Boris Gromov

Boris Vsevolodovich Gromov (Бори́с Все́володович Гро́мов; born 7 November 1943) is a Russian politician and former military officer.

Born 7 November 1943 in Saratov, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, he graduated from a Suvorov military cadet school, the Leningrad Military Commanders School and later from the Frunze Military Academy in Moscow, as well as the General Staff Academy.

Gromov's candidacy for the post of governor was unanimously supported by deputies of the 4th Moscow Oblast Duma, with all 50 members voting for him.

During the Soviet–Afghan War, Gromov did three tours of duty (1980–1982, 1985–1986, 1987–1989), and was best known for the two years as the last Commander of the 40th Army in Afghanistan.

Deployed thrice to fight in the Soviet–Afghan War, Gromov was the last Soviet soldier in Afghanistan on 15 February 1989; he commanded the 40th Army and oversaw the Soviet withdrawal.

Gromov was the last Soviet soldier to leave Afghanistan, crossing on foot the Friendship Bridge spanning the Amu-Daria river on 15 February 1989, the day the Soviet pullout from Afghanistan was completed.

He received the highest military award – the golden star of the Hero of the Soviet Union after Operation Magistral had lifted the siege of the city of Khost in eastern Afghanistan.

During the Red Army withdrawal in February 1989, 30 to 40 military trucks crammed with Afghan historical treasures crossed into the Soviet Union, under orders from General Boris Gromov.

He cut an antique Tekke carpet stolen from Darul Aman Palace into several pieces, and gave it to his acquaintances.

After the Afghan War, he was chosen as a candidate for vice president by the Communist Party in the Russian presidential election of 1991 (the candidate for president was former premier Nikolai Ryzhkov).

He served as First Deputy Defence Minister of the Russian Federation.

In 1994, Gromov retired from the Russian Armed Forces, and was soon appointed deputy Interior Minister.

He was elected, in 1995, to the State Duma, lower house of the Russian parliament.

He was the Governor of Moscow Oblast between January 2000 and May 2012.

In January 2000, he was elected governor of the Moscow Oblast and re-elected in December 2003.

In June 2003, Boris Gromov announced his intention to run for a second term as governor of the Moscow Oblast.

On 28 August, at a conference of the Moscow Oblast branch of the United Russia party, Gromov was invited to head the party's regional list in the State Duma elections.

In September, he was included in the federal list of the United Russia party No. 1 in the Moscow Oblast regional group to participate in the elections to the 4th State Duma.

On 17 September 2003, deputies of the Moscow Oblast Duma granted Gromov's request to shorten his term of office and scheduled elections for the governor of the Moscow Oblast for 7 December 2003 and combine them with parliamentary ones (Gromov's term of office was supposed to expire in February 2004).

On 2 October, Gromov announced that he intended to run for governor again as an independent candidate.

By 6 November, Gromov had collected the 80 thousand voter signatures required by law to register as a candidate.

On 7 December 2003, the legislative and gubernatorial elections took place on the same day.

Gromov was elected as a deputy in the legislative election but again refused the mandate.

He also won the gubernatorial elections with 83% of the votes; in second place was "against everyone" (9.69%); in third place was Aleksey Mitrofanov (4.12%).

From 19 December 2003 to 19 July 2004, Gromov was a member of the Presidium of the State Council of the Russian Federation.

On 27 November 2004, at the United Russia party congress, Gromov was elected to the party's Supreme Council.

The decision on the expressway was made by the Russian authorities in 2004.

On 22 November 2005, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko awarded Gromov the Order of Friendship of Peoples.

At the end of November 2005, Gromov officially joined the United Russia party at the party congress in Krasnoyarsk.

He received his party card in December.

One of the largest road projects that Gromov supported was the construction of the toll Central Ring Road (TsKAD), which was supposed to significantly relieve congestion on many highways in Moscow and the Moscow Oblast, as well as the construction of the Moscow-St.

Petersburg expressway.

On 28 April 2006, Gromov signed a decree of the Moscow Oblast government regulating its construction in the Moscow Oblast.

According to the project, the construction of the highway was supposed to lead to the deforestation of 1000 hectares of the Khimki Forest Park, which caused a strong public outcry and a protracted conflict.

On 18 April 2007, reporting to President Putin on the situation in the Moscow Oblast, Gromov turned to Putin with a question of trust.

On 2 May, Putin submitted to the Moscow Oblast Duma (elected in March) the candidacy of Boris Gromov for approval as head of the government of the Moscow Oblast.

On 4 May, Putin appointed Gromov governor of the Moscow Oblast for a third term with the wording "in connection with successes in the development of the region."

According to the law, the powers of Gromov's second five-year term as governor expired only in 2008.

In August 2010, President Dmitry Medvedev suspended construction through the Khimki Forest, but Gromov continued to insist on building a road according to the previously approved project.

In December 2010, a special commission of the Russian government supported the road construction project.