Mark Yevtyukhin
Encyclopedia
Mark Nikolayevich Yevtyukhin was a Lieutenant-Colonel and Commander of the Pskov
-based 2nd Battalion
of the 6th Company
, 104th Guards Airborne Regiment, 76th Guards Airborne Division
, who was killed in action
during the Battle for Height 776.0 near Ulus-Kert, Chechnya
. For his actions in that battle, he was posthumously honoured as a Hero of the Russian Federation
.
, in the Mari ASSR, to Nikolai Vasiliyevich Yevtyukhin and Lidia Ivanovna Yevtyukhina. His father worked as an officer with a military manufacturer, and his mother also worked in manufacturing organisations. He was born exactly nine months after his parents' wedding, and was named after his great-grandfather, who was a Kuban Cossack, and was the first of the couple's two children.
While still an infant his family moved to Chukotka
because his father was transferred to the Far Eastern
region. Because of the extreme weather conditions in Chukotka, the one-year-old Yevtyukhin was sent to live with his grandmother in Gagra
. His father was later transferred to a more senior position in Tbilisi
, and the family lived there for five years, after which the family made their last move to Severomorsk
. He studied at School No. 7
in Severomorsk, and it was during this time that he met his first love, and his later wife, Lilya. Yevtyukhin told his parents that he desired to join the military, much to his mother's dismay, and he and his brother would often make the 70 kilometres (43.5 mi) trip, even during the winter, to the local aerodrome
for skydiving.
In 1985 Yevtyukhin graduated from the Margelov Higher Airborne Command School in Ryazan
. After graduation, in 1988 Yevtyukhin took part in the Soviet war in Afghanistan
, as a member of the 76th Guards Airborne Division
, and later took part in Russia
n peacekeeping
missions in Abkhazia
and Bosnia, and the First Chechen War
.
His younger brother Igor, an officer in the Russian Naval Infantry, also fought in the first Chechen War and was presumed killed in action
, leading to his father having a heart attack, yet it was discovered three days later he had only been wounded.
At the time of his death in 2000, he was married with one daughter, Olya.
on 31 January 2000 for a tour of duty
during the Second Chechen War
. On 9 February, Yetyukhin and his company took part in an operation which killed thirty Chechen insurgents
and destroyed two of their motor vehicles.
On the evening of 29 February, 6th Company Commander Major Sergey Molodov received an order for the Company to occupy Istykort near Ulus-Kert, with the aim of stopping Chechen insurgents from escaping the Argun Gorge. Because Molodov had only joined the unit the previous day, he had not yet familiarised himself with his men, and Yevtyukhin took charge of the company. Upon arrival at Istykort, the paratrooper
s found some Chechen insurgents on the hill, whose numbers grew and began to attack the company.
According to one of the survivors of the battle, in a report published by Obshchaya Gazeta, the Chechen insurgents contacted Yevtyukhin by radio and suggested that he let them pass and prevent fighting, but Yevtyukhin refused, upon which the Chechens stormed the hill. After two hours of fighting against, according to Russian sources, 1,800 Chechen fighters, the Russian paratroopers were running low on ammunition and Yevtyukhin radioed for reinforcements, but General Alexander Lentsov refused to commit more troops because of the presence of minefields; one of which the company had run into, and which had blown off both of Yevtyukhin's legs. The General urged the paratroopers to hold on until dawn when reinforcements might be dispatched, but by that time the Chechens had already broken through the Russian lines. Yevtyukhin ordered his battery officer
, Captain Viktor Romanov, to call for artillery to shell their position. Romanov, who had also lost both legs to a mortar round and was on the verge of losing consciousness, obeyed the order and shells began to hit their position, killing both men.
According to Obshchaya Gazeta, some 30 paratroopers were still alive before the shelling of their position began, however it is not known how many of them were killed by friendly fire
.
s were taken to Pskov
on 12 March 2000, and on the same day, President of Russia Vladimir Putin
signed ukaz № 484, conferring upon Yevtyukhin the status of Hero of the Russian Federation
. The highest title a Russian citizen can receive was bestowed upon Yevtyukhin for:
At his funeral, Yevtyukhin was eulogised
as a hero for pushing his comrades who were still alive to flee, before directing fire of artillery upon his position.
