Marshal of the Soviet Union, last Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union, and leader of the 1991 Soviet coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev. He played a crucial role in shaping the Soviet military and its policies during the Cold War era.
Dmitry Yazov, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, is best known for his role as Minister of Defence from 1987 until his arrest for his part in the 1991 August Coup, just four months before the fall of the Soviet Union.
Yazov was born on November 8, 1924, in the village of Yazovo (then called Lyebyezhye), Krestinsky volost, Kalachinsky district, Omsk province, to a peasant family. He was the son of Timofey Yakovlevich Yazov and Maria Fedoseevna Yazova, and had three siblings.
Yazov voluntarily joined the Red Army in November 1941, at the age of seventeen, and claimed to be born in 1923, a year earlier than his actual birth. He was enrolled in training at the Moscow Higher Military Command School, which was later evacuated to Novosibirsk due to the Battle of Moscow. Yazov graduated in June 1942, but didn't receive his school graduation certificate until 1953, when he was already a major.
From August 1942, Yazov fought on the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts as commander of a rifle platoon, a commander of a rifle company, and platoon commander of frontline courses of junior lieutenants of the 483rd Rifle Regiment of the 177th Rifle Division of the Leningrad Front. He participated in the battles of the Siege of Leningrad, in the offensive operations of Soviet troops in the Baltic states, and in the blockade of the Courland Pocket. In 1944, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
In 1962, Yazov commanded Soviet ground forces in the Transcaucasian Military District. He later served as the Commander of the Far Eastern Military District from 1979 to 1984, and as the Commander of the Central Group of Forces in Czechoslovakia from 1984 to 1987. On May 28, 1987, Yazov was appointed as the Minister of Defence, a position he held until his arrest in August 1991.
On April 28, 1990, Yazov was promoted to the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union, becoming the last person to be appointed to this rank. He was also the only Marshal born in Siberia, and at the time of his death on February 25, 2020, he was the last living Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Yazov's legacy is marked by controversy, particularly due to his role in the 1991 August Coup. However, his military career and his service as Minister of Defence cannot be ignored. He was a complex figure, representing both the achievements and the failures of the Soviet Union.
95 Years Old
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Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs who played a crucial role in shaping the country's foreign policy during the Cold War, known for his diplomatic skills and ability to navigate complex international relations.
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