| Vasiliy Ivanovich Petrov | |
| Birth Date: | 1917 1, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Chernolesskoye, Stavropol Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Death Place: | Moscow, Russia |
| Placeofburial: | Federal Military Memorial Cemetery, Moscow Oblast |
| Allegiance: | |
| Branch: | Red Army |
| Serviceyears: | 1939–1986 |
| Rank: | Marshal of the Soviet Union |
| Commands: | Far East Military District Soviet Ground Forces |
| Battles: | World War II Ogaden War Angolan Civil War |
Vasiliy Ivanovich Petrov (Russian: Васи́лий Ива́нович Петро́в; – 1 February 2014) was a Soviet and Russian military official and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He served as Commander of the Soviet Ground Forces from 1980 to 1985.
Vasily Ivanovich Petrov was born on 15 January 1917 in the village of Chernolesskoye, Stavropol Governorate, the son of a white-collar employee. He graduated from secondary school in 1935 and studied for two years at the Ordzhonikidze Pedagogical Institute until 1937. Petrov joined the Red Army in 1939 and completed the lieutenant's course in 1941. During World War II, he fought in the defence of Odessa, defence of Sevastopol and the Campaign in the Caucasus. He later took part in the liberation of Ukraine (was part of the USSR) and the invasion of Romania, in addition to the Budapest Offensive in Hungary.
After the war, Petrov completed the Accelerated Course of the Frunze Military Academy in Moscow, and in 1948 graduated from the academy's Special Course. He served in staff roles at the army level in the early postwar years. He served with the 39th Rifle Division as a regimental commander from June 1953 and rose to division chief of staff in December 1955. Petrov was promoted to division commander in January 1957, continuing in command after the 39th was reorganized as the 129th Motor Rifle Division later that year.[1] [2] He was promoted to army chief of staff in July 1961, army commander in June 1964, chief of staff of the Far Eastern Military District in January 1966, and district commander in April 1972.
Petrovsubsequently rose through the Soviet military ranks, being promoted to Colonel in 1952, Major General in 1961, Lieutenant General in 1965, Colonel General in 1970 and General in 1972. In 1983, Petrov was eventually appointed Marshal of the Soviet Union. In the late 1970s, Petrov served as a military advisor to the Ethiopian Army. He was assigned to assist and rebuild the force during the Ogaden War.[3] [4]
In 1982, Petrov was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union. He commanded the Far East Military District in 1972–1976 and served as Commander-in-Chief of Ground Forces in 1980–1985. He then succeeded Sergey Sokolov as First Deputy Minister of Defence until his retirement in 1986 due to ill health.[5] From 1992, Petrov served as a military advisor to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Petrov died on 1 February 2014 at the age of 97,[6] and was laid to rest at the Federal Military Memorial Cemetery in Moscow Oblast.