Viktor Georgiyevich Kulikov (Russian: Виктор Георгиевич Куликов; 5 July 1921 – 28 May 2013) was the Warsaw Pact commander-in-chief from 1977 to 1989. He was awarded the rank of the Marshal of the Soviet Union on 14 January 1977.

Viktor Kulikov
Kulikov c. 1981-85
Birth nameВиктор Георгиевич Куликов
Viktor Georgiyevich Kulikov
Born(1921-07-05)5 July 1921
Verkhnyaya Lyubovsha village, Oryol Oblast, Russian SFSR
Died28 May 2013(2013-05-28) (aged 91)
Moscow, Russia
Allegiance Soviet Union
Years of service1939–1989
Rank Marshal of the Soviet Union (1977–1989)
Battles / warsWorld War II
AwardsHero of the Soviet Union

Kulikov was born into a peasant family and joined the Red Army in 1939. He saw service in World War II and was made a Hero of the Soviet Union.

Kulikov commanded the Kyiv Military District in 1967–1969 and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany in 1969–1971. From 1971 until 1977, he served as the Chief of General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces. In 1983, he was awarded a Lenin Prize. Kulikov was a member of the Soviet/Russian parliament 1989–2003. He was awarded the highest Cuban award, the Order of Playa Girón in 2006.[1]

Kulikov died after, a long illness, on 28 May 2013.[2]

Honours and awards

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USSR and Russia
Foreign awards

References

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  1. ^ "Granma.cu -Mariscal de la URSS recibe orden Playa Girón". Archived from the original on January 3, 2007. Retrieved December 31, 2006.
  2. ^ Скончался маршал Советского Союза Виктор Куликов (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 28 May 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
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Military offices
Preceded by Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union
September 1971 – 7 January 1977
Succeeded by
Preceded by Supreme Commander of the Unified Armed Forces of the Warsaw Treaty Organization
1977–1989
Succeeded by