Valery Gerasimov (2015-05-12).jpg
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Valery Vasilyevich Gerasimov ( rus, Валерий Васильевич Герасимов, p=vɐˈlʲerʲɪj vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪdʑ ɡʲɪˈrasʲɪməf; born 8 September 1955) is a Russian army general serving as the Chief of the General Staff of the
Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...
and First Deputy Minister of Defence. He was appointed by president Vladimir Putin on 9 November 2012, replacing Nikolai Makarov, and currently serves as the commander of all Russian forces in Ukraine. He is considered one of the most powerful men in Russia, and one of three people to hold access to Russia's nuclear weapons, alongside Putin and Defense Minister Andrey Belousov. Gerasimov has been described as a loyal follower of Putin.


Early life

Gerasimov was born in a working-class family in Kazan, Tatar ASSR on 8 September 1955. Interested in the army from a young age, Gerasimov grew up on the stories of his veteran uncle, a former tank company commander, and avidly read the books of Konstantin Simonov. After fourth grade Gerasimov's father sent his documents for admission to the Kazan Suvorov Military School, but that year the military school programs were reduced to two years' duration. Nonetheless, Gerasimov entered the military school as soon as he was able to four years later in 1971. Graduating from the Suvorov military school in 1973 with a gold medal, Gerasimov was admitted to the Kazan Higher Tank Command School for officer training.


Rise to field army command

Having graduated from the four-year school with honors in 1977, he began his service in Poland as a tank platoon commander in the 80th Tank Regiment of the 90th Guards Tank Division of the Northern Group of Forces. Gerasimov rose to tank company commander and tank battalion chief of staff before being transferred to the
5th Combined Arms Army The 5th Combined Arms Red Banner Army (5-я общевойсковая армия) is a Russian Ground Forces formation in the Eastern Military District. It was formed in 1939, served during the Soviet invasion of Poland that year, and was depl ...
of the
Far Eastern Military District The Far Eastern Military District (russian: Дальневосточный военный округ; Dalʹnevostochnyĭ voennyĭ okrug) was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Pacific ...
in 1982. He served there as chief of staff of a tank battalion of the 185th Tank Regiment of the
29th Motor Rifle Division 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
, and was promoted to command the tank battalion of the 231st Motor Rifle Regiment of the 40th Motor Rifle Division. Gerasimov was admitted to the Malinovsky Military Armored Forces Academy in 1984 for advanced officer training. Graduating with honors in 1987, he was posted to the Baltic Military District, serving as chief of staff of and then commanding the 228th Tank Regiment of the
144th Guards Motor Rifle Division The 144th Guards Yelnya Red Banner Order of Suvorov Motor Rifle Division () is a motorized infantry division of the Russian Ground Forces, reestablished in 2016 with its headquarters at Yelnya, Smolensk Oblast. The division traces its lineage ba ...
. After being promoted to chief of staff of the division, Gerasimov took command of the 144th Guards, supervising its withdrawal to Russia. Having demonstrated his command abilities in this, Gerasimov was selected to attend the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia in 1995. Graduating with honors in 1997, he was appointed first deputy commander of the
1st Guards Tank Army The 1st Guards Tank Army () is a tank Field army, army of the Russian Ground Forces. The army traces its heritage back to the 1st Tank Army, formed twice in July 1942 and in January 1943 and converted into the 1st Guards Tank Army in January 1 ...
and then sent to take the same position with the
58th Combined Arms Army The 58th Combined Arms Army (russian: 58-я общевойсковая армия) is an army of the Russian Ground Forces, headquartered at Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia-Alania, within Russia's Southern Military District. It was formed in 1941 as pa ...
in 1998. The title of Gerasimov's position was changed to army chief of staff and he served in this position while Vladimir Shamanov was army commander. Gerasimov took part in the Second Chechen War in this post, and when Shamanov left to begin his political career acted as army commander from late 2000. He was confirmed in this position in February 2001 and remained in command until March 2003. His involvement in the arrest of
Yury Budanov Yuri Dmitrievich Budanov ( rus, Ю́рий Дми́триевич Буда́нов, p=ˈjʉrʲɪj ˈdmʲitrʲɪjɪvʲɪdʑ bʊˈdanəf; 24 November 196310 June 2011) was a Russian military officer convicted by a Russian court of kidnapping and ...
led to praise from journalist Anna Politkovskaya.


