New commanders of military districts have been identified. Zhuravlev Alexander Alexandrovich
According to the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, today in Syria there is not a single settlement or area under the control of the terrorist organization “Islamic State”. About the Russian military leaders who took the most active part in the Syrian war - in the Kommersant material.
Photo: Dmitry Azarov / Kommersant
Dvornikov Alexander Vladimirovich
Rank: Colonel General
Position before Syria:
Position after Syria: Commander of the Southern Military District
He was sent to Syria from the very beginning of Operation Retaliation (September 29, 2015), and stayed there for nine months. During this time, Palmyra was liberated for the first time, an offensive was carried out in the east of Aleppo and in the province of Latakia, and battles were fought for the provinces of Sheikh Miskin and Deir ez-Zor. According to the official version of the Russian Ministry of Defense, at the time the militants controlled more than 70% of the territory of Syria. Under him, Vladimir Putin for the first time announced a reduction in the forces and means of the group of Russian troops in Syria. On March 17, 2016, Vladimir Putin awarded General Dvornikov the title of Hero of Russia. In an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, he said that he considered “the increased morale of the Syrian people in general and government troops in particular” to be “a very important result of the military operation.”
In addition to the state award, General Dvornikov first became acting, and from September 20, 2016, commander of the troops of the Southern Military District. The promotion was recognition of his services in Syria: before his deployment, he served as deputy commander of the troops of the Eastern Military District and first deputy commander of the troops of the Central Military District. Fought in Chechnya. He is on the EU sanctions list due to his participation in the operation to annex Crimea to Russia.
Photo: Alexey Druzhinin / RIA Novosti
Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Colonel General Alexander Zhuravlev (left), First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy (second from left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (right)
Zhuravlev Alexander Alexandrovich
Rank: Colonel General
Position before Syria: First Deputy Commander of the Central Military District
Position after Syria: Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (since January 2017), Commander of the Eastern Military District (since November 2017)
He arrived in Syria in September 2015, receiving the position of chief of staff of the group. When General Dvornikov returned from the republic in September 2016, General Zhuravlev led the group. He remained in this position until December. During this time, the VKS participated in the attack on Aleppo, but at the same time the radical Islamists managed to recapture Palmyra. Based on the totality of his merits, Alexander Zhuravlev was awarded the title of Hero of Russia. Subsequently, he received promotions: first he became deputy chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, and nine months later - commander of the troops of the Eastern Military District. He served in the Far East since the mid-90s, where he rose from chief of staff of a tank regiment to commander of a motorized rifle division. In 2008–2010 - Chief of Staff of the 58th Combined Arms Army (Vladikavkaz), since 2010 he commanded the 2nd Guards Combined Arms Army (Samara). In 2015, he was first deputy commander of the Central Military District, then transferred to the Southern Military District. Awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree and the Order of Suvorov.
The media reported that by the end of 2017 he would have to return to Syria again (to reduce the group that had completed the tasks), but this information has not yet received official confirmation.
Photo: Andrey Pronin / Kommersant
Kartapolov Andrey Valerievich
Rank: Colonel General
Position before Syria:
Position after Syria: Commander of the Western Military District
Commanded a group of Russian troops in Syria from December 19, 2016 to March 1, 2017. He took part in the development of a plan to return Palmyra to the control of government forces. In an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel, the general admitted that not only Russian aviation played a special role in the liberation of Palmyra, but also special operations forces who conducted reconnaissance and hit the most important targets. By the beginning of Operation Retribution, he headed the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (responsible for planning the use of the army), after which he was promoted to commander of the Western Military District. Later he was sent to Syria.
On February 16, 2015, he was included by the European Union in the “sanctions list”, whose members are subject to asset freezes and visa restrictions. He also has a large number of awards, including the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (with swords), the Medal for the Return of Crimea, the Medal for Participation in the Counter-Terrorism Operation of the FSB of the Russian Federation, as well as the Order of Merit for Karachaevo -Circassian Republic." General Kartapolov often spoke publicly: he gave an interview at the beginning of 2015, where he promised Russian military bases in Syria, talked about a business trip in the Arab Republic, and after returning to Russia he hosted a parade of troops of the St. Petersburg garrison in honor of the 72nd anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War on May 9 on Palace Square.
Photo: RIA Novosti
Surovikin Sergey Vladimirovich
Rank: Colonel General
Position before Syria: Commander of the Eastern Military District
Position after Syria: Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces
Has been in Syria since March 2017. He arrived there in the status of commander of the Eastern Military District, but already in November he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation, becoming the first combined arms general to lead this type of troops. The Russian Ministry of Defense has repeatedly stated that under the command of General Surovikin, it was possible to achieve a significant turning point in the fight against the Islamic State terrorists and liberate over 98% of the territory of Syria, including the cities of Deir ez-Zor and Mayadin. The media widely covered the story of the release of 28 military police officers who were surrounded by Islamists in September 2017 in Idlib. “Severe,” as General Surovikin’s colleagues call him, was able to qualitatively increase the level of interaction between ground forces, aviation, air defense and space forces to accomplish assigned tasks. According to his colleagues, Sergei Surovikin is a tough and principled commander who does not hesitate to defend his point of view. Initially, his business trip to Syria was supposed to last 3 months, but he still remains the commander of a group of Russian troops in the republic. According to some reports, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad personally asked to leave him in this position, believing that it was under the leadership of “Severe” that government forces managed to achieve maximum success in the fight against the Islamic State.
