Viktor Mikhailov

Viktor Mikhailov

Viktor Mikhailovich Mikhailov (Russian: Виктор Михайлович Михайлов; 22 June 1924 – 27 September 2021) was a Soviet and Russian military-political officer. He served during the Second World War and after, rising to the rank of major general and serving as head of the Riga Higher Military Political School from 1977 to 1987. Born into a peasant family in 1924, Mikhailov turned 17 the day of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Initially refused entering military service due to his age, he was then enlisted, and sent to serve on reconnaissance missions during the Battle of Moscow as part of a ski battalion. He saw action on a number of occasions, and was wounded. After his recovery he was appointed commander of a 45-mm anti-tank gun, and sent to the North Caucasus. He fought in the Battle of the Caucasus and the recapture of the Taman Peninsula, being decorated for his service. Wounded again in action, he returned to service as a political officer with the tank forces, ending the war in Berlin. Mikhailov remained in the armed services after the war, specialising in military-political work, and in 1960 was assigned to the Strategic Rocket Forces. He rose through the ranks, being promoted to major general in 1976, and being appointed head of the Riga Higher Military Political School in 1977. He held this post until his retirement in 1987. In retirement he wrote poetry and remained active in veterans' affairs. He received numerous awards and honours over his lifetime, before his death in 2021 at the age of 97.