January 1, 1948
According to official documents, in Tula village of Rvy was born Pavel Grachev — a combat officer, the first Minister of Defense of Russia. Passed Afghanistan, twice brought tanks into Moscow, stormed formidable and bore the offensive nickname "Pasha Mercedes".
Everyone refused a peaceful solution. It was humiliating for them. "Go and storm," they said.
(on the beginning of the Chechen war)
In reality, he was born five days earlier, on December 27, 1947, to a milkmaid and a mechanic. His parents changed the date on his documents: they feared another war and tried to delay their son's military service for at least a year.
He graduated Ryazan Airborne Forces Academy. In 1981, at 33, he was sent to Afghanistan, where he commanded a parachute regiment for two years. He participated in combat missions and suffered several concussions and serious wounds (a piece of shrapnel went through his head and severed a piece of his tongue).
The radio operator next to you is killed, and you lie there wondering when it's your turn. And you pray, "I wish they'd kill me right away." The thought was always the same: God forbid I get captured.
He returned to Afghanistan in 1985, now as a division commander. He served in this position for almost three years. He received the title Hero of the Soviet Union "for completing combat missions with minimal casualties."
At 42, he became commander-in-chief of the Airborne Forces. During the August 1991 coup, on orders from the State Emergency Committee, he brought tanks into Moscow. But he refused to storm the White House, where Yeltsin was staying.
I say, "Give me a written order. There's bloodshed, they'll start shooting everywhere." Seven in the morning approaches, and I call the reception area. Some guy there answers that the Minister of Defense is resting and asked not to wake him. They chickened out.
He became Yeltsin's closest friend and flew with him almost every weekend to hunt. Zavidovo. He opposed his appointment as Minister of Defense, claiming he lacked experience for the job. However, Yeltsin wanted a man he trusted to fill the post.
In October 1993, during the "constitutional crisis," he again brought tanks into Moscow and ordered an assault on the White House housing members of the Supreme Soviet. He personally commanded tank fire to disperse snipers entrenched on the rooftops.
I approach the tank myself: “Guys, see those roofs? Count them down. Seventh window. That’s supposedly Khasbulatov’s office. Can you hit it?” I see the first one—bang, right through the window. I say: “Here are five more escapees, fire!” It goes dum, dum, dum. I see everything is ablaze. Beautiful.
According to Grachev, it was after these events that the oligarchs sensed danger in him and began to "take him out" through the newspapers and television channels they controlled.
They united and decided they didn't need a defense minister like that. Because I'm such a dictator, a second Pinochet, and if given the chance, I'll hang them all.
Among the most high-profile accusations against Grachev is the murder of a journalist. Dmitry Kholodov (guilt not proven) and the illegal import of two Mercedes cars from Germany (the vehicles were purchased for the Ministry of Defense and were indeed imported bypassing customs).
He considered one of his main achievements to be the preservation of the Russian army during the period of lack of money.
According to him, he spoke out against the introduction of troops into Chechnya and argued that the conflict could be resolved through normal negotiations - but Yeltsin did not want to communicate with Dudayev.
I was made a scapegoat. And to this day, some people think I invented this war.
A few days before the introduction of troops, I went to Ingushetia to negotiate with Dudayev (they had known each other from their service in Afghanistan). No agreement was reached.
- So, it’s war, Dzhokhar?
- It's war, Pasha!
After the failed New Year's assault on Grozny, he uttered words that were later frequently quoted in the media:
These 18-year-old boys died for Russia, and they died with a smile.
He later recalled that he said this in the heat of the moment, and journalists took it out of context. This phrase does indeed have a second part:
They need a monument erected to them, but they are being defamed.
He resigned in 1996, as he demanded. Alexander Lebed in exchange for the votes he gave to Yeltsin in the second round of elections.
He spent the last 15 years of his life working in defense. He wanted to publish his memoirs.
He died in September 2012, at 64.