Senior postings

Gerasimov was promoted to chief of staff of the
Far Eastern Military District The Far Eastern Military District (russian: Дальневосточный военный округ; Dalʹnevostochnyĭ voennyĭ okrug) was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Pacific ...
in March 2003, and was appointed chief of the Main Combat Training and Service Directorate of the
General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...
in April 2005. In 2006 he was sent back to the North Caucasus as chief of staff of the North Caucasus Military District, and in December 2006 appointed commander of the Leningrad Military District, a significant promotion. Gerasimov was transferred to command the Moscow Military District in 2009 and on 23 December 2010 appointed deputy chief of the General Staff. He briefly commanded the Central Military District between April and November 2012. After the dismissal of
Anatoly Serdyukov Anatoly Eduardovich Serdyukov (russian: Анатолий Эдуардович Сердюков; born 8 January 1962) is a Russian politician and businessman. He was Russia's Minister of Defense from 15 February 2007 to 6 November 2012, and made ...
as defense minister, his successor Sergei Shoigu nominated Gerasimov to be the next Chief of the General Staff, replacing Nikolay Makarov. Putin approved Gerasimov's nomination on 9 November. He commanded the annual Victory Day Parade on Red Square four times from 2009 to 2012.


Chief of the General Staff

Gerasimov was alleged to have conceived the " Gerasimov doctrine" – combining military, technological, information, diplomatic, economic, cultural and other tactics for the purpose of achieving strategic goals. The author of the original paper, Mark Galeotti, claimed it was a speech which, due to translation errors, was misinterpreted in the American press as a belligerent, rather than defensive strategic proposal.


Staff appointment up to Crimea (2012–2020)

Gerasimov was appointed Chief of the General Staff following the dismissal of Defence Minister
Anatoly Serdyukov Anatoly Eduardovich Serdyukov (russian: Анатолий Эдуардович Сердюков; born 8 January 1962) is a Russian politician and businessman. He was Russia's Minister of Defense from 15 February 2007 to 6 November 2012, and made ...
on 6 November 2012. The previous Chief of General Staff, Army General Nikolay Makarov, was seen as close to Serduykov and was seen by commentators as likely to be replaced by new Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. It has been reported that Makarov resigned, but he was formally dismissed by President Vladimir Putin. Other changes were the dismissal of Alexander Sukhorukov from the position of First Deputy Defence Minister and his replacement by Colonel General
Arkady Bakhin Arkady Viktotovich Bakhin (russian: Аркадий Викторович Бахин) is a retired military officer of the Russian Federation with the rank of General of the Army. Biography Bakhin was born 8 May 1956 in Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR. H ...
, formerly commander of the Western Military District.
Aerospace Defence Forces The Russian Aerospace Defence Forces (VVKO) ( rus, Войска воздушно-космической обороны (ВВКО), Voyska vozdushno-kosmicheskoy oborony (VVKO)) was a branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation responsi ...
commander Colonel General Oleg Ostapenko was also promoted to Deputy Defence Minister. He was promoted to the highest rank in the Russian Army, General of the Army, as of 2014. According to the Security Service of Ukraine, Gerasimov was the general commander of all elements of Russian forces and the pro-Russian insurgents during their decisive strategic victory in the
Battle of Ilovaisk The Battle of Ilovaisk; uk, Іловайський котел, '). The word "kettle" refers to encirclement by enemy forces, which is termed "falling into the kettle". The word is also used to refer to battles during the Second World War, such ...
in 2014, where over 459 Ukrainian military personnel were killed and another 478 were injured. On 15 September 2016, he and Turkish chief of staff General Hulusi Akar conducted a meeting on the future of Syria in the Ankara headquarters of the Turkish Armed Forces. As reported in her book on Gerasimov regarding his 2019 involvement with Syria, Anna Borshchevskaya wrote:
By March 2019, Valeriy Gerasimov announced that Moscow had been pursuing a strategy of 'limited action' in Syria, and one that it hopes will guide future military action. By that point it was a description of actions that had already taken place in the previous years, and more to the point, this strategy reflected a return to Soviet and tsarist methods of 'limited wars'".


