Valentin Varennikov

Valentin Varennikov
Valentin Varennikov
Native name	Валентин Иванович Варенников
Born	December 15, 1923; Krasnodar, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died	May 6, 2009 (aged 85); Moscow, Russia
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Branch	Soviet Army
Years of service	1941–1991
Rank	Army general
Commands	131st Motorized Rifle Division; 54th Motorized Rifle Division; 26th Army Corps; 3rd Shock Army; Carpathian Military District; Deputy Minister of Defence of the USSR;
Battles / wars	World War II; Soviet–Afghan War; Angolan Civil War; South African Border War; Military advisor to Syria and Ethiopia;
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union; Order of Lenin; Order of Military Merit (Russia); Order of the October Revolution; Order of the Red Banner (4x); Order of the Patriotic War, ; (1st, 2nd and 3rd class); Order of the Red Star; Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR;
Other work	member of the Russian parliament
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Valentin Ivanovich Varennikov (Russian: Валентин Иванович Варенников) (December 15, 1923 – May 6, 2009) was a Soviet/Russian Army general and politician, best known for being one of the planners and leaders of the Soviet–Afghan War, as well as one of the instigators of the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt.