Vadim Bakatin 1937 – 2022

Biography

Vadim Bakatin was born on November 6, 1937, in Kiselyovsk, a city in the Kemerovo Oblast region of Russia. He would go on to hold one of the most significant positions in Soviet and Russian history, serving as the final chairman of the KGB during a pivotal moment in the nation’s transformation.

Bakatin’s leadership of the KGB came at an extraordinary time, as the Soviet Union entered its final years and the security apparatus itself underwent profound changes. His tenure represented a bridge between the old order and the new political reality that would emerge from the collapse of communism. His role during this transitional period made him a notable figure in understanding how such a powerful institution adapted to historical upheaval.

He spent his final years in Moscow, where he passed away on July 31, 2022, at an advanced age. Following his death, he was laid to rest at Troyekurovskoye cemetery in Moscow, one of the city’s most prominent burial grounds. Bakatin’s life spanned nearly nine decades of Russian history, from the Stalin era through the post-Soviet period, making him a witness to some of the twentieth century’s most dramatic transformations.