Ivan Tretyak

Ivan Moiseevich Tretyak
Born	Template:Birth date Malaya Popovka, Khorol district, Poltava Governorate, Ukrainian SSR
Died	May 3, 2007(2007-05-03) (aged 84)
Occupation	Military leader
Years active	1939–1991
Known for	Commander-in-Chief of Soviet Air Defence Forces; Hero of the Soviet Union; Hero of Socialist Labour

Ivan Moiseevich Tretyak (Russian: Иван Моисеевич Третьяк; Ukrainian: Іван Мойсейович Третяк; 20 February 1923 – 3 May 2007) was a Soviet military leader who held multiple key roles within the Soviet Armed Forces, notably serving as the commander of the Soviet Air Defence Forces.

History

Ivan Tretyak was born on February 20, 1923, in the village of Malaya Popovka located in Khorol district, Poltava Governorate, within the Ukrainian SSR. He came from a Ukrainian farming family.

After completing seven years of schooling, he graduated from the Poltava Agricultural College.

In 1939, Tretyak was conscripted into the Red Army. By 1941, he had finished his studies at the Astrakhan rifle and machine gun school.

He began active service on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War in December 1941, initially commanding a platoon within the 19th rifle brigade on the Western Front. In January 1942, he sustained serious injuries. Following his recovery, he fought with the 29th Guards Rifle Division across the Western and 2nd Baltic Front, advancing from company commander to deputy commander, and by July 1943, he led a rifle battalion. That same year, he joined the ranks of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

During summer 1944, under orders from Major General Andrei Stuchenko, commander of his division, Tretyak led an advance detachment alongside a tank battalion. The combined force infiltrated German rear positions via forest routes, reaching the Velikaya River undetected. They located a ford for crossing and swiftly moved to seize control of Opochka. The unexpected arrival of tanks with infantry created confusion among German defenders, enabling Tretyak’s unit to capture and hold the city until reinforcements arrived. For this operation, he was nominated for the title of Hero.

On March 24, 1945, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, Guards Major Tretyak was honored with the title Hero of the Soviet Union for exemplary leadership and bravery in combat against German forces. He received both the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

At only 21 years old in August 1944, he took command of the 93rd Guards Rifle Regiment within the 29th Guards Rifle Division. His leadership during the crossing of the Velikaya River and liberation of Opochka in Pskov Oblast was distinguished. He also participated in blockading German troops trapped in Courland. In November 1944, he suffered his third serious injury but returned to duty by March 1945.

Following World War II, Tretyak remained in military service. In 1946, while still a regimental commander, he enrolled at the Frunze Military Academy, from which he graduated. Subsequently, he served as deputy head of combat training for the 11th Guards Army stationed in the Baltic Military District and commanded the 75th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment within the 26th Guards East Siberian Gorodok Red Banner Order of Suvorov Motor Rifle Division.

Between April 15, 1956, and October 19, 1957, Tretyak led the 26th Guards Rifle Division.

He completed studies at the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1959.

Starting January 1960, he assumed duties as Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of the 3rd Combined Arms Army within the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.

From December 1964 until September 1967, Tretyak commanded the 4th Army under the Transcaucasian Military District. He then served as Commander of forces in the Belarusian Military District from 1967 to 1976. Notably in 1976, he declined an appointment proposed by the Minister of Defense concerning his deputy for logistics.

Between 1976 and 1984, Tretyak was at the helm of troops stationed in the Far Eastern Military District. On September 1, 1983, acting on orders from Valentin Varennikov—the Chief of Main Operations Directorate and First Deputy Chief of General Staff—he authorized his subordinates to shoot down a South Korean Boeing 747 passenger aircraft that had violated Soviet airspace. The incident resulted in fatalities among all passengers and crew aboard.

He held command over Far East Troops from June 19, 1984, through July 11, 1986. Subsequently, between July 12, 1986 and June 11, 1987, Tretyak was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense and Chief Inspector at the Soviet Ministry of Defense. From June 11, 1987 until August 31, 1991, he served as Deputy Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of Soviet Air Defence Forces. His tenure ended shortly after the August 1991 coup attempt when he was dismissed from office.

Politically active within party structures, Tretyak was an alternate member of the Central Committee from 1971 to 1976 before becoming a full member until 1990. Additionally, he served as a deputy in four convocations (8th through 11th) of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union spanning from 1970 to 1989.

He retired from military service in November 1991 and passed away on May 3, 2007. His burial took place at Moscow’s Troyekurovskoye Cemetery.

Awards

• Hero of the Soviet Union (awarded on 24 March 1945);
• Hero of Socialist Labour (conferred 16 February 1982);
• Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" IV class (received 23 February 2003);
• Four Orders of Lenin (dates: 24 March 1945, 4 May 1972, 21 February 1978, 16 February 1982);
• Three Orders of the Red Banner (bestowed on 15 July 1944, 14 October 1944, and 22 February 1968);
• Order of Kutuzov III class (awarded 29 September 1943);
• Order of Alexander Nevsky (granted 20 March 1945);
• Order of the Patriotic War I class (received on 11 March 1985);
• Two Orders of the Red Star (dates: 5 July 1943 and in 1954);
• Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", second degree (awarded on 22 February 1989);
• Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", third degree (received on 30 April 1975);
• Soviet-era medals;
• Honorary citizenship awarded by the city of Khabarovsk;
• Honorary citizenship granted by Opochka, located in Pskov Oblast;
• Three international orders from foreign states;
• Medals from the Mongolian People's Republic along with various decorations from additional countries.