He was awarded numerous orders and medals, and was wounded three times (he took part in the Second Chechen War and in the armed conflict in Afghanistan). In October 2012, he was the only military man on the list of 100 most authoritative people in Russia according to VTsIOM.
Photo: Roman Danilkin/63.ru
Zhidko Gennady Valerievich
Rank: major general
Position before Syria: Commander of the 2nd Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District
Position after Syria: Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces (since November 2017)
He was noticed in Syria in September 2016, when he commented on the importance of the then departmental festival “Russian Army”: then the media called him the chief of staff of the group of Russian troops in Syria. Before his trip to the republic, he was the commander of the 2nd Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District (Samara), in 2015 he was the chief of staff of the 2nd Army, and previously served in the 27th Guards Division of Constant Readiness (Totsk) and the 20th Motorized Rifle Division (Volgograd).
On October 26, 2017, he was entrusted with speaking at the presentation ceremony in the Kremlin for officers appointed to senior command positions. Vladimir Putin was present at the ceremony. By presidential decree of November 22, 2017, he was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. The appointment was received by the troops with surprise, since the career growth (from the commander of the formation directly to the leadership of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces) was too sharp. However, he formally passed all the service levels required for appointment. The top leadership of the Ministry of Defense remembered it during the Zapad-2017 exercises, when its units were able to quickly transfer personnel and military equipment from Samara to the Kola Peninsula. General Zhidko has departmental awards. The tankman is just like his new boss, the head of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov.
Photo: Evgeny Pereverzev / Kommersant
Lapin Alexander Pavlovich
Rank: lieutenant general
Position before Syria: First Deputy Commander of the Eastern Military District
Position after Syria: Commander of the Central Military District
He was sent to Syria together with Sergei Surovikin in March 2017, where he was the chief of staff of a group of troops of the Russian Armed Forces. He had worked with General Surovikin before: in 2014 he was appointed to the position of chief of staff - first deputy commander of the Eastern Military District. Following the results of the Syrian business trip, on November 22, 2017, the president appointed General Lapin to the post of commander of the troops of the Central Military District; for him, such an appointment means a promotion in both position and rank. He was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (with swords), the Order of Military Merit, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree and other awards.
General Lapin's service record includes the second Chechen war and several counter-terrorism operations in Dagestan. “My life does not belong to me. And I don’t belong to myself - ever since I went to serve the Motherland, the Fatherland, the people,” the general said in an interview with Voenternet in 2013. After graduating from the Armored Academy, he was sent to the 58th Combined Arms Army of the North Caucasus Military District, where he served as commander of a separate tank battalion. Since 1999, he became chief of staff, then commander of the separate 429th motorized rifle regiment of the 19th motorized rifle division, stationed (Mozdok, North Ossetia).
Photo: luki.ru
Milyukhin Petr Ilyich
Rank: major general
Position before Syria: Head of the Combat Training Directorate of the Western Military District Headquarters
Position after Syria: was seriously injured, no status information available
Arrived in Syria with commander Andrei Kartapolov in December 2016. He was responsible for the development of combat operations of Russian and Syrian units, and monitored the implementation of tasks. He became the first Russian general to be seriously injured during the Syrian campaign. On February 16, 2017, he and five servicemen were moving in a Tiger armored vehicle along the road from Tiyas airfield towards Homs province. Military advisers had to assess the condition and training of the fighters of the Syrian army, which was resisting radical Islamists. The “Tiger” managed to drive 4 kilometers away from Tiyas, but was blown up by a radio-controlled landmine; in addition, the convoy itself, in which the “Tiger” was traveling, was fired upon by militants. Four of the six people in the armored vehicle died, but Pyotr Milyukhin was among the survivors - as a result of the explosion, he lost both legs and one eye. He was given first aid at the Khmeimim airbase, his condition was maintained there for a week, and then he was transported to the Burdenko Main Military Clinical Hospital, where he spent several months.
Before his trip to Syria, General Milyukhin was the head of the combat training department of the headquarters of the Western Military District. There is no information about whether he received any award for his actions in the republic.
Photo: Sergey Krasnoukhov / RIA Novosti
Asapov Valery Grigorievich
Rank: lieutenant general
Position before Syria: Commander of the 5th Combined Arms Army of the Eastern Military District
The highest-ranking officer whose death in Syria was officially recognized by the Russian Ministry of Defense. He died on September 23, 2017, when he came under mortar fire from Islamic State militants (banned in the Russian Federation) in the province of Deir ez-Zor. He was the senior group of Russian military advisers. That day he was at the command post of the 5th Volunteer Assault Corps of the Syrian Arab Army, assisting local commanders in planning and directing the operation to cross the Euphrates. Eyewitnesses said that “the general was literally torn into pieces, there was nothing left of the man.”
