Born in theUkrainian SSR, Matviyenko began her political career in the 1980s in Leningrad (nowSaint Petersburg), and was the First Secretary of theKrasnogvardeysky DistrictCommunist Party of the city from 1984 to 1986.[2] In the 1990s, Matviyenko served as the Russian Ambassador to Malta (1991–1995), and to Greece (1997–1998).[2] From 1998 to 2003, Matviyenko was Deputy Prime Minister for Welfare, and briefly the Presidential Envoy to theNorthwestern Federal District in 2003. By that time, Matviyenko was firmly allied withRussian PresidentVladimir Putin, an alliance which secured her a victory in the gubernatorial elections in Saint Petersburg, Putin's native city.
Some actions and practices of Governor Matviyenko have drawn significant criticisms from the Saint Petersburg public, the media, and opposition groups. In particular, new construction in already heavily built-up areas and several building projects were deemed to conflict with theclassical architecture of the city, where the entire centre is aUNESCO World Heritage Site. Some projects eventually were cancelled or modified, such as the controversial design of a 400-metre-tallOkhta Center skyscraper, planned to be built adjacent to thehistorical center of the city; however, after a public campaign and the personal involvement ofRussian PresidentDmitry Medvedev, it was relocated fromOkhta to theLakhta suburb. Another major point of criticism was Matviyenko's handling of the city's snow removal problems during the unusually cold and snowy winters of2009–10 and2010–11. On 22 August 2011, soon after completion of the Saint Petersburg Dam, Matviyenko resigned from office. As a member of the rulingUnited Russia Party, on 21 September 2011, Matviyenko was elected as Chairwoman of the Federation Council,[citation needed] the country's third-highest elected office.
Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matviyenko signs joint documents in Greece on behalf of the Russian Federation while accompanying PresidentVladimir Putin.
Valentina Matviyenko graduated from theCommunist Party of the Soviet Union's Academy in 1985 and became a party official in Leningrad's municipal government. In 1984–1986, she was the First Secretary of theKrasnogvardeysky District Committee of the Party.[2]Matviyenko was elected as a people's deputy to theSupreme Soviet of theSoviet Union and headed the committee on women, family and children affairs.
Between 1991 and 1998, Matviyenko served in the diplomatic service and held diplomatic positions including posts ofRussian ambassador to Malta (1991–1995) and Greece (1997–1998).[2]On 24 September 1998, Matviyenko was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Russia for Welfare, and occupied this position until 2003.[2]In June 1999 she worked on the board of directors of theORT TV channel.
On 3 February 2000, she was nominated for thepresidency, but refused to contest. On 29 February 2000, she announced that she was considering running in the St. Petersburg governor elections to be held on 14 May, and on 10 March announced that she was indeed launching her campaign. However, on 4 April she claimed thatVladimir Putin had asked her to withdraw from the elections, and she did so on 5 April.On 11 March 2003, she left the Deputy PM position and was appointed presidential envoy to theNorthwestern Federal District by Vladimir Putin.[7]
On 24 June 2003, after Saint Petersburg governorVladimir Yakovlev resigned ahead of schedule, Matviyenko announced that she was ready to run for governor. Her nomination was supported by theUnited Russia political party and President Vladimir Putin. Putin publicly supported her candidacy on 2 September in a meeting that was broadcast by two state-owned TV stations. Previously, at the end of June, the new management of local channelSt. Petersburg Television shut down a range of analytical programmes on local politics, which was thought to be one of the factors in elections outcome.[8]
In the first round of elections held on 21 September 2003, Matviyenko came first with 48.61% of the vote, followed byAnna Markova, a former member of Yakovlev's staff, with 15.89%. 10.97 percent of the electorate voted against all nine nominees. Turnout was low at just 29%.[9] On 5 October 2003, Matviyenko won the second round with 63 percent (vs. 24% for Anna Markova) and was elected governor of Saint Petersburg, the head of theSaint Petersburg City Administration. She became the first femalehead of government of Saint Petersburg.[3]
In 2005, a new Russian federal law came into force whereby governors are proposed by thePresident of Russia and approved or disapproved by regional legislative assemblies rather than elected by direct popular vote. On 6 December 2006, one year before her term as elected governor would expire, Valentina Matviyenko asked Vladimir Putin to nominate her for approval according to the new legislation, and he agreed. She was approved by theSaint Petersburg Legislative Assembly on 22 December 2006.
