Sergey Kuzhugetovich Shoygu (born May 21, 1955) is a Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n political figure who has been Minister of Emergency Situations since 1994. He is a ethnic Tuvan and holds the military rank of General of the Army. He is also the President of the International Sport Federation of Firefighters and Rescuers. .

Early life and education

Born at Chadan

Chadan

Chadan is a town and the administrative center of Dzun-Khemchiksky District of the Tuva Republic, Russia, located on the Chadan River , west of Kyzyl. Population: Chadan has been known since 1873. Town status was granted to it in 1945....

 in Tuva

Tuva

The Tyva Republic , or Tuva , is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders with the Altai Republic, the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, and the Republic of Buryatia in Russia and with Mongolia to the...

, Shoygu graduated from the Krasnoyarsk Polytechnical Institute with the specialty of construction engineer in 1977.

Early career

He worked in construction for the next decade, advancing from low levels to become an executive. In 1988 he became a minor functionary in the Abakan

Abakan

Abakan is the capital city of the Republic of Khakassia, Russia, located in the central part of Minusinsk Depression, at the confluence of the Yenisei and Abakan Rivers. Population: -History:...

 branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

Communist Party of the Soviet Union

The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...

 and then in Komsomol

Komsomol

The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...

 for a couple of years. In 1990 he moved to Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

 from Siberia

Siberia

Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...

 and was appointed Deputy Chief of State Architecture and Construction Committee of the Russian Federation.

Ministry of Emergency situations

In 1991, he was appointed the head of Rescuer Corps, which was later given more responsibilities and renamed first to the State Committee on Emergencies, and eventually to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, making Shoigu a government minister. He became popular because of his hands-on management style and high visibility during emergency situations, such as floods, earthquakes and acts of terrorism

Terrorism in Russia

Terrorism in Russia has a long history starting from the times of the Russian Empire. Terrorism, in the modern sense, means violence against civilians to achieve political or ideological objectives by creating fear...

. In 1999 he became one of the leaders of the Russian pro-government party Unity. He was awarded the Russia's most prestigious state award - Hero of the Russian Federation

Hero of the Russian Federation

Hero of the Russian Federation is a Russian decoration and the highest honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen by the Russian Federation. The President of the Russian Federation is the main conferring authority of the medal, which is bestowed on those committing actions or deeds that...

 - in 1999.

Personal life

Shoygu's father is an ethnic Tuvan

Tuvans

Tuvans or Tuvinians are Turkic peoples living in southern Siberia. They are historically known as one of the Uriankhai, from the Mongolian designation...

 and his mother is Russian. He is married to Irina Shoygu, and has two daughters (Yuliya, born 1977 and Kseniya, born 1991). His personal hobbies include music; he admires Vanessa-Mae

Vanessa-Mae

Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson , known professionally as Vanessa-Mae , is an internationally known British violinist. Her music style is self-described as "violin techno-acoustic fusion", as several of her albums prominently feature the techno style...

.

Controversial Russian scientist Viktor Petrik

Viktor Petrik

Viktor Petrik is a controversial Russian inventor. He claims to have made a number of scientific breakthroughs which he markets through his company Goldformula. His supporters have compared him to Thomas Edison, but many scientists dismiss his inventions as pseudoscience.-Early life:Viktor Petrik...

attempted to use Shoygu's name to market his water filters. Shoygu has requested that Petrik cease using his name to market products.

On May 16, 2011, Shoigu fired his personal driver surrounding a threat to shoot a motorist.