Leonid Carasiov

Leonid Carasiov
Native name
Леонид Карасёв
Born (1948-10-22) 22 October 1948
Kurakhove, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)
Allegiance Soviet Union (until 1991)
Moldova
Branch
 Soviet Army
 Moldovan Ground Forces
Service years
1965–1997
Rank
Colonel
Commands1st Motorized Infantry Brigade "Moldova"
Conflicts
Transnistria War
AwardsOrder of Ștefan cel Mare

Leonid Carasiov (Russian: Леонид Карасёв; born 22 October 1948 in Kurakhove, Ukrainian SSR, USSR) is a Ukrainian-born Russo-Moldovan[1] military officer who served as a commander in the Moldovan National Army during the Transnistria War.[2]

Early life and military career

Carasiov was born on 22 October 1948 into a working-class family in Kurakhove, in the Donetsk Oblast of the Ukrainian SSR.[3][4] At the age of 17, he enrolled in a technical vocational school in Donetsk, and later worked for several months as a mechanic in a factory. He was conscripted into the Soviet Armed Forces for military service, he was sent to train in the Byelorussian Military District ⁠in Brest. It was during this time he decided to remain in the military.

Advancement in the Soviet Army

After completing his military service, he was admitted to the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School ⁠in Blagoveshchensk, Amur Oblast, from which he graduated in 1973 with the rank of lieutenant. Appointed commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 304th Motorized Infantry Regiment, he was promoted to company commander and to the rank of Senior lieutenant ahead of schedule. He then became a battalion commander, and 3 years after graduating from the command school, he became chief of staff of the 304th Motorized Rifle Regiment in Kamchatka.

Admitted to the Frunze Military Academy, he graduated with honors in 1980, being subsequently assigned to the Hungarian People's Republic in the Southern Group of Forces, where he served as Chief of Staff of the 5th Regiment of the 93rd Motorized Rifle Division, after which he took command of the 96th Regiment of the 254th Motor Rifle Division in 1982. With the rank of Major in 1985, Carasiov took command of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Regiment in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, part of the area of responsibility of the Odessa Military District.

Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he took command of the General Staff of the 86th Guards Rifle Division ⁠in Bălți in December 1987, and in 1989 he was sent to Moscow for 3 months for training, to become a division commander. In May 1990, after the division was reorganized into the 14th Guards Combined Arms Army Equipment Depot based in Florești, he was promoted to the rank of colonel ahead of schedule and took command of it.

Collapse of the USSR and Moldova

Following the independence of Moldova and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he gained Moldovan citizenship and joined the Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova, and contributed to it by serving as the foundational commander of the 1st Motorized Infantry Brigade "Moldova", whose structure was operationalized on April 10, 1992.[5][6] In May 1992, Carsiov was appointed commander of the operational-tactical group based at the Bulboaca Training Center.[7]

Transnistria War

On May 18, 1992, the Ministry of Defense in Chisinau established four operational-tactical directions on the battlefront of the Transnistria War.[8] Carasiov was assigned to the Tighina–Varnița operativ-tactical direction, where he was tasked with defending the strategically vital Tighina Bridge over the Dniester river. Carasiov commanded a force largely composed of young and inexperienced recruits.[9][10][11]

On 19 June, Carasiov received an order to clear the police station and take up a defensive position in front of the bridge over the Dniester. Surrounded by enemy troops, Carasiov organized a circular defense in front of the river crossing. On the morning of 20 June the position was attacked by enemy tanks from Tiraspol.[12] An initial attack by three tanks caused panic among the unit after the killing of their observer, leaving the position to be defended by only about five men, commanded by Carasiov. He destroyed the tank at the head of the column with his anti-tank grenade launcher, and in cooperation with his deputy, Lieutenant Colonel Valentin Cihodari, the second. Slightly wounded, Carasiov passed the launcher to Cihodari, who also hit the third and last tank, which retreated in flames. During a battle, he was incapacitated by a severe battle wound, for which he was later awarded the Order of Ștefan cel Mare, Moldova's highest military decoration.[13] He was the first to not reciepve it poshtohumously.[7]

