Kazantsev, Victor Germanovich

Education

He graduated from the Sverdlovsk Suvorov Military School in 1963 , the Leningrad Higher Combined Arms Command School named after S. M. Kirov in 1966 , the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze in 1979 , the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces named after K. E. Voroshilov in 1987 year .

Military Service

USSR

From 1966 to 1976 he served as platoon commander, motorized rifle company commander , chief of staff , deputy, and then motorized rifle battalion commander in the Transcaucasian Military District , chief of staff and deputy motorized rifle regiment commander in the Central Asian military district . Since 1979, he commanded the 275th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 18th Guards Motorized Rifle Division . Since 1981, deputy commander, and since 1982, commander of the 30th Guards Motorized Rifle Division in the Central Group of Forces ( Czechoslovakia ). ^[one]

From 1987 to 1991, he was the first deputy army commander in the Central Asian military district, then the army corps commander, deputy commander of the Turkestan military district troops (he headed the operational group of the USSR Ministry of Defense in the Kazakh SSR ).

Russia

From 1991 to 1993 - First Deputy Chief of Staff, then - Deputy Commander of the Trans-Baikal Military District for combat training. Lieutenant General (11/14/1992). From April 1993 to February 1996 - Chief of Staff, First Deputy Commander of the Trans-Baikal Military District . From February 1996 to July 1997 - First Deputy Commander of the North Caucasus Military District . From July 1997 to May 2000 - Commander of the North Caucasus Military District. Colonel General (12/18/1997). The rank of army general was awarded in February 2000. Shoulder straps of the Army General Kazantsev was handed over by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Igor Sergeyev in the city of Grozny , at a festive rally dedicated to the Day of Defenders of the Fatherland.

Chechnya

From August 1999 to April 2000, he served as commander of the United Group of Federal Forces in the North Caucasus while retaining the post of commander of the North Caucasian Military District.

In September 1999, V. G. Kazantsev planned and approved the operation to capture altitude 715.3 in the Novolaksky district of the Republic of Dagestan , as a result of which the special forces detachment that carried out the operation was subjected to several airstrikes by Russian aviation, shelling militants and was almost completely destroyed ^[2] . The military prosecutor's office of the North Caucasus Military District opened a criminal case on the death of the Armavir special forces detachment OSN-15 ^[3] . On October 3, 2000, criminal cases against Colonel General Kazantsev, as well as Lieutenant General Gorbenko, Major General Terentyev and Timchenko, were terminated. No one was held responsible for the death of the detachment.

General Troshev regarding the death of the Armavir special forces detachment: ^[4]

“When militants from Chechnya broke into the Novolaksky direction, Kazantsev was impatient at one point. It was the day the“ feds ”attacked the heights with a repeater. The commander hurried, drove the units forward without waiting for aviation support. As a result of clear interaction, it didn’t work out The air strike was a little late. This incident, however, is an isolated one, and it’s difficult to blame Viktor Germanovich for some other miscalculations. Of course, as in any war, rough operations occurred during military operations: they were very to the desire to quickly deal with the enemy. "

In January 2001, he ex officio joined the Operational Headquarters for the Control of Counter-Terrorism in the North Caucasus Region, which was created by decree of the President of the Russian Federation.

Dismissed to the reserve in May 2000.

According to the memoirs of General Gennady Troshev, in the post of commander of the North Caucasian Military District, Viktor Kazantsev proved to be a very competent chief, paying great attention to the arrangement of life and the moral and psychological situation in the district’s troops ^[4] .

Since 2015, Chief Inspector of the Inspection Team of the Joint Strategic Command of the Southern Military District.

Political Activities

In May 2000 he was appointed plenipotentiary of the President of the Russian Federation in the Southern Federal District , on March 9, 2004 he was relieved of this post (replaced by former Deputy Prime Minister V. A. Yakovlev ) ^{[5] [6]} .

