Valentin Varennikov
Encyclopedia
Valentin Ivanovich Varennikov (December 15, 1923 - May 6, 2009) was a Soviet/Russian 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 Soviet coup attempt of 1991
.
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.
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 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 Land Forces of the Armed Forces of the USSR by order of the Minister of Defence. In August of 1965 he was enrolled in the General Staff Academy. From 1967 to 1969 he commanded the 26th Army Corps of the Leningrad Military District.
In 1969 Varennikov took charge of the 3rd Shock Army, and in 1979 became deputy head of the Soviet General Staff.
During the last few years of the Soviet war in Afghanistan
, Varennikov was the personal representative in Kabul
of the Soviet Defence Minister, and held negotiations with the United Nations
Mission
members who oversaw the pullout from the country of Soviet troops between 1988 and 1989.
In 1989 General Varennikov was named commander-in-chief of land forces and deputy minister of defence
.
In 1991 during the August coup attempt
he joined forces opposing former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
. After the coup failure General Varennikov was arrested, tried and prosecuted together with other coup plotters and was acquitted by the Russian Supreme Court in 1994. He was the only member of the group of accused plotters who refused to accept an amnesty
.
In 1995 Varennikov, as a member of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation
, was elected deputy of the State Duma
. In the Duma Varennikov presided over the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
In 2003 he joined the Rodina
block as one of its leaders.
. During 2008, Varennikov presented the case for Stalin as Russia's greatest historical figure on the Name of Russia television project. Stalin won third place. According to Varennikov: "We became a great country because we were led by Stalin." http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/29/stalin-name-of-russia
title and is a titular Knight of the Order of Glory
, as well as having received numerous other Soviet, Russian and foreign medals and decorations. He held the honorary rank of retired field marshal.
in the Russian army, an Afghan war veteran and also a Rodina deputy in the Russian Parliament (Duma).
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
, as well as one of the instigators of the Soviet coup attempt of 1991
Soviet coup attempt of 1991
The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt , also known as the August Putsch or August Coup , was an attempt by a group of members of the Soviet Union's government to take control of the country from Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev...
.
Early life
Valentin Varennikov was born to a poor CossackCossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
family in Krasnodar
Krasnodar
Krasnodar is a city in Southern Russia, located on the Kuban River about northeast of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. It is the administrative center of Krasnodar Krai . Population: -Name:...
. His father, who fought in the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, graduated from the Moscow industrial institute and was a manager. His mother died in 1930 when he was seven.
Military career
He became a junior officer of the Red ArmyRed Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and fought in the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
as well as in the successful campaigns to retake Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
from the German army
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
. Varennikov finished the German-Soviet War in the Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
as one of the commanders of the Soviet soldiers who captured the Reichstag
Reichstag (building)
The Reichstag building is a historical edifice in Berlin, Germany, constructed to house the Reichstag, parliament of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894 and housed the Reichstag until 1933, when it was severely damaged in a fire. During the Nazi era, the few meetings of members of the...
.
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
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Later he graduated from the 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
Leningrad Military District
The Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:...
. In 1964 armed forces inspectors tested the division, and it was awarded as one of the six top divisions of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of the USSR by order of the Minister of Defence. In August of 1965 he was enrolled in the General Staff Academy. From 1967 to 1969 he commanded the 26th Army Corps of the Leningrad Military District.
In 1969 Varennikov took charge of the 3rd Shock Army, and in 1979 became deputy head of the Soviet General Staff.
During the last few years of the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
, Varennikov was the personal representative in Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
of the Soviet Defence Minister, and held negotiations with the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Mission
United Nations Good Offices Mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan
United Nations Good Offices Mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan was established in May 1988, during the Soviet war in Afghanistan, to assist in ensuring the implementation of the agreements on the settlement of the situation relating to Afghanistan and investigate and report possible violations of...
members who oversaw the pullout from the country of Soviet troops between 1988 and 1989.
In 1989 General Varennikov was named commander-in-chief of land forces and deputy minister of defence
Minister of Defence of Soviet Union
-List of defence ministers:-See also:* Heads of military of Imperial Russia* Defence Ministry of the Russian Federation...
.
In 1991 during the August coup attempt
Soviet coup attempt of 1991
The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt , also known as the August Putsch or August Coup , was an attempt by a group of members of the Soviet Union's government to take control of the country from Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev...
he joined forces opposing former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
. After the coup failure General Varennikov was arrested, tried and prosecuted together with other coup plotters and was acquitted by the Russian Supreme Court in 1994. He was the only member of the group of accused plotters who refused to accept an amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
.
Political career
Communist Party of the Russian Federation
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation is a Russian political party. It is the second major political party in the Russian Federation.-History:...
, was elected deputy of the State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
. In the Duma Varennikov presided over the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
In 2003 he joined the Rodina
Rodina
Rodina or Motherland-National Patriotic Union was one of the four parties that controlled seats in the Russian legislature in 2003-2007...
block as one of its leaders.
Other activities
In February 2008, Valentin Varennikov was officially received as fellow of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences (Armenian branch) and member of the International Academy Ararat. He was the president and founder of the International League for Human Dignity and Security, an international NGO present in more than 40 countries. http://www.dignity.ru/en/about/Stalin's champion
Varennikov was one of Russia's most outspoken defenders of Joseph StalinJoseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
. During 2008, Varennikov presented the case for Stalin as Russia's greatest historical figure on the Name of Russia television project. Stalin won third place. According to Varennikov: "We became a great country because we were led by Stalin." http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/29/stalin-name-of-russia
Awards and honors
Varennikov was a holder of the Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
title and is a titular Knight of the Order of Glory
Order of Glory
Established on 8 November 1943, the Order of Glory was an Order of the Soviet Union. It was awarded to non-commissioned officers and rank-and-file of the armed forces, as well as junior lieutenants of the air force, for bravery in the face of the enemy.The Order of Glory, which was modelled...
, as well as having received numerous other Soviet, Russian and foreign medals and decorations. He held the honorary rank of retired field marshal.
Personal life
He had two sons and lived in Moscow, where he died on May 6, 2009, aged 85. One of his sons, Vladimir Varennikov, is a retired Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
in the Russian army, an Afghan war veteran and also a Rodina deputy in the Russian Parliament (Duma).
External links
- CNN interview with Gen. Valentin Varennikov - A CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
Perspective Series, Episode 20: Soldiers of God. - Valentin Varennikov personal site - in Russian.
- Valentin Varennikov-Daily Telegraph obituary