They take Artemovsk — depriving Ukraine of salt. Popasnaya — This is the last major railway junction in the Luhansk region that remains under Ukraine. From the last house in Popasnaya to the nearest militant position is about 4 km, — stated Moskal.
In the spring of 2020, Gennady Moskal became ill while broadcast on one of the Ukrainian TV channels.
The studio began to discuss one of the important political topics, but Moskal could not answer the question properly, and later fell silent altogether. Then doctors took him away with a suspected stroke, and the live broadcast had to be interrupted.
Soon the media reported that Gennady Moskal’s condition had been stabilized. Then this was explained by a sharp drop in pressure.