Before his trip to Syria, Valery Asapov was the commander of the 5th Red Banner Combined Arms Army of the Eastern Military District (Ussuriysk, Primorsky Territory) in 2016–2017. He had combat experience (two campaigns in Chechnya, the conflict in the Kodori Gorge), and was wounded on the battlefield. After graduating from the Frunze Military Academy, he was appointed to the post of deputy commander of a separate parachute regiment as part of the peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia. After graduating from the General Staff Military Academy, he became the commander of the 37th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 36th Army of the Eastern Military District, which took part in three international exercises with military personnel from Mongolia and India. In 2013, President Vladimir Putin awarded Valery Asapov the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree. The name of the deceased general has repeatedly appeared in the media in connection with military operations in the Donbass. Ukrainian intelligence accused General Asapov of “participating in a military conflict in south-eastern Ukraine.” He was posthumously presented to the Order of Courage.
Photo: Mikhail Voskresensky / RIA Novosti
Lentsov Alexander Ivanovich
Rank: Colonel General
Position before Syria:
Position after Syria: Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces
Arrived to the post of deputy commander for the commandant's offices of the Russian Armed Forces group in Syria on March 30, 2016. The last official position was Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces (appointed by presidential decree in July 2013), the penultimate was Deputy Commander of the Russian Airborne Forces (2009-2013). General Lentsov was noted in many armed conflicts. For example, he participated in the Afghan War (he was an instructor in airborne training, during two years of commanding a reconnaissance group he did not lose a single fighter), in the Bosnian War (he was the commander of a unit of Russian peacekeepers).
Participant of two Chechen campaigns, fought in South Ossetia in August 2008. Together with Alexander Vyaznikov, he was in Donbass: he headed the Russian group at the joint center for control and coordination of ceasefire issues in Soledar and Debaltsevo (Donetsk region). He has departmental and state awards of the Russian Federation and the USSR. Officer of the American Legion of Merit, awarded to "members of friendly nations for exceptional and distinguished service and achievements during emergency service." I received it before the events of 2014.
Photo: RVVDKU
Vyaznikov Alexander Yurievich
Rank: lieutenant general
Position before Syria:
Position after Syria: Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces for Peacekeeping Operations and Collective Rapid Reaction Forces
He took part in the Syrian campaign in the fall of 2017, holding a position in the center for the reconciliation of warring parties. His presence there was not officially advertised. The media reported that he died on October 6, 2017, when a Russian Mi-28N attack helicopter crashed, but this data was not confirmed. The Ministry of Defense says that reports of his death are untrue.
Alexander Vyaznikov was deputy commander of the Airborne Forces for peacekeeping operations and collective rapid reaction forces. In the early 2000s, he was the commander of the 108th Guards Airborne Assault Regiment (Novorossiysk), and then the 106th Guards Airborne Division (Tula). Ukrainian media accused General Vyaznikov of organizing military operations in Lugansk. But on December 17, 2014, he said that, by agreement with the Ukrainian side, the rotation of a group of Russian representatives in the southeast of Ukraine in the amount of 75 people “from the joint center for control and coordination of issues of maintaining the ceasefire” was completed. “I would like to remind you that the entry of Russian representatives into this center was due to the request of the Chief of the General Staff of Ukraine,” he noted.
No appointments of General Vyaznikov were reported after 2013.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine, General Zavizion took part in military operations in the Donbass: in the spring of 2015, he allegedly led the 1st Army Corps of Russian troops in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. Officially, the Russian side rejected these accusations. Combined arms commander: served as chief of staff of the 41st Army, was commander of the 136th separate guards motorized rifle brigade (Buinaksk). According to the WikiLeaks website, while commanding the 201st Russian military base in Tajikistan (2006-2009), he repeatedly “expressed in rude form to American diplomats his dissatisfaction with the fact that the United States was trying to achieve the closure of the Russian base.” He took part in the second Chechen war. Awarded nine medals.
Author-compiler: Alexandra Djordjevic, Ivan SafronovState awards to military personnel who distinguished themselves during the operation in Syria. The ceremony took place in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.
Colonel General Sergey Surovikin
Born on October 11, 1966 in Novosibirsk. Graduated from the Omsk Higher Combined Arms Command School, the Military Academy named after. Frunze, Military Academy of the General Staff. He commanded motorized rifle battalions, the 149th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment (city of Kulyab, Tajikistan), the 34th Simferopol Motorized Rifle Division (Ekaterinburg), the 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division (Chechnya), the 20th Guards Army (Voronezh).
Since 2008, he headed the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff, and in 2010 he took the post of chief of staff - first deputy commander of the troops of the Central Military District (CMD). He headed the working group on the creation of military police bodies of the RF Armed Forces. In 2012, he was appointed chief of staff, then commander of the Eastern Military District (EMD). Since May 2017, he has headed the Russian group of troops in Syria. On November 22, 2017, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Rear Admiral Valery Varfolomeev awarded the title of Hero of Russia.
Graduated from the Higher Naval School of Diving named after. Lenin Komsomol (Leningrad, now St. Petersburg). Served as commander of the missile firing control group of a nuclear submarine (Zapadnaya Litsa, Murmansk region), commanded the K-266 Orel nuclear submarine cruiser of Project 949A Antey. He commands the 11th submarine division of the Northern Fleet (Zaozersk) and at the same time is the head of the Zaozersk garrison.
