Aleksandr Vyacheslavovich Kurenkov (russian: Александр Вячеславович Куренков; born 2 June 1972) is a Russian politician and military officer. He has served as the Minister of Emergency Situations since May 2022, and holds the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Early career

Kurenkov was born in

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast ( rus, Моско́вская о́бласть, r=Moskovskaya oblast', p=mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ), or Podmoskovye ( rus, Подмоско́вье, p=pədmɐˈskovʲjə, literally "under Moscow"), is a federal subject of Rus ...

, in what was then the

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

, in the Soviet Union, on 2 June 1972. In 1995, he began work as a teacher of physical culture at school No. 312 in Moscow, while also studying at the , graduating in 1998. In 1999, he left his teaching job to join the

Federal Security Service The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) RF; rus, Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ России), Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Feder ...

, where he worked in various positions until 2002, when he joined the Federal Protective Service. In 2004, he graduated from the . While working as a Federal Protective Service officer, Kurenkov was part of the protective detail of then

Prime Minister of Russia The chairman of the government of the Russian Federation, also informally known as the prime minister, is the nominal head of government of Russia. Although the post dates back to 1905, its current form was established on 12 December 1993 fo ...

Viktor Zubkov Viktor Alekseyevich Zubkov ( rus, Ви́ктор Алексе́евич Зубко́в, p=ˈvʲiktər ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ zʊpˈkof; born 15 September 1941) is a Russian civil servant, politician and businessman who served as the 36th Pr ...

between 2007 and 2008, with Zubkov then becoming first deputy chairman in the Putin government. Sources in the Ministry of Emergency Situations described Kurenkov as having become a "Putin adjutant" around 2015. In 2021, Kurenkov became assistant director, and the following year, deputy director, of the

National Guard Forces Command The National Guard Forces Command of the Russian Federation (Russian: Войска национальной гвардии Российской Федерации, ''Voyska Natsionalnoy Gvardii Rossiyskoi Federatsii'') is the gendarmerie comp ...

, serving under

Viktor Zolotov Viktor Vasilyevich Zolotov (russian: Ви́ктор Васи́льевич Зо́лотов; born 27 January 1954) is the current Director of the National Guard of Russia (Rosgvardiya) and a member of the Security Council of Russia. Zolotov is ...

. He supervised the department of combat training. Sources in the Ministry of Emergency Situations suggest that in this capacity Kurenkov participated in the

2022 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 ...

Ministerial post

2022 Meeting of the Federation Council (2)

On 23 May 2022,

President of Russia The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

nominated Kurenkov as the new Minister of Emergency Situations. The post had been held by the former deputy minister,

Aleksandr Chupriyan Aleksandr Petrovich Chupriyan (russian: Александр Петрович Чуприян, born 23 March 1958) is a Russian statesman, and political military commander, who served as the interim Minister of Emergency Situations between 8 Septe ...

, in an acting capacity, since the death of the previous minister,

Yevgeny Zinichev Yevgeny Nikolayevich Zinichev (russian: Евгений Николаевич Зиничев; 18 August 1966 – 8 September 2021) was a Russian politician and military officer. He served as the Minister of Emergency Situations from 2018 until h ...

, in September 2021. Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov ( rus, Дмитрий Сергеевич Песков, p=pʲɪˈskof; born 17 October 1967) is a Russian diplomat and the press secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin.Federation Council The Federation Council (russian: Сове́т Федера́ции – ''Soviet Federatsii'', common abbreviation: Совфед – ''Sovfed''), or Senate (officially, starting from July 1, 2020) ( ru , Сенат , translit = Senat), is th ...

, and receiving unanimous support, Kurenkov was appointed Minister of Emergency Situations. As Minister of Emergency Situations, he became a member of the

Security Council of Russia The Security Council of the Russian Federation (SCRF or Sovbez; russian: Совет безопасности Российской Федерации (СБРФ), Sovet bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Federatsii (SBRF)) is a constitutional consultative bo ...

, to which he was appointed on 30 May 2022. Kurenkov held the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

from since around December 2021, having graduated from the

Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia The Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (russian: Военная академия Генерального штаба Вооруженных Сил Российской Федерации) is the s ...

about this time. In 2015, he was awarded the

Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" The Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (russian: Медаль ордена «За заслуги перед Отечеством») was established on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree No.442. Its award criteria were modified on 6 J ...

Second Class. He was promoted to the rank of

on 2 June 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kurenkov, Aleksandr 1972 births Living people People from Moscow Oblast Government ministers of Russia Russian lieutenant generals 21st-century Russian politicians Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni Recipients of the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" II class