The No. 7 School in Severomorsk, the school which Yevtyukhin attended as a child, is now named in his honour. Every year in Yoshkar-Ola, a youth judo
tournament is held in his memory. On 1 May 2004, a memorial plaque
was placed on the house in which the Hero once lived at 16 Gagarin Prospect.
Yevtyukhin is buried in Orletsovsky cemetery in Pskov
.
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
-based 2nd Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of the 6th Company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
, 104th Guards Airborne Regiment, 76th Guards Airborne Division
76th Airborne Division (Russia)
The 76th Guards Air Assault Division is a division of the Russian Airborne Troops based in Pskov.-History:The 76th Air Assault Division was originally established in 1939 as the 157th Rifle Division. On 1 March 1943 it became the 76th Guards Rifle Division...
, who was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
during the Battle for Height 776.0 near Ulus-Kert, Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
. For his actions in that battle, he was posthumously honoured as a Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation is a Russian decoration and the highest honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen by the Russian Federation. The President of the Russian Federation is the main conferring authority of the medal, which is bestowed on those committing actions or deeds that...
.
Biography
Yevtyukhin was born in 1964 in Yoshkar-OlaYoshkar-Ola
Yoshkar-Ola is the capital city of the Mari El Republic, Russia. Population: Yoshkar-Ola means red city in Mari. The current name is the third to have been given to the city. The city was known as Tsaryovokokshaysk before 1919 and as Krasnokokshaysk between 1919 and 1927...
, in the Mari ASSR, to Nikolai Vasiliyevich Yevtyukhin and Lidia Ivanovna Yevtyukhina. His father worked as an officer with a military manufacturer, and his mother also worked in manufacturing organisations. He was born exactly nine months after his parents' wedding, and was named after his great-grandfather, who was a Kuban Cossack, and was the first of the couple's two children.
While still an infant his family moved to Chukotka
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , or Chukotka , is a federal subject of Russia located in the Russian Far East.Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census, and a surface area of . The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr...
because his father was transferred to the Far Eastern
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
region. Because of the extreme weather conditions in Chukotka, the one-year-old Yevtyukhin was sent to live with his grandmother in Gagra
Gagra
Gagra is a town in Abkhazia, Georgia’s breakaway republic, sprawling for 5 km on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains...
. His father was later transferred to a more senior position in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, and the family lived there for five years, after which the family made their last move to Severomorsk
Severomorsk
Severomorsk is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located about north of Murmansk along the Kola Bay. Population: This is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. Severomorsk has the largest drydock on the Kola Peninsula....
. He studied at School No. 7
Education in Russia
Education in Russia is provided predominantly by the state and is regulated by the federal Ministry of Education and Science. Regional authorities regulate education within their jurisdictions within the prevailing framework of federal laws. In 2004 state spending for education amounted to 3.6% of...
in Severomorsk, and it was during this time that he met his first love, and his later wife, Lilya. Yevtyukhin told his parents that he desired to join the military, much to his mother's dismay, and he and his brother would often make the 70 kilometres (43.5 mi) trip, even during the winter, to the local aerodrome
Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
for skydiving.
In 1985 Yevtyukhin graduated from the Margelov Higher Airborne Command School in Ryazan
Ryazan
Ryazan is a city and the administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Oka River southeast of Moscow. Population: The strategic bomber base Dyagilevo is just west of the city, and the air base of Alexandrovo is to the southeast as is the Ryazan Turlatovo Airport...
. After graduation, in 1988 Yevtyukhin took part in the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
, as a member of the 76th Guards Airborne Division
76th Airborne Division (Russia)
The 76th Guards Air Assault Division is a division of the Russian Airborne Troops based in Pskov.-History:The 76th Air Assault Division was originally established in 1939 as the 157th Rifle Division. On 1 March 1943 it became the 76th Guards Rifle Division...
, and later took part in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
missions in Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
and Bosnia, and the First Chechen War
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
.
His younger brother Igor, an officer in the Russian Naval Infantry, also fought in the first Chechen War and was presumed killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
, leading to his father having a heart attack, yet it was discovered three days later he had only been wounded.
