The Chancellery of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia is deeply saddened to note the death in Moscow on November 9, 2024, of Prince Rinat Shagalievich Kudashev, PhD, the honorary leader of the Mejlis of the Tatar Murzas of Moscow and the Moscow Region, Distinguished Builder of the RSFSR, and member of the Imperial Orders of St. Vladimir, St. Anna, and St. Stanislaw.
Prince R. S. Kudashev was born on March 21, 1936, in the village of Tabanly-kul in the Buzdyak Region of the Bashkir ASSR. His father, Prince Shagali Saitgareevich Kudashev (b. 1891) was arrested in 1937 and died in exile in Amurlag (the Amur Railroad Corrective Labor Camp).
In 1955, R. S. Kudashev graduated from the Oktyabrsky Oil Technical Institute and worked as a foreman in the Tuymazy Oil Construction conglomerate. In 1964, he graduated from the All-Union Correspondence Civil Engineering Institute, specializing in Industrial and Civil Construction. From 1974 to 1981, he was the manager of the Tuymazy Oil Construction conglomerate, and was then appointed to the position of head of the Main Office of Construction for Gas and Oil (Glavneftegazstroi). Beginning in 1984, he was the head of the Main Office for Industrial Construction for Gas and Oil (Glavneftegazpromstroi) of the USSR Ministry of Oil and Gas Construction.
In 1985, he graduated from the Institute for Advanced Studies of Senior Public Administration Managers of the Academy of National Economy under the Council of Ministers of the USSR. Beginning in 1987, he was the head of the All-Union (now All-Russian) Research and Design Institute of Special Building Construction for Land-Based Oil and Gas Production and Transport Facilities. Beginning in 1988, he served as the Director of the Office for Gas and Oil Construction under the Ministry of Fuel and Energy of the USSR (RF).
In 1990, he graduated from the Higher Business School of the Academy of the National Economy, and in 1991 he graduated from the School of Business of Columbia University (USA). Beginning in 2007, he served as the Chair of the Council of Directors of the LLC Special Commissions Construction Consortium (Spetsstroikonstruktsiia).
Under his leadership and direct participation, Prince R. S. Kudashev contributed significantly to the development of oil and gas fields in the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Orenburg region, Kazakhstan, and the Samara and Astrakhan regions, and he also oversaw the construction of compressor and oil pumping stations for oil and gas pipelines.
Prince R. S. Kudashev also assisted in the rebuilding efforts after the earthquake in Armenia (in 1988). He also made major contributions to the construction of house-building factories and industrial construction plants in Oktyabrsky, Otradny, Neftekamsk, Orenburg, and other cities in Russia.
To Prince R. S. Kudashev have been credited five inventions to help increase labor productivity in construction, and he was the author of more than twenty articles on the management of construction sites for oil and gas facilities, which appeared in books from the publishing house “Nedra.”
Prince R. S. Kudashev was an authority on the history of the Tatar people. In 2007, he was elected to the post of Chair of the Mejlis of Tatar Murzas of Moscow. He participated in the activities of the Russian Nobility Association. He donated to the Buzdyak Museum of Local History a genealogy and family coat of arms of the Kudashev princes, who trace their origins back to the year 1260. He was the publisher and editor of the book by I. R. Gabdullin, “From Service Tatars to the Tatar Nobility” (Moscow, 2006). He was the organizer and presenter at a number of historical and scientific conferences, including the 2007 academic conference devoted to the topic, “The 500th Anniversary of the Loyal Service of the Temnikov Princes to the Russian Nation.”
His honours include: Distinguished Builder of the RSFSR (1989), Outstanding Worker of the Ministry of Gas Industry, Distinguished Builder of the Bashkir ASSR (1979), Distinguished Builder of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria (1985), Distinguished Worker of the Ministry of Fuel and Energy of the Russian Federation, and Honorary Citizen of the city of Oktyabrsky (1997). He also received several awards, including: the Order of the Badge of Honour (1971), the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1976 and 1981), and the Order of Friendship (1996).
The Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, recognized Prince R. S. Kudashev’s distinguished service to the nation, awarding him the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stanislaw II Class (2011), the Imperial Order of St. Anna II Class (2016), and the Imperial Order of St. Vladimir IV Class (2021).
Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, her son and heir, Grand Duke George of Russia, and his spouse, Princess Victoria Romanovna, extend their deepest condolences to Prince Kudashev’s widow, Princess Raisa Kharisovna Kudasheva, his son, Prince Shamil Kudashev, daughters Dina and Guzel, and grandchildren Prince Maksim, Sophia, Raisa, Renata, Louisa, Ghali, and Kurbat.
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Below is the text of the letter of condolences sent by Grand Duchess Maria of Russia:
FROM THE HEAD OF THE IMPERIAL HOUSE OF RUSSIA
To Princess Raisa Kharisovna Kudasheva
Dear Princess Raisa Kharisovna,
It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of your husband, Prince R. S. Kudashev.
The distinguished contributions Prince Rinat Shagalievich made to the development of the oil and gas industry of Russia, his support for the revival of Russia’s historical heritage, and his dedication to the traditions of his ancient and illustrious family deserve to be remembered and celebrated.
I extend to you and to your entire family my deepest and most sincere condolences.
May the Most High be merciful to the soul of the newly reposed Prince Rinata Shagalievich, and may He comfort you and your family in this hour of grief and sorrow.
My son and heir, Grand Duke George of Russia, and his spouse, Princess Victoria Romanovna, join me in sending these heartfelt condolences.
[The original is signed in Her Imperial Highness’s own hand:]
MARIA
H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia
Madrid, 9 November 2024