Vasily Filippovich Margelov (; ; – 4 March 1990) was a

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

who was the commander of the

Soviet Airborne Forces The Soviet Airborne Forces or VDV (from ''Vozdushno- desantnye voyska SSSR'', Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска СССР, ВДВ; Air-landing Forces) was a separate troops branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. First formed b ...

(VDV) from 1954 to 1959 and from 1961 to 1979. Margelov modernized the VDV and was 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 ...

. Author Carey Schofield wrote that Margelov "...is considered to be the real father of the VDV... eading..them through their most vital period of development."

Early life

Vasily Markelov (later changed to Margelov due to a spelling error) was born on 27 December 1906 in the city of

Ekaterinoslav Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

, the son of

Belarusian Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...

parents Filipp Ivanovich Markelov and Agata Stepanovna. His father, Filipp Markelov, worked in an

iron foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

. In 1913, the Markelov family returned to Belarus and settled in

Kastsyukovichy Kastsyukovichy (; ; ) is a town in Mogilev Region, eastern Belarus. It is located in the east of the region, close to the border with Russia, and serves as the administrative center of Kastsyukovichy District. In 2009, its population was 15,993 ...

, the hometown of Margelov's father, where he graduated from the local

parochial school A parochial school is a private school, private Primary school, primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathem ...

in the mid-1910s. As a teenager, he worked as a loader and a carpenter. In the same year, he became an apprentice in a tanning shop and soon became an assistant master. In 1923, Margelov became a laborer in a local bakery. There is some evidence that Margelov graduated from the School of Rural Youth and worked as a forwarder in local mail delivery. From 1924, Margelov worked in the Kalinin mine at Ekaterinoslav. In 1925, he returned to Belarus and worked as a forester in the timber industry in Kostiukovichi. In 1927, he became the chairman of the working committee of the timber industry and was elected to the local council.

Interwar military service

In 1928, Margelov was drafted into the Red Army. He studied at the

United Belarusian Military School The United Belarusian Military School named after Central Executive Committee of the Byelorussian SSR (Russian: Объединённая белорусская военная школа; OBVSH) was the normal military school of the Red Army in Min ...

from 1928 to 1931. He was appointed the commander of a machine gun platoon in the 99th Rifle Regiment of the

33rd Rifle Division The 33rd Rifle Division was a rifle division of the Red Army and Soviet Army, formed twice. The division was formed in 1922 at Samara and moved to Belarus in the next year. It fought in the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939 and in the O ...

Mogilev Mogilev (; , ), also transliterated as Mahilyow (, ), is a city in eastern Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, about from the Belarus–Russia border, border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from Bryansk Oblast. As of 2024, ...

. In December 1932, he became a cadet in the 3rd Orenberg Pilot and observer school, but was expelled in January 1933 for making "politically ignorant statements". Margelov became the commander of a machine gun platoon in the United Belarusian Military School. In February 1934, he became the deputy commander of the company and its commander in May 1936. From 25 October 1938, Margelov commanded the 2nd Battalion of the 23rd Rifle Regiment of the 8th Rifle Division. As chief of intelligence of the division, he participated in the

Soviet invasion of Poland The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military conflict by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Second Polish Republic, Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Polan ...

World War II

During the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

, Margelov commanded a separate ski reconnaissance battalion in the 596th Rifle Regiment of the 122nd Rifle Division. During one raid on the Finnish rear area, he reportedly captured a group of Swedish volunteers. During the war, Margelov was wounded. After the end of the Winter War, Margelov was appointed assistant commander of the 596th Rifle Regiment. In October 1940, he became the commander of the 15th Separate Disciplinary Battalion of the

Leningrad Military District The Order of Lenin Leningrad Military District () is a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010, it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern ...

. After

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

, Margelov became the commander of the 3rd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 1st Guards Division of Leningrad Front militia ( :ru:1-я гвардейская стрелковая дивизия народного ополчения (Володарского района)) in July 1941. In November, he was appointed commander of the 1st Special (in the sense of "irregular") Ski Regiment, composed of

Baltic Fleet The Baltic Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Established 18 May 1703, under Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Baltic Fleet is the oldest Russian fleet. In 1918, the fleet w ...

sailors. On 21 November, Margelov was wounded in a raid behind enemy lines on

Lake Ladoga Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, in the vicinity of Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake located entirely in Europe, the second largest lake in Russia after Lake ...