At the time of his death in 2000, he was married with one daughter, Olya.
Service and death in Chechnya
Yevtyukhin arrived with his company in ChechnyaChechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
on 31 January 2000 for a tour of duty
Tour of duty
In the Navy, a tour of duty is a period of time spent performing operational duties at sea, including combat, performing patrol or fleet duties, or assigned to service in a foreign country....
during the Second Chechen War
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
. On 9 February, Yetyukhin and his company took part in an operation which killed thirty Chechen insurgents
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is the unrecognized secessionist government of Chechnya. The republic was proclaimed in late 1991 by Dzokhar Dudayev, and fought two devastating wars between separatists and the Russian Federation which denounced secession...
and destroyed two of their motor vehicles.
On the evening of 29 February, 6th Company Commander Major Sergey Molodov received an order for the Company to occupy Istykort near Ulus-Kert, with the aim of stopping Chechen insurgents from escaping the Argun Gorge. Because Molodov had only joined the unit the previous day, he had not yet familiarised himself with his men, and Yevtyukhin took charge of the company. Upon arrival at Istykort, the paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
s found some Chechen insurgents on the hill, whose numbers grew and began to attack the company.
According to one of the survivors of the battle, in a report published by Obshchaya Gazeta, the Chechen insurgents contacted Yevtyukhin by radio and suggested that he let them pass and prevent fighting, but Yevtyukhin refused, upon which the Chechens stormed the hill. After two hours of fighting against, according to Russian sources, 1,800 Chechen fighters, the Russian paratroopers were running low on ammunition and Yevtyukhin radioed for reinforcements, but General Alexander Lentsov refused to commit more troops because of the presence of minefields; one of which the company had run into, and which had blown off both of Yevtyukhin's legs. The General urged the paratroopers to hold on until dawn when reinforcements might be dispatched, but by that time the Chechens had already broken through the Russian lines. Yevtyukhin ordered his battery officer
Field artillery team
In the land-based field artillery, the field artillery team is organized to direct and control indirect artillery fire on the battlefield. Since World War I, to conduct indirect artillery fire, three distinct components have evolved in this organization: the forward observer , the fire direction...
, Captain Viktor Romanov, to call for artillery to shell their position. Romanov, who had also lost both legs to a mortar round and was on the verge of losing consciousness, obeyed the order and shells began to hit their position, killing both men.
According to Obshchaya Gazeta, some 30 paratroopers were still alive before the shelling of their position began, however it is not known how many of them were killed by friendly fire
Friendly fire
Friendly fire is inadvertent firing towards one's own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces, particularly where this results in injury or death. A death resulting from a negligent discharge is not considered friendly fire...
.
Awards and memorials
The bodies of Yevtyukhin and his fallen comradeComrade
Comrade means "friend", "colleague", or "ally". The word comes from French camarade. The term is frequently used by left-wing organizations around the globe. "Comrade" has often become a stock phrase and form of address. This word has its regional equivalents available in many...
s were taken to Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
on 12 March 2000, and on the same day, President of Russia Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
signed ukaz № 484, conferring upon Yevtyukhin the status of Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation is a Russian decoration and the highest honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen by the Russian Federation. The President of the Russian Federation is the main conferring authority of the medal, which is bestowed on those committing actions or deeds that...
. The highest title a Russian citizen can receive was bestowed upon Yevtyukhin for:
"...courage and valour shown during the liquidation of the illegal armed formations in the North Caucasus region..."
At his funeral, Yevtyukhin was eulogised
Eulogy
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...
as a hero for pushing his comrades who were still alive to flee, before directing fire of artillery upon his position.
The No. 7 School in Severomorsk, the school which Yevtyukhin attended as a child, is now named in his honour. Every year in Yoshkar-Ola, a youth judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
tournament is held in his memory. On 1 May 2004, a memorial plaque
Memorial Plaque
The Memorial Plaque was issued after the First World War to the next-of-kin of all British and Empire service personnel who were killed as a result of the war....
was placed on the house in which the Hero once lived at 16 Gagarin Prospect.
Yevtyukhin is buried in Orletsovsky cemetery in Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
.