He joined the Red Army in 1921 and served in a Red Army barrier detachment at the end of the Russian Civil War. He became a member of the Communist Party in 1924. He graduated from the Frunze Military Academy (1934) and the General Staff Academy (1939). He was promoted to Colonel and Major General (May 13, 1942).
During the war with Winter War, he served as Chief of Staff of the 9th Army, after which he held the position of Deputy Chief of Staff of the Transcaucasian Military District.
During the Great Patriotic War, he held various positions:
In 1941, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Transcaucasian Front. From March 1942, he served as Chief of the Operations Department and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Crimean Front.
In 1942, he was Chief of the Operations Department, Deputy Chief of Staff of the North Caucasus Front, and promoted to Major General.
Until October 1942, he was Chief of the Operations Department and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Group of Forces. From October 1942 to January 1943, he was Chief of Staff of the 37th Army. From January to April 1943, he was Chief of Staff of the 44th Army. From April to August 1943, he was Chief of Staff of the 2nd Guards Army. From August to November 1943, he was Chief of Staff of the 44th Army. From November 1943 to February 1944, he was Deputy Commander of the 28th Army. From February 1944 to January 1945, he was Deputy Commander of the 51st Army. From January to July 1945, he commanded the 1st Shock Army.
Having held senior staff and command positions, he participated in the development and execution of the Rostov, Donbass, Melitopol, and Nikopol-Krivoy Rog offensive operations, the liberation of Crimea, and the blockade of the Wehrmacht's Courland group of troops in the Baltics.
He supervised the transport of Soviet troops across the Syvash to the Syvash bridgehead in preparation for the Crimean offensive (February–March 1944).[1]
On April 13, 1944, he led a strike group of troops in the operation to liberate the capital of Crimea, Simferopol.[2]
He participated in the 1945 Moscow Victory Parade.[3]
From July 9, 1945, to February 4, 1946, he was Commander of the Minsk Military District.
From July 1946 to 1950, he was First Deputy Chief Military Inspector of the Soviet Armed Forces.
From 1946 to 1950, he was a Deputy of the Soviet of the Union of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd convocation (elected in the Molodechno Region of the Byelorussian SSR).[4]
From December 14, 1950, to July 31, 1953, he was Soviet Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to North Korea, and simultaneously Chief Military Advisor to the Commander-in-Chief of the Korean People's Army, Kim Il Sung.[5] From October 1954 to October 1956, he was Chief of Staff of the Soviet Air Defence Forces.
From October 1956 to September 1968, he was Head of the Air Defense Department of the Military Academy of the General Staff. He played a significant role during the Korean War: he led Soviet military advisers in the DPRK, participated in the planning and execution of military operations, coordinated the supply of military equipment to the country, and ensured the implementation of Soviet foreign policy interests during the conflict.
He died on August 5, 1980, in Moscow. He was buried in Tbilisi.