Oleg Shenin
Oleg Semyonovich Shenin (Russian: Олег Семёнович Шенин; 2 July 1937 – 28 May 2009[1]) was the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Shenin), which should not be confused with the larger UCP-CPSU. Shenin was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union; he was also a member of the Politburo and Secretariat from 1990 to 1991. During the Soviet coup attempt of 1991, he was a member of the group of CPSU CC members who tried to regain control of the country in order to re-establish the Soviet Union.[2] On 23 August he was jailed for his involvement in the events.[3] In October 1992, for health reasons, he was released with a change in the preventive measure to a recognizance not to leave.[4] He was given amnesty in 1994.[5] Shenin was the founding Chairman of the Union of Communist Parties - Communist Party of the Soviet Union (UCP-CPSU) from 1993, until he broke away from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) in 2001, after its leader Gennady Zyuganov refused to back the creation of a united Communist Party of Russia and Belarus.[6] Zyuganov then replaced Shenin as chairman of the Council of the Union of Communist Parties-CPSU.[7] In September 1997, he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang.[8] Presidential campaignShenin applied to run as a presidential candidate for the 2008 Russian presidential election but was denied registration for failing to complete some paperwork correctly.[9] According to Shenin, his candidacy was rejected because he did not provide a letter from his employer; he described this as an "idiotic pretext" because he had been retired for years.[10] DeathShenin died on 28 May 2009 aged 71 from a severe and prolonged illness.[1] References
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