Yuri Viktorovich Kuznetsov (; 24 August 1946 – 24 January 2020) was a

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 Russian military officer who held a number of posts in the

and later

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 ...

, reaching the rank of general-major. He served during the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic o ...

, receiving the title of

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 ...

. Kuznetsov 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 1964, and after studying at the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School he joined the

217th Guards Airborne Regiment The 217th Guards Airborne Regiment is an airborne regiment of the Russian Airborne Troops. It was formed in 1948 from elements of the 296th Guards Airlanding Regiment. Currently based in Ivanovo, it is part of the 98th Guards Airborne Division. ...

, where he would spend the next several years, rising through the ranks and becoming a battalion commander. After further studies at 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 ...

, he was sent to Afghanistan with the

345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment The 345th Guards Air Assault Red Banner Order of Suvorov Regiment (; MUN 33702) is a unit of the Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) and regiment of the 104th Guards Air Assault Division. Before 1992, it was part of the Soviet Airborne Forces. Afte ...

. He rose to command the regiment during his service during the Soviet–Afghan War, and was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1982. After further postings as deputy commander of the

106th Guards Airborne Division The 106th Guards Tula Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Airborne Division (; MUN 55599), more generally referred to as the Tula Division, is one of the four airborne divisions of the Russian Airborne Troops, the VDV (). Based in the city of Tula, ...

, commander of the 8th Guards Motor Rifle Division and deputy commander of the

35th Combined Arms Army The 35th Combined Arms Red Banner Army is a field army of the Russian Ground Forces. The army was first formed in July 1941 with the Far Eastern Front. After spending most of World War II guarding the border in Primorsky Krai, the army fought i ...

, Kuznetsov's final military service was as head of the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School, before his retirement in 2002. With his retirement from military life, Kuznetsov settled in

Blagoveshchensk Blagoveshchensk ( rus, Благовещенск, p=bləɡɐˈvʲeɕːɪnsk, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. It is located at the confluence of the Amur River, Amur and the ...

and became active in local government, serving as a deputy in the city and regional dumas, and as an advisor to the deputy governor on the region. He had received a number of awards during his career, and on his death in 2020, politicians at the local and national levels paid tribute to his service.

Early life and career

Kuznetsov was born into a working-class family on 24 August 1946 in

Borzya Borzya ( rus, Борзя, p=ˈborzʲə; , ''Boorjo''; , ''Boorj'') is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Borzinsky District in Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia, located southeast of Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai, ...

, then in

Chita Oblast Chita Oblast ( rus, Чити́нская о́бласть, r=Čitínskaja óblastj, p=tɕɪˈtʲinskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) was a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) in southeast Siberia, Russia. Its administrative center was the city of Chita. ...

in the Soviet Union. He graduated from 10 high school classes and joined the

in August 1964. After graduating from the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School with a specialisation in command and staff operational-tactical combined arms warfare in 1968, he entered the

, based at

Bolhrad Bolhrad (, ; ; , ) is a small city in Odesa Oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, in the historical region of Budjak. It is the administrative center of Bolhrad Raion (district) and hosts the administration of Bolhrad urban hromada, one of ...

Odesa Oblast Odesa Oblast (), also referred to as Odeshchyna (Одещина), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, located along the northern coast of the Black Sea. Its administrative centre is the city of Ode ...

, in the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

. He was 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 ...

from 1970, and in 1973 completed the Vystrel officer-training course. During his time with the 217th Guards Airborne Regiment he rose from the position of a platoon commander to deputy company commander, company commander and finally battalion commander. In 1977 he entered the

for further studies.

Afghanistan and later service

Graduating from the Frunze Military Academy in 1980, Kuznetsov was posted to the

as its deputy commander, and deployed with the unit to Afghanistan as part of the Soviet forces committed to the

. He became the Regiment's commander in March 1982, holding the position until June 1982. For his service during the war, then Guards Lieutenant-Colonel Kuznetsov was awarded the title of

, with the accompanying Gold Star 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 ...

, on 5 July 1982. This was award number 11477 of the Hero of the Soviet Union, and 399897 of the Order of Lenin. He then became deputy commander of the

, and in 1984 took charge of the 8th Guards Motor Rifle Division. After studying at the Military Academy of the General Staff, Kuznetsov became deputy commander of the

. 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 ...

in 1991, Kuznetsov remained in the

, and from 1993 served as a general-major as head of the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School, the same institution he had graduated from at the start of his career. He retired from this post, and from military service, in October 2002.

Civilian life

Seat-of-the-government-amur-oblast-lenin-street-135-blagoveshchensk

Now retired from the military, Kuznetsov settled in

Amur Oblast Amur Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located on the banks of the Amur and Zeya rivers in the Russian Far East. The oblast borders Heilongjiang province of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the south. The administrati ...

, where he became active in civil administration. From 2005 to 2007 he served as a deputy to the Amur Regional Council of People's Deputies IV convocation, and from 2 March 2008 was on the Legislative Assembly of Amur Oblast's V convocation. From 12 March 2008 he was chairman of the Assembly's Committee on Veterans Affairs, which from 23 May 2008 became the Committee on Veterans Affairs, Public Organizations and Youth Policy. In 2014 he became a deputy of the Blagoveshchensk City Duma's VI convocation for the city's 14th district, and the duma's deputy chairman for its VII convocation. He served for a time as an advisor to the deputy governor of the region. He was a member of

United Russia The All-Russian Political Party United Russia (, ) is the Ruling party, ruling List of political parties in Russia, political party of Russia. As the largest party in the Russian Federation, it holds 325 (or 72.22%) of the 450 seats in the St ...

. He had also worked as a

docent The term "docent" is derived from the Latin word , which is the third-person plural present active indicative of ('to teach, to lecture'). Becoming a docent is often referred to as habilitation or doctor of science and is an academic qualifi ...

at the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School.

Death and legacy

Kuznetsov died on 24 January 2020, at age 73. Over his career he had received a number of awards in addition to that of Hero of the Soviet Union, including the

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 ...

on 17 August 1981, the

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 ...

second and third classes, and the Order of Military Merit on 3 January 1997, in addition to fourteen medals. He had also been created an honorary citizen of Blagoveshchensk. He was married with three sons. Condolences were offered and tributes paid by members of Blagoveshchensk City Council, with city Mayor describing him as "a strong-willed, energetic person and a true patriot of his country ... he always remained faithful to his duty and to the Fatherland. He was respected for his strength of character, honesty and decency ndwas an active participant in the public life of the city and region." Vasily Orlov,

Governor of Amur Oblast The Governor of Amur Oblast () is the head of the executive branch of the government of Amur Oblast, a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an Oblasts of Russia, oblast) of Russia. The current governor is Vasily Orlov, who has held the p ...

, called him "the last Hero of the Soviet Union in the Far East" and wrote that "a talented, honest and generous person has left us. This is how he will remain in our memory." Alexander Kozlov, the Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, called him "honest, open, uncompromising, decent, energetic." A bust of Kuznetsov was placed in the grounds of the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School. In 2020 the Amur Cadet Corps Boarding School was named after him. On 5 July 2022, a statue of Kuznetsov was unveiled on the square opposite the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School. The design of the monument was developed with the input of his family, and depicts Kuznetsov, in military uniform and with his cap in his hand, walking to work at the school.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuznetsov, Yuri Viktorovich 1946 births 2020 deaths People from Borzinsky District Soviet major generals Personnel of the Soviet Airborne Forces Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Russia) Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", 2nd class Frunze Military Academy alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Soviet military personnel of the Soviet–Afghan War Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School alumni Russian major generals Russian Airborne Forces personnel