. After the end of his convalescence, he became the commander of the 218th Rifle Regiment of the

80th Rifle Division The 80th Rifle Division () was a rifle division of the Red Army, formed twice. The division was first formed in 1923 and was stationed in eastern Ukraine. It was destroyed in mid-1941 in the Battle of Uman. Its second formation was formed from a ...

during the Siege of Leningrad. From 15 July 1942, Margelov was the commander of the newly reformed 13th Guards Rifle Regiment of the

3rd Guards Rifle Division Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

. In October 1942, the division was sent to the Southern Front. In December, the regiment repulsed German attempts at relieving the encircled 6th Army during the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...

. In January 1943, Margelov became the 3rd Guards Rifle Division's deputy commander. He participated in the Salsk-Rostov Offensive during the same month. Margelov also fought in the Donbass Strategic Offensive and in the Melitopol Offensive from August to November 1943. In 1944, Margelov became the commander of the

49th Guards Rifle Division The 49th Guards Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army. The division was formed in October 1942 from the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division. Formation The 49th Guards Rifle Division was formed in the Western Front reserves near Mo ...

. During the

Bereznegovatoye–Snigirevka Offensive The Bereznegovatoye–Snigirevka offensive (Russian: Березнеговато-Снигирёвская Наступательная Операция, Bereznegovato-Snigirovskaya Nastupatel'naya Operatsiya) was an offensive operation conducted i ...

, the division crossed the

Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

on the night of 12 March. On the next night, the rapidly advancing division crossed the

Inhulets River The Inhulets () or Ingulets () is a river, a right tributary of the Dnieper, that flows through Ukraine. It has a length of and a drainage basin of . The Inhulets has its source in the Dnieper Upland in a ravine (balka) to the west of Topylo ...

and captured

Kherson Kherson (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , , ) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-bui ...

within a few hours. The division was awarded the title "Kherson" and Margelov became a

on 19 March. Margelov led the division through the

Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

, Belgrade Offensive, Budapest Offensive,

Vienna Offensive The Vienna offensive was an offensive launched by the Soviet 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts in order to capture Vienna, Austria, during World War II. The offensive lasted from 16 March to 15 April 1945. After several days of street-to-street figh ...

and the Prague Offensive. During fighting outside Budapest, the division repulsed German counterattacks on the night of 13–14 February 1945. For its actions the division was awarded the

Order of Suvorov The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800). History The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet Union, Soviet award established on ...

2nd class. In the

Moscow Victory Parade of 1945 The 1945 Moscow Victory Parade (), also known as the Parade of Victors (), was a victory parade held by the Soviet Armed Forces (with the Color Guard Company representing the First Polish Army) after the defeat of Nazi Germany. This, the longest ...

, he commanded a battalion on the regiment representing the

2nd Ukrainian Front The 2nd Ukrainian Front () was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. History On October 20, 1943, the Steppe Front was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front. In mid-May 1944 Malinovsky took over the 2nd Ukrainian Front. During t ...

Postwar

In 1948, Margelov graduated from the

Voroshilov Military Academy of the USSR Army General Staff The Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation () is the senior staff college of the Russian Armed Forces. The academy is located in Moscow, on 14 Kholzunova Lane. It was founded in 1936 as a Soviet inst ...

and became the commander of the

76th Guards Airborne Division 76th may refer to: *76th Academy Awards ceremony honored films of 2003 * 76th Air Army, an air army of the Soviet Air Forces from 1949 to 1980 and from 1988 to 1998 *76th Air Assault Division (Russia), a division of the Russian Airborne Troops base ...

in April in

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

. Between 1950 and 1954, he was the commander of the 37th Guards Airborne Corps. In May 1954, he became commander of the

Soviet airborne The Soviet Airborne Forces or VDV (from ''Vozdushno-Parachuting, desantnye voyska SSSR'', Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска СССР, ВДВ; Air-landing Forces) was a military branch, separate troops branch of the Soviet ...

