The first Minister of Defense of Tajikistan has died

Major General Alexander Shishlyannikov, the first Minister of Defense of independent Tajikistan, died after a long illness

The first Minister of Defense of Tajikistan, Major General Alexander Shishlyannikov, died in Uzbekistan.

This was reported by the press service of the Uzbek Military Ministry.

The military leader died at the age of 72 after a long illness.

A native of Tashkent lived in his hometown.

“On September 15, at the 73rd year of his life, a senior researcher at the Center for Military-Scientific and Practical Developments of the Academy of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan, retired major general, candidate of military sciences, professor Alexander Shishlyannikov, died from a serious illness,” the Ministry of Defense of Uzbekistan reported.

General Shishlyannikov was born on November 3, 1950 in the capital of Uzbekistan.

After graduating from the Tashkent Higher Tank Command School in 1971, he served in units of the Central Military District in Czechoslovakia and the Western Military District in Germany. In 1993-1995 he worked as Minister of Defense of Tajikistan.

Shishlyannikov was among the 200 officers who arrived in the republic at the beginning of the civil war on the instructions of Emomali Rakhmon.

During this period, the general played a key role in occupying positions and increasing the combat effectiveness of state troops.

Earlier, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said in an interview that he personally chose General Alexander Shishlyannikov.

Rahmon's first press secretary died in Dushanbe

“I myself organized the national army in a training camp, in tents. We had no armed forces, no minister of defense, no generals and officers. We asked for more than 200 officers from another country. And I chose Colonel Shishlyannikov from among them and appointed him Minister of Defense," said Emomali Rahmon.

Farewell to the major general took place at the Chirchik Higher Tank Command and Engineering School.

source: tj.sputniknews.ru