President Dmitriy Medvedev’s decrees on changes in Defense Ministry personnel are a relatively new phenomenon. Decrees have been common for changes in the MVD, but not the Defense Ministry. Now they’re coming out for generals and colonels occupying nomenklatura-level duties.
After two years of Serdyukov’s reforms, changes, and cuts, the personnel machinery has begun to make decisions and grind out paperwork on people.
Interest piqued when General-Lieutenant Burutin, a Putin favorite, was dropped as First Deputy Chief of the General Staff. But General-Major Buvaltsev moved in the opposite direction, taking a newly-created post as the General Staff Chief’s assistant for command and control. Serdyukov also swapped out military aides — General-Lieutenant Miroshnichenko for General-Major Medoyev.
Some “general” points on all these dismissals, appointments, etc.
- Changes in nomenklatura generals and colonels probably represent the “tip of the iceberg” to more widespread changes in colonels, lieutenant colonels, and majors below them in their organizations.
- The squeeze down to four military districts has made many former MD staff officers redundant. This is especially pronounced in the Moscow and Leningrad MDs. It’s also true for the North Caucasus MD and its 58th Army. This is harder to understand since it just rolled over directly into the new Southern MD.
- Individual services and their main staffs were hit, since some of their responsibilities are reportedly moving to the four new MDs. This was true for Ground Troops, Navy, Engineering Troops, and Rear Services.
- There’s been a veritable bloodbath in the Defense Ministry’s Main Armaments Directorate — recall this is following First Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin’s move to the new civilian side of Serdyukov’s Defense Ministry (he’s taking the armaments portfolio with him, possibly in swap for combat training). So many, if not all, of these posts will be civilianized and possibly reorganized and consolidated. Similarly, Rear Services (logistics) is being civilianized, reorganized, and outsourced.
- Space Troops were touched up pretty well; maybe this is a prelude to melding into the Air Forces.
- There were several changes at the helms of military-educational institutions. Not surprising since they are being consolidated rapidly.
- Mr. Korotchenko notwithstanding, corruption cases probably don’t have much to do with these changes. If you’re going to be put on trial, they keep you in the service.
- In all the decrees, there were some plain old appointments, especially in the Pacific Fleet. We’re still waiting for a new commander to replace Vice-Admiral Sidenko who now commands the Eastern MD.
November 23 was so busy, there were actually two separate decrees on military personnel posted to Kremlin.ru.
In the first decree . . .
Those relieved of current duties:
- Colonel Vladimir Gennadyevich Gulin, Chief, Armor-Tank Service, North Caucasus MD.
- Colonel Aleksandr Nikolayevich Ivanov, Chief of Armaments, and Deputy Commander of Space Troops for Armaments.
- Colonel Anatoliy Mikhaylovich Mordvin, Chief of Reconnaissance, Deputy Chief of Staff for Reconnaissance, Leningrad MD.
- Colonel Nikolay Borisovich Ostrin, Chief, Missile-Artillery Weapons Service, North Caucasus MD.
- General-Major Yuriy Ivanovich Rukovichnikov, Chief of Rear Services, Deputy Commander for Rear Services, 58th Combined Arms Army.
These guys are just in limbo, awaiting some reassignment or possibly dismissal from the service.
Dismissed from military service:
- Vice-Admiral Sergey Viktorovich Kuzmin, Chief, Combat Training Directorate, Navy.
- Rear-Admiral Aleksandr Sergeyevich Litenkov, Commander, Central Combat Post, Navy (he had also been a surface force commander in the Northern Fleet in the past).
In the second decree, General-Major of Medical Service Aleksandr Borisovich Belevitin added the duty of Chief, Military-Medical Academy to his primary job as Chief, Main Military-Medical Directorate.
Relieved of current duties:
- Colonel Nikolay Fedorovich Arkhipov, Chief, Directorate of Planning and Organization of Development and Serial Orders of Weapons and Military Equipment, Main Armaments Directorate.
