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Revised: 11September  2003

 

Directory of RF Defense Related Agencies and Personnel

 

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NOTE ON 
POSSIBLEVDV
REORGANIZATION

Airborne Troops

(Воздушно-десантные войска)

 

CINC --- KOLMAKOV, Vladimir, Lt-Gen, (1TV.ru, 11 Sep 03).

 

Previous CINC --- SHPAK, GeorgiyIvanovich, Col-Gen
(Lenta.ru, 7 Mar 00, 14:11 MT), retired upon reaching age 60. Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey WWW-Text in English 0639 GMT 11 Sep 03

 

First Deputy Commander --- SMIRNOV, Vasiliy, Lt-Gen (Krasnaya Zvezda, 8 Sep 01).

First Deputy Commander (Chief of Staff) ---STAS'KOV, Nikolay, Lt-Gen (начальник штаба ВДВ генерал-лейтенант Николай Стаськов (FAN.RU, 13:32 MT, 5/1/2000; Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey 17 May 01).

Deputy Commander for Armaments --- SHULIKOV, Vladimir, Lt-Gen (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 17 April, 2000). [заместитель командующего ВДВ по вооружению генерал-лейтенант Владимир Шуликов.], (AgentstvoVoyennykhNovostey, 14 Dec 01).


Deputy Commander for Peacemaking Troops--- ?

  • [Previous Deputy --- KAZANTSEV, Vladimir, Maj-Gen  (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 24 Oct 01), died when he fell from his ninth story apartment (Interfax 17 Dec 01).
  • KAZANTSEV had been Deputy for Peacemaking Troops until assigned to command the force in Kosovo (RIA 0539 GMT 1 Nov 00 ; Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 5 Jun 01). Kazantsev, born in 1953, served in Afghanistan and the two Chechen military campaigns. (RIA 0539 GMT 1 Nov 00 ). Kazantsev was replaced in Kosovo when the duty was shifted from the Airborne Troops to the Moscow MD (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey 24 Oct 01).
  • [While KAZANTSEV was in Kosovo, PОPOV, Aleksandr, Maj-Gen (RIA 8 Nov 00), (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey 17 May 01) was Deputy Airborne Commander for Peacemaking Troops.]
  • [Previous Deputy Commander for Peacemaking Troops was STASKOV, Nikolay Viktorovich, Lt-Gen (Agentstvo voyennykh novostey, 21 Apr 00).]

Deputy Commander for Airborne Training --- BORISOV,Vyacheslav, Maj-Gen appointed (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 4 Jan 03).

  • [BORISOV: was previously the commander of the 12th Russian military base in Batumi, Georgia's internal republic of Adzharia. "Borisov's new post was introduced in 2002. Borisov's promotion was proposed by Airborne Commander Georgy Shpak." Borisov graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne School, served in the Airborne Troops for 23 years and was commander of a separate airborne brigade in Ulan-Ude." "Born in the town of Ruza in the Moscow region on January 12, 1955. He graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne College in 1976, Frunze Military Academy in 1990 and General Staff Academy in 1998. He served in the Airborne Troops and Land Forces. From 1991 to 1995, he was in command of the 11th separate airborne brigade in Ulan- Ude, the Trans-Baikal military district. For 1.5 years, he commanded the 2nd Taman motorized rifle division in the Moscow military district. After Graduation from the General Staff Academy, Borisov was appointed commander of the 12th military base. He is married and has two sons. He is awarded four orders and medals" (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 4 Jan 03).]

Deputy Commander --- YEVTUKHOVICH, Valeriy, Lt-Gen (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 20 Jun 01; 19 Mar 03).

Deputy Commander for Upbringing Work --- IGNATOV, NikolayIvanovich, Col (Komsomolskaya Pravda, 6 Feb 02).
Deputy Commander (Rear Services) --- MASLIKOV, Nikolay,Maj-Gen (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 14 Dec 01; 22 Jul 02).

Main Staff [VDV]

 

 

Chief of Staff --- STAS'KOV, Nikolay, Lt-Gen (начальникштаба ВДВ генерал-лейтенантНиколайСтаськов (FAN.RU, 13:32 MT, 5/1/2000). (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 17 May 01).