. After an incident in the airborne forces, which Schofield describes as encouraging a sergeant to wrestle a bear during a birthday party, Margelov was demoted to deputy commander in 1959. In July 1961, he became the airborne forces commander again. He initiated the mass production of parachute systems and helped to introduce the

An-22 The Antonov An-22 "Antei" (; ; NATO reporting name: "Cock") is a heavy military transport aircraft designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Powered by four turboprop engines, each driving a pair of contra-rotating propellers, ...

and

Il-76 The Ilyushin Il-76 (; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau as a commercial freighter in 1967, to replace the Antonov An-12. ...

into service. During his tenure in command of the VDV, the PP-127 parachute was developed, which allowed

BMD-1 The BMD-1 is a Soviet airborne amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), which was introduced in 1969 and first seen by the West in 1970. BMD stands for ''Boyevaya Mashina Desanta'' (Боевая Машина Десанта, which ...

infantry fighting vehicles to be airdropped. In May 1967 Colonel-General Margelov played a crucial part in Operation "''Rhodopes-67''", a massive deployment of Warsaw Pact airborne forces in the People's Republic of Bulgaria near the Greek border as a show of force to deter the recently established military regime of the

Greek junta The Greek junta or Regime of the Colonels was a Right-wing politics, right-wing military junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974. On 21 April 1967, a group of colonels with CIA backing 1967 Greek coup d'état, overthrew the caretaker gove ...

. The main force in the operation was the Soviet contingent, made up of the complete 106th Airborne Landing Division of the VDV, which carried out an airborne landing en-masse in the mountainous region of the

Rhodope Mountains The Rhodopes (; , ; , ''Rodopi''; ) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in Greece. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak ...

(hence the name) and the 309th Separate Marine Infantry Battalion of the Black Sea Fleet, which carried out an amphibious landing in Varna and immediately deployed over 300 km overland to join up with the 106th. The overall commander of the operation was the Bulgarian Minister of People's Defence Army General

Dobri Dzhurov Dobri Marinov Dzhurov ( Bulgarian: Добри Маринов Джуров; 5 January 1916 – 17 June 2002) was a Bulgarian politician and military leader. He was the last Defense Minister of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1962 to 1990. ...

, but Col-Gen. Margelov was the person actually in charge. The operation was a success and later that year on 28 October 1967 Margelov was promoted to

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 ...

. He organized the Soviet airborne operations during 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 ...

. From January 1979, he was in the

Group of Inspectors General 200px, Inspector General of the USSR Ministry of Defense Republic_Day_(East_German.html" ;"title="Vasily Chuikov (right) at the military parade in honour of the Republic Day (East Germany)">30th anniversary of East Germany in Karl-Marx-Allee, Ea ...

of the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

. Margelov was the chairman of the State Examination Commission of the Ryazan Airborne School. Margelov lived in Moscow and died on 4 March 1990 at the age of 82. He is buried in the

Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery () is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. History The cemetery was designed by Ivan Mashkov and inaugurated ...

Family

Among his children was Vitaly Margelov, a politician and intelligence officer. Vitaly's son, and Vasily's grandson, is the politician

Mikhail Margelov Mikhail Vitalyevich Margelov (; born 22 December 1964), is a Russian public figure and politician, Vice President, JSC “Transneft”, and ex-Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council of Russia. He has been a member o ...

. Another of his sons, , was also a VDV officer. His father Vasily Filippovich was a strong advocate for the mechanization of the VDV with drop-capable IFVs and APCs and this necessitated the development of heavy duty airborne drop systems for them. Due to his university degree in engineering before joining the VDV Aleksandr Vasilyevich was appointed senior engineer at the VDV's Scientific Technical Committee (''старший инженер Научно-технического комитета ВДВ'') and took it upon himself to prove these systems safe. On 5 January 1973, near Tula at the 106th Airborne Landing Division's "Slobodka" training grounds he was the first to drop from an Antonov An-12B "Cub" cargo airplane inside a BMD-1 in order to test the Kentavr multiple parachute system. The crew commander of the

was Lt-Col. Leonid Zuev and 1st Lt. Aleksandr Margelov was the gunner. The test was a resounding success (which earned him a field promotion to Captain on the spot), but the large area of parachutes and ropes all around the BMD right after touch-down made the machine immobile until the crew came out and detached the 'Kentavr' system, most probably under fire in wartime, which to a great degree made the system pointless, so other solutions had to be developed. This came in the form of the 'Reaktavr' system, which greatly reduced the number of parachutes used. Their role with the 'Reaktavr' was to reduce the speed and most importantly to stabilise the vehicle in a perfect horizontal position for three retarding rocket boosters placed over the BMP to fire close to the ground and land the machine as gently as possible. On 23 January 1976 at the 76th Airborne Landing Division's Kislovo training grounds near Pskov now Major Aleksandr Margelov was once again the first one to test the new system and this time as the crew commander, with Lt.-Col. Leonid Shcherbakov acting as his gunner. On both occasions Aleksandr was nominated for the state honor

award, but did not receive the medal, likely not to raise criticism of nepotism due to the position of his father. He has received the belated honor after the collapse of the USSR on 29 August 1996, in the form of

Hero of the Russian Federation Hero of the Russian Federation ( rus, Герой Российской Федерации, p=ɡʲɪˈroj rɐˈsʲijskəj fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨɪ), also unofficially called Hero of Russia ( rus, Герой России, p=ɡʲɪˈroj rɐˈsʲiɪ), is ...

by Presidential Order #1282 with the resolution "For fortitude and heroism, demonstrated in the testing, perfection and mass implementation in the troops of special machinery" (''за мужество и героизм, проявленные при испытании, доводке и освоении специальной техники).''