2022 invasion of Ukraine

On 9 December 2021, Gerasimov issued a warning to the Ukrainian government against attempting to settle the war in Donbas using force. Gerasimov said that "information about Russia's alleged impending invasion of Ukraine is a lie." According to Gerasimov, "Kyiv is not fulfilling the Minsk Agreements. The Ukrainian armed forces are touting that they have started to employ US-supplied Javelin anti-tank missile systems in Donbas and are also using Turkish reconnaissance/strike drones. As a result, the already tense situation in the east of that country is further deteriorating." In 2021, Gerasimov explained his doctrine to the '' Financial Times''. On 23 December 2021, he discussed regional security issues with his British counterpart Admiral Sir
Tony Radakin Admiral Sir Antony David Radakin, (born 10 November 1965) is a senior Royal Navy officer. Since November 2021, he is the 24th Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom), Chief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of the British Armed For ...
, Chief of the Defence Staff. On 11 February 2022, Gerasimov met with Tony Radakin and denied that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine. Gerasimov was involved in the planning of 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 ...
. The sources say the decision to invade Ukraine was made by Vladimir Putin and a small group of
war hawk In politics, a war hawk, or simply hawk, is someone who favors war or continuing to escalate an existing conflict as opposed to other solutions. War hawks are the opposite of doves. The terms are derived by analogy with the birds of the same name ...
s around him, including Gerasimov, Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Putin's national security adviser Nikolai Patrushev. During the invasion, '' The Moscow Times'' considered Gerasimov to have disappeared from public view since around 12 March 2022, when he talked with the
Chief of the Turkish General Staff , body = , flag = Standard of General staff of Turkish Armed Forces.svg , flagsize = 125px , flagcaption = Flag of the Chief of the General Staff , insignia = Turkey-army-OF-9.svg , insigniasize = 50px , insigniacaption = Shoulder insigni ...
, and 4 March, when he talked with French Chief of the Defence Staff
Thierry Burkhard Thierry Burkhard (born 30 July 1964) is a French Army general. He served as the Chief of Staff of the French Army from 2019 until July 14, 2021, when he was appointed as the Chief of the Defence Staff. Burkhard has served in the 2ème REP and h ...
. Other senior siloviki (key Russian security officials), including Sergei Shoigu,
Igor Kostyukov Admiral Igor Olegovich Kostyukov (russian: И́горь Оле́гович Костюко́в; born 21 February 1961) is a Russian naval officer. , he is the Head of the Russian General Staff's Main Intelligence Department ( GRU). Military caree ...
and Alexander Bortnikov, disappeared around the same time. According to British author and policy analyst Anatol Lieven, "Not only did Shoigu and Gerasimov plan and conduct the invasion of Ukraine with monstrous incompetence, recklessness and indifference to civilian deaths and suffering, but since they have both held their present positions since 2012, they bear direct personal responsibility for the logistical chaos, lack of coordination, and generally lamentable condition of the Russian armed forces." On 27 April 2022, Ukrainian publication ''Defense Express'' claimed that Gerasimov arrived in Izium to personally command the Russian offensive in the region. According to the
Ukrainian Independent Information Agency The UNIAN or Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News ( uk, Українське Незалежне Інформаційне Агентство Новин, УНІАН, translit=Ukrayins'ke Nezalezhne Informatsiyne Ahentstvo Novyn) is a ...
, Gerasimov was wounded on 1 May 2022 near Izium. Two US officials confirmed Gerasimov had been in the region but a Ukrainian official denied Ukraine was specifically targeting Gerasimov and said that when the command post was attacked, Gerasimov had already set off to return to Russia. The US reportedly prevented Ukraine from killing Gerasimov. Gerasimov discussed security issues with American counterpart General Mark Milley in a phone call on 19 May. In September 2022, Gerasimov, Sergei Shoigu and Vladimir Putin attended the Vostok 2022 military exercises in the Russian Far East. Beyond Russian troops, the exercises also included military forces from
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, India, Mongolia, Algeria and several post-Soviet states, among others.


