Classified
Resolution of the Party Control Commission under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine “On the facts of gross violations and abuses committed by a member of the CPSU, the head of the […] USSR, com. N, and connivance with them by certain senior officials of party and economic bodies,” March 26, 1985
An investigation into citizens’ letters revealed numerous gross violations and abuses by com. N, a CPSU member and the head of the […] Ukrainian SSR. His behavior was marked by rudeness and tactlessness toward subordinates, a disregard for their opinions, and the promotion of sycophancy, resulting in high personnel turnover. Within two years at the Glavk, many senior positions were replaced multiple times. Furthermore, individuals with personal ties to com. N, including those previously prosecuted for embezzlement, were appointed to managerial and financially sensitive roles.
These harmful personnel practices undermined team morale and negatively affected Glavk’s economic activities. Over the same two-year period, unproductive expenses more than doubled, railcar downtime nearly doubled, and excessive inventory remained unused in economic turnover. In subordinate organizations, officials falsified state reports and paid illegal bonuses totaling 5,000 karbovanets. Violations of staffing and budgetary discipline resulted in an overspend of 45,000 karbovanets. In 1983, in violation of established procedures, the headquarters wrote off 947,000 karbovanets in receivables.
Com. N abused his official position by encouraging subordinates to secure vacation vouchers for employees of higher departmental bodies and their acquaintances, arranging dinners and banquets at the expense of organizations under the General Directorate.
The unprofessional conduct of com. N, as well as significant breaches of state discipline within […], were widely known to the employees of the oblast party committee and the […] of the Ukrainian SSR. However, the head of the industry department of the party oblast committee, com. N, who was responsible for investigating complaints and letters, failed to thoroughly examine the issues presented. He neglected to take appropriate measures to address the identified shortcomings. Instead, com. N attributed the problematic situation within the team solely to the former deputy head of the Glavk, com. N, who had authored numerous letters highlighting the deficiencies in […]. This approach effectively deflected responsibility from the primary offender, com. N.
Similarly, employees of the […] of the Ukrainian SSR demonstrated a formal and superficial approach to addressing letters concerning […]. Notably, the first deputy head of the department, com. N, provided biased information to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine regarding the situation in Glavk.
While serving as the deputy head of the […] plant, com. N exhibited rudeness toward subordinates and repeatedly violated state discipline. In 1981-1982, he oversaw the misappropriation of 37 thousand karbovanets’ worth of stocked construction materials, which were sold to private individuals at significantly reduced prices. As a result of these actions, the People’s Control Committee of the Ukrainian SSR, at the end of 1982, imposed a financial penalty on com. N equivalent to his monthly salary of 320 karbovanets. However, despite this misconduct, com. N was neither held accountable under party discipline nor faced significant consequences. On the contrary, he was subsequently promoted to an even higher position. Adding to the controversy, at the request of the deputy minister […] of the Ukrainian SSR, com. N, com. N was unjustifiably awarded a bonus of 300 karbovanets immediately after the monetary charge was imposed against him.
The Party Control Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine resolves:
1. Acknowledgment of dismissal: Take note that the […] Ukrainian SSR has dismissed com. N from his position.
To instruct the […] Party Oblast Committee to initiate a review, in accordance with the established procedures, beginning with the primary party organization, regarding the party responsibility of the following individuals: com. N, the head of N, who allowed instances of mismanagement and embezzlement, as well as gross violations of contractual, financial, and staffing discipline. Additionally, com. N is responsible for the introduction of harmful methods in personnel management, which have caused significant harm to the development and education of the personnel involved.
For the formal approach taken in reviewing letters from […], which condoned the facts of unworthy behavior, violations, and abuses committed by the head of the Glavk, com. N, as well as the head of the industry department of the […] oblast party committee, com. N, a severe reprimand shall be issued.
2. In recognition of the unscrupulousness exhibited by the officials of the […] Ukrainian SSR, who allowed a superficial approach in verifying letters regarding violations and abuses in […], resulting in biased reporting to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine on this matter, it is resolved that com. N, a member of the CPSU and First Deputy Head of the […] Ukrainian SSR, shall be reprimanded.
3. Additionally, for the unscrupulous conduct demonstrated when petitioning for unjustified bonuses from the minister’s fund to the former Deputy Head of the […] Plant, com. N, a member of the CPSU, it is resolved that com. N, Deputy Minister […] of the Ukrainian SSR, shall be reprimanded.
4. This resolution shall be submitted for approval to the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine.
Chairman of the Party Control Commission
under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, O. Botvyn
Correct: Head of the Protocol Sector
General Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, V. Yanytskyi
The discussion of Case N at the Party Control Commission under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine was initiated by letters from citizens—a typical occurrence in Soviet realities. What was unusual, however, was that these appeals eventually proved effective, leading to the punishment of a high-ranking official and his patrons. The central issue under the party commission’s consideration was N’s flawed management style, which resulted in a subjective personnel policy and adversely impacted the economic performance of the main department (abbreviated as Glavk), which had accumulated substantial receivables.
Case N underscores the pervasive influence of patron-client relationships and sycophancy within the Soviet system. Despite repeated deficiencies in performance between 1981 and 1982, N was promoted, thanks to the protection of his patrons. Over a span of at least two years, violations of bonus regulations, staffing, and budget discipline, as well as the practice of bribing managers with vouchers, lavish dinners, and banquets did not create any obstacles for him. His “connections” enabled him to neutralize repeated complaints about his abuses and even write off the department’s debt of 947,000 rubles. Interestingly, the resolution provides no direct evidence of personal gain by N from these abuses, although the squandering of particularly valuable construction materials seems unlikely to have been entirely altruistic. Moreover, the awarding of unwarranted bonuses to N immediately after a fine further supports the assumption of his strong “connections.”
The scale of the abuses, apparent to insiders, prompted action against N only after the intervention of the party commission. Notably, he was dismissed from his position even before the matter of his “party responsibility” was formally addressed. On April 12, 1985, the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine approved a resolution to investigate N’s activities further and to hold those involved accountable.
Despite the considerable losses incurred, neither the party commission’s resolution nor the Secretariat’s decision mentioned the involvement of law enforcement agencies. The resolution’s publication in the party bulletin and the newspaper Soviet Ukraine was intended to signal the cleansing of the authorities. However, such measures were unlikely to deter potential offenders.