War and Peace of General Romanov

The legendary officer in the memories of colleagues

Zhukovsky is proud of the Hero Pilots. But few people know that in the 1960s, Hero of Russia, former commander of a group of troops in the North Caucasus, General Anatoly Romanov, served in the recently disbanded military unit No. 3455.

There are people living in Zhukovsky who knew him well and served with him. All of them are representatives of the Union of Officers “I Have the Honor”. These are Colonels Nikolai Ishchenko, Vasily Kuznetsov, Viktor Pronin and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Abaseev.

- I met Anatoly Romanov in 1988, when he was appointed chief of staff of the Moscow division. At that moment I was the chief of staff of military unit 3455. A strong friendship developed. When communicating with his subordinates, he never put himself above others and did not allow himself to shout at them. Everyone loved him equally - from the general to the soldier. The worst thing for all of us was hearing the phrase “I’m sorry.” The rank and file and officers called him “our Romanov.” He said that Zhukovsky is a very soulful place, he loved this city and often came here. The last time Anatoly Alexandrovich came to us was on his birthday, a week before the explosion on Minutka Square. At that moment I was a regiment commander and knew that General Romanov had come to Moscow for one day. At about 18 o'clock they called me and informed me that General Romanov would speak with me.

“Viktor Alekseevich,” I heard a familiar voice on the phone, “can we come to you?” Something is very drawn to you.

I answered: “Anatoly Alexandrovich, why are you asking me?” Come of course!

“I’ll come to you for an hour,” said Romanov, “otherwise I’m leaving for Chechnya tomorrow morning.” He came to us with his wife, Larisa, and instead of 40 minutes, he stayed for 6 hours.

When leaving, he told me: “If anything happens, you support Larisa.” Apparently he felt something. Our meeting was on Sunday, and on Friday there was an explosion. Since then, Anatoly Alexandrovich has been in a comatose state. And, unfortunately, this process is irreversible.

- In 1988, my appointment as commander of the 95th Moscow Division was considered. But due to health reasons I was rejected. And Romanov took over the position of chief of staff from me. The questions he asked me suggested that he was an officer with a capital letter. Intuition suggested that a great future awaited him. In seven years, Romanov went from chief of staff to commander of internal troops, deputy minister of internal affairs. And he began his career as a private in Zhukovsky. Romanov combined military competence, intelligence, education and talent as a military leader. As the commander of a group of internal troops in the North Caucasus, he was not a punisher, for whom the main thing was achieving the goal at any cost. No. He did not drive people into fire and flames. He was eager to negotiate. Being a good diplomat, he tried to resolve everything peacefully. I wanted to end this civil war in the Caucasus.

- Even before the meeting, I had heard a lot about Romanov. I was drafted into a military unit in Zhukovsky. At that time, Romanov finished his service here and went to the Saratov school. Those who served in military service with him, and, in particular, warrant officer Chekrygin, spoke very warmly of him. I met him in the 70s, when he brought cadets from the Saratov Higher Command School for an internship to our unit. Anatoly Aleksandrovich did not want to get a job at a hotel and decided to live in a hostel, where I also lived at that time. I was lucky enough to live in the same room with him. Unfortunately, the only photograph I had was lost. Honestly, I could not imagine that I was communicating with a person who would reach such great heights. But even then it was felt that he was a reliable comrade, a wonderful person, and a smart girl. I don’t remember any conflict situations with him. Then, as the head of physical training, I went on a business trip to the commission that he headed. Such a commander is difficult to find. We never had to wait for him. He commanded his intellect. I never heard him raise his voice. Very tactful. And there are rumors that some people, dissatisfied with the peace process in Chechnya, which Romanov led, decided to get rid of him. By the way, when he came to Zhukovsky, he invariably appeared in the secret unit with senior warrant officer Chekrygin, with whom he began his service together. In my opinion, General Romanov is the standard of a Russian officer and patriot. A year ago, I underwent medical examination at the internal troops hospital in Balashikha, where Anatoly Alexandrovich is being treated. When the soldier was carrying him in a carriage, I involuntarily stood at attention. And so everyone who sees him gives him military honor.

- I met Romanov in 1975, when I was enrolled as a first-year cadet. He was a course officer of the neighboring third platoon. Characteristically, from the first year, the platoon commanded by Romanov surpassed other platoons by three orders of magnitude and was advanced in the school in many respects. I was lucky to participate in the parade with him. He was always the commander of the banner platoon. I never acted arrogantly. But at the same time, all his commands were carried out unquestioningly. Romanov is a well-read, erudite officer with an excellent knowledge of military history. We, as cadets, tried to imitate him. Romanov was very fond of the phrase uttered by Zhukov: “You shouldn’t feel sorry for the soldier, you should take care of the soldier.” And he carried this principle throughout his entire service. This was especially reflected during the conduct of hostilities in Chechnya. He always tried to take care of people and preferred the path of peaceful negotiations. But unfortunately, on October 6, 1995, everything stopped. Then, after graduation, we met him at the school. There was talk of success. Having learned that I was a company commander in military unit 3455 in Zhukovsky, Anatoly Aleksandrovich said: “You know, I was the commander of the seventh platoon and went on guard.” This platoon was exemplary. A new meeting took place when MAKS began to be held in Zhukovsky in 1992. Romanov came to take part in security measures. I often remember this warm meeting with a real officer.

Interviewed by Ilya Emelyanov