Vladislav Achalov, a former Soviet general who supported two botched anti—Kremlin coups and recently organized a protest against the government’s military reform, has died. He was 65.
Airborne Forces spokesman Col. Alexander Cherednik said Achalov died at a Moscow hospital on Thursday . Achalov, an one—time commander of Soviet Airborne Forces, led a union of veteran paratroopers.
Achalov supported the 1991 hardline coup that briefly ousted Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev but didn’t face trial. In October 1993 he played an active role in a rebellion against President Boris Yeltsin and spent several months in custody before being released under amnesty.
Last November he helped organized a protest against the government’s military reform that drew fears of military mutiny.
