On the theory of the Kolmogorov operator in the spaces L^p and C_infty. I

We obtain the basic results concerning the problem of constructing operator realizations of the formal differential expression $\nabla \cdot a \cdot \nabla - b \cdot \nabla$ with measurable matrix $a$ and vector field $b$ having critical-order singularities as the generators of Markov semigroups in $L^p$ and $C_\infty$.