Yuri Matochkin

Who is Yuri Matochkin?

Yuri Matochkin, also spelled Yury Matochkin, was a Russian politician. He was the first post-Soviet governor of Kaliningrad Oblast, having been appointed to that position by Boris Yeltsin in September 1991. Matochkin was elected to the Federation Council in 1993 and served on the International Affairs Committee. He was a Professor of Economics.

Just prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union, a Free Economic Zone was established in Kaliningrad and Matochkin represented it in the USSR. He continued to support a free economic zone, as well as closer cooperation with the West, particularly the European Union, and placing an emphasis on foreign investment in Kaliningrad. He felt it was necessary to formulate a single state policy regarding Kaliningrad. He regarded Germany as especially important. Matochkin envisioned Kaliningrad as a free-trade region with signinficant administrative autonomy. He also favoured upgrading the region from an Oblast to a republic of Russia.

In 1994 he persuaded Russia to adopt a document emphasizing foreign cooperation, especially with the European Union. Matochkin succeeded in restoring Kaliningrad's special economic zone advantages in January 1996, and also secured the region's first major foreign investment, an agreement with the automobile manufacturer Kia.