On 3 March 2007, scores of participants of theDissenters' March, organized by marginal opposition parties, demonstrated in the city's main avenue,Nevsky Prospekt, calling for governor Matviyenko's dismissal. She in turn accused them of stirring up trouble ahead of elections to theSaint Petersburg Legislative Assembly scheduled for 11 March, of criticising the city's perceived dynamic development and for allegedly receiving financial support from dubious sources.[10] On 15 April 2007, the Dissenters' March took place in Saint Petersburg for the second time.
TheSaint Petersburg Dam was completed when Matviyenko was in office. The dam is the last part of theSaint Petersburg Ring Road, with the longest sub-sea tunnel in Russia going below the dam's largest lock.
Matviyenko electoral promises included the transfer of a significant share of taxation money from the federal budget to the local one, which was supported by President Putin, a native of Saint Petersburg.
New governor pledged her support for the idea of transferring some part of the capital's functions from Moscow to Saint Petersburg. The role of Saint Petersburg inRussian politics has risen, marked by the transfer of theConstitutional Court of Russia from Moscow in 2008. The city's main television broadcast,Petersburg – Channel 5, in October 2006 was licensed to broadcast nationwide again.[11]
The celebration of the graduation from school, theScarlet Sails, rose to a new scale under Matviyenko and began to be broadcast nationwide.
The city administration launched a number of programs aimed to increase the number of tourist arrivals (such as advertisement campaigns abroad) and to improve the tourist infrastructure in the city, including the construction of new hotels. Between 2003 and 2010, the number of tourists in Saint Petersburg doubled and reached 5.2 million, which placed the city among the top 5 tourist centers in Europe.[5][6]
The new construction in already heavily built-up areas was a point of continuous criticism during Matviyenko's governorship. Of especial note were a number of building projects deemed by many experts and conservative public to contradict theclassical architecture of the city where the entire centre isUNESCO World Heritage Site.
Matviyenko supported the construction project of the Gazprom City business center (also calledOkhta Center) including a 400-meter skyscraper holding the headquarters of some ofGazprom's subsidiaries on the right bank of theNeva River in the vicinity of the historicSmolny Cathedral. The current regulations forbidding construction buildings of more than 42 meters (48 with expert approval) were specially changed by the city administration for the project.
By the end of her governor service, Matviyenko more eagerly engaged in dialogue with the groups of the so-calledgradozaschitniki (градозащитники, "city-defenders"). A number of controversial projects eventually were cancelled or modified. Notably, after an extensive public protest campaign, which lasted several years, and after the personal involvement ofRussian PresidentDmitry Medvedev, theOkhta Center was relocated fromOkhta toLakhta suburb.
Other controversial projects include theMariinsky Theatre Second Stage and the reconstruction of theNew Holland Island. Both projects required destruction of some of the earlier historic buildings, and the new stage of theMariinsky Theatre was originally attempted to be built according to a highly original design by French architectDominique Perrault, resembling acocoon. The project, however, was deemed too costly and too much out-of-line with the surrounding classical architecture, and the design was changed.