 

Deputy Chief-of-Staff --- GORSKIY, Yuriy, Colonel (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey 30 May 02).

Armaments [VDV Main Staff]

Chief (Deputy Commander of the Airborne Troops) --- SHULIKOV, Vladimir Nikolayevich, Lt-Gen (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 23 May 01).

Aviation

  • "The Airborne Troops currently include seven separate aviation squadrons. Each airborne division and brigade, as well as in the Ryazan Airborne Institute and 242nd airborne training center, have an aviation squadron" (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 15 Oct 02).

Combat Training [VDV Main Staff]

Chief (Deputy Commander of the Airborne Troops) --- ISAKHANYAN, Georg, Maj-Gen (Former Chief-of-staff of the 76th Airborne Division, Hero of Russia, Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 29 Jun 01; noted as a Maj-Gen, 16 Jul 03).

  • [Biographical Information, ISAKHANYAN:] "41, born in the Tetri-Tskaro village in Georgia. He graduated from the Ryazan higher airborne command college in 1981 and Frunze Military Academy in 1993. He commanded a company, a battalion, was a regiment's chief-of-staff, headed the 234th paratrooper regiment and was appointed chief-of-staff of the 76th division in autumn 2000. The colonel participated in combat operations in Afghanistan and in both Chechnya campaigns. He was awarded the title of Hero of Russia in May 2000 for courage and heroism demonstrated in combat operations in Chechnya" (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 29 Jun 01).
  • Previous Chiefs:

--- OPARIN, Vladimir, Col (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 29 Jun 01).
--- KAZANTSEV, Vladimir, Maj-Gen(RIA, 1 Nov 00 ).Died 17 Dec 01 in an acident, (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 17 May 02).
--- SIGUTKIN, Aleksey Alekseyevich, Lt-Gen (Krasnaya Zvezda, 20 Jan 96; ITAR-TASS, 15 Mar 99)

V. F. Margelov Ryazan Airborne Institute (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 3 May 01).

  • ["The institute is training specialists in two main fields which are ordnance operation engineer and military translator/interpreter for airborne scouting. Its course takes five years and establishment is 1,400 students and 200 teachers. 300 officers graduate from the institute anually. The institute has a special department from where over 1,000 specialists from 31 countries of Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America graduated. Officers from the CIS and China are currently studying in the institute" (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 21 Jun 01).]

Chief --- KRYMSKIY, Vladimir Yakovlevich, Maj-Gen (Krasnaya Zvezda, 15 Mar 02; noted as a Maj-Gen, 13 Nov 03).

  • [Previous Chief was SHCHERBAK, Valery, Maj-Gen (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 21 Jun 01).]

245th Airborne Training Centre [VDV Main Staff]

  • [City of Omsk]

Commander --- ISKRENKO, Alexander, Maj-Gen Appointed (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 24 Jul 00; Noted as a Maj-Gen, Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 30 Oct 03).

  • "Iskrenko replaced Major-General Alexander Pavlyushchenko who had been enrolled in the General Staff Academy, the spokesman told the Military News Agency. The new centre commander was born in the Ukrainian town of Krivoy Rog in 1955. He graduated from the Ryazan Highter Airborne Command College in 1977, the Frunze Military Academy in 1991 and the General Staff Academy in 2000. Iskrenko occupied various posts in the Airborne, ranging from platoon leader to a deputy division commander. For a year, he headed the Russian separate airborne brigade within the SFOR stabilisation force in Bosnia." (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 24 Jul 00).

 Engineering Troops [VDV Main Staff]

Chief --- TRUSHKOV, Vladimir, Col (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 14 Sep 00; Krasnaya Zvezda, 30 May 03).

Medical Service [VDV Main Staff]

Head --- SOLNTSEV, Vyacheslav,Maj-Gen (Russia TV RTR, 28 Dec 01).

Missile / Artillery Troops [VDV Main Staff]

Chief -- Colonel VasilyShnipov (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 3 Feb 03).

  • Shnipov was born in the Belarussian city of Vitebsk in March 1955. He graduated from the Kolomna Artillery Command College in 1976, Kalinin Artillery Academy in 1988 and General Staff Academy courses in 2002. Shnipov served in the Airborne Troops as commander of a battery, a battalion and an artillery regiment. He was appointed deputy chief of the missile troops and artillery in the Airborne Troops in 2000. He participated in the Afghan war as chief-of- staff of an artillery battalion, took part in both Chechnya campaigns, and was awarded three orders and medals.

