# Lavrentiy Beria

_Soviet politician and NKVD police chief_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/lavrentiy-beria
Last updated: 2026-11-10

> Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria was a Soviet politician and one of the longest-serving and most influential of Joseph Stalin's secret police chiefs, serving as head of the NKVD from 1938 to 1945 during the country's involvement in the Second World War.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 17 March 1899 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141829#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Merkheuli ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141829#P19))
- **Died:** 23 December 1953 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141829#P570))
- **Place of death:** Moscow ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141829#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Russian Empire; Azerbaijan Democratic Republic ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141829#P27))
- **Occupation:** politician; military personnel ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141829#P106))
- **Political party:** Communist Party of the Soviet Union (since March 1917); Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (bolshevik) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141829#P102))
- **Education:** Azerbaijan State Oil and Industrial University ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141829#P69))
- **Spouse:** Nino Gegechkori; Nino Gegechkori ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141829#P26))
- **Positions held:** First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR (5 March 1953 – 26 June 1953); Minister of Internal Affairs (5 March 1953 – 26 June 1953); deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (12 June 1950 – 23 December 1953); Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers (19 March 1946 – 5 March 1953); Member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee (18 March 1946 – 7 July 1953); deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (12 March 1946 – 12 June 1950); Candidate member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee (22 March 1939 – 18 March 1946); People's Commissar for Internal Affairs (24 November 1938 – 29 December 1945); member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (17 January 1938 – 31 May 1939); deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (12 January 1938 – 12 March 1946); First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party (14 November 1931 – 31 August 1938) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141829#P39))
- **Awards:** Hero of Socialist Labour; Order of Suvorov, 1st class; Jubilee Medal "XX Years of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army"; Medal "For the Defence of Moscow"; Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad"; Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus"; Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"; Medal "In Commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of Moscow"; Jubilee Medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy"; Order of Sukhbaatar; Order of the Red Banner; Order of the Republic; Honorary worker of the NKVD; Order of the Red Banner of Labour of the Georgian SSR; Order of the Red Banner of Labour of the Azerbaijan SSR ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141829#P166))

## Questions

**When was Lavrentiy Beria born?**  
Lavrentiy Beria was born on 17 March 1899 in Merkheuli.

**What positions has Lavrentiy Beria held?**  
Positions held by Lavrentiy Beria include: First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR (1953–1953); Minister of Internal Affairs (1953–1953); deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (1950–1953); Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers (1946–1953); Member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee (1946–1953).

**Where did Lavrentiy Beria study?**  
Lavrentiy Beria was educated at Azerbaijan State Oil and Industrial University.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Lavrentiy Beria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavrentiy_Beria) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q141829](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141829) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Lavrentiy Beria portrait 2.jpg by Unknown, presumed official (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lavrentiy_Beria_portrait_2.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Lavrentiy Beria, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Lavrentiy Beria portrait 2.jpg — Unknown, presumed official, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Lavrentiy Beria". DigiNepal. Last updated 10 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/lavrentiy-beria. Retrieved 10 November 2026.