Anton Olegovich Yelizarov ( rus, Антон Олегович Елизаров; born 1981), also known by his

nom de guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

"Lotos" ( rus, Лотос, literally: ''Lotus''), is a Russian mercenary leader and former military officer, one of the commanders of PMC Wagner Group. He has medals of the

Hero of Russia Hero of the Russian Federation (russian: Герой Российской Федерации, Geroy Rossiyskoy Federatsii), also unofficially Hero of Russia (russian: link=no, Герой России, Geroy Rossii), is the highest honorary title ...

Donetsk People's Republic The Donetsk People's Republic ( rus, Донецкая Народная Республика, Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublika, dɐˈnʲetskəjə nɐˈrodnəjə rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə; abbreviated as DPR or DNR, rus, ДНР) is a Territorial ...

and

Luhansk People's Republic The Luhansk or Lugansk People's Republic (russian: Луга́нская Наро́дная Респу́блика, Luganskaya Narodnaya Respublika, ; abbreviated as LPR or LNR, rus, ЛНР) is a disputed entity created by Russian-backed ...

Biography

Anton Olegovich Yelizarov was born in 1981 in the

Rostov Oblast Rostov Oblast ( rus, Росто́вская о́бласть, r=Rostovskaya oblast, p=rɐˈstofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the Southern Federal District. The oblast has an area of and a populati ...

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. In 1998 he graduated from the Ulyanovsk Guards

Suvorov Military School The Suvorov Military Schools (russian: Суворовское военное училище) are a type of boarding school in the former Soviet Union and in modern Russia and Belarus for boys of 10–17. Education in these schools focuses on mil ...

. In 2003 he graduated from the

Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School The General V.F. Margelov Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne twice Red Banner Order of Suvorov Command School (RGVVDKU) () is a military educational institute of the Russian Ministry of Defense, situated in Ryazan, about southeast of Moscow. It was f ...

. Since 2003, he served as the commander of an airborne platoon in the 7th Guards Air Assault Division. In 2014, he was dismissed from the army after the verdict of the Krasnodar garrison military court for a crime against property (4.159 CC RF). He received a three-year

suspended sentence A suspended sentence is a sentence on conviction for a criminal offence, the serving of which the court orders to be deferred in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation. If the defendant does not break the law during that ...

and paid a fine of one hundred thousand rubles. After his dismissal, he joined the

Wagner Group The Wagner Group (russian: Группа Вагнера, Gruppa Vagnera), also known as PMC Wagner ( «Вагнер», ChVK «Vagner»; ), is a Russian paramilitary organization. It is variously described as a private military company (PMC), a ...

. He participated in the

Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war {{Infobox military conflict , partof = the foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war, and the military intervention against ISIL , image = , image_size = , border = , caption = To ...

. From 2016 to 2019 he was an instructor in the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

. In 2021, he commanded a stormtrooper detachment in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

. From the first days of the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, he took part in it. Yelizarov led the

assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

on the city of

Soledar Soledar ( uk, Соледа́р, ; ), formerly known as Karlo-Libknekhtovsk ( uk, Карло-Лібкнехтівськ, Karlo-Libknekhtivs'k, 1965–1991), is a city in the Bakhmut Raion, which is located in what is internationally recognised as ...

and reportedly commanded Wagner forces during the storming of Bakhmut. By a closed decree of Vladimir Putin of 2022 "for courage and heroism" shown in the hostilities in Ukraine, he was awarded the title

Hero of the Russian Federation Hero of the Russian Federation (russian: Герой Российской Федерации, Geroy Rossiyskoy Federatsii), also unofficially Hero of Russia (russian: link=no, Герой России, Geroy Rossii), is the highest honorary title ...

. Since 25 February 2023, Yelizarov has been under the sanctions of all countries of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

. After the death of

Yevgeny Prigozhin Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin (russian: link=no, Евгений Викторович Пригожин; born 1 June 1961) is a Russian oligarch and close confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin was called "Putin's chef" because h ...

in the 23 August

2023 Wagner Group plane crash On 23 August 2023, an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet with ten people crashed near Kuzhenkino (urban-type settlement), Kuzhenkino in Tver Oblast, approximately north of its departure point in Moscow. Among the victims were Yevgeny Prigozhin, ...

, a rumor appeared that Anton Yelizarov became the new commander of Wagner PMC. On 26 August 2023,

PMC Wagner The Wagner Group (russian: Группа Вагнера, Gruppa Vagnera), also known as PMC Wagner ( «Вагнер», ChVK «Vagner»; ), is a Russian paramilitary organization. It is variously described as a private military company (PMC), a ...

denied the appointment of Yelizarov as the new leader. The Group official Telegram channel of "Wagner Orchestra" stated that although Yelizarov actually manages the combat and training work of the company, he was not appointed to the post of head of Wagner. However, at the moment, his position is already the most senior in the organization.

Awards

* Hero of the Luhansk People's Republic; * Hero of the Donetsk People's Republic; *

Personal life

Anton Elizarov is married and has a daughter.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yelizarov, Anton People of the Wagner Group Russian military personnel of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Heroes of the Russian Federation Living people 1981 births