Major General Gennady Zhidko awarded the title of Hero of Russia.
Born September 12, 1965. He graduated from the Tashkent Higher Tank Command School, the Academy of Armored Forces and the Military Academy of the General Staff. Commanded the 92nd Motorized Rifle Regiment (Dushanbe, Tajikistan), 20th Guards Motorized Rifle Division (Volgograd). Since September 2016 - Commander of the 2nd Guards Combined Arms Army (Samara) in the Central Military District. He served as chief of staff of the Russian group in Syria. In November 2017, he was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
Major General Alexander Matovnikov awarded the title of Hero of Russia.
In the 1980s, he served in the anti-terrorist unit "A" of the KGB of the USSR (now - Directorate "A" of the TsSN FSB of Russia, special unit "Alpha"). Participant in a number of special operations, including in the North Caucasus. He held the post of first deputy chief of Alpha, after which he continued to serve in the Special Operations Forces (SSO) of the Russian Armed Forces.
Major General Rustam Muradov awarded the title of Hero of Russia.
Graduated from the Higher Combined Arms Command School (St. Petersburg), the Combined Arms Academy of the Russian Armed Forces and the Military Academy of the General Staff. Commanded a reconnaissance company of the separate Guards 136th Motorized Rifle Brigade (Buinaksk, Dagestan). Participated in the second Chechen campaign. Later he commanded the 242nd Regiment of the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army (Kamyshin, Volgograd Region), the 36th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 29th Combined Arms Army of the Eastern Military District in Borza (Trans-Baikal Territory).
He headed the District Training Center of the Central Military District (Elansky village, Sverdlovsk region), served as first deputy chief of staff of the 41st Combined Arms Army (Novosibirsk). In 2016, as a representative of the Russian Federation, he was a member of the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Demarcation Line in Donbass. In December 2017, he was appointed commander of the 2nd Guards Combined Arms Army (Samara).
Corporal Denis Portnyagin awarded the title of Hero of Russia. Serviceman of the Special Forces of the Russian Armed Forces. Not previously mentioned in the media.
Lieutenant General Alexander Lapin awarded the Order of St. George, IV degree.
Born on January 1, 1964 in Kazan. Graduated from the Kazan Higher Tank Command School, the Military Academy of Armored Forces, and the Military Academy of the General Staff. He commanded a tank platoon, a company, a battalion in units of the 26th Army Corps (Arkhangelsk), the 205th separate motorized rifle brigade (Budennovsk, Stavropol Territory), and the 20th Guards Motorized Rifle Division.
Later he served as deputy commander of the 58th combined arms army (Vladikavkaz), commander of the 20th guards combined arms army (Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod region). In 2014, he took the post of chief of staff - first deputy commander of the Eastern Military District. In 2017, he headed the headquarters of a group of troops in Syria, then was appointed head of the Combined Arms Academy of the Russian Armed Forces. On November 22, 2017, he took over the post of commander of the Central Military District.
Lieutenant colonel Denis Kletenkin awarded the Order of St. George, IV degree. Not previously mentioned in the media.
Colonel Arthur Luft awarded the Order of Courage. Head of the regional military police department for the Eastern Military District.
Major Maxim Makolkin awarded the Order of Courage. Military pilot, senior instructor pilot.
Captain Alexander Zakharov awarded the medal "For Courage". Serves in the 14th Air Force and Air Defense Army of the Central Military District. Not previously mentioned in the media.
Sergeant Anton Kiryushin awarded the Zhukov medal. The commander of the engineering sapper section of the engineering barriers platoon of the engineer sapper brigade, in Syria, carried out work to clear mines.
Staff Sergeant Tatiana Kovaleva awarded the Suvorov medal.
Chief nurse of the 35th separate airmobile medical detachment of the Airborne Forces (Pskov). In Syria, the detachment carried out humanitarian tasks and was stationed at the Khmeimim airbase. The detachment's traveling groups worked in the war-affected settlements of the provinces of Latakia, Hama and Homs.
On Sunday, Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov introduced the new commander of the Western Military District (WMD). This, as Kommersant expected, was the commander of the Eastern Military District (EMD), General Alexander Zhuravlev, who twice led a group of Russian troops in Syria. And in the command of the Eastern Military District, as Kommersant learned, General Zhuravlev will be replaced by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General Gennady Zhidko, who received not only a promotion as a result of the Syrian campaign, but also the Gold Star of the Hero of Russia. His appointment will complete the recruitment of district commanders from among the generals who took part in the Syrian campaign.
Kommersant reported on July 31 that General Zhuravlev is being considered as the main candidate for the post of commander of the Western Military District. On November 10, his appointment was officially confirmed by the Ministry of Defense, and on Sunday, Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov introduced the new commander to the personnel in St. Petersburg. Calling him “a competent military leader with a broad operational mindset,” he emphasized the general’s ability to “clearly define and achieve effective solutions to multifaceted problems.” The best qualities of Alexander Zhuravlev, according to the deputy minister, were revealed during the performance of combat and special missions in Syria, for which he was awarded the title of Hero of Russia.
