Salahaddin Kazimov

Salahaddin Hasan oglu Kazimov (; 22 December 1920 – 2 July 1978) was a Soviet Internal Troops Major general and a Hero of the Soviet Union. Kazimov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 16 October 1943 for his leadership of an artillery battalion during the Battle of the Dnieper. In a twelve-day period during the battle, his battalion's guns were reported to have killed up to 180 German soldiers and destroyed eleven tanks. Postwar, Kazimov served in the Internal Troops and became Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Azerbaijan SSR. Kazimov and Minister of Internal Affairs Arif Heydarov were shot by an officer of the Shusha prison. He was wounded in an armed attack on the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Azerbaijan SSR and died on July 2, 1978.

Early life Kazimov was born on 22 December 1920 in either Zaqatala or the village of Kaas to a teacher's family. His ethnicity is given as either Tsakhur, Azerbaijani, or Kurdish. He graduated from the Physics and Mathematics department of the Azerbaijan Pedagogical Institute in Baku.

In early 1944, Kazimov was appointed commander of a division (artillery battalion). By this time he had reached the rank of captain. He fought in battles in Poland. Kazimov transferred to the 256th Artillery Regiment of the 9th Rifle Division By late spring, he fought in the Prague Offensive. On 9 May, Kazimov was wounded and evacuated to a hospital. On 10 June he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky.

Postwar Postwar, Kazimov served in the Internal Troops. Between 1956 and 1960 he was chief of staff of a convoy escort division of the Internal Troops. On 30 December 1956 he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. Kazimov reached the rank of Major general and became Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Azerbaijan SSR. On June 29, 1978, he and Minister of Internal Affairs Arif Heydarov were shot in Heydarov's office by Shusha prison officer Zia Muradov. Kazimov was wounded and died on July 2. Kazimov was buried in the Alley of Honor in Baku.

Memorial

In Baku, a plaque honoring Kazimov is located on a building side at the intersection of Samad Vergun and Ənvər Qasımzadə. It is located one block from the Monument to Richard Sorge, another Hero of the Soviet Union.