Previous Chief --- GREKHNEV,Aleksandr, Maj-Gen (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 15 Aug 01; 12 Apr 02).

  • Retired due to age (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 3 Feb 03).

Operations Directorate [VDV Main Staff]

Chief --- SAZANSKIY, Anatoliy, Col (Krasnaya Zvezda, 16 Jun 01).

? --- PLOTNIKOV, Vladimir -- previous Commander of Airborne Elements in North Caucasus (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 20 Mar 02).

Rear Services [VDV Main Staff]

Chief --- MASLIKOV, Nikolay, Maj-Gen (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 31 May 01; 22 Jul 02).

Chief of Staff --- OVCHINNIKOV, Pavel, Col (Krasnaya Zvezda, 30 May 01).

Upbringing Work Directorate [VDV Main Staff]

Chief --- IGNATOV, NikolayIvanovich,Colonel(Komsomolskaya Pravda, 6 Feb 02).

7th (Novorossiysk) Airborne Division [North Caucasus MD Commander]

  • ["The 7th division is "operationally" subordinate to North Caucasus military district (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 13 Mar 02; (Kommersant, 24 Jul 03).).]
  • ["A mobile airborne group consisting of a reinforced paratrooper battalion is planned to be used in case the tensions rise in southern Russia, a competent source in the Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday. 'In accordance with the Russian Armed Forces chief-of-staff's decision, a mobile group established by the 7th airborne division headquartered in the city of Novorossiysk will be used to prevent possible attempts of international terrorist gangs to cross into Russia from the Pankisi Gorge,' the source said." (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 17 Sep 02).]

Commander ---IGNATOV, Nikolay, Col appointed, (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 25 Oct 02).

  • ["Ignatov replaced Major General Yuriy Krivosheyev, who quit the Armed Forces upon reaching the retirement age. Ignatov was born in the village of Dmitriyevskoye in the Tula region on May 13, 1956. He graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command College in 1980, Frunze Military Academy in 1990 and General Staff Academy in 2001. Ignatov has held various posts in the Airborne Troops. He got the title of the Hero of Russia for participation in the Moscow events of October 1993. He commanded a separate airborne brigade within the SFOR multinational peacekeeping forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1999. Upon graduation from the General Staff Academy in June 2001, he was appointed assistant to the airborne commander in charge of political work" (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 25 Oct 02).]

108th Airborne Regiment [7th Airborne Division]

  • (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey 2 Feb 01).

10th SeparateAirborne Regiment [7th Airborne Division]

  • [Formed in December 1999. Currently stationed at Gudauta and operationally subordinate to Group of Russian Troops in Transcaucasus. (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 3 Apr 00).]
  • [To be withdrawn from Abkhazia and to be integrated into the 7th Airborne division. The surface-to-air missile brigade without two battalions will be transferred at the disposal of the North Caucasus military district commander (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 23 May 01).]
  • [Said to be in the process of being disbanded following closure of the base at Gudauta, (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey 4 Jun 01). However, "Ryazan, Russia, 23 June: A senior Russian general said on Saturday Russia would be unable to meet a commitment to remove its military base from Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region by 1 July because the local population was stopping the base's contingent leaving. Russia "is determined to completely comply with the Istanbul agreements," under which the base of Russia's 10th Airborne Regiment in Gudauta, with a personnel of 1,045 and 400 vehicles, is to be withdrawn by 1 July, Col-Gen Georgiy Shpak, commander of Russia's Airborne Troops, has told reporters. Abkhazia's population, fearing that fighting will flare after the Russian base is removed, has been blockading the base, preventing the Russians from leaving" (Interfax, 23 Jun 01).]

247th Airborne Assault Regiment [7th Airborne Division]

  • [Stationed in Stavropol (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey' 14 Aug 01).]

22nd Separate Airborne Regiment [VDV Main Staff] [Ground Troops]

  • [Stationed in Bosnia. "The regiment is ordered to reduce the number of servicemen by 200. Moreover, the regiment is to be renamed separate motorised rifle battalion that will comprise 700 people, including 140 officers and warrants, and will be subordinate to the Land Forces." (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 13 Sep 01).]

