Sultan Sosnaliyev

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name = Soslan Sosnaliyev
honorific-suffix =


imagesize = 200px
order = ?
office = Minister of Defence of Abkhazia
term_start = February 2005Official site of the president of Abkhazia, [http://www.abkhaziagov.org/ru/president/press/smi_abkhazia/sosnaliev.php?phrase_id=25494 Полководец Султан Сосналиев] ("Commander Sultan Sosnaliyev")]
term_end = May 2007 [Regnum.ru, [http://www.regnum.ru/news/824494.html Министр обороны Абхазии ушел в отставку] , ("Abkhazian minister of defence resigns"), 08.05.2007]
deputy =
president =
predecessor =Vladimir Mikanba
successor = Mirab Kishmaria
order2 = 2nd
office2 = Minister of Defence of Abkhazia
term_start2 = April 1993
term_end2 = July 1996Official site of the president of Abkhazia, [http://www.abkhaziagov.org/ru/president/press/smi_abkhazia/sosnaliev.php?phrase_id=25494 Полководец Султан Сосналиев] ("Commander Sultan Sosnaliyev")]
deputy2 =
president2 =
predecessor2 =Vladimir Arshba
successor2 = ?
birth_date = 23.04.1942
birth_place = Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkar ASSR, RSFSR, USSR
death_date =
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party =
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Sultan Sosnaliyev ( _ru. Султан Асламбекович Сосналиев) was a commander of Abkhaz and allied forces during the War in Abkhazia and a defence minister of Abkhazia in 1993-1996 and 2005-2007.

Early life

Sultan Sosnaliyev was born in Nalchik to Kabardin parents. He graduated from the Syzran aircraft school and from the Zhukov anti-aircraft military academy and served in the Soviet anti-aircraft forces for 29 years. He retired in 1990 in the rank of a colonel and worked in Kabardino-Balkaria's construction industry till 1992.

Role in the war

Sosnaliyev became the head of the military department of the newly-formed Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus. After the beginning of the War in Abkhazia he arrived to Abkhazia with the group of Kabardin volunteers through on 15 August 1992. He was appointed the head of the staff of the Gudauta-based State Committee of the Defence and was one of the planners of the victorious Battle of Gagra.

He was appointed the minister of defence in April 1993 and later awarded the rank of major general. Sosnaliyev and Sergei Dbar planned the July and September Sukhumi offensives. On 24-25 March 1994 Sosnaliyev was in charge of the last operation of the war - capture of the village of Lata in the Kodori Valley.

Post-war life

Sosnaliyev resigned in July 1996 and returned to Kabardino-Balkaria. After Sergei Bagapsh had been elected the President of Abkhazia he offered the office of the minister of defence to Sosnaliyev as "reforms were desperately needed" [Regnum.ru, [http://www.regnum.ru/news/416991.html интервью президента Абхазии Сергея Багапш] , ("Interview of Sergei Bagapsh, the President of Abkhazia"), 04.03.2005] in the Abkhazian army. The latter agreed and served in the Abkhazian government as a minister of defence and a vice-premier till May 2007.

References

ources

* [http://www.abkhaziagov.org/ru/president/press/smi_abkhazia/sosnaliev.php Полководец Султан Сосналиев] , "Commander Sultan Sosnaliyev" from the official site of the President of Abkhazia