The name of Dmitry Timofeevich Yazov will forever remain in the history of Russia. He went through the Great Patriotic War, was wounded twice. After the events of August 1991, Marshal of the Soviet Union and the last Minister of Defense of the USSR, Yazov, was accused of having betrayed his homeland. But was it really so?
From the biography of Dmitry Timofeevich Yazov
The future commander was born on November 8, 1924 in a peasant family. He was born in the village of Yazovo, in the Omsk region. The biography of Dmitry Timofeevich is firmly connected with the army.
Behind the marshal - a solid military education. In 1942, he graduated from the Moscow Infantry School. In 1956, he successfully completed his studies at the Frunze Military Academy. And in 1967 he became a graduate of the Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR.
Dmitry Yazov during the war
When the war with the Nazis began, Yazov was not yet 18 years old. But the guy was eager for the front. He went on a trick: at the recruiting station he added himself one year. After completing his studies, the young lieutenant in 1942 was at the front. Experienced soldiers did not immediately take the young commander seriously. But soon he proved through his deeds that he was able to lead his subordinates and to faithfully serve the homeland.
During the battles with the Nazis, Dmitry Yazov was twice wounded. One of the fragments for life remained in his head. In 1945, Yazov was presented to the Order of the Red Star for the difference in service. After the war, he continued his army career.
During his service in the army, Yazov managed to command a rifle company, be the head of a regimental school, and fulfill the duties of a senior officer in the combat training department of the LenVO. In June 1963, after a business trip to Cuba during the international crisis, Dmitry Yazov was awarded the rank of colonel.
During the years of perestroika
In 1987, Marshal Sokolov was removed from the post of Minister of Defense of the USSR. This post was entrusted to General Yazov. The reason for the change in the military leadership of the country was the infamous flight over the territory of the Soviet Union Matthias Rust and his landing on Red Square.
The new Minister of Defense did not share the policy of the country's leadership. He believed that Mikhail Gorbachev was pushing the Soviet Union to collapse. In front of Dmitry Yazov, the nuclear forces of a great power were sharply reduced. Soviet troops hastily removed from foreign countries. The size of the army was declining. All this undermined the country's defense. The powerful army, which Dmitry Timofeevich devoted his whole life to, collapsed.
In 1990, by decree of Mikhail Gorbachev, Defense Minister Yazov was promoted. The army general became a marshal. A year later, in August 1991, the Minister of Defense became part of the State Emergency Committee. It was he who gave the order to introduce military equipment into the capital. However, the marshal soon realized that the introduction of troops into Moscow could only cause a violent reaction of the people. Therefore, Yazov eventually recalled the army equipment.
