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In Photographs: Yury Luzhkov, The Man Who Rebuilt Moscow

As mayor of Moscow for 18 years (1992-2010), Yury Luzhkov oversaw the Russian capital's transformation from a drab Soviet city into an often garish modern capital.

A former Soviet official with a passion for construction, Luzhkov steered the city's enormous bureaucracy for 18 years, earning a reputation as one of the country's most influential political players.

But he had a sudden fall from grace in 2010 when he was dismissed by the Kremlin, which said it had lost trust in him.

Luzhkov entered politics in the 1970s, serving as a deputy in a local district council in Moscow and, later, as a deputy in the Moscow city council and in senior positions in city government.

Russian officials and state media said Luzhkov died on December 10 at a Munich hospital, where he was reportedly undergoing heart surgery. He was 83.
Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov addresses the International Conference for Progress and Cooperation Dedicated to the 850th anniversary of the City of Moscow in Beverly Hills, California, on July 28, 1997. The conference was designed to facilitate closer links between United States and Russian businesses.  
1 Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov addresses the International Conference for Progress and Cooperation Dedicated to the 850th anniversary of the City of Moscow in Beverly Hills, California, on July 28, 1997. The conference was designed to facilitate closer links between United States and Russian businesses.
 
Yury Luzhkov (center), then chairman of the Executive Committee of the Moscow Council, congratulates a veteran of the Serebryany Bor winter swimming club on March 8, 1991. 
2 Yury Luzhkov (center), then chairman of the Executive Committee of the Moscow Council, congratulates a veteran of the Serebryany Bor winter swimming club on March 8, 1991. 
Luzhkov takes part in a parade with Soviet politician Sergei Stankevich, and the mayor of the American city of Everett, Tit Kinch, on May 9, 1991.
3 Luzhkov takes part in a parade with Soviet politician Sergei Stankevich, and the mayor of the American city of Everett, Tit Kinch, on May 9, 1991.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin (right) and Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov on June 9, 1993. Luzhkov had sided with Yeltsin during the 1991 attempt by senior KGB officials to overthrow reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and during the Russian president's 1993 standoff with lawmakers in which Yeltsin ordered tanks to fire on the parliament building.
4 Russian President Boris Yeltsin (right) and Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov on June 9, 1993. Luzhkov had sided with Yeltsin during the 1991 attempt by senior KGB officials to overthrow reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and during the Russian president's 1993 standoff with lawmakers in which Yeltsin ordered tanks to fire on the parliament building.
Luzhkov swims in an ice hole in the Maloye Bezdonnoye lake during a winter swimming festival on March 8, 1992. He was a teetotaler and sports enthusiast, playing both soccer and tennis regularly well after his 60th birthday, and had an array of other hobbies, including beekeeping.
5 Luzhkov swims in an ice hole in the Maloye Bezdonnoye lake during a winter swimming festival on March 8, 1992. He was a teetotaler and sports enthusiast, playing both soccer and tennis regularly well after his 60th birthday, and had an array of other hobbies, including beekeeping.
Luzhkov (center) shows Britain's Queen Elizabeth II a model of the new British Embassy in Russia during her official visit to Russia in 1994. 
6 Luzhkov (center) shows Britain's Queen Elizabeth II a model of the new British Embassy in Russia during her official visit to Russia in 1994. 
Luzhkov talks to reporters in Red Square after a terrorist captured a bus with South Korean students on board on October 15, 1995.
7 Luzhkov talks to reporters in Red Square after a terrorist captured a bus with South Korean students on board on October 15, 1995.
Luzhkov (right) hosts a reception for American pop singer Michael Jackson at his Moscow office. Jackson was in Moscow as part of his HIStory World Tour on September 16, 1996.
8 Luzhkov (right) hosts a reception for American pop singer Michael Jackson at his Moscow office. Jackson was in Moscow as part of his HIStory World Tour on September 16, 1996.
Luzhkov (right) and Nizhny Novgorod regional Governor Boris Nemtsov are pictured during a meeting of Russian governors held in the upper chamber of the Russian parliament on February 11, 1997. Nemtsov was shot dead in Moscow on February 27, 2015.
9 Luzhkov (right) and Nizhny Novgorod regional Governor Boris Nemtsov are pictured during a meeting of Russian governors held in the upper chamber of the Russian parliament on February 11, 1997. Nemtsov was shot dead in Moscow on February 27, 2015.
