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Former USSR Deputy Minister of Defense dies in car accident in Moscow

Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu has expressed condolences from the Russian Government to Shuralyov’s relatives in a message

MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/. Russian General Vladimir Shuralyov, who served as Deputy Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union between 1990 and 1991, died in a car accident in Moscow, Military Commanders Club head Nikolay Deryabin told TASS.

"On March 1, Vladimir Shuralyov was hit by a car. He was taken to hospital but succumbed to deadly injuries," he said.

Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu has expressed condolences from the Russian Government to Shuralyov’s relatives in a message.

"It was an honorable, outstanding man, a brilliant officer and a true patriot of the Homeland. Resilient, brave, loyal to his country and military duty, he dedicated all his power, experience and knowledge to boosting the Armed Forces and bolstering our country’s military might," the Minister said.

In the meantime, the Investigative Committee’s Moscow Department requested materials on Shuralyov’s death in a bid to determine all circumstances, the Department’s Main Investigative Directorate spokeswoman Yulia Ivanova said.

Shuralyov was born in 1935 in Kovrov, Vladimir Region. In 1955, he was conscripted to the Soviet Army. He graduated from the Tashkent Tank Command School in 1958. He commanded a squad, and later a company of Soviet forces in Germany. In 1965, he graduated from the Tank Forces Military Academy and in 1975 — from the General Staff Military Academy. Since 1985, he commanded forces of the Belarusian military district.

Between 1990 and 1991, he served as the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union. In 1992, he was dismissed in reserve. Up until recently, he worked as the lead analyst of the Military Inspectorate of the Ministry of Defense.