- Colonel Sergey Valentinovich Vasiliyev, Chief, Directorate of Coordination of Use, Repair, and Disposal of Armaments and Military Equipment, Main Armaments Directorate.
Relieved and dismissed from military service:
- General-Lieutenant Aleksandr Germanovich Burutin, First Deputy Chief, General Staff.
- General-Major Anatoliy Vasilyevich Gulyayev, Chief, Organizational-Planning Directorate, and Deputy Chief, Main Armaments Directorate.
- General Major Yevgeniy Ivanovich Safonov, Chief Engineer, and Deputy Commander, Railroad Troops.
Dismissed from military service:
- Admiral Viktor Nikolayevich Gladkikh (he was the Defense Ministry’s Chief Personnel Inspector, and had worked on establishing military police, his staff element has probably been civilianized).
- General-Major Viktor Valentinovich Boronchikhin.
- General-Major Vladimir Petrovich Kuzheyev.
- General-Major Viktor Sergeyevich Skrobotov.
- Rear-Admiral Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Trofimov.
- Rear-Admiral Yuriy Aleksandrovich Uvarov.
On 18 November, Medvedev’s decree made General-Major Ivan Aleksandrovich Buvaltsev an Assistant to the Chief of the General Staff for Command and Control – a new post. He had been Chief of Staff, First Deputy Commander, Leningrad MD. And he was once Chief of Combat Training for the Moscow MD.
Relieved of current duties:
- Colonel Aleksandr Nikolayevich Anistratenko, Chief of Staff for Armaments, First Deputy Chief of Armaments, Moscow MD.
- Colonel Aleksandr Anatolyevich Arzimanov, Chief of Armaments, Deputy Commander of the 58th Army for Armaments.
- Colonel Gleb Vladimirovich Yeremin, Chief of Air Defense Troops, Moscow MD.
- Colonel Oleg Yuryevich Knyazyev, Chief of Staff, Rear Services, First Deputy Chief of Rear Services, Moscow MD.
- Colonel Aleksandr Nikolayevich Nesterenko, Chief, Engineering Troops, Siberian MD.
- Colonel Boris Aleksandrovich Ovsyannikov, Chief, Missile-Artillery Weapons Service, Moscow MD.
- Colonel Pavel Polikarpovich Ovchinnikov, Chief of Rear Services, Deputy Commander of Air-Assault Troops for Rear Services.
Relieved of current duties and dismissed:
- General-Major Vadim Anatolyevich Odrinskiy, Deputy Commander, North Caucasus MD.
- General-Major Viktor Nikolayevich Tamakhin, Chief of Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops, Volga-Ural MD.
Dismissed from military service:
- General-Lieutenant Sergey Ivanovich Antonov. He was a Deputy Chief of the Ground Troops’ Main Staff.
Medvedev’s 29 October decree appointed:
- Captain First Rank Oleg Viktorovich Apishev, Chief of Fleet Reconnaissance, Deputy Chief of Staff for Reconnaissance, Pacific Fleet.
- Captain First Rank Anatoliy Vladimirovich Zelinskiy, Deputy Commander for Personnel, Pacific Fleet.
- Captain First Rank Igor Olegovich Korolev, Chief, Technical Directorate, Pacific Fleet.
- Rear-Admiral Andrey Vladimirovich Ryabukhin, Deputy Commander, Pacific Fleet, relieved of duty as Commander, Belomorsk Naval Base, Northern Fleet.
- Captain First Rank Viktor Nikolayevich Liina, Commander, White Sea Naval Base, Northern Fleet, relieving him from duty as Deputy Commander, Submarine Forces, Northern Fleet.
- Captain First Rank Igor Vladimirovich Smolyak, Commander, 30th Surface Ship Division, Black Sea Fleet.
- Colonel Roman Valeryevich Sheremet, Commander, 8th Brigade, Aerospace Defense.
