Ivan Grigorievich Pavlovsky () ( – 27 April 1999) was a Soviet

military leader Military ranks is a system of hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies, paramilitary groups, and other institutions organized along military lines, such as youth groups, chivalric orders, religious orders, an ...

Ground Forces An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by p ...

- Deputy

Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union The Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union () refers to the head of the Ministry of Defence who was responsible for defence of the socialist/communist Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1917 to 1922 and the Soviet Union from 1922 ...

(1967—1980), and a

General of the Army Army general or General of the army is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System. Army general is normally the highest rank used in peacetime. In countries that adopt the general officer fou ...

(1967). He became a

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

in 1969. He was a Member of the CC CPSU (1966—1971) and the

Central Committee of the CPSU The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the Central committee, highest organ of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) between Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Congresses. Elected by the ...

(1971—1981).

Biography

He was born in the village of Teremkovtsy,

Podolian Governorate Podolia Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Southwestern Krai of the Russian Empire. It bordered Volhynian Governorate to the north, Kiev Governorate to the east, Kherson Governorate to the southeast, Bess ...

, now part of

Kamianets-Podilskyi Raion Kamianets-Podilskyi Raion () is one of the three administrative Raions of Ukraine, raions (district) of Khmelnytskyi Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is located in the city of Kamianets-Podilskyi. Population: On 18 July 2020, ...

Khmelnytskyi Oblast Khmelnytskyi Oblast (), also known as Khmelnychchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in western Ukraine covering portions of the historical regions of western Podolia and southern Volhynia. The Capital (political) ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. By origin he was Ukrainian. In 1929 he graduated from an agricultural vocational school, since May he worked as an agronomist-field farmer of the Kamenetz-Podolsk district collective farm union, since September 1930 as a district

agronomist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.) is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the Uni ...

Staro-Ushitskaya machine-tractor station. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Pavlovsky commanded the

328th Rifle Division The 38th Separate Guards Vitebskaya Order of Lenin Red Banner Order of Suvorov Motor Rifle Brigade is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Russian Ground Forces, part of the Eastern Military District. Military Unit в/ч 21720. The brigade was f ...

, then after the war the

6th Rifle Corps The 6th Rifle Corps () was a Rifle corps (Soviet Union), rifle corps of the Soviet Union, Soviet Union's Red Army and later the Soviet Army, formed three different times. The corps was first formed in 1922, and spent most of the interwar period h ...

in the

North Caucasus Military District The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Armed Forces from 1992-2010. Before 1992 it had been part of the Soviet Armed Forces since 1918. In 2010 it became the Southern Military District and lately also included t ...

(1952-55). Pavlovsky, holding the rank of

Army General Army general or General of the army is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System. Army general is normally the highest rank used in peacetime. In countries that adopt the general officer fou ...

, was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the

Soviet Ground Forces The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

with effect from 5 November 1967. In August 1968, according to his own recollections, Army General Pavlovsky was summoned to see Minister of Defense of the USSR A.A. Grechko, who informed him of his appointment as commander of the combined forces of the Warsaw Pact states in the upcoming operation to send troops to Czechoslovakia after the

Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...

. The

Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia On 20–21 August 1968, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four fellow Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, and the Hungarian People's Republic. The ...

("Operation Danube") was carried out on August 20-21, 1968. In the evening of August 20, Eastern Bloc armies from four Warsaw Pact countries – the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

– invaded Czechoslovakia. That night, 250,000 Warsaw Pact troops and 2,000 tanks entered the country.

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

, (Final Edition), 21 August 1998, p. A11

National People's Army The National People's Army (, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (DDR) from 1956 until 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) and the (Bord ...

troops from

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

also entered, but did not stay long. The total number of invading troops may have reached 500,000;Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved on 23 June 2011. and 5,000 tanks and armoured vehicles were used. Six months later, by a decree of the

Presidium of the Supreme Soviet The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet () was the standing body of the highest organ of state power, highest body of state authority in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).The Presidium of the Soviet Union is, in short, the legislativ ...

of the USSR of February 21, 1969, Army General I. G. Pavlovsky was awarded the title

. Formally, the decree spoke of Pavlovsky's courage and heroism during the Great Patriotic War, as well as the merits in the construction and strengthening of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. From August to November 1979, Pavlovsky travelled to Afghanistan as part of a high-ranking Soviet mission. In addition to the official task of providing assistance to reorganise the

Afghan Army The Islamic National Army (, ), also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Army and the Afghan Army, is the land force branch of the Afghan Armed Forces. The roots of an army in Afghanistan can be traced back to the early 18th century when the Ho ...

, Pavlovsky studied the situation in the country before the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan. Based on the results of the work, he provided the Minister of Defense of the USSR D.F. Ustinov and the Chief of the General Staff N.V. Ogarkov with a written report with categorical objections to the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan, then he also defended his point of view in personal reports. As a result, the High Command of the Ground Forces was removed from the development of the operation to send troops to Afghanistan, and Pavlovsky himself was removed from his post a few months later. Pavlovsky died in Moscow on 27 April 1999.

Works

*"Sukhoputnye voĭska SSSR : zarozhdenie, razvitie, sovremennost" and forces of the USSR: origin, development, modernityby I. G Pavlovskiĭ, 1985 *"Sukhoputnye voĭska" and forcesby I. G Pavlovskiĭ, 1977

References

* * Woff, Richard. Soviet command changes and policy implications : Army General I.G. Pavlovsky and pre-military training. ollege Station, Tex.: Center for Strategic Technology, Texas A & M University,

981 Year 981 ( CMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Emperor Otto II (the Red) leads the imperial court to Rome, making the city his imperial capital, and receiv ...

(OCoLC)959606956. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pavlovsky, Ivan 1909 births 1999 deaths People from Proskurovsky Uyezd People from Khmelnytskyi Oblast Army generals (Soviet Union) Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Zhukov Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of the Red Star Recipients of the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", 2nd class Recipients of the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", 3rd class Recipients of the Medal "For Battle Merit" Commanders with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Scharnhorst Order People of the Soviet invasion of Poland Soviet military personnel of World War II Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia Frunze Military Academy alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Members of the Central Auditing Commission of the 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Sixth convocation members of the Soviet of the Union Seventh convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Eighth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Ninth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Tenth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Burials at Kuntsevo Cemetery