Vasily Petrov (15 January 1917-1 February 2014) was a Marshal of the Soviet Union who fought in World War II and the Ogaden War.
Biography[]
Vasily Petrov was born on 15 January 1917 in Chernolesskoye, Stavropol Governorate, in the Russian Empire (present-day Novoselitsky District, Stavropol Krai, Russia). He joined the Red Army in 1939 and fought in World War II, taking part in the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol in the Ukraine before advancing through the Balkans through Romania and into Hungary. From 1972 to 1976 he commanded the Far East Military District and was the commander-in-chief of ground forces from 1980 to 1985. He was a Marshal of the Soviet Union after 1983, and he was given the Order of Alexander Nevsky by Dimitri Medvedev. He died on 1 February 2014 at the age of 97.