Legacy

Memorials

There are memorials to Margelov in

Kryvyi Rih Kryvyi Rih ( ; , ), also known as Krivoy Rog ( ), is a city in central Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Kryvyi Rih Raion and its subordinate Kryvyi Rih urban hromada in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The city is part of the Kryvyi Rih Metropo ...

Omsk Omsk (; , ) is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia and has a population of over one million. Omsk is the third List of cities and tow ...

, Tula,

Tyumen Tyumen ( ; rus, Тюмень, p=tʲʉˈmʲenʲ, a=Ru-Tyumen.ogg) is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Tyumen Oblast, Russia. It is situated just east of the Ural Mountains, along the Tura ( ...

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

Ulyanovsk Ulyanovsk,, , known as Simbirsk until 1924, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River east of Moscow. Ulyanovsk has been the only Russian UNESCO Ci ...

and

Ivanovo Ivanovo (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Russia and the administrative center and largest city of Ivanovo Oblast, located northeast of Moscow and approximately from Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Russia, Vladimir and Kostroma. ...

. On 21 February 2010, a bust of Margelov was installed near the Palace of Youth in

. A monument to Margelov was erected on 5 June 2010 in

Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...

. On 4 November 2013, a memorial to Margelov opened in

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

's Victory Park. There is a monument to Margelov at the headquarters of the 95th Airmobile Brigade in

Zhytomyr Zhytomyr ( ; see #Names, below for other names) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Zhytomyr Oblast (Oblast, province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding ...

. On 7 May 2014, a monument to Margelov was opened in

Nazran Nazran (; ) is the largest city in Ingushetia, Russia. It served as the republic's capital from 1991 to 2000, until it was replaced by Magas, which was built for this purpose. It is the most populous city in the republic: Etymology The name ...

's local memorial complex. On 8 June, a bust of Margelov was included in

Simferopol Simferopol ( ), also known as Aqmescit, is the second-largest city on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, but controlled by Russia. It is considered the cap ...

's new Walk of Fame. On 8 October, a memorial complex was dedicated to Margelov in Bender, near the City House of Culture. On 27 December, a memorial bust of Margelov was installed 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 ...

's Walk of Fame at School No. 43. There is also a monument of Margelov in Dubasari, a city of the breakaway

Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie, is a landlocked breakaway state internationally recognized as part of Moldova. It controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dni ...

(Transnistria). A bust of Margelov was erected on 23 April 2015 in

Slavyansk-na-Kubani Slavyansk-on-Kuban () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located in the Kuban River river delta, delta. Population: 56,000 (1975). History Slavyansk originated in the Middle Ages as ''Copa'' or ''Cop ...

. On 25 April, a bust of Margelov was placed in

Taganrog Taganrog (, ) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don (river), Don River. It is in the Black Sea region. Population: Located at the site of a ...

's city center. On 12 June, a monument to Margelov was installed in

Yaroslavl Yaroslavl (; , ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl rivers. ...

at the headquarters of the regional military-patriotic organization. On 18 July, a bust of Margelov was erected in

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...

. On 1 August, another monument to Margelov was erected in Yaroslavl. On 12 September, a monument was installed in

Krasnoperekopsk Krasnoperekopsk () or Yany Kapu (; ) is a city in Crimea. Following the 2014 annexation of Crimea, it was incorporated into Russia's Republic of Crimea. However, a majority of countries recognises the territory as part of Ukraine within the Auto ...

. The

Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School The General V.F. Margelov Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne twice Red Banner Order of Suvorov Command School (RGVVDKU) () is a military educational institute of the Russian Ministry of Defense, situated in Ryazan, about southeast of Moscow. It was ...

is named after Margelov. There is also a street in Moscow named for him. On 6 May 2005, the Russian Federation Ministry of Defence established the departmental

Medal "Army General Margelov" The Army General Margelov Medal () is an award of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation established by Order No. 182 of the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation of 6 May 2005. It is named after the renowned past commander of ...

