COMMANDER // 1917–1994
Nikolai Ogarkov
Lifespan
1917 – 1994
Profile
Nikolai Vasilyevich Ogarkov was a prominent Soviet military personality. He was promoted to Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1977. Between 1977 and 1984, he was Chief of the General Staff of the USSR. He became widely known in the West when he became the Soviet military's spokesman following the shootdown of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 near Moneron Island in September 1983. He was dismissed as Chief of the General Staff on 6 September 1984.