Vyacheslav Malyshev

Viacheslav Aleksandrovich Malyshev (3 December 1902 – 20 February 1957) was one of leading figures of Soviet industry during the 1940s and 1950s. During the war, he served as People's Commissar of Heavy Machine Building since 1939 and Vice-Chairman of Council of People's Commissars since 1940. From 1941 he supervised Soviet tank industry, later he was responsible for shipbuilding and transport industry. He was elected Vice-Chairman of Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union twice, from 1947 to 1953 and again from 1954 to 1956. He was also appointed the first head of Ministry of Medium Machine Building, supervising the whole Soviet nuclear industry.

Malyshev led a special commission to investigate the causes of the explosion that sank the Novorossiysk battleship at anchor at Sevastopol, used as an excuse to remove Nikolai Kuznetsov, an opponent of Nikita Khrushchev's idea of a submarine-based navy, from commanding the Red Fleet and replace him with Sergey Gorshkov, who was much more obedient to the premier's wishes.

Malyshev was heavily favored by Joseph Stalin. In 1953 he prematurely inspected the site of a nuclear test and was poisoned by radiation; he died as a result in 1957.

Malyshev is buried at the Kremlin Wall, Red Square.