Leonty Vasilyevich Kuznetsov (Russian: Леонтий Васильевич Кузнецов; born 13 August 1938) is a retired officer of the

Soviet 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 ...

and later

Russian Army The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...

who served as a Commander of the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District () is a Military districts of Russia, military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Originally it was a district of the Imperial Russian Army until the Russian Empire's collapse in 191 ...

from 1992 to 1999, having reached the rank of

Colonel General Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically General officer#Old European system, general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, ...

in 1991.

Biography

Kuznetsov was born on 13 August 1938, in the city of Arkadak,

Saratov Oblast Saratov Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the Volga Federal District. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Saratov. As of the 2021 Russian cens ...

. After studying at a vocational school, he worked as a turner at the in

Saratov Saratov ( , ; , ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River. Saratov had a population of 901,361, making it the List of cities and tow ...

in 1961. He graduated from the in 1963, the

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (), was a military academy of the Soviet and later the Russian Armed Forces ...

, and the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces named after K. E. Voroshilov. Kuznetsov served as a private in 1961, as a commander of a platoon, company, battalion, regiment, division, deputy commander and army commander. He was chief of staff of the

from May 1988 to 1990, then chief of staff of the Western Group of Forces from May 1990 to September 1991. He was Head of the

Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces The Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (; official abbreviation GOU GSh VS RF ) is the main body of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, General Staff of the Russian Armed Forc ...

and Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the United Armed Forces of the States – Members of the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization, regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an ar ...

from September 1991 to July 1992. On 16 July 1992, Kuznestov became the commander of the Moscow Military District. On 20 April 1999, he retired from the military due to age limits.

References

1938 births Living people Soviet colonel generals Russian colonel generals People from Saratov Oblast Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Russia) 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 Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Frunze Military Academy alumni {{USSR-bio-stub