Personality

Hero of Russia General G. Troshev describes Viktor Kazantsev as a very gifted person ^[4] : “He received an excellent education and upbringing. In addition to military affairs, he knows literature well, he writes poetry, plays the piano and even sings quite well. I remember the nights of relaxation, which became held in parts of our district under the new commander. Celebrations of the best soldiers and officers, concerts, feasts. By myself I know how well, sincerely these events were held, although this official term is least suitable for them. Viktor Germanovich tried to make friends of erskie groups, to encourage people to rejoice together and grieve together to overcome adversity. "

At the same time, Troshev points to the quick-tempered temper of Viktor Kazantsev: ^[4]

“I don’t want to hide, at first, sharp contrasts of character struck him. Caring for the normal moral and psychological situation in parts of the okrug, he was sometimes her first outrage. His rudeness from time to time passed“ critical points. ”He pounded the table with his fist so that telephone sets flew in, and even the oak doors of the office didn’t drown out a sturdy mat. Some people simply could not bear such a communication style, even with the "steepness" of current morals: generals B. Dyukov and A. Potapov wrote reports and transferred from ok The statistics of heart attacks among officers jumped ... One thing saved: everyone knew that the commander was doing this without any evil, there was no vengeance in him. Yes, he could make up his mind, scold, but then, as if nothing had happened, was friendly slapped on the shoulder. It was like the climate in Transbaikalia, sharply continental - the dying heat during the day and the chilling cold at night. Hot-tempered, but quickly moving away. "

• Hero of the Russian Federation (December 4, 1999 for the anti-terrorist operation in Dagestan and Chechnya)
• Order of Military Merit
• Order of the Red Star
• Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" II and III degrees
• Medal for Military Merit
• Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation ( 2004 ) “For merits in strengthening Russian statehood and many years of conscientious service”
• Order of Friendship ( South Ossetia , September 20, 2010 ) - for his great personal contribution to the development of friendship and cooperation between peoples, support for the Ossetian people and to mark the 20th anniversary of the Republic of South Ossetia ^[7]
• Honorary Citizen of Krasnodar (2001)
• Honorary Doctor of Rostov State University of Civil Engineering
• Full member of the Academy of Social and Human Sciences of Russia
• Member of the Presidium of the Independent Organization "Civil Society" and the National Civil Committee for interaction with law enforcement, legislative and judicial bodies;
• Laureate of the International Prize of St. Andrew the First-Called “For Faith and Loyalty” (2003) for “a special contribution to strengthening statehood and enhancing the national glory of Russia”
• Cavalier of the Golden Badge of Honor "Public Recognition"

Married, has three sons (all sons chose a military career, the eldest, Sergei Kazantsev, was seriously wounded during the First Chechen War , became disabled ^[8] ).

Master of Sports in Sambo and Greco-Roman wrestling .

Hero of Russia , Colonel General Gennady Troshev in his memoirs “ My war. The Chechen diary of the trench general ”wrote a lot about Viktor Kazantsev , whom he knew very closely. Talking about the history of the service side by side with him, he especially noted his sharp character (quick-tempered, sometimes very rude, but quick-witted), his success despite this in the establishment of a moral and psychological situation in parts of the okrug, his initial peacefulness, which changed after the invasion began militants in Dagestan, albeit sometimes not too hasty, but decisive, very harsh manner to fight, "broke the enemy like a bear."

And it is not surprising that he is very loved in Dagestan, they consider him the liberator of this mountainous region from enemy invasion. Poems and songs were dedicated to him, and it wasn’t given to God what gifts were ordinary villagers. Without a stretch, we can say: he became a national hero. He was even called Kazantsev- Dagestan, by analogy with Suvorov-Rymniksky.

- Gennady Troshev . “ My war. Chechen diary of the trench general ”, memoirs, book

Kazantsev, Victor Germanovich (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".

• Biography on the website of Krasnodar
• Biography on the site of the Yekaterinburg IED