Dmitry Timofeyevich Yazov, born on November 8, 1924, is the last surviving Marshal of the former Soviet Union. He held the post of Defense Minister of the Soviet Union from 1987 to 1991.

In 1941, when Yazov was only 17 years old, he volunteered for the army; a year later he was sent to the front during the Great Patriotic War. During the fighting at the fronts of Volkhov and Leningrad, he was successively promoted commander of an infantry platoon and an infantry company. Later, he participated in the battle of Leningrad and Courland Pocket, witnessing the whole Great Patriotic War.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, a People's Daily reporter held an exclusive interview with Yazov, the only surviving Marshal of the former Soviet Union.

During the interview, he recalled the course of the Great Patriotic War from the beginning to the entry into Berlin. The old man seemed to find it somewhat difficult to speak. He drank water from time to time to clear his throat, but when he described the familiar details of the war, his eyes revealed a calm determination.

Reporters learned that Yazov had won many medals at home and abroad, including the Order of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, and the Order of the Red Banner. In 2004 and 2014, when he was 80 and 90 years old respectively, Russian President Vladimir Putin personally awarded him the Medal of Honor and the Order of Alexander Nevsky.

In 1991, he paid an official goodwill visit to China. He was the first Soviet defense minister to visit China since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

He believes that the traditional friendship between the two parties and the two peoples of China and the Soviet Union, subsequently China and Russia, have great significance. This friendship is an important guarantee of world peace. He fully affirmed the important role of the Chinese people in the anti-fascist war, and called for China and Russia to unite and stand with the people of the world together to prevent the revival of fascism and militarism.

When speaking of the activities celebrating the 70th anniversary of the victory of the anti-fascist war, Yazov said that as we celebrate the 70th anniversary, the importance is not that we were the victors, but the fact that this victory brought freedom to the world. It was a victory for the whole world and for mankind.

Yazov also expressed his respect for Chinese war veterans as well as his best wishes to the Chinese people.