Yuri Baluyevsky
Yuri Baluyevsky | |
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Almaz-Antey |
Biography
In 1970, he graduated from the Leningrad joint-arms command college, in 1980, from the
From 1982 to 1997, Baluyevsky held positions at the General Staff, the Defense Ministry and in the Group of Russian Forces of the Transcaucasus. In August 1997, he was appointed chief of the General Staff main operations department, and in July 2004, chief of staff of the Armed Forces and first deputy defense minister. Following the controversial tenure of General Anatoly Kvashnin, General Baluyevsky was seen as a lower-profile officer with good strategic planning skills, according to the Jamestown Federation.
Baluyevsky was promoted to General of the Army on 22 February 2005, and by June he was appointed
On 19 January 2008, Baluyevsky warned that Russia was ready to use force, including pre-emptively and with
He is also a member of the Board of Directors of
Traditionally thought of as a commanding officer with good strategic planning skills, Baluyevsky expressed strong criticism over some controversial issues in Russia's military policy, including the relocation of the Navy Headquarters from Moscow to St. Petersburg and the role and place of the General Staff in the management of the Russian military.[2] The Chief of General Staff said in a public forum that the move was unnecessary.
On 2 June 2007, Baluyevsky stepped down as Chief of the General Staff, and moved to the position in the
Iran's Nuclear Program
In explaining Russia's rationale, General Yuri Baluyevsky, the Russian Deputy Chief of Staff said at a press conference in June 2002, "Iran does have nuclear weapons. These are non-strategic nuclear weapons. I mean these are not ICBMs with a range of more than 5,500 kilometers... As for the danger of Iran's attack on the United States, the danger is zero." General Baluyevsky's extraordinary briefing implied that Iran had acquired its fissile material from another source so there was no reason for Russia not to complete the nuclear reactor at Bushehr. He concluded "This co-operation will continue." (The cooperation, aside from nuclear reactors, included the delivery of Russian Kilo-class diesel-powered submarines, MiG-29 fighters, Sukhoi bombers, GLONASS navigation system and satellite-launching assistance).[4]
Honours and awards
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland:
- 2nd class (3 June 2008) – for services to the state and significant contribution to the defense of the Fatherland
- 3rd class (30 December 2006) – for outstanding contribution to strengthening the defense capability of the Russian Federation and many years of conscientious service
- 4th class
- Order of Military Merit
- Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, 3rd class
- Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow"
- Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary since the Birth of Vladimir Il'ich Lenin"
- Medal "Veteran of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
- Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
- Jubilee Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
- Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
- Medal "For Military Merit" (MOD), 1st class
- Medal "Diligence in carrying out engineering tasks"
- Medal for Bosnia-Kosovo
- Medal for Strengthening Military Cooperation (MoD)
- Medal "200 Years of the Ministry of Defense"
- Meritorious Service, 1st class (previously also 2nd and 3rd classes)
- Order of the Yugoslav Star, 1st class
Sources
- Interfax-AVN, Russian Armed Forces chief of staff promoted to army general, MOSCOW, 22 Feb 2005