Matviyenko's handling of the cleaning of the city from snow during the unusually cold and snowy winters of2009–2010 and2010–2011, in the last two years of her governorship, drew criticism, especially from the automobile owners and drivers in the city. The authorities were unprepared for vast amounts of snow on the city streets, especially in the historical centre, and there was a lack of snow cleaning equipment.[12]
BusinessmanVitaly Arkhangelsky accused Matviyenko ofcorporate raiding and corruption. According to him, Matviyenko is the real owner of theBank Saint Petersburg that staged a corporate raid on the property of his company, OMG that includedVyborg Port and Western Terminal ofSaint Petersburg port using falsified documents with Arkhangelsky's forged signature. The lawyers of Bank Saint Petersburg insist on exclusion materials of Matviyenko's involvement from the criminal case in London court.[clarification needed][13]
Matviyenko withFIFA PresidentGianni Infantino during his visit to the Federation Council on 20 April 2016Matviyenko arrived inBrazil to attend the inauguration of the country's elected PresidentLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva in January 2023Matviyenko at the “Russia-Africa” parliamentary conference in Moscow on 20 March 2023Matviyenko with Chinese PresidentXi Jinping in Beijing on 10 July 2023
On 22 August 2011, soon after completion of the Saint Petersburg Dam along with the Saint Petersburg Ring Road, Matviyenko resigned from the office of the governor of Saint Petersburg.[14]Georgy Poltavchenko was appointed as acting governor in her place. She was backed by President Dmitry Medvedev as a candidate to head theFederal Assembly or Upper House of the Russian Federation. The previous speaker of the Federation Council,Sergey Mironov, was recalled in May after criticising Matviyenko's handling of Saint Petersburg. The leader ofA Just Russia party, Mironov was ousted by the majorityUnited Russia and replaced by an acting speakerAleksandr Torshin.[citation needed]
As a member of United Russia party, Matviyenko stood in a municipal election in August in order to have legal possibilities to attain the office in the Federation Council. She won the municipal election with more than 95% of the vote, despite having 18% approval rating in July,[15] for which she was criticized by the opposition.
Due to her role in theCrimean status referendum, Matviyenko became one of the first people put under executive sanctions byUnited States PresidentBarack Obama. The sanctions freeze her assets in the US and ban her from entering the United States.[16] She was put on asanction list by the United States and Canada on 17 March 2014, theEuropean Union on 21 March 2014, Switzerland on 2 April 2014, Liechtenstein on 17 April 2014, Australia on 19 June 2014, and Ukraine on 16 October 2016.[17][18][19][20]
Valentina Matviyenko has a son,Sergey (ru, born 5 May 1973), with her husband, Vladimir Vasilyevich Matviyenko. In May 2003, Sergey Matviyenko was appointed vice-president of theBank Saint Petersburg.[23] Later he also became vice-president and first vice-president (2005) ofVneshtorgbank.[24] Sergey marriedZara Mgoyan, a Russian pop singer of Armenian and Kurdish origin (b. 1983) on 30 April 2004, but they divorced a year later.[citation needed]
P. A. Stolypin Medal, 1st class (28 March 2014), for significant contribution to the successful completion of strategic objectives related to the socio-economic advancement of the nation and for many years of exemplary public service[27]
Order of Honour (1996), for services to the state, a large contribution to the foreign policy and ensuring Russia's national interests, courage and dedication shown by the line of duty[31]
Russian Federation Presidential Gratitude (14 August 1995), for active participation in the preparation and conduct of the 50th anniversary of Victory in theGreat Patriotic War of 1941–1945
Order "For Contribution to theDevelopment of Cooperation" (Turkmenistan, 2022)
Dustliq Order (Uzbekistan, 2021), for active efforts and personal contribution to strengthening friendship, strategic partnership and alliance between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation, full support for the development of inter-parliamentary ties, assistance in the effective implementation of programs and projects of Uzbek-Russian multifaceted cooperation, including those aimed at the fullest disclosure of the potential of interregional cooperation and bilateral cultural and humanitarian exchange
Order of Francysk Skaryna (Belarus, 2019), for significant personal contribution to the strengthening of friendly relations and the development of cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation
Order of Friendship, 1st class (Kazakhstan, 2019), for great contribution to the strengthening and development of bilateral relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation
Dostlug Order (Azerbaijan, 2019), for special services in strengthening cooperation and mutual relations between the Azerbaijan Republic and the Russian Federation
Order of the Republika Srpska (Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2018)
Order of Princess Olga, 3rd class (Ukraine, 2002), for a significant personal contribution to the development of Ukrainian-Russian cooperation, active participation in ensuring the Year of Ukraine in the Russian Federation
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