Sergey Surovikin

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Vladimirovich and the family name is Surovikin.

General of the Army
Sergey Surovikin
Сергей Суровикин
Official portrait, 2021
Head of the CIS' Coordinating Committee for Air Defence
Incumbent
Assumed office
10 September 2023
Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces
In office
22 November 2017 – 22 August 2023
PresidentVladimir Putin
Preceded byViktor Bondarev
Succeeded byViktor Afzalov
Commander of the Joint Group of Forces in the Special Military Operation zone
In office
8 October 2022 – 11 January 2023
Preceded byGennady Zhidko
Succeeded byValery Gerasimov
Deputy Commander of the Joint Group of Forces in the Special Military Operation zone
In office
11 January 2023 – 22 August 2023
Serving with Oleg Salyukov & Alexei Kim
Succeeded byOleg Salyukov & Alexei Kim
Personal details
Born11 October 1966 (1966-10-11) (age 58)
Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Awards
Nickname(s)General Armageddon[1]
Butcher of Syria[2]
Military service
Allegiance Soviet Union
 Russia
Branch/service
Years of service1987–present
RankGeneral of the Army
Commands34th Motor Rifle Division
42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division
20th Guards Army
Eastern Military District
Group of Forces in Syria
Russian Aerospace Forces
Battles/wars

Sergey Vladimirovich Surovikin (Russian: Серге́й Влади́мирович Сурови́кин; born 11 October 1966) is a Russian army general who serves as head of the Coordinating Committee for Air Defence under the Council of Defence Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) since September 2023.[3][4]

From 2017 to August 2023, Surovikin was the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces from 2017 until he was reportedly sacked by Vladimir Putin for an alleged involvement with the Wagner Group rebellion.[5] A veteran of the Soviet–Afghan War, Tajikistani Civil War, Second Chechen War, and the Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war, he was from October 2022 to January 2023 the commander of all Russian forces in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and deputy commander from January 2023 to August 2023.[6]

During the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, Surovikin commanded a unit that killed three anti-coup demonstrators, for which he was detained for several months but never convicted.[7] He played an important role in the creation of the Main Directorate of the Military Police, a new organisation within the Russian army.[8] Surovikin commanded the Eastern Military District between 2013 and 2017, and in 2017 commanded the Russian group of forces in Syria. He is accredited with turning the tide of the war in Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's favour, and is also alleged to have been responsible for strikes on civilian targets during the Russian intervention.[7][9]

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Surovikin was initially the commander of the Southern Grouping of Forces of the Russian Armed Forces.[10] On 8 October 2022, he became the commander of all Russian forces invading Ukraine,[11] but was demoted to deputy commander and replaced by Valery Gerasimov in January 2023.[12] In late June 2023, rumors about his arrest emerged, according to unconfirmed reports following alleged involvement with the Wagner Group rebellion.[13][14] Surovikin's daughter claimed to be in contact with her father and insisted that he had not been detained.[15]

On 10 September 2023, Surovikin was elected as head of the Coordinating Committee for Air Defence under the Council of Defence Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).[3][4] His official visit to Algeria soon after dispelled all rumors about his whereabouts.[16][17]

  1. ^ "Who is Putin's hard-line new commander?". BBC. 12 October 2022. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference poli1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference CISairHeadISW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference CISairHeadUKP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Roth, Andrew; Sauer, Pjotr (23 August 2023). "Russia removes Sergei Surovikin as head of aerospace forces". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  6. ^ Vernon, Will; Gozzi, Laura (11 January 2023). "Ukraine war: Sergei Surovikin removed as commander of Ukraine invasion force". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  7. ^ a b Seddon, Max; Miller, Christopher (11 October 2022). "Vladimir Putin taps 'General Armageddon' to reverse Ukraine battlefield failures". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference rgsozdatel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cherkasov, Alexander (26 June 2022). "Люди, стрелявшие в наших отцов". Novaya Gazeta. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Russia names new commander of its forces engaged in Ukraine". Alarabiya. 8 October 2022. Archived from the original on 30 October 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  12. ^ Austin, Henry (11 January 2023). "Putin replaces commander of Russia's war in Ukraine after just 3 months". NBC News. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference :Arrested was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference CNN_Russian_Gen_Sergey was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference daugther_notarrested was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference AlgeriaSep23 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference AlgeriaSep23UKP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).