MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed condolences on the death of former Minister of Defense and the last Marshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Yazov, who died on Tuesday aged 95, a telegram published on the Kremlin’s website informs.

"Marshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Timofeevich Yazov was an outstanding military commander and a bright representative of the legendary generation of victors. He was a volunteer and a soldier. He was a man of outstanding bravery and resolve," Putin said. "He had overcome the trials of the Great Patriotic War with dignity, and after the Victory, he had dedicated his life to serving and developing the Armed Forces, strengthening the defense capability and the national security of his country."

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry informed that Yazov had passed away on February 25, 2020, following a long and difficult illness.

Yazov was born on November 8, 1924, in the village of Yazovo of the Omsk Region. In 1942, he graduated from Moscow Infantry School of Military Training, and in 1956, he left the Frunze Military Academy. In 1967, he finished the Military Academy of the General Staff.

After graduating from military school, Yazov fought in the Great Patriotic War, where he was injured twice. Between 1942 and 1945, he led an infantry squad, and later a company at Volkhov and Leningrad fronts. He took part in the defense of Leningrad, the Soviet offensive in the Baltic and the Army Group Courland blockade.

On May 30, 1987, Yazov was appointed as the Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union. On April 28, 1990, Yazov was promoted Marshal of the Soviet Union, becoming the last Soviet military commander of this rank.