Viktor Ivanovich Ivankov (russian: Виктор Иванович Иванков; 26 July 1924 – 13 June 2021) was an officer of the
Soviet military
The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and th ...
who held a number of posts, reaching the rank of
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...
.
Career
Ivankov was born in the village of
Antonovo
Antonovo ( bg, Антоново ) is a town in the Targovishte Province of northeastern Bulgaria. It is the administrative center of the homonymous Antonovo Municipality. Antonovo sits in the Slannik low level mountain area close to the border of ...
,
Chuchkovsky District
Chuchkovsky District (russian: Чу́чковский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #128-ZS and municipalLaw #100-OZ district (raion), one of the twenty-five in Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located in the eastern central part of the oblast. ...
,
Ryazan Oblast
Ryazan Oblast ( rus, Рязанская область, r=Ryazanskaya oblast, p=rʲɪˈzanskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities ...
, in what was then the
Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
, in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
.
With the
Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, he was soon pressed into service. He joined the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
in 1942, seeing action on the
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front (russian: Ленинградский фронт) was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front
The Karelian Front ...
as part of the
Baltic Fleet
, image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg
, image_size = 150
, caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign
, dates = 18 May 1703 – present
, country =
, allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present)
...
in the
Kronstadt
Kronstadt (russian: Кроншта́дт, Kronshtadt ), also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt or Kronštádt (from german: link=no, Krone for "crown" and ''Stadt'' for "city") is a Russian port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of ...
defensive region, as part of the Observation and Communication Service.
He went on to see action in the operations around the
Oranienbaum Bridgehead
The Oranienbaum Bridgehead ( in Russian) was an isolated portion of the Leningrad Oblast in Russia, which was retained under Soviet control during the siege of Leningrad in World War II. It played a significant role in protecting the city.
Histo ...
.
Ivankov remained in the armed forces after the war, and in 1950 graduated from the Higher Naval Engineering and Technical School and was sent to serve with the
Pacific Fleet.
His first post was as a
platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...
commander, but over time he rose to the position of head of the Dalvoenmorstroy naval construction department. In 1970 he became first deputy head of the Main Military Construction Directorate of the
Soviet Ministry of Defence
The Ministry of Defense (Minoboron; russian: Министерство обороны СССР) was a government ministry in the Soviet Union. The first Minister of Defense was Nikolai Bulganin, starting 1953. The Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) was the ...
. This was followed with his appointment in 1971 as deputy head of State Expertise of the Ministry of Defence, and head of inspection for capital construction.
He held this post until 1974, when he became head of the State Expertise and Inspection at the ministry. In 1977 he became deputy chief of construction and personnel, a position he held for the next fifteen years.
He had been promoted to engineer major general on 6 May 1972, and then engineer lieutenant general on 13 February 1976.
On 26 April 1984 this rank became lieutenant general.
He retired in 1992 with the rank of lieutenant general.
Over his career Ivankov received the
Order of the Patriotic War
The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisan ...
First Class, two
Orders of the Red Banner of Labour, the
Order of Friendship of Peoples
The Order of Friendship of Peoples (russian: oрден Дружбы народов, translit=orden Druzhby narodov) was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military unit ...
and the
Third Class. He also received the title of , and was a laureate of the .
Ivankov died in Moscow on 13 June 2021, at the age of 96.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivankov, Viktor
1924 births
2021 deaths
People from Ryazan Oblast
Soviet lieutenant generals
Soviet military personnel of World War II
Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples