Vasily Dinkov
1924 to 2001
Dedicated to the 90th anniversary of birth of Vasily Dinkov, Soviet statesman, originator of the oil and gas sector, Minister of the USSR Gas Industry, Minister of the USSR Oil Industry.
Vasily Dinkov was born in Lunacharskoye village, Berdyansk District, Zaporozhye Region, Ukrainian SSR.
He volunteered to the front as a very young man. During the Great Patriotic War since June 1942 he served in the intelligence troop and was a Komsomol committee secretary at the 53rd independent air defense battalion. He fought in Caucasus, forced the Dnieper, took part in the liberation of Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. After demobilization in 1947, he worked as a Chairman of the Put Ilyicha collective farm in the Krasnodar Territory.
In 1954 Vasily Dinkov graduated from Azerbaijan Industrial Institute, majoring in Gas and Gas & Condensate Fields Development, qualified as a mining engineer and started his career at the Krasnodarneft Association (engineer at the EOR plant, technician and Senior Engineer of the gas compressor facilities of the Abinneft Production Directorate, Head of the Technical Division, Chief Engineer of the Gas Pipelines and Gasoline Plants Directorate, Head of the Production and Processing Division at the Association Administration).
In 1962 he was put in charge of the Krasnodar Line Pipe Operation Center, and in 1964 he became the first Director General of the Kubangazprom production association under the USSR Gas Industry Ministry.
In 1965 Vasily Dinkov was appointed Head of the Main Gas Production Directorate under the USSR Gas Industry Ministry, and in 1967 he was also elected a Member of the Ministry Collegium. In 1970 he became Deputy Minister and in 1978 – First Deputy Minister of the USSR Gas Industry.
Mikhail Sidorenko, Deputy Minister of USSR Gas Industry (left) and Vasily Dinkov, Head of Main Gas Production Directorate under USSR Gas Industry Ministry (second from right) during visit to Krasnodar Territory, late 1966
From 1981 to 1985 Vasily Dinkov was Minister of the USSR Gas Industry. The Russian gas industry as an engineering & technical complex providing for the reliable operation of the world’s most prolific natural gas fields was established largely due to the talent of Vasily Dinkov, an engineer by avocation.
At field in Messoyakha beyond Arctic Circle: Alexey Kortunov, Minister of USSR Gas Industry (center) and Vasily Dinkov, Head of Main Gas Production Directorate under USSR Gas Industry Ministry, October 1969
Under Mr. Dinkov the USSR gas production increased threefold. The creation of the Unified Gas Supply System, unparalleled underground gas storages, high-capacity facilities for production and multiline transmission of Arctic gas under tundra, bog, permafrost conditions as well as major gas chemistry complexes, such as Mubarek, Orenburg, Astrakhan ones go by the name of Vasily Dinkov.
Difficult moments of decision making during construction of gas infrastructure in Zapolyarye, Messoyakha, 1968
The geographic reach and scale of his activities are stunning – Urengoy, Medvezhye, Yamburg, Yamal (with its thirty explored fields as well as the Novoportovskoye, Bovanenkovskoye and Kharasaveyskoye fields ready for commercial development), the Messoyakha – Norilsk, Ukhta – Torzhok gas pipelines, the fuel and energy sector of Turkmenia, Kazakhstan, construction of the technically challenging Western Siberia – Center – Western Europe system of transcontinental gas pipelines with the total length exceeding 20 thousand kilometers and annual capacity of 200 billion cubic meters.
Vasily Dinkov, Minister of USSR Gas Industry accompanied by Azerbaijani leaders and Kaspmorneft executives at 28th of April Oil & Gas Production Directorate, Baku, March 1981
The most important event in the period when Vasily Dinkov headed the Ministry was the construction and commissioning of the 4,450 kilometer long Urengoy – Pomary – Uzhgorod gas trunkline in 1984.
1985 marked the new stage in Mr. Dinkov’s life – he became Minister of the USSR Oil Industry and during the same period (in late 1980s) he was elected a Deputy of the 10th and 11th Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
It is under his leadership that in 1988 the record breaking volume of oil output was reached in the USSR – 624 million tons! This figure went down in the history of the global oil industry as an all-time record: neither before, nor after that has any country in the world produced such a huge volume of the black gold.
Signing agreement for developing Iraqi oil fields near Basra. Moscow, Ministry of Oil Industry, 1985
The development of Tengiz, setting up of VietSovPetro, tapping the Caspian and Sakhalin shelves, the program on bringing oil & gas fields of the Timano-Pechora province into production are just some of the projects undertaken under the guidance of Vasily Dinkov. Mr. Dinkov set up the Central Dispatch Department of the Oil Industry which still serves as a mechanism of strict control and interaction within the most important economic sector.
Having retired in 1989, Vasily Dinkov headed the Moscow Representative Office of the Secretariat under the CIS Intergovernmental Oil & Gas Council. In early 1990s he established SGS-Energodiagnostika with a view to resolve quality and reliability issues for oil & gas facilities as well as those of their industrial and environmental safety. In 1995 Mr. Dinkov headed the tender board for the Yamal – Europe gas pipeline construction and was elected a Member of the Gazprom Board of Directors, which he had been until 1999.
Vasily Dinkov, Minister of USSR Oil Industry talking to Vladimir Bogdanov, Head of Surgutneftegaz. Moscow, Ministry of Oil Industry, 1986
What was his recipe for success? He was a natural statesman and a highest-class professional.
He was an engineer keen on his work. His colleagues noted his unblinking devotion to the cause, boldness, but at the same time his carefulness and prudence when making decisions. He was referred to as a grand master of technical discussions. He was kind and humble. He vehemently protected knowledgeable professionals. Never was he afraid to assume responsibilities.
