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Anatoly Kornukov

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Military Personnel

The Resume

    (January 10, 1942-July 1, 2014)
    Born in Stakhanov, Ukraine
    Former fighter pilot
    Soviet/Russian general
    Commander of the Russian Air Force (1998-2002)

Why he might be annoying:

    As head of the Sokol Air Base on Sakhalin Island, he relayed to fighter pilots the order to shoot down Korean Air Flight 007, resulting in the deaths of 269 civilians (September 1, 1983).
    He agreed with orders from his superior, General Valeri Kamensky, to order the plane shot down even after it returned to international waters.
    When Kamensky insisted that the aircraft be verified as non-civilian first, he insisted there was no need.
    He said he had no regrets about the decision: 'If something like that would happen now, I would act the same way.' (1998)
    He insisted, without any evidence, that the plane was on a CIA spying mission.

Why he might not be annoying:

    KAL 007 had violated Soviet airspace.
    He claimed his actions on KAL 007 showed he could make tough decisions.
    He said thoughts of the victims did leave him with 'unpleasant feelings.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 4 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 119 Votes: 52.10% Annoying