Since September 2015, General Zhuravlev headed the headquarters of the group of Russian troops in Syria, then headed the group, was transferred to the post of Deputy Chief of the General Staff, proposed to the post of commander of the Eastern Military District, and then again sent to command the group as part of Operation Retribution. At the end of 2017, he carried out a reduction in the group, moving more than 30 aircraft to permanent locations. The final exam for him to obtain a new position was the Vostok-2018 strategic command and staff exercise, which took place in September on the territory of the Eastern Military District in the presence of Vladimir Putin. In terms of scale, such maneuvers have not happened since 1981, when maneuvers involving about 100 thousand people took place on the territory of the Belarusian, Kyiv and Baltic military districts and in the Baltic Sea. Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu, commenting on Vostok-2018, emphasized: “The set goals were achieved in full. The maneuvers demonstrated the increased field, flight and sea training of the troops.”
The name of Alexander Zhuravlev's replacement at the post of commander of the Eastern Military District was not announced on Sunday. However, Kommersant sources close to the presidential administration and the leadership of the Ministry of Defense reported that his successor will be General Gennady Zhidko, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov. Before his trip to Syria (according to Kommersant, it took place in September 2016), he was the commander of the 2nd Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District (Samara), in 2015 he was the chief of staff of the 2nd Army, and previously served in the 27th Army. 1st Guards Division of Constant Readiness (Totsk) and 20th Motorized Rifle Division (Volgograd).
In Syria, he not only commanded the group’s headquarters, but also personally went to battlefields, where he was in charge of all operational control, says a high-ranking Kommersant source in the Ministry of Defense. With his assistance and without critical losses, it was possible to liberate and unblock several settlements (in particular, Akerbat, Deir ez-Zor, Mayadin and Abu Kemal). Apparently, the military leadership of the country was also pleased with the actions of General Zhidko: thus, speaking at a gala event dedicated to the 185th anniversary of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov ranked him among “a whole galaxy of military leaders with creative thinking” who operated in Syria “most skillfully and unconventionally.” At the end of December 2017, Gennady Zhidko
The birthday of the North Caucasus Military District missed Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War by only five days. The calendar proximity of events and geographical coincidences are, as a rule, not accidental. So the main height of the country - Mamayev Kurgan - is located on the territory of the most military district of Russia. And, probably, it is natural that it is in Volgograd that the best motorized rifle division of the North Caucasus Military District is stationed - the 20th Guards... Historical memory, like invisible reinforcement, holds together the past, present and future of the country and its divisions. It will continue to be so.
The strength reserve and worthy future of the guards formation are also determined by its favorable deployment in the south of Russia and considerable funds invested in infrastructure development.
Two garrisons located at a distance of 200 km are a feature that determines the complexity and multi-dimensionality of the organization of combat training (two permanent readiness regiments are stationed in the Kamyshin garrison, one in the Volgograd garrison). However, in the matter of combat readiness, everything is decided not so much by distances or other geographical features, but by people, military groups.
In the Ground Forces, only the 20th Motorized Rifle Division has a permanently ready air assault regiment. And this is the pride of connection. The regiment was completely transferred to the contract method of recruitment, which significantly increased its combat effectiveness. The mobile reserve of the regiment is in hourly readiness to perform tasks in any direction by parachute or landing. Paratroopers train in the field for 10-12 hours a day. A unique airborne training complex has been created at the point of permanent deployment.
No less proud of the division is a separate company of the Honor Guard. More than 40 years ago, on Mamayev Kurgan, military personnel of a separate rifle company formed in connection with the opening of the memorial “Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” stood in the Guard of Honor. To this day, at any time of the year, in any weather, at the main heights of the country, servicemen of the guards unit carry out the Memory Watch.
The capabilities of powerful, full-blooded motorized rifle regiments are impressive. However, first things first.
The armor is strong
The beginning of April is the time for regular shooting for tank crews. The first to fire at the district training ground was a separate tank battalion of Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Ryabtsev. And I had a chance to see this beautiful combat work.
The training ground morning was not hot like April. The sun added intensity to the atmosphere of combat training. The tankers were preparing to carry out the third test firing exercise, under the terms of which it was necessary to hit several appearing and moving targets from the tank on the move.
HISTORICAL REFERENCE. The 20th Motorized Rifle Carpathian-Berlin Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Division originates in October 1942 in the city of Kalinin, where a mechanized corps was formed. The full corps immediately joined the 22nd Army of the Kalinin Front. A year later, in October 1943, he was awarded the rank of Guards for successful military operations on the Kursk Bulge.
The 8th Guards Corps became the Carpathian for its distinction during the Dniester-Carpathian operation. Berlin - for participation in the storming of the capital of Nazi Germany. For the liberation of their native land, and then the cities and villages of enslaved Poland (do they remember this in Poland?), the corps was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and Suvorov, II degree.
During the Great Patriotic War, 90 soldiers and officers of the mechanized corps became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
In the summer of 1945, the corps was reorganized into a division. And in March 1957, the division became the 20th Guards Motorized Rifle...
For many years, the unit remained at the forefront, in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. Moved to Volgograd in April 1993.
In December 1994 - March 1995. The division carried out combat missions to restore constitutional order in the North Caucasus. In 1999-2000 participated in the counter-terrorist operation on the territory of Dagestan and the Chechen Republic. At the same time, 13 servicemen of the unit became Heroes of Russia, six of them posthumously...