Commander --- DEMIDOV, Vladimir, Col (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 13 Sep 01).

 31st Separate Ulyanovsk Airborne Brigade [VDV Main Staff]

  • Referred to as a "permanent readiness unit" (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 3 Dec 02).
  • ["Two armed airborne troopers made a daring escape from the 31st Separate Airborne Brigade stationed in Ulyanovsk and subsequently cold-bloodedly murdered 10 persons (mostly policemen chasing the fugitives). As a result, four Airborne Troops divisions stationed in Pskov, Tula, Novorossiysk, and Ivanovo, as well as the "famous" 31st Brigade, experienced a massive inspector invasion 11-30 March" (Kommersant, 01 Apr 02).
  • [Supposedly to be transformed into an airborne regiment within the framework of Armed Forces reduction (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 5 Feb 01). To become a part of the 98th AB Division during the reform (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 25 Jun 01). Still in existance as a separate brigade ( Ekho Moskvy Radio, 4 Feb 02).]
  • [Deployed in Chechnya, (Agentstvo voyennykh novostey, 17 Apr 00).]

Commander --- NIKULNIKOV, Nikolay, Col(Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 12 Sep 02 ;ORT Television, 11 Oct 02).

  • Previous Commander --- KAPUSTIN, Sergey, Col (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 4 Aug 00).
  • Капустин родился в 1956 году. Окончил Калининское суворовское училище и Рязанское училище Воздушно-десантных войск. Проходил службу командиром отдельной разведывательной роты, командиром воздушно-десантного полка, начальником штаба 7-й Новороссийской воздушно-десантной дивизии. Воевал в Афганистане. Сергей Капустин сменил на должности командира 31-й Ульяновской воздушно-десантной бригады генерал-майора Вадима Орлова, избранного депутатом Государственной думы. Сегодня же на торжественном построении бригады Вадим Орлов попрощался с личным составом. На ближайшие четыре года он, как сказал Георгий Шпак, "переходит в распоряжение министра обороны". (Agentstvo voyennykh novostey,  12:00 /01/00).

38th Separate Communications Regiment [VDV Main Staff]

  • [(Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 29 Jan 02 ). Stationed in Moscow Rayon, together with "a separate company on the mobile command post security and support. . . . established at an order from Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Anatoly Kvashnin. The company comprises some 200 servicemen and is led by a major" (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 10 Sep 02 ).]

45th Separate Airborne Reconnaissance Regiment [VDV Main Staff]

  • [Operating in Chechnya (ITAR-TASS 19 May 01). Stationing area: in the Moscow district of Sokolniki. (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 5 Jun 01).]

Commander --- KOLYGIN, Viktor, Col (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 5 Jun 01).

76th Chernigov Airborne Division (Pskov) [VDV Main Staff]

  • The 76th is "operationally" subordinate to the Leningrad MD (Kommersant, 24 Jul 03).

Commander --- SEMENYUTA, Stanislav,Maj-Gen (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey 14 Aug 01; 27 Feb 02).

104th Regiment [76th Airborne Division]

  • [Ambushed and decimated near Urus-Kerta, Chechnya, (Lenta.ru, 09 Mar 2000, 22:31 MT).]
  • Two battalions to be deployed to Chechna, June 2003 (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 29 May 03).

Commander --- KARDYCHKIN, Alexander, Lt-Col (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey 15 May 01 ).

234th Guards Regiment [76th Airborne Division]

Commander --- TEPLINSKIY, Mikhail, ?, (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey 15 May 01 ).

  • [Previous Commander was ISAKHANYAN, Gevorka, Col (Agentstvo voyennykh novostey, 09:25 MT, 07/07/00). ["Исаханяну сорок лет, он родился в грузинском городе Тетри-Цкаро, окончил Рязанское высшее воздушно-десантное училище (в 1981 году) и Военную академию имени Фрунзе (в 1993 году). Воевал в Афганистане и Чечне. Награжден орденом Красной Звезды и орденом Мужества. На должность командира 234-го гвардейского парашютно-десантного полка назначен в феврале 1998 года." (Agentstvo voyennykh novostey, 09:25 MT, 07/07/00).]

