Skip to content

← Home

Leonid Melnykov

Leonid Melnykov was a Soviet party and state figure, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Ukraine (CP(b)U) in 1949–1953, and a direct participant in the adoption of strategic decisions regarding the infrastructure reconstruction of the southern regions of Ukraine.

Overview

As head of the Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU), Leonid Melnykov was responsible for the political and administrative leadership of the republic during the deployment of large-scale "construction projects of communism," in particular the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station, the Southern Ukraine and North Crimea canals. Through his direct involvement, the republican apparatus of the Ukrainian SSR took upon itself the burden of supplying these all-Union projects with human and material resources, forming a unified economic complex of the South.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Leadership of reconstruction: Under Melnykov's control, key decisions of the Central Committee of the CP(b)U and the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR were adopted regarding the mobilization of labor reserves (organized recruitment) for the construction projects of the South.
  • Interaction with Moscow: He was forced to balance between the directives of the Union leadership and the real economic capabilities of the Ukrainian SSR, in a situation where the declared gigantic budgets of the Union center turned into symbolic funding, while the main financial burden fell on the republic's budget.
  • Personnel policy: He was responsible for forming government commissions and appointing managerial personnel to the strategic infrastructure facilities of the South.