The first President of Buryatia Leonid Potapov died at the age of 86

This is reported by TASS, referring to the regional government.

"Leonid Vasilyevich dedicated his life to Buryatia, during the years of his leadership in the region in the most difficult time for our state, he achieved the progressive development of the republic in all directions. And after the resignation of the President of the Republic of Buryatia, he continued to work for the good of the republic", - said in the condolences expressed on behalf of the government of Buryatia and the head of the region, Alexey Tsydenov.

Leonid Potapov was born in 1935 in the village of Uakit. He graduated from the Khabarovsk Institute of Railway Engineering and the Irkutsk Institute of National Economy. Later he worked at the Ulan-Ude Locomotive Car Repair Plant, in the Buryat Regional Committee of the CPSU. In 1987 he was sent to the Turkmen SSR - there he worked as the head of the Mary regional executive committee, deputy chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Turkmen SSR. In 1990, he was elected first secretary of the Buryat regional party committee, in 191 - chairmen of the Supreme Soviet of the Buryat ASSR.

In the national elections in 1994, Leonid Potapov won and became the first president-chairman of the government of the Republic of Buryatia. In 2007, he resigned as president.