Two decades have passed since the heart of a military general, a State Duma deputy, an intelligent and honest man, Lev Rokhlin, stopped beating. He devoted his entire life to the armed forces. He passed through Afghanistan, liberated Grozny, was wounded twice. Death seemed to be on his heels, and found him at his own dacha in the suburbs.
Childhood and youth
Rokhlin was born in 1947. Father Yakov Lvovich, who went through the war, was arrested and exiled to the GULAG. This happened when the boy was 8 months old, they never met again. Mother Ksenia Ivanovna raised three children on her own. The lion, named after his grandfather, was the youngest. After 10 years, relatives moved the family to Uzbekistan. After leaving school, the young man began his labor activity at an aircraft plant, from there he was drafted into the army.
The beginning of a military career
Following the example of his older brother, Lev decided to devote his life to military affairs and entered the Tashkent Command School. Graduating brilliantly in 1970, he began serving in the group of Soviet troops in the GDR. A few years later he received a diploma from the Military Academy. This was followed by business trips to the most remote corners of the Union: Turkestan, the Arctic, Transcaucasia.
Afghanistan
Since 1982, Rokhlin served in Afghanistan. An unsuccessful operation led to his resignation. The battalion led by him was ambushed. The command considered it a mistake the officer's decision to eliminate the equipment and retreat, thereby avoiding losses. Less than a year later, Rokhlin was returned to his post, and in 1990 he received a new appointment - the commander of the 75th motorized rifle division. The next step in his military career was a diploma from the Academy of the General Staff and a new position - the head of the Volgograd garrison.
Chechnya
From the very beginning of the first Chechen operation, Lev Rokhlin, as the commander of the Guards Corps, was at the center of events. He led most of the operations to liberate Grozny. He was instructed to negotiate a ceasefire with the Chechen commanders. For these military merits, the officer was awarded the title of Hero of Russia, which he refused. He believed that one cannot gain glory in a fratricidal war.
The life of Lev Yakovlevich was completely devoted to the army. He cannot be called a careerist, he did not hide from bullets, he was on the front line. Fighting in "hot spots", Major General Rokhlin understood that the Russian army was going through hard times, it needed support and protection.
The main opposition leader of the 90s
The popularity of the general was used by the movement "Our Home - Russia". Being on the third line of the party list, Rokhlin received a deputy mandate. So a new stage in his life began - the political one. Dealing with the country's defense issues in the State Duma, the famous military leader was able to determine for himself the main reason for the deplorable state of the military - mediocre government and corrupt officials.
Rokhlin began creating a new political Movement in support of the army. He saw the main task of the DPA in the revival of the country's Armed Forces, and this required reforms. Very quickly, the movement turned into a national front and became opposition to the existing government. The political elite of the state was frightened by the support of the DPA by the majority of the country's population and the impeccable authority of the military general. It was assumed that Rokhlin was planning a military coup against the Yeltsin regime. For bold speeches from the rostrum of parliament, the deputy was removed from the post of chairman of the Committee. But this did not stop the oppositionist, the movement decisively grew and expanded, it was supported by scientists, miners, Cossacks, the church …
Mysterious death
And one day in July 1998, the general was found dead at his dacha near Moscow. The official version was that as a result of a family quarrel, his wife Tamara shot him. However, after four years the case was closed, the woman's guilt was not confirmed. Many believe that the cause of the rebel general's death was his political activities.
After the tragic events, the opposition was left without a leader, there was no person in Russia who would have the same popularity among officers and civilians as Lev Yakovlevich Rokhlin enjoyed.