Commander of Special Military Operation in Ukraine

On 11 January 2023, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu appointed Gerasimov in place of
Sergey Surovikin Sergey Vladimirovich Surovikin (Russian: Серге́й Влади́мирович Сурови́кин; born 11 October 1966) is a Russian Armed Forces army general and Commander of the Aerospace Forces. A veteran of the Soviet–Afghan War, ...
as overall commander of war against Ukraine. Surovikin will serve as Gerasimov's deputy. His first notable battle order in the Ukrainian theatre was to deploy the
Black Sea Fleet Chernomorskiy flot , image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet , dates = May 13, ...
out of Port of Novorossiysk for parts unknown on 11 January. The UK Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update that Gerasimov has been "attempting to clamp down on non-regulation uniform, travel in civilian vehicles, the use of mobile phones, and non-standard haircuts. The Russian force continues to endure operational deadlock and heavy casualties; Gerasimov's prioritization of largely minor regulations is likely to confirm the fears of his many skeptics in Russia." In April 2023, American military analyst
Michael Kofman Michael Kofman () is an American military analyst known for his expertise on the Russian Armed Forces. He is the director of the Russia Studies Program at CNA, fellow of the Center for a New American Security, and until 2021 was a fellow of the ...
said that Gerasimov is "exhausting the force with an ill-timed, feckless set of offensive operations, whose gains will not change the strategic picture for Russia, but could leave Russian forces more vulnerable." In May 2023, Gerasimov and Shoigu were accused by Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin of incompetence. On 5 May 2023, Prigozhin blamed them for "tens of thousands" of Wagner casualties, saying "Shoigu, Gerasimov, where … is the ammunition? They came here as volunteers and are dying so you can sit like fat cats in your luxury offices."


Decommission as Commander in Ukraine

On 23 June 2023, Prigozhin launched a short-lived
Wagner Group rebellion On 23 June 2023, the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, engaged in a major uprising against the Russia under Vladimir Putin, Government of Russia. It marked the climax of the Wagner Group–Russian Ministry of Defence conflict, W ...
, marching towards Moscow from
Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...
. On 8 July, milblogger Rybar reported that Gerasimov was replaced by
Mikhail Teplinsky Mikhail Yuryevich Teplinsky (russian: Михаил Юрьевич Теплинский; uk, Михайло Юрійович Теплинський, Mykhaylo Yuriyovych Teplynskyy; born 9 January 1969) is a Russian colonel general born in Sovi ...
in command of the troops in Ukraine while remaining chief of the general staff. In July 2023, Major General Ivan Popov claimed that Gerasimov dismissed him because of his concerns about troops fighting without rest and criticism of Russian battlefield strategy. Popov indirectly accused Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of betraying Russian soldiers on the battlefield by failing to provide sufficient support and raised questions about "the lack of counter-battery combat, the absence of artillery reconnaissance stations and the mass deaths and injuries of ussian soldiersfrom enemy artillery." As of August 2023, U.S. officials estimated the total number of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers killed or wounded during the Russian invasion of Ukraine to be nearly 500,000. In late May 2024, Gerasimov's deputy chief of the Russian General Staff Vadim Shamarin was arrested for corruption. This came after the arrest of
Timur Ivanov Timur Vadimovich Ivanov (Russian: Тимур Вадимович Иванов; born on 15 August 1975), is a Russian statesman and army officer, who is currently the Deputy Minister of Defense since 23 May 2016. He is also an acting State Advisor o ...
shortly before the fifth inauguration of Vladimir Putin on 7 May and consequent shuffle of Shoigu, causing '' Newsweek'' to speculate on a purge in the military. On 25 June 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Gerasimov, on charges of alleged war crimes for missile strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure. According to NATO and Western military officials, about 1,200 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in Ukraine every day on average in May and June 2024, mainly due to the use of Soviet tactics of human wave attacks. In June 2024, it was estimated that approximately 2% of all Russian men between the ages of 20 and 50 may have been killed or seriously wounded in Ukraine since February 2022. Gerasimov reportedly ignored intelligence warnings that Ukrainian troops were massing near the Russia–Ukraine border ahead of a cross-border incursion into the Kursk region. On 7 August 2024, Gerasimov told Putin that about 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers took part in the attack and that their advance in the Kursk Oblast had been halted. According to a Western official, about 1,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded daily in the fighting in Kursk and Donbas in August 2024.


