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People
Activity
Affiliation(set)
Position
Citizenship
Background
Era
People of the Soviet Union
People of the wider world
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Valery Mikhailovich Sablin Валерий Михайлович Саблин
The naval officer who mutinied for Leninist principles against the Brezhnev regime
Military command · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1939–1976
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Alexander Filippovich Katusev Александр Филиппович Катусев
The Deputy Prosecutor General whose TV broadcast lit the fuse of the Sumgait pogrom
Law and justice · Soviet Union state institutions
1939–2000
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Jumber Ilyich Patiashvili ჯუმბერ ილიას ძე პატიაშვილი
The Georgian First Secretary who asked Moscow for troops, then resigned after 21 died
Political and party leadership · Soviet Union state institutions
1939–
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Konstantin Ivanovich Kobets Константин Иванович Кобец
The highest-ranking general who sided with Yeltsin during the August coup, commanding the White House defense
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1939–2012
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Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov Станислав Евграфович Петров
Soviet Air Defence Forces lieutenant colonel who correctly dismissed the Oko false alarm and prevented nuclear war
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1939–2017
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Mikhail Alekseyevich Moiseyev Михаил Алексеевич Моисеев
The last Soviet Chief of General Staff, undone by the August coup
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1939–2022
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Juozas Juozovich Jermalavičius Juozas Jermalavičius
Ideology secretary of the pro-Moscow Lithuanian Communist Party who proclaimed the 'National Salvation Committee' in the Vilnius crackdown
Ideology and propaganda · Soviet Union state institutions
1940–2022
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Andrei Serafimovich Grachev Андрей Серафимович Грачёв
An insider witness to the collapse of reform
Government and administration · Soviet Union state institutions
1941–
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Lembit Annus Lembit Annus
An Estonian communist leader who chose to preserve the Soviet Union
Political and party leadership · Soviet Union state institutions
1941–2018
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Nikolai Nikolayevich Gubenko Николай Николаевич Губенко
The last Soviet culture minister
Literature and arts · Soviet Union state institutions
1941–2020
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Anatoly Mikhailovich Kornukov Анатолий Михайлович Корнуков
The air-defense general who ordered KAL 007 shot down, later commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1942–2014
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Yevgeny Ivanovich Shaposhnikov Евгений Иванович Шапошников
The last Soviet defence minister and final Marshal of Aviation
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1942–2020
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Nikolai Timofeyevich Antoshkin Николай Тимофеевич Антошкин
The Soviet air force general who personally led 1,927 helicopter drops over the burning Chernobyl reactor
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1942–2021
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Alexander Mitrofanovich Obolensky Александр Митрофанович Оболенский
The engineer who became the first person in Soviet history to run against a sitting General Secretary
Political and party leadership
1943–
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Boris Vsevolodovich Gromov Борис Всеволодович Громов
The last Soviet soldier to leave Afghanistan, the face of the Soviet withdrawal
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1943–
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Viktor Petrovich Dubynin Виктор Петрович Дубынин
The 40th Army commander who halved Afghan losses, then Russia's first Chief of General Staff
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1943–1992
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Gennady Nikolayevich Osipovich Геннадий Николаевич Осипович
The Soviet air-defence interceptor pilot who shot down KAL 007
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1944–2015
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Jahangir Movsum oglu Muslimzade Cahangir Mövsüm oğlu Müslümzadə
The Sumgait party boss handed a flag and photographed at the head of the mob
Political and party leadership · Soviet Union state institutions
1945–
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Mikhail Semyonovich Surkov Михаил Семёнович Сурков
A party cadre who moved from army organization to the late Soviet Politburo
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1945–
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Vladislav Alekseyevich Achalov Владислав Алексеевич Ачалов
Soviet airborne forces commander and deputy defence minister in the August 1991 coup
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1945–2011
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Alexander Vladimirovich Rutskoy Александр Владимирович Руцкой
Russia's only vice president: stood with Yeltsin against the coup, then fell to Yeltsin's tanks
