Oleh Babaiev

Oleh Meydanovych Babaiev (Ukrainian: Олег Мейданович Бабаєв; October 21, 1965, Kursk, Russian SFSR — July 26, 2014, Kremenchuk, Ukraine) was a Ukrainian politician and an owner of two professional football clubs in the Poltava Oblast.[1] In 2010, he was elected Mayor of Kremenchuk.[2]

Oleh Babaiev
Mayor of Kremenchuk
In office
2010–2014
Member of the Verkhovna Rada
In office
2007–2010
Personal details
Born
Oleh Meydanovych Babayev

(1965-10-21)October 21, 1965
Kursk, Russian SFSR, USSR
DiedJuly 26, 2014(2014-07-26) (aged 48)
Kremenchuk, Ukraine
Political partyAll-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" (until 2010)
Alma materKiev University

Life and career

Babaiev was born in 1965 in Kursk, Russian SFSR.[2] He was of Azerbaijani descent.[2][3][4] After completing high school in Kursk in 1982, he studied at the Higher Military-Political College in Minsk and graduated in 1986. He eventually moved to Ukraine, while his parents remained residents of Kursk.[5] In 2000, he graduated from Kiev University.

From 1986–1990 Babaiev served in the Soviet Army. He was stationed in the Soviet Union's far east and later in Czechoslovakia. After the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, Babaiev's unit withdrew from Czechoslovakia and he was stationed in Kiev. In 1990, he obtained Ukrainian citizenship. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Babaiev served as a reserve officer in the Ukrainian army until 1996, eventually reaching the rank of colonel.[6] He became Chairman of JSC Kremenchukm'yaso in 1998 and President of a football club, FC Vorskla Poltava, in 2005. He was also honorary president of FC Kremin Kremenchuk (lower leagues).

Memorial to Oleh Babaiev located in Kremenchuk

Babaiev was elected to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) in the 2007 parliamentary election. He was a member of the All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland", but left the party in late 2010 after he was elected Mayor of Kremenchuk (with 42.34% of the votes), stating that "The mayor should be apolitical".[7] As mayor, Oleh Babaiev was perhaps best known for the recreational projects he promoted within the city. Being an avid sportsman, Babaiev invested heavily to rebuild the aging 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 18-hectare (44-acre) Pridneprovsky Park in the city's center.[8][9][10]

Babaiev was shot dead on July 26, 2014.[11] According to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, 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.[11] 50,000 people attended his funeral, including Kiev mayor Vitaly Klitchko.[12] On January 19, 2015, a memorial to Oleh Babaiev was unveiled in Kremenchuk. The building of the memorial was financed by the slain mayor's friends. Babaiev's parents opened the memorial. The memorial is located in one of the city parks that the mayor was instrumental in restoring.[13]

References
  1. (in Ukrainian) Biography, D A T A
  2. Oleg Babaev (in Ukrainian)
  3. "More Azerbaijanis made it to Ukraine parliament". Azeri Press Agency. 2007-12-19. Archived from the original on 2012-02-25.
  4. "Two Azerbaijanis find way to Ukrainian parliament". Azeri Press Agency. 2007-10-01. Archived from the original on 2012-02-25.
  5. У міліції – кілька версій вбивства Бабаєва [Police: Several versions of the Babaiev Murder]. Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  6. Интервью с народным депутатом Украины Олегом Бабаевом. MBFUAD.ru (in Ukrainian). Международный благотворительный фонд. Archived from the original on 2014-07-29.
  7. Новий мер Кременчука пішов з "Батьківщини" [The new mayor of Kremenchuk left "Fatherland"]. NewsMarket.com.ua (in Ukrainian). 2010-11-12. Archived from the original on 2010-12-22.
  8. А в результаті – пшик! [The result: zilch] (in Ukrainian). Kremenchuk Panorama. 2013-12-30.
  9. "РЕКОНСТРУКЦИЮ ПАРКА КУЛЬТУРЫ И ОТДЫХА "ПРИДНЕПРОВСКИЙ" В ЭТОМ ГОДУ ПРОДОЛЖАТ". Kremenchuk Online.
  10. "Сквер "Октябрьский" переименуют в сквер им. Олега Бабаева". Kremenchuk Today.
  11. Mayor of central Ukrainian city shot dead, Reuters (26 July 2014)
    Former Azerbaijani Deputy of Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, mayor of Kremenchuk Oleh Babayev murdered Archived 2014-07-30 at the Wayback Machine, Azerbaijan Press Agency (26 July 2014)
    У Кременчуці застрелили мера (Ukrainian)
  12. На похороны мэра-азербайджанца пришли десятки тысяч человек. haqqin.az (in Russian). Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  13. "В Кременчуге открыли памятник мэру Олегу Бабаеву Больше читайте тут". Telegraph.
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