| Arif Heydarov | |
| Native Name Lang: | az |
| Term Start: | 24 March 1970 |
| Term End: | 29 June 1978 |
| Birth Date: | 28 June 1926 |
| Death Place: | Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR |
| Parents: | Nazar Heydarov |
Arif Nazar oglu Heydarov (az|Arif Nəzər oğlu Heydərov), 28 June 1926 – 29 June 1978) was a Soviet Azerbaijani state figure and a General-Lieutenant of the Soviet Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs. He headed this ministry from March 1970, until his death. Previously he used to work in security agencies. Heydarov was shot by Shusha prison officer Zia Muradov in his office, along with Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Salahaddin Kazimov. Muradov then shot himself. [1]
In 1943, he was sent to study at the KGB school in Moscow. He graduated from college and was promoted to officer in 1944, after which he volunteered to work for the First Ukrainian Front. After the end of the war, Nazar worked for the operational department of the Soviet military in Leipzig until September 1946, and then in Saxony until 1947.[2]