Vladimir Aleksandrovich Muravyov

Biography

Vladimir Aleksandrovich Muravyov (Russian: Владимир Александрович Муравьёв; 2 October 1938 – 21 January 2020) was a Soviet and Russian military officer who held a number of posts in the Soviet and later Russian Armed Forces, reaching the rank of colonel-general.

Born in 1938, Muravyov entered the Soviet Armed Forces in 1955 and after his initial studies, began a career in the Strategic Missile Forces. He rose through the ranks and posts to serve as chief engineer and then deputy commander of a rocket regiment. After graduating from the F. E. Dzerzhinsky Military Academy he took command of a rocket regiment and was soon promoted to chief of staff and deputy commander of a rocket division. In 1978 he became commander of the 49th Guards Rocket Division and oversaw the introduction of the RSD-10 Pioneer intermediate-range ballistic missile system. In 1984 he was appointed first deputy commander of the 50th Rocket Army, and in 1987 commander of the 53rd Rocket Army. Muravyov continued to be heavily involved in the introduction of the latest missile technologies, with the deployment of the RT-2PM Topol mobile intercontinental ballistic missile system.

In 1992 Muravyov took on a leadership role with the Strategic Missile Forces, becoming head of its Combat Training Directorate, and from 1993 deputy commander of the Strategic Missile Forces. In 1997 he became First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces, and was also a member of its military council. In 2000 Muravyov reached the age limit for active service and retired. He remained active in veteran's affairs and academic studies, researching at the Peter the Great Military Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces, and becoming a candidate of military sciences. He had received awards from both the Soviet and Russian governments prior to his death in 2020.