Creator of Topol and Iskander Launchers Passes Away in Volgograd

Valerian Sobolev, the general designer of TsKB-Titan who led the creation of launch systems for the Topol and Iskander missile complexes, has died in Volgograd at the age of 87. The local outlet Oblvesti reported that he passed away after a long and severe illness, a detail confirmed to RIA Novosti by a family friend.

The farewell ceremony will take place on the morning of 29 November at the Central Cemetery of Volgograd.

A Life Formed by Wartime Hardship and Engineering Mastery

Valerian Sobolev was born on 19 August 1938 in Stalingrad. He lived through evacuation during the Second World War before returning to his native city, where he graduated from the Stalingrad Mechanical Institute. He began his career at the Barrikady plant and rose from engineer to chief designer of the design bureau later known as the Federal Research and Production Center Titan-Barrikady.

Designer of Strategic Missile Launch Systems

Under Sobolev’s leadership, engineers developed launch systems for key strategic missile complexes, including Pioneer, Oka, Topol, Tochka-U, and Iskander. From 1991 to 1994, he served as the first deputy head of the Volgograd regional administration.