In 2000, the division was awarded the pennant of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation “For courage and military valor.” Based on the results of combat training in 2006 and 2007. recognized as the best in the North Caucasus Military District.
In 2008, the formation completed the transition to a contract method of recruitment, construction and reconstruction of military camps.
The exercise is difficult. For example, to hit a “tank” target, three artillery shots are fired, and the “enemy” appears only for 1 minute. 20 sec. For moving targets - RPGs and recoilless rifles - only 35 machine-gun rounds are given. For an excellent score (and professionals should have no other score), it is necessary to hit all targets while moving, in a matter of minutes. At the same time, “tank” - at least twice... The criteria are strict, and yet this did not bother the guardsmen of Lieutenant Colonel Ryabtsev. The skills allowed me to confidently perform the task with “good” and “excellent” marks.
Before my eyes, the crew of the deputy battalion commander, Major Yuri Chaikin, hit the “tank” three times with high-explosive fragmentation shells and destroyed the “recoilless rifle” three times with machine-gun fire. Sniper work!..
If only they had given the guards new tanks. With the required 11 thousand km of mileage before major repairs (subject to storage in a box), almost all tanks of the division covered 5 - 7 thousand km and two Chechen campaigns. Years under the open sky, scorching with either sun or frost, take their toll. Today, equipment is operated to the limit of its resource and professional capabilities.
Tankers believe that they will soon receive new weapons. In the meantime, in constant readiness, they methodically “nail” the imaginary enemy and do not lose heart.
Observing the confident work of his subordinates, the division commander, Colonel Gennady Zhidko, noted with satisfaction:
- Not a bad start. And yet, a real tanker must go through “fire, water and copper pipes”, that is, standard shooting, underwater driving and a parade... Only after successfully completing all three stages will he be considered a truly trained professional...
The blue sunny sky and dry yellowish-brown soil of the Prudboy training ground for some reason reminded me of April last year, the same colors of the Ashuluk and Kapustin Yar training grounds, where the 20th Division, as always, was at its best. Then, during a large-scale inter-service exercise with live firing and the involvement of about 8 thousand military personnel of the North Caucasus Military District, an anti-aircraft regiment of two Buk and Tor batteries successfully fired at four targets. He did not act according to a simplified scenario, immediately after missile launches he moved to new launch positions... The motorized rifle units also fulfilled their tasks with dignity.
One of the most interesting elements was the bilateral tactical exercise of a permanently ready air assault regiment under the leadership of the division commander, integrated into the single plan of the entire operation (the enemy was a battalion from a motorized rifle regiment of the same formation). The landing schedule required coordinated actions of the reconnaissance and advanced groups, the advanced detachment, the main forces and the formation of a battle formation in such a way as to complete the task in the shortest possible time with maximum intensity.
The regiment's command and two air assault battalions were parachuted from Il-76 aircraft, the remaining units were landed from Mi-8 helicopters, followed by advancement and occupation of an advantageous firing line. The landing party of the mock enemy sought to advance in the shortest direction at maximum speed to the central command post to destroy it. However, the subordinates of Colonel Igor Timofeev did not leave the enemy a single chance. The air assault regiment of the 20th Guards Division achieved a spectacular victory during the active phase of the exercise.
So on the day of my arrival at Prudboy, the division quite naturally showed off its tank combat readiness.
Touches to the commander's portrait
In his office, the commander of the guard division, Colonel Gennady Zhidko, is somewhat reminiscent of a top manager of a reputable corporation, who, behind a barrier of a rustling laptop, two mobile phones and several linear telephones ringing alternately, manages not to lose touch with reality, without raising his voice, talking with subordinates, receiving lightning speed solutions, regulating huge flows of human energy. Gennady Valerievich was born on September 12, 1965, Tankman Day. Perhaps it's fate. In 1987 he graduated from the Tashkent Higher Tank Command School. He worked his way up from platoon commander to division commander without missing a single rung on the career ladder. He received the ranks of captain and colonel ahead of schedule. He graduated from the Academy of Armored Forces and the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (VAGS).
He has commanded the 20th Motorized Rifle Division since August 2007. Before studying at the VAGS, he gave many years of service to the 27th Guards Division of Constant Readiness in Totsk. He knows well all motorized rifle formations of constant readiness. However, he considers the 20th division special. And there are good reasons for this.
For example, the formation is not characterized by such a common misfortune as the separation of the lives of commanders from the lives of units. This happened during the period of work of the former division commander, Major General Alexander Lapin. And Colonel Gennady Zhidko does not lower the organizational bar. He considers the main methods of mastering the situation in military collectives, the condition for constant contact with soldiers and junior officers to be conversations, questionnaires, and question-and-answer evenings.
The “helpline” plays an important role. Any serviceman can contact the division commander by mobile phone (the number is in each location at the stand). And Gennady Valerievich’s telephone set is full of SMS messages. They write about different things...
Private N-sky motorized rifle regiment Alexei Zadorozhny wants to sign a contract with the air assault regiment, because he has always dreamed of serving in the Airborne Forces. And, of course, the division commander will help make your dream come true.
