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 ...

Viktor Nikolayevich Samsonov (; 10 November 1941 – 17 November 2024) was a Russian and Soviet military officer. He was the last Chief of the 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 ...

from 1991 to 1992 and was in command of all military forces on the territory of the

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

after 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 ...

. He was then the Chief of the General Staff 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 ...

(CIS) Armed Forces from 1992 to 1993, Chief of Staff for Coordinating Military Cooperation of the CIS Member States from 1993 to 1996, and the Chief of the General Staff of the

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Ground Forces, Navy, and Aerospace Forces—two independent comba ...

from 1996 to 1997.

Early military career

Samsonov was born on 10 November 1941 in the work settlement of Dukhovnitskoye,

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 he graduated from school he first worked at a train station in Sosnogorsk. He entered the

Soviet Army 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 ...

in 1960 as an officer cadet, and was commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

from the Far Eastern Higher Command School in July 1964. In October of that year he was assigned to the Soviet Naval Infantry, where he served as a platoon and company commander, in the

55th Naval Infantry Division The 55th Marine Division (, Military Unit Number 30926) was an infantry division of the Soviet Navy and Russian Navy's Naval Infantry (Russia), Naval Infantry, established in 1968 and disestablished in 2009. The unit was re-established during t ...

of the Pacific Fleet. Samsonov attended 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 ...

in the early 1970s, where he was classmates with Mikhail Moiseyev and Boris Gromov, and graduated in 1972. Afterwards he held command roles in the motor rifle forces of the

at the regimental and division level. In 1974 he received a promotion to lieutenant colonel ahead of schedule, and was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in 1979. After graduating from the General Staff Academy of the Soviet Armed Forces in 1981 Samsonov became a motor rifle division commander. In September 1983 he was made the chief of staff of a

field army A field army (also known as numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps. It may be subordinate to an army group. Air army, Air armies are the equivalent formations in air forces, and ...

, and in May 1985 he was appointed as commander of the 4th Army, in the

Transcaucasian Military District The Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of First Republic of Armenia, Armenia, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Azerbaijan, and Democratic Republic ...

. In May 1987, as a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

, Samsonov was made chief of staff and first deputy commander of the Transcaucasian Military District. In July 1990 he became the commander 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 ...

, and during the August 1991 coup attempt in the Soviet Union he was named the military commandant of

Leningrad 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 ...

by the

State Committee on the State of Emergency State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

. He supported the local government and did not have significant role in the events of the coup, with his main action being the increase in security at military sites in the area.

Senior military career

In December 1991, shortly before the

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, ...

Samsonov was made the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces. In early 1992, the former Soviet military on the territory of the Russian SFSR was under his command. In January, his post was renamed to being that of the

(CIS) Armed Forces, and in February he was formally appointed to the new position. He had strained relations with the CIS Armed Forces commander-in-chief, Marshal Yevgeny Shaposhnikov, and Russian Minister of Defense, Col. Gen. Pavel Grachev. In 1993 the attempt to create a unified CIS military fell apart, and in December of that year Samsonov became the Chief of Staff for Coordinating Military Cooperation of the CIS Member States. He was promoted to rank of

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 ...

by President

Boris Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician and statesman who served as President of Russia from 1991 to 1999. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1961 to ...

, who appointed Samsonov as Chief of the General Staff of the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...

in October 1996. He was critical of the direction taken by the military at that time, and was said to be opposed to military reforms desired by Yeltsin, for which he was dismissed in May 1997, along with the Minister of Defense, Igor Rodionov. From then until 1999 Samsonov was at the service of the Ministry of Defense, and from June 2000 he worked for the Russian presidential administration while still being on active duty. He retired in March 2002. Samsonov was married and had two sons. After his retirement, he became the president of the Fund for Assistance to Disabled People and Veterans of War and Labour. He died on 17 November 2024, at the age of 83. He was buried with military honours at the Federal Military Memorial Cemetery on 20 November 2024.

Awards and decorations

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts have been aimed at ...

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 ...

Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" The Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" (), also known as the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", was a Soviet Union, Soviet Order (honour), military order awarded in three classes ...

* Medal "For Battle Merit" * Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" * Medal "For Distinction in Guarding the State Border of the USSR" * Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" *

Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" The Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" () is a commemorative medal of the Russian Federation created to denote the 850th anniversary of the city of Moscow. It was established on 26 February 1997 by Presidential Decree � ...

* Medal "Veteran of the Armed Forces of the USSR" * Medal "For Strengthening of Brotherhood in Arms" * Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" * Jubilee Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" * Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" * Medal "In Commemoration of the 1500th Anniversary of Kiev" *

Medal "For Impeccable Service" The Medal "For Impeccable Service" () was a Soviet Union, Soviet military award for long service awarded to deserving members of the military personnel of the Soviet Armed Forces, of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Soviet Union), Interior Minist ...

References

External links

* , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Samsonov, Viktor 1941 births 2024 deaths Generals of the army (Russia) Frunze Military Academy alumni Soviet Navy personnel People of the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt Soviet colonel generals Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", 2nd class Recipients of the Medal "For Distinction in Guarding the State Border of the USSR" Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Deputy defence ministers of Russia Chiefs of the General Staff (Russia) People from Saratov Oblast Burials at the Federal Military Memorial Cemetery