Honours


Russian

*
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 ...
(2016) * First Class of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (2021) * Grand Cordon of the Order of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker (2022) * Order of St. George (3rd Class) * Medal of the Order of Alexander Nevsky (2021) * Medal of the Order of Honour (2016) * Medal of the Order of Military Merit (2000) * Medal of the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" (3rd grade) *
Medal "For Battle Merit" The Medal "For Battle Merit" (russian: Медаль «За боевые заслуги») was a Soviet military medal awarded for " combat action resulting in a military success", "courageous defense of the state borders", or "successful military ...
* Jubilee Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" * Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" * Medal "For Courage" 1st Class * Medal "For strengthening of brotherhood in arms" * Medal For "200 years to the Ministry of Defence" * Medal For "20 Years of Impeccable Service" * Medal For "15 Years of Impeccable Service" * Medal For "10 Years of Impeccable Service"


Foreign

*
Medal of Marshal Baghramyan A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
( Armenia, 2015) * Medal "For services in the field of military cooperation" ( Azerbaijan, 2014) * Medal of the
Order of the Friendship of Peoples The Order of Friendship of Peoples (russian: oрден Дружбы народов, translit=orden Druzhby narodov) was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military unit ...
( Belarus, 2010) *
Hero of the Donetsk People's Republic Hero of the Donetsk People's Republic (russian: Герой Донецкой Народной Республики) is the highest honorary title of the Donetsk People's Republic, a state with limited recognition in Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine. It ...
(2022) * Medal of the
Order of the Red Banner (Mongolia) The Order of the Red Banner ( mn, «Цэргийн гавьяаны улаан туг» одон) is a military decoration of Mongolia, originally established as the "Order for Military Merit" of the People's Republic of Mongolia. The medal has be ...
* Grand Officer of the Order of the Union of Burma (Myanmar) * Grand Officer of the Order of Ruben Dario ( Nicaragua, 2013) * Military Commonwealth Medal (
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, 2016)


Personal life

Gerasimov is married and has a son.


Sanctions

Gerasimov was sanctioned by the British government in 2014. In April 2014, Gerasimov was added to the list of persons against whom the European Union introduced
sanctions A sanction may be either a permission or a restriction, depending upon context, as the word is an auto-antonym. Examples of sanctions include: Government and law * Sanctions (law), penalties imposed by courts * Economic sanctions, typically a b ...
"in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine". In May 2014, Canada, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland added Gerasimov to their sanctions listed because of Russian interference in Ukraine and his responsibility for the massive Russian troop deployment next to the Russia–Ukraine border and his inability to reduce the tensions with Ukraine which are associated with these Russian troop deployments. In September 2014, Australia placed Gerasimov on their Ukraine related sanctions list. On 25 February 2022, the United States added Gerasimov to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.


See also

*
List of Heroes of the Russian Federation This is a list of people who have been awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation. The title was established in 1992, and was awarded more than 970 times since then, including more than 440 times posthumously. Due to the list's size, it i ...


References


External links

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerasimov, Valery 1955 births Living people Military personnel from Kazan Generals of the army (Russia) Deputy defence ministers of Russia Soviet military personnel People of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation Russian military personnel of the Syrian civil war Russian military personnel of the Russo-Ukrainian War Russian military personnel of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Russian individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions Russian individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List Anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Russia Anti-Americanism Frunze Military Academy alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni Heroes of the Russian Federation Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class Recipients of the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", 3rd class Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Russia) Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree 21st-century Russian military personnel Tatar people Russian individuals subject to European Union sanctions Fugitives wanted by the International Criminal Court Fugitives wanted on war crimes charges Fugitives wanted on crimes against humanity charges Chiefs of the General Staff (Russia)