Colonel Gennady Zhidko’s reaction to reports of injustice is even more specific and sharper, be it the failure of individual commanders to comply with the workday schedule or the desire to live well at someone else’s expense... Service “zeal” in the form of an unreasonable extension of the working day, endless drill training, formations after midnight, as well as attempts to introduce certain “market” mechanisms of relationships into the life of the department today no longer pass with impunity. As a rule, calling the “lawless men” (both sergeants and officers) for a conversation with the division commander (sometimes 200 km away) has a very sobering effect. And in two cases, criminal cases were initiated as a result of alarming SMS messages... Life is life.
The practice of constant contact generates trust among personnel in the command. Military personnel now do not hide anything. The new contractual reality dictates different methods of working with people.
Officers and contract soldiers
There are many worthy officers in the division, such as the commander of the motorized rifle regiment, Colonel Rustam Muradov, the commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment, Colonel Evgeny Meshcheryakov, and the battalion commanders, Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Semenov and Major Alexander Korshikov. Does this mean that the heavy roller of the past 20 years did not cause fundamental harm to the quality of the officer corps as a whole? Colonel Gennady Zhidko believes that harm is still visible - in the insufficient number and low quality of officers at the platoon and company levels.
The lack of competition between platoon commanders when appointed to a higher position is a pressing problem. After all, there was a time when a company commander was chosen from five or six applicants. This mobilized many. Today, the division commander is forced to personally search for the company commander.
- There are not enough personnel officers supplied. Not all of those available are capable of leading a team and leading according to the principle: “Do as I do!” For example, in one of the regiments there has been no motorized rifle company commander for more than a month. The deep reason for this situation is the low status of the officer in society. Often, it is not the most worthy young people who go to a military university. Having put on the lieutenant's shoulder straps, they still need a lot of "rework". And this raises the age level,” reflects Gennady Valerievich.
Military educational institutions do not provide sufficient practice and the opportunity to fully develop leadership qualities. Only in the army, having been in a situation as close as possible to combat, by participating in exercises, do young officers fully acquire knowledge and experience and become real professionals. Unfortunately, not everyone remains in the service - the temptations of civilian life are too great and the assessment of military labor is too modest.
Conscript lieutenants, yesterday's students of civilian universities, are a great help for the division, and yet this category of military personnel is unlikely to ever become the core of the officer corps. Most conscripted officers do not have active motivation for impeccable, much less long-term service. The “jackets” are simply temporarily torn out of their familiar, comfortable and prosperous “civilian” world. They have already chosen their path in life, their profession and, most importantly, their level of material wealth.
For example, one of my interlocutors, a lieutenant, graduated from the Faculty of Economics of the Volgograd State Pedagogical University and, before being drafted, managed to work as a manager in one of the companies. With an average salary of 25 thousand rubles (that is, at the level of deputy commander of the district troops). As a deputy company commander in a permanent readiness regiment, he receives about 12 thousand rubles a month. There are many things about military service that he likes, but for an economist by profession and a married man, it is absolutely clear in which area he should invest his life. After all, officers become officers for decades...
Contractual realities in the division are more encouraging. 19-year-old boys are patriotic and still romantic enough to feed their destinies into the contract service system. It is gratifying that patriotism is instilled by parents and schools.
The division's experience shows that the very idea of transferring to a contract method of recruitment is very good. And with appropriate material support, the contract is the future of the Armed Forces (or at least parts of permanent readiness).
- Already today there are fighters in the formation whom you look at and your heart rejoices. These are people who constantly improve their combat training and equipment skills. It’s great that there are young people in the country who are ready to defend their Motherland, to give their health and life for it, regardless of material incentives. Without such guys, we would hardly have staffed our permanently ready units at 70 percent and maintained this level for six months,” says Colonel Zhidko.
A lot of different opinions have been expressed on the issue of contracting. The fact remains: a contract soldier is superior to a conscript in terms of professional training. After all, the first understands perfectly well why and for what purpose he sheds sweat at the training ground.
The same applies to discipline. A contractor is an adult. Performs actions meaningfully. And if truly worthy conditions of service are created, he will begin to truly value his status. In the meantime, most contract soldiers are not going to devote a significant part of their lives to service.
However, the material component of military service is also changing for the better. In addition to a relatively small, but still increase in pay, 44 people in the division recently received new apartments through the mortgage-savings system (lieutenants and military personnel who signed the second contract). This is encouraging. And it makes every day of combat training more meaningful and intense.
Salt of the earth
According to the commander of the North Caucasian Military District, Army General Alexander Baranov, the 20th Motorized Rifle Division is constantly ready for inspection. What explains this? Of course, not by constant inspections by the Main Command of the Ground Forces or the Military Inspectorate of the Ministry of Defense. Rather, it is the very purpose of the connection. All military personnel, from division commander to private, know: at any moment the 20th Guards can be called upon to carry out combat missions. And they treat this with understanding.
Combat training is the basis of the daily activities of the unit. Perhaps the word “standard” may seem too high to some, but here we constantly strive for exemplary indicators. Every year is a new stage of improvement.
