Alexander Shishlyannikov | |
|---|---|
Александр Шишлянников | |
| Minister of Defence of Tajikistan | |
| In office January 1993 – 7 April 1995 | |
| President | Emomali Rahmon |
| Preceded by | Post Established |
| Succeeded by | Sherali Khayrulloyev |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1950-11-03)3 November 1950 |
| Died | 15 September 2023(2023-09-15) (aged 72) Tashkent, Uzbekistan |
| Military service | |
| Branch |  Soviet Army Uzbek Ground Forces Tajik Ground Forces |
| Service years | 1971–1995 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Conflicts | Soviet–Afghan War Tajik Civil War |
Major GeneralAlexander Vladimirovich Shishlyannikov (Russian:Александр Владимирович Шишлянников; 3 November 1950 – 15 September 2023) was a Soviet, Uzbekistani and Tajik military officer and the firstMinister of Defence of Tajikistan, serving from 1993 to 1995. He was an ethnic Russian.
Alexander Shishlyannikov was born on 3 November 1950 inTashkent, the capital of theUzbek SSR. In 1971, he graduated from theTashkent Higher Tank Command School inChirchik, and 10 years later, he graduated from theMalinovsky Military Armored Forces Academy inMoscow. In the 1980s, Shishlyannikov served in theCentral andTurkestan Military District (based in the Kazakh and Uzbek capitals ofAlma-Ata andTashkent respectively), as well as theWestern Group of Forces inEast Germany. During this time, he was deployed with theSoviet 40th Army toAfghanistan in the early stages of theSoviet-Afghan War.[1] By the time of thefall of the Soviet Union and the creation of independent nations, he was serving as an officer in theUzbek defense ministry.[2]
In January 1993, Colonel Shishlyannikov was appointed the first defense minister of Tajikistan.[3] He was among 200 officers brought fromUzbekistan on the orders ofEmomali Rahmon.[4][5][6] One month later on 23 February Shishlyannikov led thecelebrations in honor of the founding of theTajik Armed Forces. During his tenure, it was expected that he would be temporary and would eventually be replaced by Colonel Ramazon Radjabov, his deputy who was in favor with many elite circles.[7]
Shishlyannikov played a key role in the early stages of theTajik Civil War. In July of that year, he hosted visiting Russian defence ministerPavel Grachev, where he criticized the position of "individual leaders of the CIS countries" for the proposals of the CIS Joint Armed Forces Command to bring peacekeeping forces into the republic being unfulfilled.[8] He was relieved of his post on 7 April 1995, being succeeded bySherali Khayrulloyev.[9][10]
General Shishlyannikov returned to Uzbekistan and served as a senior research fellow at the Center for Military Scientific and Applied Research at theAcademy of the Armed Forces. He was awarded 3 orders and more than 50 medals and commemorative signs. In 2019, he was awarded the Dustlik Order. Alexander Shishlyannikov died on 15 September 2023, at the age of 72, inTashkent, Uzbekistan.[11] His funeral ceremony took place on September 16 at theChirchiq Higher Tank Command and Engineering School, with theChief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Major GeneralShukhrat Kholmukhamedov in attendance.[12]