General Vladislav Achalov, Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, commander of the Airborne Forces in the late 80s, died in Moscow. “Over the years of his life, Vladislav Alekseevich made an invaluable contribution to strengthening the defense capability of the armed forces and the Airborne Forces. The life of Colonel General Achalov was an example of serving his people and the Fatherland,” Interfax quotes the head of the press service of the Russian Airborne Forces, Alexander Cherednik .

Achalov was the youngest general in the history of the USSR; he received his rank at 34 years old. Heading the Airborne Forces, he participated in resolving interethnic conflicts in the Soviet Union that broke out in the late 80s. In particular, he coordinated the military operation in Baku in January 1990, which began after the Armenian pogrom. As a result of the crackdown on anti-Soviet demonstrations, dozens of people were killed. According to human rights activists, the use of force was unnecessary. General Achalov was a supporter of preserving the USSR. During one of the interviews, he admitted that he was ready to take the side of the State Emergency Committee during the political crisis of August 1991. “I had seven airborne divisions at that moment,” said the general.

General Achalov was known not only as the head of the Airborne Forces and a high-ranking general. In the 90s he actively participated in political activities. During the confrontation between Yeltsin and the Supreme Council in the fall of 1993, the general took the side of parliament. Acting President Alexander Rutskoy appointed Achalov Minister of Defense.

There are different versions about Achalov’s role in the defense of the White House. According to one of them, the general was a supporter of the military option for the development of events and called for the capture of the Kremlin. Achalov himself said that the parliamentarians did not have a unified plan of action. According to him, the Supreme Council was waiting for the support of the military. Achalov appealed to them, but the army never supported the rebellious parliament.

Achalov was arrested on October 4 and was sent to Lefortovo prison . He was granted amnesty in February. After that, he was a member of a number of public organizations and participated in the creation of the “Movement in Support of the Army.” Since 2003, he was the head of the Union of Russian Paratroopers, which united Airborne Forces veterans. Recently he has criticized army reform, including a sharp reduction in the number of Airborne Forces.

The youngest general of the USSR died