Leonid Solodkov

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian. (December 2021) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Russian article. Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 2,284 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Russian Wikipedia article at [[:ru:Солодков, Леонид Михайлович]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template {{Translated|ru|Солодков, Леонид Михайлович}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Leonid Mikhailovich Solodkov
Solodkov in 2005 wearing his Hero of the Soviet Union medal, the last such medal ever awarded, he received it just two days before the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991
Native name	Леонид Михайлович Солодков
Born	(1958-04-10) 10 April 1958 (age 63) Chornukhyne, Luhansk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Allegiance	Soviet Union Russia
Service/branch	Soviet Navy Russian Navy
Years of service	1976–1994
Rank	Captain 2nd rank
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union Order of Lenin Order of the Red Banner

Leonid Mikhailovich Solodkov (Russian: Леонид Михайлович Солодков; born 10 April 1958) is a retired Russian Navy Captain 2nd rank and a Hero of the Soviet Union. Solodkov was awarded the title on 24 December 1991 for his work on diving equipment. Solodkov is the last person awarded the title, having received it two days before the dissolution of the Soviet Union.^[1]

Early life[]

Solodkov was born on 10 April 1958 in Chornukhyne, Luhansk Oblast in a farming family. His childhood was spent in Volzhsky, Volgograd Oblast, where he graduated from tenth grade.^[2] In 1976, he graduated from a course at the Obninsk Branch of the Moscow Engineering and Physics Institute.^[1][3]

Military service[]

Solodkov joined the Soviet Navy in August 1976. He was sent to the . In 1980, Solodkov became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He graduated from the college in June 1981. In November, he completed the 6th Higher Officer Classes of the Navy.^[2] Solodkov became commander of the diving team on the rescue ship . Between 1984 and 1986 he was assistant commander for rescue work on the Zangezur. Solodkov prepared over 1,000 deep-divers in diving school and while serving in Algeria supervised the training of submarine crews in emergency rescue.^[1][3]

In May 1986 he became a junior researcher and diving specialist at the State Scientific Research Institute of Rescue, Diving, and Deep Sea Work of the Ministry of Defense. Solodkov participated in the creation and testing of diving equipment. While testing new technology, he spent a long period under 50 atmosphere pressure. Solodkov worked underwater and in the diving chamber for more than 3,000 hours. Solodkov spent 15 days underwater at 500 meters during a 1991 experiment and 25 days at 450 meters in a 1988 experiment. He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on 25 July 1990. On 24 December 1991, Solodkov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin for his contributions to diving. Solodkov was the last person awarded the title,^[4] receiving it two days before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Then with the Russian Navy, Solodkov received his Gold Star on 16 January 1992^[1][3][2] from Yevgeny Shaposhnikov.^[5]

Later life[]

In July 1994 Solodkov transferred to the reserve with the rank of Captain 3rd rank. He was promoted to Captain 2nd rank in 1999. Solodkov lives in Saint Petersburg.^[1][2] He led the Public Council of the Krasnoselsky District Administration. ^[3][6] Solodkov was later deputy chairman of the Coordinating Council of Heroes of the Soviet Union, an NGO.^[5]

References[]