Vladimir Borisovich Zarudnitsky (; born 6 February 1958) is a

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...

colonel general Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...

and the chief of 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 ...

. Zarudnitsky served in the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

from the 1970s and became a junior officer in the

Group of Soviet Forces in Germany The Western Group of Forces (WGF),. previously known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG). and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG),. were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany. The Group of Soviet Occupati ...

, commanding a platoon, company, and intelligence regiment. After his 1989 graduating from the

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (russian: Военная академия имени М. В. Фрунзе), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (rus ...

, Zarudnitsky became chief of staff of a regiment and a regimental commander in 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 ...

. He then served as chief of staff and commander of a motor rifle brigade in the

North Caucasus Military District The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Armed Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also included the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla. It comprised the Republic of Adygeya, ...

. After graduating from the Military Academy of the General Staff in 2003, Zarudnitsky became commander of the 27th Guards Motor Rifle Division. He served as a chief of staff and commander of the 36th Army in the Siberian Military District before becoming chief of staff of the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military Di ...

. In March 2011 he became deputy commander of the

Southern Military District 200px, Headquarters of the district at 53 Pushkinskaya Street / 43 Budenovsky avenue, Rostov-on-Don The Southern Military District (Russian: Южный военный округ) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military ...

. In September of that year, Zarudnitsky became head of the Main Operational Directorate and deputy chief 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 June 2014, he became commander of the

Central Military District The Central Military District (Russian: Центральный военный округ) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction primarily within the ...

. He was transferred to become chief of the Military Academy of the General Staff in November 2017.

Early life and Soviet military career

Zarudnitsky was born on 6 February 1958 in

Abinsk Abinsk (russian: Аби́нск) is a town and the administrative center of Abinsky District of Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located southwest of Krasnodar, the administrative center of the krai. Population: 39,058 (2020), 23,000 (1968). It was ...

. After entering the military in 1975, he graduated from the Ordzhonikidze Higher Military Command School in 1979. Between 1979 and 1985, he commanded a platoon and then a company in the

. Between 1985 and 1987, he was head of an intelligence regiment in the GSFG. In 1989, Zarudnitsky graduated from the

Career in the Russian Ground Forces

From 1991 to 1994, Zarudnitsky served as chief of staff of a regiment and later commanded a regiment in the

. In 1997, Zarudnitsky became chief of staff of the 131st Motor Rifle Brigade at

Maykop Maykop (russian: Майкоп, p=mɐjˈkop Help:IPA/Russian, mɐj'kop); ady, Мыекъуапэ, Mıéquapə ) is the capital city of the Republic of Adygea in Russia, located on the right bank of the Belaya River (Kuban), Belaya River (a tribut ...

. He took command of the brigade in 1999, leading it in the

Second Chechen War The Second Chechen War (russian: Втора́я чече́нская война́, ) took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russia, Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from Augus ...

. Zarudnitsky entered the Military Academy of the General Staff, graduating in 2003 with honors. He became commander of the 27th Guards Motor Rifle Division in the Volga–Urals Military District. In January 2005, he became chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 36th Army in the Siberian Military District. In February 2007, he became commander of the army. In April 2009, Zarudnitsky became chief of staff and first deputy commander of the

. In March 2011, he became deputy commander of the

. On 3 October, he became head of the Main Operational Directorate and deputy chief of the General Staff. On 10 December 2013, Zarudnitsky was awarded the Order of Military Merit. On 12 June 2014, Zarudnitsky was appointed commander of the

. On 22 November 2017, he was appointed chief of the Military Academy of the General Staff.

Personal life

Zarudnitsky is married and has a son and a daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zarudnitsky, Vladimir 1958 births Living people Soviet Army officers Russian colonel generals Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Russia) People from Krasnodar Krai Frunze Military Academy alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni