Boris Bugayev

Boris Pavlovich Bugaev (Russian: Борис Павлович Бугаев) (29 July 1923 – 13 January 2007) was a Soviet military pilot, politician and statesman.

Biography
Bugaev was born in the village of Mankivka in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic into a family of teachers. From 1941 to 1942 he was a cadet on aircraft training squadrons. He spent the war years from 1942 to 1943 as a pilot instructor and then as an operational pilot until 1947.

In 1947 Bugaev left the Soviet Air Forces and worked in civil aviation. It was also at this time that he became involved in politics, having joined the Communist Party in 1946. As a pilot for Aeroflot, he undertook several pioneering flights to explore new routes, including to India, Burma and Indonesia.

In 1966 Bugaev was appointed Deputy Minister for Civil Aviation and the following year he became First Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation. 1966 also saw Bugaev granted the honorary title of Hero of Socialist Labour.

From 1970 to 1987 Bugaev was Minister of Civil Aviation of the USSR. Bugaev was granted the rank of Chief Marshal of the Air Forces. He died on 13 January 2007 in Moscow.

Honours and awards

 * Hero of Socialist Labour, twice (1966, 1983)
 * Five Orders of Lenin
 * Order of the October Revolution
 * Order of the Red Banner, twice
 * Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class
 * Order of the Red Star
 * Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, 3rd class
 * Order of the Badge of Honour
 * Lenin Prize (1980)
 * USSR State Prize (1972)
 * Diploma of the Government of the Russian Federation (1998, 2003)
 * Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
 * Medal "For Distinguished Labour"