Nikolai Tsymbal

Biography

Nikolai Andreyevich Tsymbal (Russian: Николай Андреевич Цымбал; 20 January 1925 – 15 January 2020) was an officer of the Soviet Armed Forces. He worked in the force's political branch and reached the rank of General-Lieutenant of Aviation.

Born in 1925, Tsymbal served during the Second World War and saw action in several theatres. He was assigned to serve in the armed forces' political wing after the war, gradually rising through the ranks and eventually reaching the posts of deputy head of the Soviet Air Force's political department and deputy head of the Gagarin Air Force Academy. In retirement he was deputy chairman of the Soviet, and after 1991, the Russian Committees of war veterans, and wrote and contributed to several books. He died in 2020, having received a number of awards over his career, including the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of the Red Banner of Labour, and the Order of Friendship.