Leonid Mikhailovich Solodkov (; born 10 April 1958) is a retired

Russian Navy The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...

Captain 2nd rank Captain 2nd rank () is a rank used by the Russian Navy and a number of List of communist states#Former communist states, former communist states. The rank is the middle rank in the staff officer's career group. The rank is equivalent to lieutenant c ...

and 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 ...

. Solodkov was awarded the title on 24 December 1991 for his work on diving equipment. Solodkov is the last person awarded the title, having received it two days before the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

Early life

Solodkov was born on 10 April 1958 in

Chornukhyne Chornushyne (), formerly Chornukhyne (), is a rural settlement in Alchevsk urban hromada, Alchevsk Raion (district), Luhansk Oblast (region), Ukraine. It was formerly in the Popasna Raion and then Perevalsk Raion. In the 2001 Ukrainian census, ...

Luhansk Oblast Luhansk Oblast (; ), also referred to as Luhanshchyna (), is the easternmost Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the n ...

in a farming family. His childhood was spent in

Volzhsky, Volgograd Oblast Volzhsky or Volzhskiy ( rus, Волжский, p=ˈvoɫʂskʲɪɪ̯) is an industrial town in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located on the east bank of the Volga River and its distributary the Akhtuba River, Akhtuba, northeast of Volgograd. Popula ...

, where he graduated from tenth grade. In 1976, he graduated from a course at the Obninsk Branch of the Moscow Engineering and Physics Institute.

Military service

Solodkov joined the

Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...

in August 1976. He was sent to the Higher Naval Engineering College. In 1980, Solodkov became a member of the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

. He graduated from the college in June 1981. In November, he completed the 6th Higher Officer Classes of the Navy. Solodkov became commander of the diving team on the rescue ship ''Zangezur''. Between 1984 and 1986 he was assistant commander for rescue work on the ''Zangezur''. Solodkov prepared over 1,000 deep-divers in diving school and while serving in Algeria supervised the training of submarine crews in emergency rescue. In May 1986, he became a junior researcher and diving specialist at the State Scientific Research Institute of Rescue, Diving, and Deep Sea Work of the Ministry of Defense. Solodkov participated in the creation and testing of diving equipment. While testing new technology, he spent a long period under 50-atmosphere pressure. Solodkov worked underwater and in the

diving chamber A diving chamber is a vessel for human occupation, which may have an entrance that can be sealed to hold an internal pressure significantly higher than ambient pressure, a pressurised gas system to control the internal pressure, and a supply of ...

for more than 3,000 hours. Solodkov spent 15 days underwater at 500 meters during a 1991 experiment and 25 days at 450 meters in a 1988 experiment. He was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

on 25 July 1990. On 24 December 1991, Solodkov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

for his contributions to diving. Solodkov was the last person awarded the title, receiving it two days before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Then with the

, Solodkov received his Gold Star on 16 January 1992 from

Yevgeny Shaposhnikov Marshal of Aviation Yevgeny Ivanovich Shaposhnikov (; 3 February 1942 – 8 December 2020) was a Soviet Air Forces officer who served as the final Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union in 1991. He was also the Commander-in-Chief of the Sovi ...

Later life

In July 1994 Solodkov transferred to the reserve with the

Captain 3rd rank Captain 3rd rank () is a rank used by the Russian Navy and a number of former communist states. The rank is the lowest rank in the staff officer's career group. The rank is equivalent to major in armies and air forces. Within NATO forces, the rank ...

rank. He was promoted to Captain 2nd rank in 1999. Solodkov lives in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. He led the Public Council of the Krasnoselsky District Administration. Solodkov was later deputy chairman of the Coordinating Council of Heroes of the Soviet Union, an NGO.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solodkov, Leonid 1958 births Living people People from Luhansk Oblast Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Soviet Navy officers Russian Navy personnel Soviet expatriates in Algeria Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Obninsk Institute for Nuclear Power Engineering alumni