February 1945, and it was not until April that Petrov was made commander of the 248th Anti-tank Artillery Regiment. Postwar Petrov remained in the military after the surrender of Nazi Germany. He graduated from Lviv State University in 1954 and became a Candidate of Military Sciences. Having been promoted to the rank of General-lieutenant in 1977 he held various high positions in the Soviet military, serving as the deputy chief of the missile troops and artillery of the Carpathian Military District. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union he served in the military of Ukraine and was promoted to the rank of Colonel-General in 1999. Despite his prestige as a war hero, he did not always remain in line with the communist party; he was known for not paying party dues, and after not signing his membership paperwork he was expelled from the party and questioned about his loyalty before it was eventually agreed that he could permit someone to sign the paperwork on his behalf. He died on 15 April 2003 in Kyiv and was buried in the Baikove Cemetery. Awards and honors Soviet: Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Two Order of Lenin Order of the October Revolution Order of the Red Banner Order of the Patriotic War 1st class Three Order of the Red Star Other states: Poland - Virtuti militari 5th class Russia - Order of Friendship Ukraine - Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 2nd class References Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Virtuti Militari (1943–1989) 1922 births 2003 deaths Burials at Baikove Cemetery People without hands Soviet military personnel of World War II from Ukraine Soviet generals Recipients of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd class