Viktor Georgiyevich Kulikov (; 5 July 1921 – 28 May 2013) was the

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

commander-in-chief from 1977 to 1989. He was awarded the rank of the

Marshal of the Soviet Union Marshal of the Soviet Union (, ) was the second-highest military rank of the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin wore the uniform and insignia of Marshal after World War II. The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in ...

on 14 January 1977. Kulikov was born into a peasant family and joined the

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 ...

in 1939. He saw service in

World War II 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 ...

and was made 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 ...

. Kulikov commanded the Kyiv Military District in 1967–1969 and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany in 1969–1971. From 1971 until 1977, he served as the Chief of General Staff of the

Soviet Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

. In 1983, he was awarded a

Lenin Prize The Lenin Prize (, ) was one of the most prestigious awards of the Soviet Union for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was originally created on June 23, 1925, and awarded until 1934. During ...

. Kulikov was a member of the Soviet/Russian parliament 1989–2003. He was awarded the highest

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n award, the Order of Playa Girón in 2006. Kulikov died after a long illness, on 28 May 2013.

Honours and awards

;USSR and Russia *

(3 July 1981) *

Order of Merit for the Fatherland 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 * ...

; **2nd class II degrees (10 July 2001) - for outstanding contribution to strengthening national defence and an active law-making **3rd class (3 July 1996) - for services to the state and personal contribution to the development and reform of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation **4th class (23 June 2011) - a contribution to strengthening national defence and long-term public activities * Order of Military Merit * Order of Honour (5 July 2006) - for services to strengthen national defence and a lot of work on patriotic education of young people * Four Orders of Lenin (2 July 1971, 21 February 1978, 3 July 1981 and 19 February 1988) *

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 ...

, three times (26 October 1943, 20 July 1944 and 22 February 1968) *

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, three times (7 September 1943, 12 May 1945 and 6 April 1985) *

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 ...

(26 October 1955) * Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, 3rd class (30 April 1975) * Medal For Courage * Medal for Combat Service *

(1983) * An individual weapon - a gun (on retirement in 1992) ;Foreign awards * Order of Sukhbaatar (Mongolia, 1981) *

Patriotic Order of Merit The Patriotic Order of Merit (German: ''Vaterländischer Verdienstorden'', or VVO) was a national award granted annually in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was founded in 1954 and was awarded to individuals and institutions for outstanding ...

, 1st class (GDR, 1981) * Star of People's Friendship, 1st class (GDR, 1985) * Scharnhorst Order, three times (GDR, 1972, 1986, 1987) * Order "For Service to the Motherland and the people", 1st class (GDR, 1970) * Order of Georgi Dimitrov (Bulgaria, 1984) * Order "The People's Republic of Bulgaria", 1st class (1974) * Commander's Cross with Star of the

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 ...

(Poland, 1973) * Order Banner IRR with diamonds (Hungary, 1975) *

(Hungary, 1985) * Order "For Military Valour", 1st class (NRW, 1983) * Order of the Victorious February (Czechoslovakia, 1985) * Order "For Military Merit", 1st class (Peru, 1972) * Order "On 23 August", 1st class (CPP, 1974)

References

External links