Later life

After the end of the war, Carasiov took command of the brigade, retiring to the in reserve in 1997. From that year he worked in within the National Union of Veterans of the War for the Independence of the Republic of Moldova. In September 2015, he signed a joint sttaement condemning the presence military attache of Russia in Chisinau at a Republic Day of Transnistria event in Tiraspol.[14] During the 2021 Moldovan parliamentary election, he supported the Party of Action and Solidarity led by Maia Sandu.[15]

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Dulgheru, Valeriu; 28 de ani de la încetarea Războiului de pe Nistru; Basarabie răstignită (17); Chișinău; 2021; ISBN 978-9975-87-780-0; p. 267; accesat la 31 decembrie 2025
  2. ↑ "Категория:Книга Памяти" [Category:Book of Memory] (in Russian). Archived from the original on 25 March 2016.
  3. ↑ Leșcu, Anatol[ie]; Istoria militară a Moldovei: curs de lecții – Suport de curs; Academia Militară a Forțelor Armate „Alexandru cel Bun”; Chișinău; 2017; Lecția 5 Războiul Transnistrean – 2. Desfășurarea conflictului Transnistrean; accesat la 30 decembrie 2025
  4. ↑ "ArtOfWar. Карасёв Леонид. Конфликта в Приднестровье было не избежать". artofwar.ru. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
  5. ↑ "Sky Soldiers show Common Effort in Moldova". www.army.mil. 2015-07-21. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
  6. ↑ "Как становятся настоящими солдатами в первой мотопехотной бригаде". www.evedomosti.md (in Russian). Retrieved 2026-08-10.
  7. 1 2 "Генерал Карасёв: «Конфликта в Приднестровье было не избежать»". СП - Новости Бельцы Молдова (in Russian). 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
  8. ↑ Nistor, Elena; Războiul de pe Nistru: cauze, actori, consecințe; STUDIUM – Revista studenților, masteranzilor și doctoranzilor în istorie, Vol. 10, 2017, Supplement 1 – Geopolitics, History and Population in Eastern Europe. New research directions in Humanities and Political Sciences; p. 107; accesat la 29 decembrie 2025
  9. ↑ Gaiciuc, Victor & Ciobanu, Vitalie; Declanșarea conflictului de la Nistru și crearea unităților militare; Revista Militară. Studii de securitate și apărare, Nr. 2 (14)/2015; pp. 113–114; acceat la 31 decembrie 2025
  10. ↑ Mateiu, Sandu Valentin & Pogăciaș, Andrei & Udrea, Matei; Ultimul război româno-rus: 1992, bătălia pentru Transnistria; Colecționarul de istorie, 13 noiembrie 2025; PressOne; 11:25-11:32; accesat la 1 ianuarie 2025
  11. ↑ Cibotaru, Viorel (2008-01-01). "NATO FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME Democratic Institutions MOLDOVAN SECURITY CONCERNS: DEVELOPMENT AND PERSPECTIVES". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. ↑ Cite error: The named reference baciu2015p21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ↑ Corobceanu, Svetlana; Generalul Troenco, discurs emoționant: „Nu putem uita cum în câteva minute au fost uciși mișelește peste 100 de copii”; Jurnal.md, 14 februarie 2020; accesat la 31 decembrie 2025
  14. ↑ "Veterans of Armed Forces condemn Russian diplomat's participation in 2 September event in Tiraspol". www.moldpres.md. 2015-09-15. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
  15. ↑ 198K views · 2.1K reactions | Leonid Carasiov, general, fost comandant al Brigăzii 1 Infanterie Motorizată, Cavalerul ordinului Ștefan cel Mare ne îndeamnă să mergem la vot și să curățim țara de guvernarea coruptă. Ieșim masiv la alegerile din 11 iulie pentru a face alegerea corectă! | PAS Bălți. Retrieved 2026-08-10 – via www.facebook.com.
  16. ↑ Timofti, Nicolae; DECRET Nr. 1761 din 24-09-2015 privind conferirea Ordinului „Credință Patriei” clasa I domnului Leonid CARASIOV; Monitorul Oficial Nr. 267-273 art. 509; 2 octombrie 2015; accesat la 2 ianuarie 2025
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