, awarded to soldiers of the VDV. During the

Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast The ongoing military occupation of Ukraine's Kherson Oblast () by Russian forces began on 24February 2022, when Russian forces Russian invasion of Ukraine, invaded Ukraine from Crimea. It was administrated under a Russian-controlled military-ci ...

during the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, Margelov has become a rallying figure for pro-Russian collaborators, who raised a

volunteer unit A military volunteer (or ''war volunteer'') is a person who enlists in military service by free will, and is not a conscript, mercenary, or a foreign legionnaire. Volunteers sometimes enlist to fight in the armed forces of a foreign country, f ...

baring his name in 2023 to fight alongside the Russian army. There is a monument to Margelov in

Dnipro Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

(his place of birth). Mayor of Dnipro

Borys Filatov Borys Albertovych Filatov (; born 7 March 1972) is a Ukrainian politician, journalist, lawyer, businessman, and the current mayor of Dnipro. In 2014 and 2015 he was a member of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament. He is one of the l ...

claimed on Friday 13 January 2023 that this monument would soon be removed from the public space of the city.

Honours and awards

Soviet orders and medals

(19 March 1944) *

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 ...

, four times (21 March 1944, 3 November 1953, 26 December 1968, 26 December 1978) *

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on 31 October 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferred upon individuals or groups for services furthering communis ...

(5 April 1972) *

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 ...

, twice (2 March 1943, 20 June 1949) *

, 2nd class (28 April 1944) *

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War () is a Soviet Union, Soviet military Order (decoration), decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to Partisan (military), partisans for heroic deeds in the Easte ...

, 1st class, twice (25 January 1943, 20 June 1949) *

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...

(11 March 1944) *

Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * H ...

, 2nd class (14 December 1988) and 3rd class (30 April 1975) * campaign and jubilee medals

Foreign awards

* Order of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, 2nd class (20 September 1969) * Medal "90th Anniversary of the birth of Georgy Dimitrov" (22 February 1974) * Medal "100th Anniversary of liberation from Ottoman rule" * Medal "100th Anniversary of the birth of Georgy Dimitrov" * Medal "40th Anniversary of victory over Hitler's Fascism" (Bulgaria, 1985) * Order of Merit of the Hungarian People's Republic, 3rd class (4 April 1950) * Medal "Brotherhood in Arms" in Gold (Hungarian People's Republic, 29 September 1985) *

Star of People's Friendship The Star of Peoples' Friendship (), Star of Nations' Friendship, was an order awarded by the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Established 20 August 1959, it was given to individuals of exceptional merit who had contributed to the "understandi ...

, 3rd class (GDR, 23 February 1978) * Medal "Artur Becker", 1st class (FDJ, 23 May 1980) * Medal "Sino-Soviet Friendship" (PRC, 23 February 1955) * Medal "20 Years of the Revolutionary Military Council of Cuba" (22 February 1978) * Medal "30 Years of the Revolutionary Military Council of Cuba" (1986) *

(Mongolian People's Republic, 7 June 1971) * Medal "30 Years of the victory at Khalkin Gol" * Medal "40 Years of the victory at Khalkin Gol" * Medal "50 Years of the Mongolian People's Republic" * Medal "60 Years of the Mongolian People's Republic" * Medal "50 Years of the UAHB" * Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of Mongolia" * Medal "30 Years of Victory over Japan" *

Officer of the Legion of Merit An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

(10 May 1945) *

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

(10 May 1945) * Medal "For the Oder, Neisse and the Baltic Sea" (7 May 1985) * Medal "Brotherhood in Arms" *

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

, Officer's Cross (11 June 1973) *

Order of Tudor Vladimirescu Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * H ...

, 2nd class (10 January 1974) *

, 3rd class (24 October 1979) * Medal "25 Years of the liberation of Romania" * Medal "30 Years of the liberation of Romania" *

Order of Klement Gottwald The Order of Klement Gottwald (; ) was established by the Czechoslovak government in February 1953. The original name of the Order was "Order of building of socialist homeland". The name of the Order was changed to "Order of Klement Gottwald - fo ...

(1969) * Medal "For Strengthening of Friendship in Arms", 1st class (1970) * Medal "50 Years of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia" * Medal "30 Years of the liberation of Czechoslovakia by the Red Army"

Early life

Interwar military service

World War II

Postwar

Family

Legacy

Memorials

Honours and awards

Soviet orders and medals

Foreign awards

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

Further reading