As you know, only descendants can judge the role of man in history. Therefore, today no one can say with certainty whether Grachev Pavel Sergeevich was right when he performed these or those actions at the time when he held the most important government posts and gave orders on which the fate of thousands of people depended. At one time, his brilliant career aroused the envy of many colleagues, while many often forgot what the first Russian army general had to go through before he reached the highest echelons of power.
Childhood and young years
Grachev Pavel Sergeevich was born in January1948 in the village of Rva, in the Tula region. His father was a simple locksmith, and his mother was a milkmaid. The future commander was a fidget and showed interest in sports, and most of all he liked basketball. Having completed 11 classes, he entered the famous RVVD command school, deciding to forever connect his life with the army.
The young man studied diligently and more than once received the praise of the commanders. In 1969, Grachev Pavel Sergeevich received a diploma with honors, and he was awarded the rank of lieutenant and the qualification of referent-translator.
Service in the ranks of the USSR Armed Forces
Grachev Pavel Sergeevich, whose biography and career until 1980 were quite typical of the young military, who are his peers, at the age of 21 he was appointed to the post of commander of a reconnaissance platoon in one of the units deployed on the territory of the Lithuanian SSR.
Then for four years he was sent to serve in his native Ryazan school, where he held various positions and worked directly with cadets. In 1975, Grachev became the commander of the training battalion of the 44th training VD division, and in 1978 continued his education at the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze.
Afghanistan
Graduation of Pavel Grachev at the Academy. MV Frunze coincided with the beginning of the last local war in the history of the USSR. The promising young commander, who had high expectations, was immediately sent to Afghanistan, where he spent the next three years. During this period, he continues his career growth, and after returning to his homeland, he is prematurely awarded the rank of colonel.
1985-1991
The second mission of Pavel Grachev to Afghanistan ends with the withdrawal of a limited contingent of Soviet troops, which included the one hundred and third guards airborne division under his command.
To commemorate the merits of the military leader during the military operations in May 1988, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Following the old adage, “Live and learn,” Grachev Pavel Sergeevich again goes to study and enters the General Staff Military Academy, after which he is appointed to the post of deputy and then commander of the USSR Airborne Forces.
Going to the Yeltsin team
The turning point in the biography of Grachev was the August putsch, after which he repeatedly had to make important political decisions. In particular, he, along with Marshal Shaposhnikov, as well as generals Gromov and Achalov, refused to obey the GKChP and ordered his subordinates to take the White House under protection. Upon the return of M. Gorbachev from the Crimean Foros, Grachev was appointed first deputy minister of defense of the USSR, and a few days later he was awarded the rank of colonel general.
The career growth of the military leader did not stop there. In particular, in May 1992, Boris Yeltsin signed a decree according to which Pavel Sergeyevich Grachev was appointed Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, a photo of which has repeatedly appeared on the pages of newspapers in connection with operations in local conflict zones in the territory of the former USSR.
Chechen War
Disputes about the role played by Pavel Grachev (Hero of the Soviet Union) during the events in the Caucasus in the first half of the 90s still do not subside. In particular, he was subjected to fierce criticism, since in June 1992 he ordered to transfer to Dzhokhar Dudaev half of all weapons belonging to the Russian army, which was stored on the territory of Chechnya. According to Grachev, the ammunition could not be taken out anyway. However, the fact remains, and after only two and a half years, these weapons were used against Russian soldiers.
At the same time, in 1994, Grachev did not manage to avoid a conflict with Yeltsin, who considered that a week was enough time to gather military force and enter Chechnya. An experienced commander tried to persuade the president that it was too short, but they did not listen to him. Pavel Sergeyevich even met with the leaders of the so-called Ichkeria in Chechnya before the Russian troops entered their territory, but, unfortunately, this did not produce any results.
The military leader resigned at the age of 59 and engaged in social activities. Prior to that, he was actually betrayed by Yeltsin - in accordance with the election arrangements of the latter with General A. Lebed.
Personal life
Throughout his life, Pavel Grachev had a reliable rear. His wife, Lyubov Alekseevna, knew with him all the hardships of the fate of an officer’s wife, with her eternal journeys and exhausting expectations of her husband from dangerous business trips. In addition, there were many rumors about her husband’s infidelity, but Lyubov Alekseevna did not believe them, and Pavel Sergeevich Grachev always remained her only love.
The family of the military leader suffered the loss of her beloved husband and father, who died in September 2012 at the age of 64.