The last marshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Yazov, who was a key player in the political turmoil that precipitated the collapse of the USSR, died in Moscow on Tuesday aged 95.

Yazov, who was then the Soviet Union's highest ranking military official, played a central role in the 1991 attempted coup against Mikhail Gorbachev and in the bloody repression of pro-independence uprisings in Lithuania.

Yet he remained a revered figure in Russia and was awarded military decorations by both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Putin expressed grief over Yazov's death, describing him as "a man of exceptional courage and fortitude" whose "professional and personal qualities had earned him undeniable authority and respect."

"He was and will remain a legend," Shoigu said in a statement to AFP, describing Yazov as "a brave, decisive fighter, wise, and a responsible commander."

Yazov was one of just 41 men to have held the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union, the USSR's highest military rank. Others to have held the title included Georgy Zhukov, who masterminded the defence of the USSR against the Nazi invasion in World War II, top wartime commander Konstantin Rokossovsky and Joseph Stalin himself.

Yazov was the last surviving holder of the rank.

Defence minister of the Soviet Union between 1987 and 1991, Yazov participated in the August 1991 coup attempt against Gorbachev. The coup, which was led by hardline communists unhappy with Gorbachev's liberal reforms, failed. Its leaders were arrested three days later but the attempted overthrow heralded the collapse of the Soviet Union, which was finally dissolved in December 1991.