Pavel Kozyr
Ukraine- Early Life and Education
- Early Career
- Comsomol and Military Service
- Party Work in Ukraine
- Odesa Region and Later Career
- Awards and Recognition
Early Life and Education
Pyotr Kozyr was born in December 1913, in a peasant family in the village of Zhovte, Ukraine. After graduating from secondary school in 1931, he pursued higher education, studying at the Nezhyn Technical College of Soviet Construction and Law, and later at the Kharkiv Institute of Educational and Professional Training.
Early Career
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Kozyr moved to Pyatikhatky in 1932, where he became the head of the local radio broadcasting sector. Subsequently, he served as an instructor and director of the Pyatikhatky branch of the "Koopsoyuz" cooperative organization and headed the party office of the Pyatikhatky district party committee.
In February 1935, Kozyr took on the responsibility as editor-in-chief of the newspaper "For Soviet Nitrogen" in Dniprodzerzhynsk. He was later drafted into the Red Army in November 1935, serving in the 18th Cavalry Regiment of the Turkestan Border District.
Comsomol and Military Service
During the period of September 1937 to April 1938, Kozyr attended the Ashgabat Law School of the People's Commissariat of Justice of the Turkmen SSR but did not complete his studies. He joined the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in 1939. From 1938 to 1941, Kozyr held various positions in the Comsomol youth organization, including as the First Secretary of the Ashgabat Regional Committee of the Comsomol in the Turkmen SSR.
From 1941 to 1945, Kozyr served in the Red Army, initially as an assistant to the head of the political department for Comsomol work in the 58th Rifle Corps. He later became an instructor for organizational and party work within the same corps, as part of the Soviet troop group in Iran. In October 1945, Kozyr was demobilized with the rank of captain and returned to Ukraine.
Party Work in Ukraine
After his military service, Kozyr embarked on a career in party work in Ukraine. From 1945 to 1946, he served as the second secretary of the Kryzhopol district committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine in the Vinnytsia region. Subsequently, he held the positions of first secretary of the Sítkivtsi district committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine (1946-1948) and first secretary of the Mohyliv-Podilsky city committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine (1948-1950).
In 1952, Kozyr became the editor of the Vinnytsia Pravda newspaper, a position he held until 1954. From 1954 to 1955, he was the secretary and second secretary of the Vinnytsia regional committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine. On August 22, 1955, he became the first secretary of the Vinnytsia regional committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, and he held that position until May 7, 1970.
Odesa Region and Later Career
From May 8, 1970, to July 1977, Kozyr served as the first secretary of the Odesa regional committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine from January 21, 1956, to February 10, 1981. Additionally, he was a candidate member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from October 31, 1961, to March 30, 1971, and a full member from 1971 to 1981.
Awards and Recognition
Kozyr received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the title of Hero of Socialist Labor in 1973. He was also awarded the Order of Lenin (1958, 1973), the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1948), and other medals.
