Ivan Russiyanov

Ivan Nikitich Russiyanov
Russiyanov in 1942
Born11 September 1900
Shchuply, Koshchinsky Volost, Smolensky Uyezd, Smolensk Governorate, Russian Empire
Died21 March 1984(1984-03-21) (aged 83)
Moscow, Soviet Union
Allegiance
Service/branchRed Army (later Soviet Army
Years of service1919–1953
RankLieutenant general
Commands held
Battles/wars
Awards

Ivan Nikitich Russiyanov (Russian: Иван Никитич Руссиянов; 11 September 1900 – 21 March 1984) was a Soviet Army lieutenant general and a Hero of the Soviet Union.

Russiyanov served as a clerk and in staff positions after joining the Red Army during the Russian Civil War. After graduating from an infantry command school he transferred to infantry units and commanded a division during the Soviet invasion of Poland. At the outbreak of Operation Barbarossa, Russiyanov commanded the 100th Rifle Division in Belarus. He led it in the Battle of Białystok–Minsk, the Battle of Smolensk, and the Yelnya Offensive. For its actions in the Yelnya Offensive, Russiyanov's division was converted into the 1st Guards Rifle Division. He continued to command the division after it was converted into the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps in late 1942 and led the corps for the rest of the war. Postwar, he served as an army deputy commander and in staff positions before retiring in the early 1950s, and was made a Hero of the Soviet Union in 1978 for his leadership in World War II.