Vasily Dinkov passed away on June 25, 2001 and was buried in the Novodevichye Cemetery.
A ship and an ice-breaking oil carrier were named after Vasily Dinkov; there is an exhibition dedicated to Mr. Dinkov at the Labor Glory Museum of Gazprom Dobycha Krasnodar.
Awards and titles
- Hero of Socialist Labor.
- Three Orders of Lenin
- Order of the October Revolution.
- Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
- Order of the Patriotic War of the First Class.
- Medal for the Defense of Caucasus.
- Medal for Victory over Germany.
- Honored Worker of the Gas Industry.
- Honored Oil Worker.
- Winner of the USSR State Science and Technology Prize.
- Winner of the Russian Federation Prize.
Recollections about Vasily Dinkov
Anatoly Fomin: “If you are certain of being right, work your will”
It is my invincible belief and the opinion of coworkers that Mr. Dinkov struck the right note in relations with his subordinates, and they believed there was a way out of what seemed like a desperate morass.
Anatoly Khalaberda: “Many gas and oil workers will keep a loving memory of this wonderful man”
Tremendous working capacity, persistence with which Vasily sucked in knowledge had enabled us to predict his future industrial achievements as early as in his student days. Our girls (there were four in the group, who graduated from the institute) used to say back then, “You’re going to be a Minister, Vasya,” and those proved to be fatidic words.
Anatoly Shatalov: “It was not easy to maintain in oneself his level of understanding of the heart of the issue and its solution”
When there was a grave accident in Orenburg, seeking the real cause of explosion, everyone turned to Vasily Dinkov and his knowledge. This choice was not accidental. The situation was aggravated by almost a total absence of experience of developing such fields in Russia. Serious deep knowledge was required in such science and technology spheres as welding practice, chemistry, machine building, metallurgy.
Boris Paton: “Mr. Dinkov thoroughly scrutinized all problems and helped to solve them”
What I remember best are the evenings when after another meeting of the Coordination Council, together with Mr. Dinkov, Honorary Council Member Nikolai Baibakov and Professor Oleg Ivantsov we would sum up the latest Program activity results and after that have leisurely heartfelt conversations remembering the days of old.
Viktor Bryanskikh: “He couldn’t imagine a different life without busy workdays”
Mr. Dinkov worked absolutely regardless of time. His working day would start at 8 a.m. and finish at 10 p.m. On Saturdays he would make an exception. He entered his office at 10 a.m. and left at midnight, taking a heap of documents with him ‘for Sunday’. Minister Sabit Orudzhev following the Ministry’s routine would leave his office at 4 p.m. and repeat every time, “We are leaving now, and Dinkov continues working…”
Vladimir Khalatin: “I am a gas worker in my soul and there is nothing to do about it”
Apart from having a versatile leadership talent, he mainly contributed to the establishment and development of the gas industry in particular, leaving an evergreen thankful memory of him in gas workers’ hearts.
Grant Margulov: “Vasily Dinkov had a natural ability to see the future development”
Vasily Dinkov, a Hero of Socialist Labor, walked a difficult path from an engineer to the Gas Industry Minister, and further on – to the Oil Industry Minister.
Ivan Nikonenko: “Mr. Dinkov couldn’t stand wastefulness”
Mr. Dinkov would always say that there were no minor things in gas workers’ activities. Mastering a gas production, treatment and transmission technology in a brilliant way, he was sound on any, at times most difficult problems. He carefully regarded them and could make the optimal and most balanced decision. He never excused the mistakes of those found responsible, but he always was just and non-prejudicial.
Nikolai Savostyanov: “It took him almost no time to adapt”
With Vasily Dinkov’s advent, the attitude to the geophysical service in the Ministry radically changed. He clearly saw and highly appreciated the role of petroleum geophysics in field prospecting, exploration and development, being a service providing much needed information on the structure and material composition of oil deposits and quantitative characteristics of oil beds.
Nikolai Baibakov: “Vasily Dinkov was a prominent organizer”
Mr. Dinkov was an arduous initiator of developing many strands of sci-tech progress, paying close attention to the issues of increasing the economic efficiency of industry-related activities. His personal contribution to this area remains unrivaled still.
Oleg Ivantsov: “Just look how many great matters had been put into practice”
We argued a lot discussing completed researches and prepared regulatory documents at the Coordination Council meetings. Those were really fruitful discussions. Mr. Dinkov was not a talkative man, but his laconic statements were well thought-out and precise.
Shagen Dongaryan: “All the companies’ issues had to be 100 per cent resolved”
Mr. Dinkov paid very close attention to international projects, to contract work of our organizations abroad. Our contracts in Iraq, Syria, Algeria, India should be kept in mind.
Emma Odintsova: “I was always surprised by the orderliness, composure and neatness of this focused man keen on his work”
I was assailed with doubts for a long time when I was offered the position of the Chief Engineer of the Chief Committee. Mr. Dinkov had a short way with me, “Everyone’s afraid of work and you’re afraid of the post?” So I agreed.
Yury Batalin: “Great working ability and high reputation”
I remember pre-developing a small field of Gaz-Achak in Turkmenia with the annual gas production of 5 to 6 billion cubic meters in direct cooperation with Mr. Dinkov. We were getting on with our work there despite the Karakum heat and desert off-roads. The project was being developed onsite and it took us no more than half a year to implement it, instead of the usual two years.
The text is based on the books “Golden Reserves of the Gas Industry”, “Vasily Alexandrovich Dinkov – the Pride of the Gas and Oil Empire” (by Mikhail Gaikazov) and materials of the website dinkov.ru. Special thanks to Vasily Dinkov’s daughter Natalya Pustovoyt for the help with the material compilation.