Yuri Khatchaturov

Yuri Khachaturov (Armenian: Յուրի Խաչատուրով; born 1 May 1952) is a former Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)[1] and former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia.[2]

Yuri Khachaturov
Յուրի Խաչատուրով
Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
In office
2 May 2017 – 2 November 2018
Preceded byNikolay Bordyuzha
Succeeded byValeryy Semerikov (acting)
Stanislav Zas (permanent)
Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces
In office
15 April 2008 – 3 October 2016
PresidentSerzh Sargsyan
Preceded bySeyran Ohanyan
Succeeded byMovses Hakobyan
Personal details
Born (1952-05-01) 1 May 1952
Tetritskaro, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Awardssee below
Military service
Allegiance Soviet Union
Armenia
Branch/service Soviet Army
Armed Forces of Armenia
Years of service1972–present
RankColonel-General
Battles/warsSoviet–Afghan War
First Nagorno-Karabakh War

Early life

Khachaturov was born in Tetritskaro, Georgian SSR on 1 May 1952. After graduating from the Secondary School Tetritskaro in 1969, he entered the Tbilisi Artillery Command of the Red Banner School, where he graduated from with honors in 1974. After graduation, Khachaturov was appointed commander of the platoon firing artillery regiment of infantry divisions of the Far Eastern Military District. He served as a battery commander, chief of staff, deputy commander of an artillery battalion commander of the anti-tank artillery battalion in the Far Eastern Military District from 1976 to 1982.

Military service

Soviet Army

From 1982 to 1985, he studied at the Kalinin Artillery Military Academy in Leningrad. Afterward he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Missile Forces and Artillery Tank Division of the Belarusian Military District. Khachaturov served as Chief of Staff of the Missile Forces and Artillery 5 Guards Motorized Rifle Division 40th Army in Afghanistan from 1987 to February 1989. For his service in the Soviet–Afghan War, he was honored with an Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, two Soviet Orders of Red Star, and the Afghan Order of Star (2nd degree).

Armenian Army
Khatchaturov laying a wreath with Belarusian Defense Minister Andrei Ravkov.

After serving in Afghanistan, Khachaturov was appointed commander of an artillery brigade of the Belarusian Military District in October 1989. After the Fall of the Soviet Union, a special decree of the Defence Ministry of Belarus for Khachaturov's services had been seconded to the Ministry of Defence of Armenia and he was appointed commander of the Armenian 2nd infantry regiment in April 1992. He took part in the hostilities of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and was actively involved in the protection of the state border.

In September 1992, Khachaturov became Chief of the Armenian Border Guard. He was one of the initiators of the formation of the Goris infantry regiment, Tavush Motorized Brigade, and the first and fourth army corps, units and formations. Khachaturov also held the post of commander of the operational areas and the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia.

In 1995, by decree of the President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Khachaturov awarded the rank of Major General. He was promoted to Lieutenant General in 2000 and Colonel General on 15 April 2008. On 21 March 2000, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Defence of Armenia. Khachaturov was appointed the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia in April 2008, just after Serzh Sargsyan was made President of Armenia. It was in this position where he commanded the 2011 Independence Day Parade on Republic Square celebrating the 20th anniversary of independence. He was dismissed in October 2016.

On 1 May 2012, the president of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Bako Sahakyan awarded Khachaturov the Mesrop Mashtots Medal.[3]

Arrest

On July 26, 2018, Khachaturov was charged with overthrowing the constitutional order during his actions as commander of the Yerevan garrison on March 1–2, 2008, when opposition speeches led by Levon Ter-Petrossian, who accused the authorities of rigging the results of the presidential elections held in February of that year. A year later, he was released from custody on bail of 10,000 dollars, while Armenia appealed to the CSTO and proposed to relieve Khachaturov from the post of the secretary general of the organization.[4][5]

Personal life

He is currently married and has three sons. One of his sons, Grigory, is a major general in the army, serving currently as the commander of the 3rd Army Corps in Vanadzor.[6][7][8] Aside from his native Armenian, Khachaturov is also fluent in the Russian language.

Awards
Armenia
Soviet Union
Foreign

References
  1. "Yuri Khatchaturov named new CSTO Secretary General".
  2. "Yuri Khachaturov - Mil.am". Retrieved 8 May 2012. (Armenian)
  3. "ARMENPRESS Armenian News Agency | Colonel-general Yuri Khachaturov awarded with "Mesrop Mashtots" order". Armenpress. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  4. "Armenian investigators charge head of Russia-led security bloc with "subverting public order"". Eurasianet. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  5. "CSTO Chief Charged In Connection With 2008 Armenian Election Violence". rferl.org. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  6. "CSTO ex-secretary general Yuri Khachaturov's son awarded Major General rank". news.am. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  7. "Commander of 3rd Army Corps Grigori Khachaturov bestowed with Major-General military rank". armenpress.am. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  8. "Arminfo: Son of Yuri Khachaturov Grigori Khachaturov has been bestowed with Major-General military rank". arminfo.info. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.