Sergei Shoigu
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Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu (Серге́й Кужуге́тович Шойгу́) (born May 21, 1955 in Chadan, Tuva, Russia, USSR) is a Russian political figure. Military rank: Army General
Shoigu is an ethnic Tuvan. In 1977, he graduated from the Krasnoyarsk Polytechnical Institute with the speciality of construction engineer. He worked in construction for the next decade, advancing from low levels to executive positions. In 1988 he became a minor functionary in the Abakan branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and then in Komsomol for a couple of years. In 1990 he moved to Moscow from Siberia and was appointed Deputy Chief of State Architecture and Construction Committee of the Russian Federation. In 1991, he was appointed the head of Rescuer Corps, which was later given more responsibilities and renamed first to the State Committee on Emergencies, and eventually to the Ministry of Extraordinary Situations, making Shoigu a government minister. He became popular because of his hands-on management style and high visibility during emergency situations, such as floods, earthquakes and acts of terrorism. In 1999 he became one of the leaders of the Russian pro-government party Unity. He was awarded the Russian government's most prestigious award - Hero of Russia - in 1999. He is married to Irina Shoigu, and has two daughters (Yuliya, born 1977 and Kseniya, born 1991). His personal hobbies include music, he admires Russian singer-songwriters and Vanessa-Mae.