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1947–
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Pavel Sergeyevich Grachev Павел Сергеевич Грачёв
The airborne commander who held the coup's key and handed it to Yeltsin
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1948–2012
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Pavel Ruslanovich Palazhchenko Павел Русланович Палажченко
The interpreter who mediated summit diplomacy
Diplomacy and international organization · Soviet Union state institutions
1949–
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Viktor Vasilyevich Baklanov Виктор Васильевич Бакланов
Full cavalier of the Order of Labour Glory, collective-farm mechanizer
Agriculture and land policy · Soviet Union state institutions
1949–2019
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Vladimir Ivanovich Shcherbakov Владимир Иванович Щербаков
The last Gosplan chairman who presided over the dissolution of Soviet planning
Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union state institutions
1949–
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Alexander Ivanovich Lebed Александр Иванович Лебедь
The airborne deputy commander who, sent against the White House, switched sides and helped break the August coup
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1950–2002
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Artyom Mikhaylovich Tarasov Артём Михайлович Тарасов
The first legal Soviet millionaire, whose 90,000-ruble party dues payment forced the cooperative law to be amended twice
Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union state institutions
1950–2017
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Valery Ilyich Khodemchuk Валерий Ильич Ходемчук
The first victim of Chernobyl, standing in the pump hall when the reactor exploded, his body never recovered
Science and technology · Soviet Union state institutions
1951–1986
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Vladimir Nikolayevich Shashenok Владимир Николаевич Шашенок
A commissioning engineer caught in the Chernobyl disaster
Science and technology · Soviet Union state institutions
1951–1986
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Valentin Bodiul Valentin Bodiul
The Cricova winery chief who testified to the vineyard destruction of Gorbachev's anti-alcohol campaign
Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union state institutions
1951–2020
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Aleksandr Fyodorovich Akimov Александр Фёдорович Акимов
Soviet nuclear engineer and Unit 4 shift supervisor who directed the response and died of radiation exposure
Science and technology · Soviet Union state institutions
1953–1986
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Sergei Vladimirovich Yevdokimov Сергей Владимирович Евдокимов
The Tamanskaya Division battalion chief of staff who turned ten tanks to defend the White House during the August coup
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1955–
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Leonid Fedorovych Toptunov Леонид Фёдорович Топтунов
The 25-year-old senior reactor control engineer who pressed the AZ-5 button at Chernobyl's Unit 4
Science and technology · Soviet Union state institutions
1960–1986
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Volodymyr Pavlovych Pravyk Володимир Павлович Правик
The first firefighter at Chernobyl, who climbed onto the roof of Unit 3 without being told of the radioactive danger
Science and technology · Soviet Union state institutions
1962–1986
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Alexander Sapozhkov Александр Сапожков
Red Army division commander who raised the "Red Army of Truth" against grain requisitioning in 1920
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
?–1920
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Boris Mikhailov Борис Михайлов
The chief designer of the Volga inflatable airlock that made Leonov's spacewalk possible
Science and technology · Soviet Union state institutions
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Nykyfor Hryhoriv Никифор Григор'єв
Ukrainian otaman who took Odesa for the Reds, then turned to revolt and pogrom
Military command · Independent activity
c.1885–1919
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Genrikh Lyushkov Генрих Люшков
Far East NKVD chief, the highest-ranking defector
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1900/1902–1945
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Mikhail Kozlovsky Михаил Козловский
KGB security officer who commanded border troops under Andropov
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
?–?
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Sergei Semyonovich Biryuzov Сергей Семёнович Бирюзов
Marshal who helped plan the liberation of the Balkans, then commanded the Strategic Rocket Forces
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1904/1905–1964
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Vagan Grigoryevich Grigoryan Ваган Григорьевич Григорьян
Armenian party functionary who managed the international communist movement in late Stalinism
Ideology and propaganda · Soviet Union state institutions
1901/1902–1983
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Pang Hak-se Пан Хак Се
Founder of North Korea's state security and enforcer of its political repression
Security, intelligence and policing · Democratic People’s Republic of Korea state institutions
?–1992