Dmitri Yazov
| Dmitry Yazov Дми́трий Я́зов |
|
|---|---|
Yazov in 1989
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|
| Minister of Defence | |
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In office 30 May 1987 – 22 August 1991 |
|
| Premier |
Nikolai Ryzhkov Valentin Pavlov |
| Preceded by | Sergei Sokolov |
| Succeeded by | Yevgeny Shaposhnikov |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
8 November 1924 Omsk Oblast, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | Soviet/Russian |
| Other political affiliations |
Communist Party of the Soviet Union |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union/Russian Federation |
| Service/branch | Soviet Army/Russian Ground Forces |
| Years of service | 1941–1994 |
| Rank | Marshal |
| Battles/wars | World War II, Soviet war in Afghanistan |
Dmitry Timofeyevich Yazov (Russian: Дми́трий Тимофе́евич Я́зов; born 8 November 1924) was the last Marshal of the Soviet Union to be appointed before the collapse of the Soviet Union (on 28 April 1990). He was the only Marshal of the Soviet Union to be born in Siberia. A veteran of the Great Patriotic War, Yazov is the last surviving Marshal and the only one not to have been awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
In 1971-73, he commanded the 32nd Army Corps in the Crimean region of the Odessa Military District. In 1979–1980, Yazov was commander of the Central Group of Forces in Czechoslovakia. He was commanding the Far East Military District in the northern summer of 1986, when, according to Time magazine, he made a favourable impression on General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, which led to later promotions. He held the post of Soviet Defence Minister from May 1987. In 1987–1990, Yazov was a candidate for membership in Politburo. He was a key part of Black January. Yazov was responsible for deployment of Russian OMON commando units to Latvia and Lithuania in early 1991. During the August Coup of 1991, Yazov was a member of the State Emergency Committee, for which he was purged from his post by Gorbachev. During the Yeltsin period Yazov was prosecuted and acquitted in 1994.
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