Viktor Chernomyrdin

Prime Minister of Russia

Viktor Stepanovich Chernomyrdin 9 April 1938 Chernyi Otrog, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

3 November 2010(2010-11-03) (72) Moscow, Russia

23 August 1998 – 11 September 1998 Acting

Russian oligarch; founder of Gazprom and Russian Prime Minister (1992-1998) In this Eastern Slavic naming convention, the patronymic is Stepanovich and the family name is Chernomyrdin. Viktor Stepanovich Chernomyrdin (Russian: Ви́ктор Степа́нович Черномы́рдин , IPA:  ; 9 April 1938 – 3 November 2010) was a Russian politician and businessman. He was the first chairman of the Gazprom energy company and the second-longest-serving Prime Minister of Russia (1992–1998) based on consecutive years. He was a key figure in Russian politics in the 1990s, and a participant in the transition from a planned to a market economy. From 2001 to 2009, he was Russia's ambassador to Ukraine. After that he was designated as a presidential adviser. Chernomyrdin was known in Russia and Russian-speaking countries for his language style, which contained numerous malapropisms and syntactic errors. Many of his sayings became aphorisms and idioms in the Russian language, one example being his expression "We wanted the best, but it turned out like always." (Russian: Хотели как лучше, а получилось как всегда ). Chernomyrdin died on 3 November 2010 after a long illness. He was buried beside his wife in Novodevichy Cemetery on 5 November, and his funeral was broadcast live on Russian federal TV channels.