Pavel Finogenov, 84; Headed Soviet Defense Industries in the 1980s

Pavel Finogenov, 84, who was Soviet minister for defense industries throughout the 1980s, died Thursday, the Russian Cabinet said. Cause of death was not specified.

Finogenov was appointed minister in 1979, the year the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and held the job for the next 10 years. As the man in charge of the powerful Soviet military industrial complex, Finogenov had broad influence, though his name was not widely known. He oversaw design and production of ballistic missiles, anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, tanks and other military hardware.