Early Life and Military Career
Dudaev was born the thirteenth child in Yalkhoroy in the abolished Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR), just days before the forced deportation of his family together with the entire Chechen and Ingush population on the orders of Joseph Stalin. His family was of the Yalhoroy Teip. He spent the first 13 years of his life in internal exile in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. His family was only able to return to Chechnya in 1957. Following the 1957 repatriation of the Chechens and Ingush, he studied at evening school in Checheno-Ingushetia and qualified as an electrician. In 1962, after two years studying electronics in Vladikavkaz, he entered the Tambov Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots from which he graduated in 1966. Dudaev joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1968 and in 1971-1974 studied at the prestigious Gagarin Air Force Academy. He married Alla, a Russian poet and the daughter of a Soviet officer with whom he had three children (a daughter and two sons).
In 1962 Dudaev began serving in the Soviet Army where he rose to the rank of Major-General, becoming the first Chechen general in the Soviet Army. Dudaev served in a Strategic bombing unit of the Soviet Air Force in Siberia and Ukraine. He participated in the Soviet war in Afghanistan against the Mujahideen for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star and the Order of the Red Banner. Reportedly from 1986-87 Dudaev had participated in bombing raids in western-Afghanistan. Many of his military and political opponents who questioned his Muslim faith often made reference to his actions against the Mujahideen forces. For example Sergei Stepashin asserted Dudaev participated in Carpet bombing (a statement probably motivated by spite). These allegations were denied by Dudayev himself. Dudaev rose steadily in the Air Force, assuming command of the 326th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of the
Dudaev learned Estonian and showed great tolerance for Estonian nationalism when he ignored the orders to shut down the Estonian television and parliament. In 1990, his air division was withdrawn from Estonia and Dudaev resigned from the Soviet military.
Read more about this topic: Dzhokhar Dudayev
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