Valery Gerasimov

Not to be confused with Vitaly Gerasimov.

Hero of the Russian Federation
Valery Gerasimov
Валерий Герасимов
Official portrait, 2013
Chief of the General Staff
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 November 2012
PresidentVladimir Putin
MinisterSergei Shoigu
Andrey Belousov
DeputyNikolai Bogdanovsky
Preceded byNikolai Makarov
Commander of the Central Military District
In office
26 April – 8 November 2012
Preceded byVladimir Chirkin
Succeeded byAlexander Dvornikov
First Deputy Chief of the General Staff
In office
23 December 2010 – March 2012
ChiefNikolai Makarov
Preceded byAlexander Burutin
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Nikolai Bogdanovsky (2014)
Commander of the Joint Group of Forces in the Special Military Operation zone
Incumbent
Assumed office
11 January 2023
DeputySergey Surovikin
Oleg Salyukov
Alexei Kim
Preceded bySergey Surovikin
Personal details
Born (1955-09-08) 8 September 1955 (age 69)
Kazan, Tatar ASSR, Soviet Union
Alma materGeneral Staff Academy
ProfessionSoldier
Military service
Allegiance
  • Soviet Union (1973–1991)
  • Russia (since 1991)
Branch/service
Years of service1977–present
RankGeneral of the Army[1]
Commands
Battles/wars
Awards

Valery Vasilyevich Gerasimov[a][b] (born 8 September 1955) is a Russian army general serving as the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and First Deputy Minister of Defence.

He was appointed by president Vladimir Putin on 9 November 2012, replacing Nikolai Makarov,[5][6][7] 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.[8] Gerasimov has been described as a loyal follower of Putin.[9][10]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference decree was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Russian Army General Staff Chief Gerasimov, ten Russian military servicemen suspected of involvement in Ilovaisk tragedy - SBU". Kyiv Post. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  3. ^ Gerasimova, Tanya (28 April 2022). "Russian Chief of General Staff Gerasimov Arrives in Kharkiv Region to Personally Command Offensive". Ukrainian News. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Institute for the Study of War".
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference kremlin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc-profile was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference mod-bio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "General Gerasimov, Russia's top soldier, appears for first time since Wagner mutiny". Reuters. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Why is Vladimir Putin standing by Russian General Valery Gerasimov after four key failures during the Ukraine war?". ABC. 8 May 2023.
  10. ^ "The war in Ukraine has led to infighting among Russia's most influential players. These are the 7 people you need to know". Business Insider. 24 June 2023.


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