GENERAL’S PATH

Lt. General Ruben Grigor Maghalyan (Magalov) is an Armenian military figure of the last period of the Soviet army. Starting his service as a cadet in Tbilisi, he completed it in Rostov-on-Don as a Lt. General and deputy commander of the North Caucasus Military District, after which he retired. After a while he was back in operation again, this time as an adviser on civil defense to the commander of the North Caucasus Military District and at the same time – Chairman of the Board of the Great Patriotic War and Civil Defense Veterans’ NGO.

Since Lt. General Ruben Magalov served in the Carpathians and in the distant Kazakhstan, he was cut off from the Armenian environment. And this article is an attempt to bring his name to the people of Armenia.

Ruben Maghalyan was born in Tbilisi on January 7, 1935. Got education in the Tbilisi Military College, Moscow Academy after Frunzeh, Higher Militray Academy after V.Voroshilov of USSR AF GS. Colonel Maghalyan was appointed commander of a division of the Central Asian Military District. In 1979 he was given the rank of Major-General, and within a few years – Lieutenant-General.

When on April 26, 1986 there was an explosion of the 4th unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in 10 days Maghalyan with his military units went there.

Consequences of this accident were not yet been eliminated, when on December 7, 1988 Spitak earthquake happened, and soon, Lieutenant General Maghalyan with their troops went to Armenia. But here he could not stay long. Heart attack, occurred in Chernobyl, made itself felt. Due to ill health Maghalyan retired.

Lieutenant General R.Maghalyan for nearly 40 years of service in the Armed Forces of the USSR and the Russian Federation has been awarded a number of high awards and more than 25 combat medals of the homeland and foreign countries. And today he, as a faithful soldier, continues his service in public life.

Vahan Mahgalyan
Candidate of philology sciences
Senior Researcher, Institute of Armenian Studies Research, Yerevan State University