He also served as the Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet from 1987 to 1989. First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan In 1986, Kolbin was appointed as the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. He replaced Dinmukhamed Kunaev, who previously served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, from 1964. Kolbin had not worked in the Kazakh SSR prior to his appointment. He was appointed by Mikhail Gorbachev in an attempt to root out corruption in the Communist Party of the Kazakh SSR. Kolbin served as the Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR from 1987 to 1989 and member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR from 1987 to 1989. As an outsider to Kazakhstan, he was not well received there. His appointment resulted in violent protests in the Kazakh capital Almaty and other cities, with several thousand protesters killed and hundreds injured. This revolt is now known as "Jeltoqsan", Kazakh for "December". It is reported that the outgoing first secretary, Dinmukhamed Kunaev, participated in organizing the protests, which involved 60,000 protesters. The report of Kunaev participation is likely fabricated, given that Kunaev was under home arrest at the time, isolated and was not allowed to communicate with anyone. In June 1989, Kolbin was replaced by Kazakh Nursultan Nazarbayev. Kolbin was then transferred to a position in Moscow. Further political positions Following his transfer to Moscow, Kolbin served as the Chairman of the People's Control Commission from 1989 to 1990. He served as the People's Deputy of the USSR from 1989 to 1991. He retired from all political positions in December 1990. Later life From December 1990 onwards, Kolbin was a personal pensioner of federal significance. From 1992 to 1998, he served as the chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC Mosuralbank. On 15 January 1998, while travelling onboard the Moscow Metro to visit his daughter, Kolbin suddenly felt unwell and collapsed in the metro, and died of a heart attack. He was buried at the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery in Moscow. Personal life Kolbin was married to Sofya Ivanovna Kolbina (1926-1998). They had two daughters; Marina (born 1950) and Natalia (1952-1984). Honours and awards References Martin McCauley, Who's Who in Russia Since 1900, Routledge, 1997, ; p. 116 1927 births 1998 deaths People from Nizhny Tagil Central Committee of the