Vladislav Alekseyevich Achalov (russian: Владисла́в Алексе́евич Ача́лов; 19 November 1945 – 23 June 2011) was a
Soviet
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 nation ...
general
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
,
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
and public figure. Achalov served as the 12th 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 be ...
and the deputy
minister of defence
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
(1990-1991).
Biography
Early life and military career
Achalov was born on November 13, 1945 in the village of Atamash,
Atninsky District
Atninsky District (russian: Атни́нский райо́н; tt-Cyrl, Әтнә районы, ''Ätnä rayonı'') is a territorial administrative unit and municipal district of the Republic of Tatarstan within the Russian Federation. The distri ...
, in the
. Upon deciding to join the army, he attended the Kazan Tank School of the Red Army, from which he graduated in 1966. He started his career in the army as a commander of a platoon of tanks, and later he became the commander of a company of tanks. In 1973 he graduated from the
Academy of Armoured Forces but transferred to the Airborne Forces in 1974, becoming commander of an artillery regiment. In 1975–77 he was a commander of an airborne regiment and later (1977–78) vice-commander of
98th Guards Airborne Division
The 98th Guards Airborne Division is an airborne division of the Russian Airborne Troops, currently based in Ivanovo.
Russian 98th Airborne Division patch.svg, 98th Guards Airborne Division shoulder sleeve insignia (1993)
History
During the Se ...
. From 1978-82 he was commander of the
7th Guards Airborne Division.
In February 1981 he visited Warsaw and in September he participated in
"Zapad-81" training exercise.
After graduating from the
Voroshilov General Staff Academy in 1984, he became the deputy commander of the
2nd Guards Tank Army and 1985 commander of the
8th Guards Army within the
Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
The Western Group of Forces (WGF),. previously known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG). and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG),. were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany. The Group of Soviet Occupat ...
. In 1987–89 he was working in Leningrad
as Chief of Staff, First Deputy Commander of the
Leningrad Military District
The Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District ...
. From January 1989 to December 1990 he was commander of the Soviet Airborne Forces.
Political career and death
In December 1990, unexpectedly, "with no preliminary discussion, none of the usual procedures such as interviews with the Central Committee or the Poltburo," he was made a deputy minister of defence. This lasted until August 1991. After the August 1991 coup he was sent to a sanatorium, "the usual preliminary to enforced retirement." He was a member of Supreme Council of Russian Soviet Republic in 1990–1993.
A supporter of the failed coup attempts of
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
and
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...
, in his later years he led a union of veteran
paratrooper
A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Worl ...
s and organised a large protest against Yeltsin's policies. Achalov died at a
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
hospital on 23 June 2011, aged 65.
Family
He was married in 1974 to Larisa Pavlovna Gudzi, and had a son and daughter.
[Schofield, 1993, 264.]
Further reading
* Ostrovsky, Alexander (2014)
Расстрел «Белого дома». Чёрный октябрь 1993 (The shooting of the "White House". Black October 1993)— М.: «Книжный мир», 2014. — 640 с. ISBN 978-5-8041-0637-0
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Achalov, Vladislav
1945 births
2011 deaths
People from Arsky District
Soviet colonel generals
Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni
Commanders of the Soviet Airborne Forces
Burials in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery
Defenders of the White House (1993)
Recipients of the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", 1st class
Recipients of the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", 2nd class
Recipients of the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", 3rd class