Vasily Petrovich Karuna (Russian: Василий Петрович Каруна; 27 April 1899 – 30 September 1943) was a Red Army general-mayor who held division commands during World War II.

With the detachment, he took part in battles against the Whites and the disarmament of the Cossacks returning from the front in the Nizhne-Chirskaya, Vasilyevskye mines, Tatsinskaya and Belaya Kalitva areas.

He took part in the suppression of the Basmachi movement in Eastern Bukhara, being credited with the destruction of the fighters led by Mustafakul in 1925, and was wounded in the fighting that year.

In November 1935 the 11th Cavalry Division was relocated to the Belorussian Military District, stationed at Pukhovichi, and Karuna appointed regimental chief of staff.

Being with the division forward detachment, on 23 September then-Major Karuna was tasked with cutting off and destroying Polish troops retreating through the Augustow Forest to the Lithuanian border.

[1] After Germany invaded the Soviet Union, the 29th Motorized Division fought in defensive actions in the region of Grodno, Lida and Novogrudok as part of the 6th Mechanized Corps during the Battle of Białystok–Minsk.

After being wounded, he was hospitalized on 7 August, then went on leave, and from 27 September to 22 November completed Higher Commanders' Improvement Courses at the Academy of the General Staff.

From 16 December the division went over to the offensive in Operation Little Saturn, forced a crossing of the Don, breaking through strongly fortified Italian-manned defenses and in six days advanced 120 kilometers, liberating about 40 settlements.

Continuing to pursue the retreating Axis troops, the 195th reached the line of Bondarevka, Streltsovka, and Velikoutsk on 29 December, where it was stopped by the strong resistance of the German reserves, forcing it to go on the defense.

The recommendation read:[3]During the operation to destroy the Italian Army in the region of the middle course of the Don, in December 1942, Comrade Karuna displayed a model of skillful leadership with units of the 195th Rifle Division in the destruction of the enemy.