237th Guards Regiment [76th Airborne Division]

  • [To be disbanded during the reform (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey 25 Jun 01).]

98th Airborne Division (Ivanovo)[VDV Main Staff]

Commander --- LENTSOV, Aleksandr, Maj-Gen (Interfax, 6 Mar 02; Krasnaya Zvezda, 8 Jul 03).

217th Airborne Regiment [98th Airborne Division]

Commander --- VINOGRADSKIY, Igor, Col (Interfax, 6 Mar 02; Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 19 Mar 02).

299th Airborne Regiment [98th Airborne Division]

  • 217th and 299th are stationed near the Severnyy military-transport airfield and the Dyagilevo airfield is located next to Ryazan's 137th Regiment. (Moscow Moskovskiy Komsomolets in Russian 8 Jul 03).

106th Airborne Division (Tula) [VDV Main Staff]

Commander --- SAVILOV, Yevgeniy, Maj-Gen (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 26 Apr 00; 19 Mar 03).

  • [While commander of the Airborne Grouping in Chechnya, Savilov served under Maj-Gen Makarov, who was appointed to Command the 20th Combined -Arms Army in nearby Voronezh. (Krasnaya Zvezda, 21 Apr 00).]

51st Airborne Regiment [106th Airborne Division]

  • (ITAR-TASS, 26 Jul 00).

137th Airborne Regiment [106th Airborne Division]

  • (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey 21 Mar 01).

317 Airborne Regiment [106th Airborne Division]

  • [Headquartered in Ryazan (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey 22 Apr 02).]

Commander --- BEZRUKOV, Sergey, Col (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 22 Apr 02).

[Podolsk-based separate squadron equipped with AN-2 Colt planes] [VDV Main Staff]

  • [To be disbanded during the reform (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, 25 Jun 01).]


242nd Airborne Training Squadron

Commander --- Morgunov, Andrey, Lt-Col (Delovoy Novosibirsk, 24 Feb 03).

NOTE ON POSSIBLE REORGANIZATION [Return to top]

  • "GENERAL STAFF CONSIDERING CHANGES OF AIRBORNE TROOPS STATUS (14.05.01 13:23:57) MOSCOW, May 14 (AVN) - The Russian General Staff is again discussing transformation of the Airborne troops from the Supreme Command's reserve into a part of the Land Forces, competent sources in the Defence Ministry told the Military News Agency on Monday. The Airborne Staff has recently received a telegram from Chief-of-Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Anatoly Kvashnin, the sources said. Kvashnin asked the Airborne command to voice its opinion on the General Staff's proposal to make the Airborne a part of the Land Forces. If the proposal is accepted, the Airborne troops will no longer be in the Supreme Command's reserve and will be subordinate directly to Land Forces Commander Nikolai Kormiltsev. The sources said the Airborne command did not consider changes in the troops' status expedient and made its point of view clear to the chief-of-staff. In the response to the telegram, the command says all main and central departments of the Defence Ministry and General Staff supported preservation of the Airborne's current status when the current concept of the Armed Forces was discussed, saying that the Airborne would serve as a basis for establishment of future mobile forces. At present the Airborne troops are accomplishing missions successfully under the auspices of the anti-guerrilla operation in the North Caucasus. They are also involved in peacekeeping activities in Abkhazia, Bosnia and Kosovo." (Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey 14 May 01).
  • "Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov also criticized the state of the Airborne Troops' combat training but said they will be retained as an independent combat arm. The military department head denied rumors that Colonel General Georgiy Shpak may be dismissed soon. Finally, the defense minister said, 'reports that the Airborne Troops will merge with the Ground Forces are rubbish.'" (NezavisimayaGazeta, 06 Apr 02)
  • "Conjectures that, in conjunction with the revived Ground Troops high command, the General Staff intends to strip the Airborne Troops of their independence and to subordinate them to the Ground Troops are serving as one of the main arguments.Ground Troops Commander in Chief Lieutenant General NikolayKormiltsev, though, has said straightforwardly recently, 'The Airborne Troops should be an independent type of troops.Otherwise they will turn into normal infantry.'" (RossiyskayaGazeta, 16 Apr 02)