Russia President Vladimir Putin (right) and Luzhkov inspect a train while visiting a new metro station in southern Moscow on December 12, 2001.
10 Russia President Vladimir Putin (right) and Luzhkov inspect a train while visiting a new metro station in southern Moscow on December 12, 2001.
Luzhkov (right) cuts the ribbon at the opening of a new cultural and business center in Moscow on July 20, 2006. Born in Moscow, Luzhkov's most lasting impact on the city was the metamorphic construction boom he oversaw there. High-rise office and apartment buildings came to pepper the skyline, towering over new hotels, shopping malls, and cultural objects that drew both scorn and admiration from Muscovites.
11 Luzhkov (right) cuts the ribbon at the opening of a new cultural and business center in Moscow on July 20, 2006. Born in Moscow, Luzhkov's most lasting impact on the city was the metamorphic construction boom he oversaw there. High-rise office and apartment buildings came to pepper the skyline, towering over new hotels, shopping malls, and cultural objects that drew both scorn and admiration from Muscovites.
Luzhkov meets Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in Moscow on June 28, 2007.
12 Luzhkov meets Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in Moscow on June 28, 2007.
An election poster for Luzhkov in Moscow on March 1, 2008. In 1998, Luzhkov launched his Fatherland political party. The populist, anti-corruption rhetoric of the movement was viewed by Yeltsin's circle as a serious threat in the wake of the economic turmoil that Yeltsin had presided over. After Putin's election in 2000, Luzhkov's Fatherland movement merged with the Kremlin-loyal Unity party to form United Russia, which has held an overwhelming majority in parliament since 2003.
13 An election poster for Luzhkov in Moscow on March 1, 2008. In 1998, Luzhkov launched his Fatherland political party. The populist, anti-corruption rhetoric of the movement was viewed by Yeltsin's circle as a serious threat in the wake of the economic turmoil that Yeltsin had presided over. After Putin's election in 2000, Luzhkov's Fatherland movement merged with the Kremlin-loyal Unity party to form United Russia, which has held an overwhelming majority in parliament since 2003.
Luzhkov stands with Patriarch Kirill and then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (left to right) at city celebrations in the capital's Tverskaya Square on September 5, 2009. It was Medvedev who, in September 2010, removed Luzhkov from his post after he said he had lost trust in the mayor.
14 Luzhkov stands with Patriarch Kirill and then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (left to right) at city celebrations in the capital's Tverskaya Square on September 5, 2009. It was Medvedev who, in September 2010, removed Luzhkov from his post after he said he had lost trust in the mayor.
Luzhkov and then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a ceremony unveiling a monument to American poet Walt Whitman in Moscow on October 14, 2009.
15 Luzhkov and then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a ceremony unveiling a monument to American poet Walt Whitman in Moscow on October 14, 2009.
Luzhkov talks to the media in Moscow in September 2010, the month he was removed from his post by then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
16 Luzhkov talks to the media in Moscow in September 2010, the month he was removed from his post by then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin presents Luzhkov with an Order of Merit for the Fatherland in the Kremlin on September 22, 2016, an honor that the former Moscow mayor portrayed as a sign that his relations with the Russian leadership were on the mend.  
17 Russian President Vladimir Putin presents Luzhkov with an Order of Merit for the Fatherland in the Kremlin on September 22, 2016, an honor that the former Moscow mayor portrayed as a sign that his relations with the Russian leadership were on the mend.
 
Luzhkov and his wife, businesswoman Yelena Baturina. Luzhkov is survived by Baturina, his second wife and Russia's wealthiest woman, with a net worth of around $1.2 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Luzhkov repeatedly faced allegations that he was illicitly enriching himself with the rampant demolition and construction of the city during his tenure, including by directing city contracts to his wife.
18 Luzhkov and his wife, businesswoman Yelena Baturina. Luzhkov is survived by Baturina, his second wife and Russia's wealthiest woman, with a net worth of around $1.2 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Luzhkov repeatedly faced allegations that he was illicitly enriching himself with the rampant demolition and construction of the city during his tenure, including by directing city contracts to his wife.
Luzhkov speaks at a launch event for this autobiography in Moscow on November 27, 2017.
19 Luzhkov speaks at a launch event for this autobiography in Moscow on November 27, 2017.
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