Igor Dmitriyevich Sergeyev (; 20 April 1938 – 10 November 2006) 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 later

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n military officer who was Minister of Defense of Russia from 22 May 1997 to 28 March 2001. Before that he was the commander of the

Strategic Rocket Forces The Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or the Strategic Missile Forces of the Russian Federation (RVSN RF; ) is a military branch, separate combat arm of the Russian Armed Forces that controls Russia's land-based intercontinenta ...

from 26 August 1992 to 22 May 1997. He was the first and, as of , the only

Marshal of the Russian Federation Marshal of the Russian Federation () is the highest military rank of Russia, created in 1993 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It ranks immediately above Army general and Admiral of the fleet (also called Fleet Admiral in some Eng ...

Career

Early life and career

Sergeyev graduated from the school No. 22 in

Makiivka Makiivka (, ), formerly Dmytriivsk () until 1931, is an industrial city in Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine, located east from Donetsk. The two cities are practically a conurbation. It has a population of It hosts the administration of Makiivka ...

in 1955. From 1955 to 1960 he studied at the military college, which he graduated with honors. After graduation he was appointed commander of the

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...

ballistic missiles A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typica ...

testing of the 37th ballistic missile division. From 1962 to 1963 he served as deputy commander for technical part of the ballistic missile battery. In 1963 he was appointed assistant to the chief of the engineering service of the ballistic missile regiment. From 1965 to 1968 he was deputy commander for armament of the ballistic missile

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

. In 1968 he became deputy squad commander for combat readiness and combat training of the ballistic missile division. From 1970 to 1971 he was

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the 351st ballistic missile regiment. From 1971 to 1973, Sergeyev studied at the Military Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces of the Soviet Union, from which he graduated with honors. After graduation, he was appointed commander of the 543rd ballistic missile

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

. In 1975, he was appointed chief of staff and – later – commander of the 46th ballistic missile division. From 1978 to 1980, Sergeyev studied at the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR. After graduation, he was appointed

of the 43rd ballistic missile

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

. In 1983, he was appointed chief of the Operations Directorate of the Main Staff of the Strategic Missile Forces of the Soviet Union. In 1985, he was appointed first deputy chief of the Main Staff of the Strategic Missile Forces of the Soviet Union. From 1989 to 1992, he served as deputy commander-in-chief for combat training of the Strategic Missile Forces of the Soviet Union. By the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 19 August 1992 No. 905, Sergeyev was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the

of Russia. On 13 August 1996, he was promoted to

army general 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 ...

. In 1994, Sergeyev received an academic degree of the doctor of technical sciences with a thesis on combat control systems.

Defense Minister

On 22 May 1997, Sergeyev was appointed Minister of Defense of Russia in 1997 by the

President of Russia The president of Russia, officially the president of the Russian Federation (), is the executive head of state of Russia. The president is the chair of the State Council (Russia), Federal State Council and the President of Russia#Commander-in-ch ...

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 ...

. He was promoted to

on 21 November 1997. Marshal Sergeyev accepted reform within a limited budget under civilian political control. The number of military educational establishments was reduced markedly from their previous levels, which had not changed since Soviet times. A number of army divisions were given "permanent readiness" status, which was supposed to bring them up to 80 percent manning and 100 percent equipment holdings. Sergeyev directed most of his efforts toward promoting the interests of the

. All military space forces were absorbed into the Strategic Rocket Forces, and the Ground Forces Headquarters was abolished. The Airborne Forces suffered some reductions, while the Naval Infantry only escaped due to their competent performance in Chechnya. Much of the available procurement money was invested in acquiring new rockets. In December 1999, Marshal Sergeyev called NATO enlargement, in and of itself, a threat to global and European collective security and world politics. He particularly stressed the deployment and use of NATO forces out of area without a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

mandate as a threat that devalues confidence-building measures, arms control treaties and security. Sergeyev was dismissed as defense minister in March 2001 and was replaced by Sergei Ivanov.

Death

Sergeyev died on 10 November 2006 from hemoblastosis. He was buried at the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery.

Criticism

Marshal Sergeyev is blamed by some for not effectively acting during the War of Dagestan in 1999 but is also praised for the fact that the Russian military captured the Chechen capital

Grozny Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Russian Census, 2002 ce ...

in 2000 during the

Second Chechen War Names The Second Chechen War is also known as the Second Chechen Campaign () or the Second Russian Invasion of Chechnya from the Chechens, Chechen insurgents' point of view.Федеральный закон № 5-ФЗ от 12 января 19 ...

. However, the ongoing fighting in the south of the country caused some concern about his efficacy after

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

became president.

Honours and awards

Hero of the Russian Federation Hero of the Russian Federation ( rus, Герой Российской Федерации, p=ɡʲɪˈroj rɐˈsʲijskəj fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨɪ), also unofficially called Hero of Russia ( rus, Герой России, p=ɡʲɪˈroj rɐˈsʲiɪ), is ...

(27 October 1999) *

Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" () is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree 442. Until the re-establishment of the Order of St. Andrew in 1998, it was the highest order of ...

, 2nd class (28 March 2001) * Order of Military Merit (1995) * Order of Honour (20 April 2003) *

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on 31 October 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferred upon individuals or groups for services furthering communis ...

(1987) *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

(1988) *

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 ...

(1982) *

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 ...

, 3rd class (1976) * 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 "Veteran of the Armed Forces of the USSR" * Medal of Zhukov * Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" * Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" *

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 "For Impeccable Service" 1st, 2nd and 3rd classes * Order of Manas, 3rd class (Kyrgyzstan, 20 December 1999) * Order of the Yugoslav Star, 1st class (Yugoslavia, 23 December 1999) * Order of Saint Righteous Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy

Legacy

In 2017, a street in the Kuntsevo District of

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

was named after Marshal Sergeyev.

References

External links