Ex-Moscow Mayor Luzhkov, Architect of Post-Soviet Era, Dies
- Luzhkov served as mayor of Russian capital from 1992-2010
- Billionaire wife Baturina got rich from construction contracts
Yury Luzhkov in 2010.
Photographer: Alexey Sazonov/AFP via Getty Images
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Yury Luzhkov, who served as Moscow’s mayor for 18 years, presiding over the rapid transformation of the Russian capital after the Soviet Union’s collapse, has died at 83, City Hall said.
Luzhkov, whose billionaire wife Elena Baturina grew wealthy from construction contracts in Moscow, drawing accusations of cronyism, was removed from his post in 2010 by the then President Dmitry Medvedev after facing criticism from the Kremlin. He oversaw a building boom that changed the capital’s image including the construction of modern skyscrapers in the Moscow City financial district.