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 betraying his homeland. But was it really so?
From the biography of Dmitry Timofeevich Yazov
The future military leader 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.
The marshal has a solid military education behind him. 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 graduated from 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 to go to the front. He went for a trick: he added one year to the recruiting station. After completing his studies, the young lieutenant in 1942 ended up at the front. Seasoned soldiers did not immediately take the young commander seriously. But he soon proved by his deeds that he was able to lead his subordinates and conscientiously serve the Motherland.
During the battles with the Nazis, Dmitry Yazov was twice wounded. One of the fragments remained in his head for life. In 1945, Yazov was presented to the Order of the Red Star for distinction in service. After the end of the war, he continued his military career.
During his service in the army, Yazov had the opportunity to command a rifle company, be the head of a regimental school, and perform the duties of a senior officer in the Combat Training Directorate of the Leningrad Military District. In June 1963, after a 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 assigned to General Yazov. The reason for the change in the country's military leadership was the infamous flight over the territory of the Soviet Union by Matthias Rust and his landing on Red Square.
The new defense minister did not share the policy of the country's leadership. He believed that Mikhail Gorbachev was pushing the Soviet Union towards disintegration. In front of Dmitry Yazov's eyes, the nuclear forces of a great power were sharply reduced. Soviet troops were hastily withdrawn from foreign states. The size of the army was dwindling. All this undermined the country's defense capability. The powerful army to which Dmitry Timofeevich devoted his whole life was crumbling.
In 1990, by decree of Mikhail Gorbachev, Defense Minister Yazov was promoted in rank. An army general became a marshal. A year later, in August 1991, the Minister of Defense became a member of the State Emergency Committee. It was he who gave the order to bring military equipment into the capital. However, the marshal soon realized that the introduction of troops into Moscow could only cause a violent reaction from the people. Therefore, Yazov eventually recalled the army equipment back.
Dmitry Yazov after the Emergency Committee
After a visit to Gorbachev, who was vacationing in Crimea in August 1991, a member of the State Emergency Committee, Marshal Yazov, returned to the capital. And immediately he found himself in the "Matrosskaya Tishina". The country's defense minister was charged with high treason. He was removed from his high post.
Yazov was released from prison only in 1993. A year later, the State Duma decided to amnesty the disgraced marshal. After that, Dmitry Yazov worked as an analyst and advisor at the Ministry of Defense. The last Minister of War of the Land of the Soviets and the last of the marshals of a great power in 2017 celebrated his 93rd year of birth.