Polygon criteria of truth are the most reliable. The two training grounds at the disposal of the division - Kamyshinsky divisional and district near Volgograd - allow combat training to be carried out with full dedication. The favorable proximity of the Prudboy district training ground, today one of the best in the Ground Forces, provides ample opportunities for combat training. Almost all facilities here are equipped according to modern requirements and equipped with 21st century equipment. The material base of the Kamyshin training ground is also slightly inferior, allowing regiments to conduct training up to and including battalion coordination.
Regimental exercises are carried out only at the district training ground, and this largely determines the high marching training of the two Kamyshin regiments stationed 200 km from Prudboy.
In the compound they are always ready to demonstrate how to perform a particular task. For example, the readiness for action for the purpose of the mobile reserve of the commander of the North Caucasian Military District - a full-strength airborne assault regiment - does not exceed several hours. And each motorized rifle regiment has similar battalion tactical groups of two to four hours readiness. The special “North Caucasian” responsibility charges the entire formation with constant readiness.
At one of the military councils of the North Caucasian Military District it was said: “In 2005 - 2006, the intensity of combat training in the 20th division increased 2.5 times.” With the transition in 2008 to a new 11-month combat training program, the pace is adjusted. Training activities have been reduced in quantity, but emphasis has been placed on quality. Single training was completed in January, and control exercises showed that the fighters confidently wielded weapons and equipment.
Squad combat firing and platoon tactical exercises were successfully completed. And recent regimental tactical exercises have confirmed: soldiers, squads, crews and platoons master all the skills of modern combat. Fire training indicators in the formation have increased significantly. Against the backdrop of the recent divisional command and staff exercise, I was pleased with the quality of shooting within the battalion and regimental tactical exercises.
There has also been noticeable progress in the attitude of military personnel to technical training. If in 2007, after regimental tactical exercises, about 30% of the equipment returned to the park in tow, then this year all the equipment that is far from new went out into the field and returned to the park under its own power. And this is an indicator of the quality of training of driver mechanics, commanders and crews.
At the final stage of the winter training period, the formation held a command post exercise on the ground in order to determine the degree of field training and coherence of the troops. About five thousand military personnel and more than a thousand pieces of military equipment were involved. The plan provided for a counterattack against the “enemy” using tactical airborne assault as part of one of the battalions of the air assault regiment. The Winged Guard of Colonel Igor Timofeev again confidently completed the task of capturing a bridgehead on the right bank of the Don River and destroying the main command post of the mock enemy.
Before the motorized rifle counterattack on the “enemy’s” defense, the artillery worked effectively. Fire support helicopters operated at the request of the division commander.
The crossing of the Don was successful. The bridgehead on the shore of the “enemy” was captured within the prescribed period.
At control classes and summing up the results of the training period, deputy division commanders, heads of military branches and services note the increased level of training of personnel compared to last year’s indicators. Every soldier understands: the more sweat is shed on the training grounds, the less blood will be shed in real combat.
A touch of feat
When a soldier's heart touches the Feat, it is easier for commanders to work. The division is stationed on Volgograd soil, where every inch is soaked in the blood of soldiers of the Great Patriotic War. Even today, this helps to carefully preserve traditions, learn military science in a real way, and give your best. This kind of attitude is silently asked and demanded by the sacred land itself.
Traditions are not just memory. Here is just one example from the life of connection. During a recent exercise, soldiers set up a battalion defense area at the Prudboy training ground and discovered an unknown mass grave of Soviet soldiers of the Great Patriotic War. And very nearby they dug up the burial place of German soldiers... Such finds are not uncommon here, so according to the established scheme, the defense area was moved, specialists from the prosecutor's office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and search engines were called in. The main thing is that today's soldiers saw the face of war and the price of peace with their own eyes. One can imagine with what dedication they will now study military science on this land in order to be worthy of the memory of those who defended their native land from the enemy at the cost of their own lives.
In Volgograd, the people and the army are truly united. Year after year, the interaction between the command of the 20th division and the city and regional administrations is growing stronger. Alexander Tretyakov, in particular, the deputy governor for work with security forces, pays great attention to the guardsmen.
The unit has established stable contacts with veterans and schoolchildren - participants of the Great Patriotic War are invited to every ceremonial event in military groups.
However, the formation itself solves important problems of military-patriotic education of youth in the Volgograd region. Mamayev Kurgan itself is not just the place of service of one of the units of the 20th division, the Honor Guard company, but also a monument of all times and peoples, which leaves a mark on every soul.
Colonel Zhidko's guards systematically hold meetings with schoolchildren and introduce them to military units. Recently, the garrison hosted the traditional Conscript Day, in which thousands of Volgograd youth took part. And of course, the unit holds Victory parades in Volgograd, the educational value of which is difficult to overestimate. It is not difficult for the commander of the Volgograd garrison to find a common language with the younger generation.
- You hear different things about young people, and yet, when I speak in front of them, I only see genuine interest and passion in their eyes. Schoolchildren understand perfectly well that many of them will soon go to serve, and this will become a new and important stage in their lives, says Colonel Gennady Zhidko.
The story of the sacred land and the best unit of the country's most combat district continues. This means, as before, Russia will not give up the main heights.
Tankers of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division at the Prudboy training ground.
Commander of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division of the Guard, Colonel Gennady ZHIDKO.
At the Prudboy training ground.
