Allegiance Russia Rank Colonel general | Years of service 1987–present Service/branch Russian Ground Forces | |
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Native name Сергей Владимирович Суровикин Awards Order of Military Merit, Order of the Red Star, Order of Courage (3) Commands helds Eastern Military District, 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division, 20th Guards Army | ||
Sergey Vladimirovich Surovikin (Russian: Сергей Владимирович Суровикин; born 11 October 1966) is a Russian Ground Forces colonel general and commander of the Eastern Military District.
Surovikin served in the Soviet Army from 1987, fighting in the Soviet–Afghan War. He was involved in the August Coup as a battalion commander in the 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division. Surovikin was investigated for the deaths of three demonstrators during the coup, but the charges were dropped. After graduating from the Frunze Military Academy, Surovikin commanded a battalion and was chief of staff and commander of a regiment. He graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff in 2002 and took command of the 34th Motor Rifle Division. From 2004 to 2005 he led the 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division in Chechnya. Surovikin was chief of staff and then commander of the 20th Guards Army. In 2008, he became head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff. In January 2010, he became chief of staff of the Volga–Urals Military District, which soon became part of the Central Military District. Surovikin led the Ministry of Defense working group in charge of the creation of the Military Police in 2012. He became the chief of staff of the Eastern Military District and was appointed commander of the district in October 2013.
Military service
Surovikin was born on 11 October 1966 in Novosibirsk. In 1987, Surovikin graduated from the Omsk Higher Military Command School. He was sent to a Spetsnaz unit and served in the Soviet–Afghan War.
By August 1991, he was a captain and commander of the 1st Rifle Battalion in the 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division. During the August Coup, Surovikin was ordered to send his battalion into the tunnel on Garden Ring, where three demonstrators were killed. After the defeat of the coup, Surovikin was arrested and held under investigation for seven months. However, the charges were dropped on 10 December because Boris Yeltsin concluded that Surovikin was only following orders. He was promoted to the rank of major afterwards.
Surovikin attended the Frunze Military Academy. In September 1995, he was sentenced to a year of probation by the Moscow garrison's military court for illegally selling weapons. The conviction was overturned after the investigation concluded that Surovikin had agreed to give a fellow student a pistol for use in a competition, unaware of its intended purpose. In 1995, he graduated from the Frunze Military Academy. Surovikin was sent to Tajikistan and commanded a motor rifle battalion there. He then became chief of staff of the 92nd Motor Rifle Regiment, chief of staff and commander of the 149th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment and chief of staff of the 201st Motor Rifle Division.
In 2002, he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff. He became commander of the 34th Motor Rifle Division at Yekaterinburg. In March 2004, Surovikin was accused by Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Chibizov of beating him up for voting for the wrong candidate. In April, division deputy commander for armaments Colonel Andrei Shtakal shot himself after being criticized by Surovikin. In both cases, a military prosecutor found no evidence of guilt. From June 2004, he led the 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division, stationed in Chechnya. On several occasions when subordinate commanders committed crimes, including after the Borozdinovskaya operation, Surovikin justified his actions. He was the chief of staff of the 20th Guards Army from 2005. In April 2008, he became the army commander. In November 2008, Surovikin became head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff. In January 2010, he became chief of staff of the Volga–Urals Military District, which soon became part of the Central Military District.
From April 2012, Surovikin served in the Ministry of Defence, leading the working group in charge of the creation of the Military Police. It was planned that Surovikin would lead the Military Police when they were created, but concerns were raised over his prior criminal record. In October 2012, he became the chief of staff of the Eastern Military District. In October 2013, he was appointed commander of the district. On 13 December, Surovikin was promoted to the rank of colonel general.
Surovikin was awarded the Order of the Red Star, the Order of Military Merit and the Order of Courage three times. He is married and has two daughters.