Valentin Varennikov

Valentin Varennikov
Valentin Varennikov in August 1994 after he was acquitted by the Russian Supreme Court
Native name	Валентин Иванович Варенников
Born	(1923-12-15)December 15, 1923 Krasnodar
Died	May 6, 2009(2009-05-06) (aged 85) Moscow
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Service/branch	Soviet Army
Years of service	1941–1991
Rank	Army general
Commands held	Commander Land Forces Deputy Minister of Defence of the USSR
Battles/wars	World War II Soviet War in Afghanistan Military advisor to Syria, Ethiopia and Angola
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union Order of Lenin Order of Military Merit (Russia) Order of the October Revolution Order of the Red Banner (4) Order of the Patriotic War (1st, 2nd and 3rd class) Order of the Red Star Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR
Other work	member of the Russian parliament

Valentin Ivanovich Varennikov (Russian: Валентин Иванович Варенников) (December 15, 1923 – May 6, 2009) was a Soviet/Russian Army general and politician, best known for being one of the planners and leaders of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, as well as one of the instigators of the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt.

Valentin Varennikov was born to a poor Cossack family in Krasnodar. His father, who fought in the Russian Civil War, graduated from the Moscow industrial institute and was a manager. His mother died in 1930 when he was seven.

He became a junior officer of the Red Army and fought in the Battle of Stalingrad as well as in the successful campaigns to retake Ukraine and Belarus from the German army. Varennikov finished the German-Soviet War in the Battle of Berlin as one of the commanders of the Soviet soldiers who captured the Reichstag.

Varennikov stayed in East Germany as an officer of the Soviet troops, stationed there until 1950.

In 1954 he graduated from the Frunze Military Academy in Moscow. Later he graduated from the General Staff Academy. In 1960 he became deputy commander of a motor rifle division. From 1962 to 1966 Varennikov commanded 54th Motor Rifle Division of the Leningrad Military District. In 1964 armed forces inspectors tested the division, and it was awarded as one of the six top divisions of the Ground Forces of the USSR Armed Forces by order of the Minister of Defence. In August 1965 he was enrolled in the General Staff Academy. From 1967 to 1969 he commanded the 26th Army Corps of the Leningrad Military District.