Viktor Leonov

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Viktor Nikolayevich Leonov (Russian: Виктор Николаевич Леонов) was a Soviet Navy officer and a twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Born in 1916, he became a national legend for his feats during World War II and later served in the Navy before working as an engineer in Moscow. He died in 2003 in Moscow.

Early life
Leonov was born on November 21, 1916 (Old Style: November 8) in Zaraysk, Russia, to a working‑class family. From 1931 to 1933, he studied at the Kalibr Plant’s apprenticeship school in Moscow, where he worked as a pattern fitter and helped with social activities. He joined the Soviet Navy in 1937 and trained with the Northern Fleet, including the S.M. Kirov Training Squadron for Diving in Polyarny. He later served on the submarine Shch-402.

World War II
When Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Leonov joined the 181st Separate Reconnaissance Detachment of the Northern Fleet. He carried out about 50 combat missions behind enemy lines starting July 18, 1941. In 1942 he joined the Communist Party, became an officer, and later a commissar. In April 1944 he was promoted to lieutenant.

In October 1944, during the Petsamo–Kirkenes Offensive, Leonov’s naval scouts landed near German-held shore positions. For two days they moved through difficult terrain, eventually attacking an 88-mm German battery at Cape Krestovoy and seizing it. They also captured a large number of German soldiers. Leonov’s detachment helped secure the Liinakhamari landing, which led to the Soviet capture of Petsamo and Kirkenes. For these actions he was named a Hero of the Soviet Union for the first time on November 5, 1944.

After Germany’s defeat in May 1945, Leonov continued service in the Far East. In August 1945 he took part in the Soviet–Japanese War as a front‑line intelligence officer with the 140th Separate Reconnaissance Detachment of the Soviet Pacific Fleet. His unit helped land Soviet forces in Japanese‑occupied Korea, at ports including Seishin, Genzan, and Rajin-guyok. At Genzan, Leonov’s scouts captured hundreds of Japanese officers and soldiers, several artillery batteries, aircraft, and ammunition depots, without suffering a single casualty. He was awarded a second Hero of the Soviet Union title on September 14, 1945.

Later life
After the war, Leonov continued to serve in the Northern Fleet and the Central Office of the Soviet Navy. In 1950 he graduated from the Caspian Higher Naval Red Banner School in Baku. In 1952 he was promoted to Captain 2nd Rank. From 1953 to 1956 he studied at the Kuznetsov Naval Academy in Leningrad, completing the second year. He moved to the reserve in July 1956. From 1957 to 1987 he worked as an engineer at a Petroleum Engineering Research Institute in Moscow. He passed away on October 7, 2003, in Moscow and was buried in the Leonovskoye Cemetery.

Awards and honors
- Hero of the Soviet Union (twice): November 5, 1944 and September 14, 1945
- Orders and medals (highlights): Order of Lenin; two Orders of the Red Banner; Order of Alexander Nevsky; Order of the Patriotic War 1st class; Medal “For Courage”; Medal “For Battle Merit”; Order of the Red Star; Medal Zhukov (1994); Medal “For the Defence of the Soviet Transarctic” (1944); Medal “For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945” (1945); Medal “For the Victory over Japan” (1945). He also received foreign awards, including North Korea’s Order of the National Flag (2nd class) and the Medal for the Liberation of Korea.

Memorials and legacy
Leonov is remembered with several honors:
- Honorary citizen of Polyarny
- A bronze bust in Zaraysk
- A street named after him in Krasnodar, and a bust at a local school
- A Polyarny sports school named for Leonov
- A Vishnya-class intelligence ship originally named Odograf was renamed Viktor Leonov in 2004
- A monument at the Russian Pacific Fleet’s Special Forces headquarters on Russky Island
- 2016 commemorative medal for the 100th anniversary of his birth
- A memorial plaque on the Moscow residence of Fyodor Konyukhov in 2018

Viktor Leonov remains a prominent figure in Soviet and Russian military history for his bold reconnaissance work and leadership during World War II.