Vasily Fyodorovich Morkovkin (; 5 April 193829 October 2010) was a Soviet and Belarusian military officer who served as the Chief of the General Directorate of Border Troops of Belarus from 1994 to 1996.
Early life and education Vasily Morkovkin was born on 1 September 1938, in the village of Amelino, in the Stalingrad Oblast of the Russian SFSR.
He was conscripted in 1957 and served in the Soviet Border Troops within the . Morkovkin later graduated from the Moscow Border Institute of the KGB in 1962 and the Frunze Military Academy in 1973.
Career After graduating, Morkovkin served in the , where he was a commander of a border outpost in Primorsky Krai. He later held positions in both the and the Western Border District.
In May 1992, Morkovkin joined the Belarusian Border Guard, starting in the central office. He was later appointed the first commander of the Smorgon Border Group. On 26 September 1994, he was promoted to head of the Belarusian Border Guard, and on 17 October of the same year, Morkovkin received the rank of major general. His main focus was fighting the illegal smuggling along the border with the Baltic states and Ukraine. In 1995, during his command, the Day of the Border Guard was established. Morkovkin left his position on 4 September 1996, and after retiring, he became an instructor for new border guards.
Vasily Morkovkin died on 29 October 2010. A memorial plaque in his honor was later installed at the headquarters of the Smorgon Border Group. He is buried at Eastern Cemetery in Minsk.
Awards Order of the Red Star (Soviet Union) First class medal Medal "For Impeccable Service" (Soviet Union) Medal "For Distinction in Guarding the State Border of the USSR" (Soviet Union)
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