Alexander Konstantinov Colonel of the Border Troops of the KGB of the USSR, Hero of the Soviet Union. Date of Birth: 09.03.1910 Country: Ukraine

Biography of Alexander Konstantinov

Alexander Konstantinov was a Colonel of the Border Troops of the KGB of the USSR and a Hero of the Soviet Union. He was born on March 9, 1910, in the village of Zinovidovo, now in the Rzhevsky District of the Tver region, into a peasant family. He was of Russian descent and attended a rural school.

After completing his education, Konstantinov worked at the "Drive Belt" factory in Moscow. He joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1941 and became a member of the VKP(b)/CPSU. In 1932, he joined the Border Troops of the OGPU NKVD and participated in suppressing the Kumul Rebellion in the Xinjiang Province of the Chinese Republic.

In 1937, Konstantinov graduated from the Saratov Border School. He was also involved in the Polish campaign of the Red Army in 1939 and the annexation of Bessarabia to the USSR. He served as the commander of the westernmost outpost of the Soviet Union in Przemyśl.

During the Great Patriotic War, which started in June 1941, Konstantinov served as the assistant chief of staff of the 1st Border Command (25th Kagul Border Detachment, Moldavian Border District of the NKVD Troops). On June 22, 1941, he took command of the defense of Border Outpost No. 5 near the town of Kagul in Moldova, close to the village of Stoyanovka. Under his leadership, the outpost repelled eleven enemy attacks throughout the day.

On June 24, 1941, Senior Lieutenant Konstantinov and his soldiers successfully defended a railway bridge over the Prut River, destroying two enemy machine gun nests. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on August 26, 1941, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his exemplary fulfillment of combat tasks against the German fascist invaders and the courage and heroism he displayed. He received the Order of Lenin and the Medal "Gold Star" (No. 618).

In 1950, the heroic border guard graduated from the Military Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and continued his service in the Border Troops. He retired as a Colonel in 1959. Konstantinov lived in Odessa and passed away on June 16, 1994. He was buried at the Novogorodskoye Cemetery in Odessa. He was awarded the Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner, the Patriotic War 1st and 2nd Class, and two Orders of the Red Star, as well as various medals.

In honor of this Hero, a monument was erected at one of the border outposts.