Further down the chain , up to 40 % of the first secretaries of the '' oblasts '' ( provinces ) were replaced with younger , better educated , and more competent men . The defense establishment was also given a thorough shakeup with the commanders of all 16 military districts replaced along with all theaters of military operation , as well as the three Soviet fleets . Not since World War II had the Soviet military had such a rapid turnover of officers . Sixty-eight-year-old Marshal Nikolai Ogarkov was fully rehabilitated after having fallen from favor in 1983 – 84 due to his handling of the KAL 007 shootdown and his ideas about improving Soviet strategic and tactical doctrines were made into an official part of defense policy , although some of his other ambitions such as developing the military into a smaller , tighter force based on advanced technology were not considered feasible for the time being . Many , but not all , of the younger army officers appointed during 1985 were proteges of Ogarkov
KAL 007
Korean Air Lines Flight 007
History of the Soviet Union (1982–91)