Relieved of current duty and dismissed from military service:
- General-Major Sergey Stepanovich Ivanitskiy, Commander, 14th Missile Division.
The 26 October decree appointed:
- Colonel Igor Sergeyevich Afonin, Commander, 14th Missile Division (he had commanded the 8th Missile Division).
- General-Major Valeriy Alekseyevich Konurkin, Deputy Chief, Military Training-Scientific Center, “Air Forces Academy,” Air Forces (the academy has simply been renamed).
- General-Lieutenant Aleksandr Ivanovich Miroshnichenko, Assistant to the RF Defense Minister.
- Colonel Leonid Aleksandrovich Mikholap, Commander, 8th Missile Division.
- General-Major Yuriy Petrovich Petrushkov, Chief, Military Training-Scientific Center, “Air Forces Academy” Branch (Yeysk, Krasnodar Kray).
Relieved of current duty:
- Colonel Dmitriy Aleksandrovich Yashin (he commanded the 138th Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade, Leningrad MD).
Relieved of duties and dismissed from military service:
- General-Major Nikolay Ivanovich Vaganov, Deputy Chief for R&D, Main Armaments Directorate.
- General-Major Aleksandr Nikolayevich Ionov, Chief, Organization-Mobilization Directorate, Deputy Chief of Staff for Organization-Mobilization Work, Leningrad MD.
- General-Major Aleksandr Vasilyevich Mazharov, Chief of Armaments, Deputy Commander for Armaments, Leningrad MD.
The 1 October decree appointed:
- Colonel Gennadiy Nikolayevich Lapin, Deputy Chief of the Military Academy of Rear Services and Transport for Training and Scientific Work.
- Mr. Igor Nikolayevich Lyapin, Director, Transportation Support Department, Defense Ministry.
- Colonel Aleksey Anatolyevich Obvintsev, Chief, Military-Medical Academy Affiliate (St. Petersburg), relieved of duty as Chief, Military Institute of Physical Fitness.
Relieved of duties:
- General-Major Yuriy Mikhaylovich Rovchak, Deputy Chief of Military Academy of Communications named for S. M. Budennyy.
Relieved and dismissed from military service:
- General-Major Aleksandr Viktorovich Kochkin, Chief, Organization-Planning Directorate, Deputy Chief, Main Missile-Artillery Directorate.
- General-Major Igor Basherovich Medoyev, Assistant to the RF Defense Minister.
Dismissed from military service:
- General-Major of Medical Service Vladimir Borisovich Simonenko.
The 21 September decree relieved:
- Vice-Admiral Sergey Viktorovich Kuzmin, Chief of the Combat Training Directorate, Navy.
- Colonel Vladimir Mikhaylovich Prokopchik, Deputy Chief, Engineering Troops.
- Captain First Rank Vasiliy Anatolyevich Shevchenko, Chief, Technical Directorate, Pacific Fleet.
Appointed:
- Rear-Admiral Valeriy Vladimirovich Kulikov, Chief, Combat Training Directorate, Navy.
Relieved and dismissed from military service:
- General-Major Aleksandr Vasilyevich Stetsurin, Chief, Automotive Service, Volga-Ural MD.
- General-Major Aleksandr Nikolayevich Yakushin, Chief of Staff, First Deputy Commander, Space Troops.
Dismissed from military service:
- Rear-Admiral Anatoliy Ivanovich Lipinskiy.
Medvedev’s first military personnel decree on 8 July made Grigoriy Naginskiy a Deputy Defense Minister without portfolio, though he’s continued to work on housing and construction. The decree also appointed Vice-Admiral Vladimir Korolev as Commander, Black Sea Fleet. And it made General-Lieutenant Sergey Zhirov Director of the Defense Ministry’s Department of Rear Services Planning and Coordination, instead of Chief of Staff, First Deputy Chief of Rear Services.
Russian Defense Policy 