The commander of the famous 40th Army, who fought in Afghanistan, then became notorious because he gave the order to disperse the demonstration in Tbilisi in 1988. Although General Igor Rodionov opposed the use of soldiers for this and reported to the command that this would aggravate the negative attitude towards the army. For ten months, he worked as Minister of Defense and believed that he was removed for preventing the collapse of the Russian army.
early years
The future general Rodionov Igor Nikolaevich was born on December 1, 1936 in the small village of Kurakino, located in Serdobsky district (now the Penza region). Parents were hereditary peasants. Father Nikolai Ivanovich Rodionov after demobilization from the armed forces in 1948 moved with his family to the Ukrainian city of Mukachevo in Transcarpathia. This place was a military unit in which he served in the army in recent years.
When Igor Nikolaevich studied at a comprehensive school, he was simultaneously engaged in music, where he learned to play the accordion. Although it was not possible to finish it, because for ideological reasons the class was closed. Then they began to struggle with the "corrupting" influence of jazz. General Rodionov kept his love of jazz music for life. Since the military surrounded him since childhood and he talked a lot with them, Igor Nikolaevich, while still in high school, chose a military career for himself.
Carier start
After receiving secondary education in 1954 he entered the Oryol Tank School named after M.V. Frunze. Already during his studies he showed his leadership qualities, having completed his studies as a foreman of a cadet company of a school.
The officer career of the future General Rodionov began in Germany, where he served in 1957-1964, first as a commander of a tank platoon, and then a tank company. After he was transferred to the Moscow Military District, where he served for the next three years - from 1964 to 1967, where he became commander of a tank company, and then was promoted to deputy commander of a tank battalion.
In 1970 he graduated with honors from the Military Academy of Armored Forces. After studying, he continued his service in the famous Iron Division, first as a deputy, and two years later he himself commanded the 274th regiment. In the 24th motorized rifle Samaro-Ulyanovsk, Berdichev "Iron Division" rose to the position of deputy commander of this illustrious unit.
At the head of the legendary division
In 1975, General Rodionov briefly commanded the 17th Motor Rifle Division of the Carpathian Military District, and then returned to Zheleznaya as the division commander. The glorified unit under his command became the foremost in the district. During the leadership years, Zheleznoy proved to be an experienced educator and a talented commander who knew perfectly the statutes and instructions, the material and technical part. For officers and ordinary military personnel, he became a model of devotion to the profession of defender of the motherland and love of military service.
General Rodionov spent a lot of time on the facilities of the educational-material base. All military personnel were surprised by versatile special military training. When the subordinate unit showed poor results in shooting, he himself got into the tank (infantry fighting vehicle or armored personnel carrier) and showed how to shoot. Despite being very busy, the division commander always practiced a lot on various sports equipment, maintaining good personal physical fitness.
For success in the development of new military equipment, in combat and political training in 1978, the division was awarded the Order of the October Revolution. In the same year, he entered the General Staff Academy. Subsequently, in the 90s, Rodionov headed the club of veterans of the illustrious division.
For the first time at the head of an army
In 1980, he graduated with honors from the Military Academy of the General Staff. The next place of service in the biography of General Igor Rodionov was Czechoslovakia (Central Group of Forces). Where in 1980-1983 he commanded the 28th Army Corps. The commander paid special attention to tactical training in the combat training system. Achieving that the commanders of all subunits and units practically perfectly master the art of maneuvering troops on the battlefield. Under the leadership of General Rodionov, army units received excellent combat training and showed an excellent level of training in various conditions.
The first army he received under command was the 5th Combined Arms Army, stationed in the Far East. General Rodionov raised dozens of excellent officers, many of whom later also rose to the rank of general.
Combat experience
In the most dramatic days for the Soviet troops in Afghanistan, General Rodionov was appointed commander of the famous 40th Army, which in fact alone, without the support of the Afghan government forces, opposed the dushmans. He managed to significantly increase the effectiveness of warfare and reduce personnel losses.
Army General Rodionov in an interview said that he was most depressed by the complete futility of hostilities, when the same scenario was implemented from year to year. Soviet troops conquered the territory, transferred it to the Afghan army, then the "spirits" descended from the mountains and again captured everything back. Most of the population considered Shuravi invaders, about 6 million Afghans fled the country and settled in refugee camps in Iran and Pakistan.
Very heavy battles were fought in the Panjshir Gorge, where Ahmad Shah Masud commanded the dushman units. And they successfully repelled the attacks of the Soviet troops. General Rodionov considered Masouda a capable and talented commander. A very difficult situation was near the city of Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, in close proximity to the Afghan-Pakistani border. The troops of the 40th army here often fought, waiting for caravans with weapons and trying to stop the supply of Dushmani gangs.
Tbilisi tragedy
Since 1986, General Rodionov Igor Nikolaevich holds the post of first deputy commander of the troops of the Moscow Military District. And since 1988 he has been commanding the troops of the Transcaucasian Military District. In 1989, protests began in Tbilisi, which sounded threats of reprisal against all non-Georgian nationals. The military was called the occupiers and demanded that they were removed to Russia, urged the NATO countries to send their troops.
The country's leadership decided to disperse the demonstrators by internal forces. At the same time, Rodionov was categorically against the involvement of soldiers of military service. During the dispersal of the rally, nineteen civilians were killed and about eighty were injured. Also, about two hundred military personnel were injured at the hands of nationalists.
After the Tbilisi tragedy, in 1989, he was sent to an honorary exile - to the post of chief of the Military Academy of the General Staff. Defense Minister Yazov then told Rodionov that Gorbachev did not want to see him in the army, and the West was demanding punishment for breaking up the demonstration.
On top of a career
In 1996, General Igor Rodionov, on the recommendation of the Secretary of the Security Council A. Lebed, was appointed Minister of Defense of Russia. In October, he was awarded the rank of army general. During this difficult period for the army and the country as a whole, the new minister proposed measures for military reform:
- revision of a number of disadvantageous agreements with the USA;
- a sharp reduction in nuclear forces, with the exception of stationary ballistic forces;
- restructuring of the armed forces, including a decrease in the number of troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and airborne units;
- reform of the military-industrial complex;
- reduction in the number of generals, it was proposed to confer the title only to those who are directly involved in combat work;
- gradual reduction in the number of officers and warrant officers with the payment of all monetary allowance laid down in such cases.
After the resignation
However, it was not possible to implement the entire proposed set of measures. At the end of May 1997, the President of Russia Boris Yeltsin laid all responsibility for the disastrous situation in the country's armed forces on the Minister of Defense and dismissed him.
In subsequent years, Army General Rodionov was engaged in public work, headed the trade union of Russian military personnel and veteran organizations. He worked in the State Duma of the third and fourth convocations, where he dealt with issues of veterans and security.
personal information
In recent years, Army General Igor Rodionov lived and worked in Moscow. He was married to Lyudmila Ivanovna Rodionova (nee Naumets). His only son Sergei served in the Marine Corps, participated in the hostilities, and retired to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
From his youth he liked to read, especially Russian and Soviet classics - A. Kuprin, M. Sholokhov, K. Simonov. Sam wrote several articles on state security, military reform and the construction of the Russian armed forces. Among the other attachments of the military general were shooting from various military weapons, swimming and fishing. He liked to listen to music (mostly old classical jazz).
Army General Rodionov Igor Nikolaevich died on December 19, 2014 as a result of a long and serious illness. He was buried with military honors at the Federal War Memorial Cemetery.