Dmitriy Fyodorovich Ustinov (Russian: Дмитрий Фёдорович Устинов) (October 17, 1908–December 20, 1984) was Defense Minister of the Soviet Union from 1976 until his death. He had previously been head of the defense industry since Stalin appointed him People's Commissar of Armaments in 1941. He also became deputy premier in 1957. October 17 is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... “Stalin” redirects here. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ...

Dimitry Fyodorovich Ustinov was born in Samara to a working-class family. He began his career working as a fitter in a paper mill and as a diesel mechanic and went on to study design engineering in Leningrad. He joined the communist party in 1927. Samara (fruit) — a type of winged tree fruit Samara, Russia — a large city to the east of the Volga River. ...

When the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Stalin chose Ustinov, who was then 33 years old and the director of Leningrad's Bolshevik Arms Factory, to supervise the evacuation of the defense industry to the east of the Ural Mountains. Stalin later rewarded Ustinov, whom he called "the Red-head," with the Soviet Union's highest civilian honor: Hero of Socialist Labor.

A candidate member of the Politburo since 1965, he did not become a full member until he was Defense Minister, at which time, though he had no prior military career, he was also made a Marshal of the Soviet Union. Politburo is short for Political Bureau. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union (Russian: Marshal Sovietskogo Soyuza [Маршал Советского Союза]) was in practice the highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ...

Ustinov was widely regarded as the likely conservative candidate to succeed Yuri Andropov as General Secretary of the ruling CPSU. However the appointment of Konstantin Chernenko allowed the reformist forces around Mikhail Gorbachev to further strengthen their hand and eventually it was Gorbachev who succeeded. Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov (Russian: Ю́рий Влади́мирович Андро́пов; 15 June [O.S. 2 June] 1914 – February 9, 1984) was a Soviet politician and General Secretary of the CPSU from November 12, 1982 until his death just sixteen months later. ... A large number of international organizations and other bodies have a secretary general or secretary-general as their chief administrative officers or in other administrative capacities. ... The Communist Party of the Soviet Union ( Russian: Коммунисти́ческая Па́ртия Сове́тского Сою́за = &#1050... Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko (Russian: ; September 24, 1911 – March 10, 1985) was a Soviet politician and General Secretary of the CPSU who led the Soviet Union from February 13, 1984 until his death just thirteen months later. ... Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (Russian: , Michail Sergeevič Gorbačëv), IPA: , surname more accurately romanized as Gorbachyov; born March 2, 1931) is a Russian politician. ...

In November 7, 1984, Soviet television viewers had fully expected to see him pass through Red Square to review the Military Parade on the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, but he never appeared. Ustinov had contracted pneumonia in October. Emergency surgery had to be performed to correct an aneurysm in the aortic valve. His liver and kidneys later malfunctioned, and he suffered a cardiac arrest and died. He was honoured with a state funeral and was buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis on December 24th. For other uses, see Red Square (disambiguation). ... Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs and respiratory system in which the alveoli (microscopic air-filled sacs of the lung responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere) become inflamed and flooded with fluid. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Kremlin Wall Necropolis The Kremlin Wall Necropolis (Некрополь у Кремлёвской стены in Russian) is a part of the Kremlin Wall, which surrounds the Moscow Kremlin and overlooks the Red Square. ...

On his death the city of Izhevsk was briefly renamed for him, but under Mikhail Gorbachev cities that had been renamed for recent Soviet leaders reverted to their former names. Izhevsk (Russian: ; Udmurt: ), from 1985 to 1987—Ustinov (), after Dmitry Ustinov, is the capital city of the Udmurt Republic, Russia, located on the Izh River in the Western Urals area. ...

Ustinov had a son named Nikolai (1931-1992).