Nikolai Psurtsev (1900–1980) was a Soviet statesman and a military leader, a Colonel General of the communications forces, and a Hero of Socialist Labor.
In 1934, he graduated from the Leningrad Electro-Technical Communication Academy. From February of 1935, he was a Deputy Head of the combat training department of the Communications Directorate of the Red Army, and from January of 1936, he headed the communications center of the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR. From May of 1937, he was the Head of the Long-Distance Telephone and Telegraph Communications Department of the People's Commissariat of Communications of the USSR, and from March of 1938, he was an authorized representative of the People's Commissariat of Communications of the USSR for the Far Eastern Region.
During the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939–1940, N. Psurtsev was the Chief of Communications for the Northwestern Front. From June of 1940, he was a Deputy Chief of the Red Army Communications Directorate.
On July 3, 1941, he was appointed Head of Communications for the Western Front. During the Great Patriotic War, N. Psurtsev ensured communication between the front headquarters and the troops in defensive battles in Belarus, near Smolensk, in the Battle of Moscow, and in the Rzhev-Vyazma, Spas-Demensk, and Vitebsk operations. In 1945, he took direct part in the war with Japan as the Head of the Communications Department of the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of Soviet troops in the Far East.
From April of 1946, N. Psurtsev was the Head of Communications of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR. In this position, he did a great deal of work on acqusition of new technology and introducing it into the Armed Forces of the USSR.
From November of 1947 to September of 1978, he held the position of the First Deputy Minister of Communications of the USSR, and afterwards, of the Minister of Communications of the USSR.
Under the leadership of N. Psurtsev, all branches of communications underwent significant progress, especially radio relay lines, television, radio broadcasting, long-distance telephone communications, and postal communications. Work was under way on the widespread use of artificial Earth satellites for communications and television program transmission using ground-based and mobile television receiving stations. During his leadership of the Ministry of Communications of the USSR, the Molniya-1 and Molniya-2 communications satellites were launched, and the world's first satellite television distribution network, Orbita, was created.
The postage stamp provides a portrait of Nikolai Psurtsev against the background of the Novosibirsk Electrotechnical Institute of Communications, in the creation of which he took part. In 1981, the Institute was named after N. Psurtsev.
| Paper |
Printing method |
Perforation |
Format of the stamp |
Edition |
| Chalk surfaced |
Offset + security system |
Comb 12¼:12 |
42 × 30 mm |
52 thousand stamps |