Vitaly Gerasimov
Native name
Виталий Петрович Герасимов
Birth nameVitaly Pyetrovich Gerasimov
Born(1977-07-09)9 July 1977
Kazan, Tatar ASSR, Russian SFSR, USSR
Allegiance Russia
Service/branch Russian Ground Forces
Years of service1995–present
RankMajor general
Commands heldChief of Staff, 41st Combined Arms Army
Battles/wars

Vitaly Petrovich Gerasimov (Russian: Виталий Петрович Герасимов; born 9 July 1977[1]) is a Russian Ground Forces major general (one-star rank), the chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army.

On 7 March 2022, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence announced that Gerasimov was killed in Kharkiv Oblast during the Russian invasion of Ukraine,[2][3] but Gerasimov was confirmed to be alive by BBC Russian when he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky on 23 May 2022.[4][5]

Early life and education

Vitaly Petrovich Gerasimov was born on 9 July 1977 in Kazan.[6] Gerasimov graduated from the Kazan Higher Tank Command School in 1999 and from the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2007.[1][7]

Military career

Gerasimov fought in the Second Chechen War (1999–2000). From 2007 to 2010, he commanded a motor-rifle battalion in the North Caucasus Military District. In October 2013, as a colonel, he was assigned as commander of the 15th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (Peacekeeping).[6]

He was awarded campaign medals for participating in the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the Russian military operation in Syria (from 2015). [2][8] In June 2016, he was promoted to the rank of major-general.[9]

Gerasimov was claimed by Ukrainian authorities to have been killed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 7 March 2022 near Kharkiv, along with several other senior Russian officials.[2][10][11] The Ukrainian defence ministry offered no proof, and US officials and CNN were not able to verify the claim.[12] The Netherlands-based open-source intelligence (OSINT) fact-checking group Bellingcat said it had confirmed the death by accessing a Ukrainian intercept of Russian communications, as well as by means of "a Russian source".[11][13] The Guardian newspaper reported on 8 March that the Ukrainian defence department "broadcast what it claimed was a conversation between two Russian FSB officers discussing the death and complaining that their secure communications were no longer functioning inside Ukraine".[8] Gerasimov was later seen alive when he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky on 23 May.[14][15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Назначения в Вооруженных Силах России [Appointments in the Armed Forces of Russia] (PDF). Российское военное обозрение [Russian Military Review] (in Russian). Russian Ministry of Defence. 9 (185): 78. September 2019. ISSN 0134-921X. OCLC 913825191. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Massie, Graeme (7 March 2022). "Ukraine claims it has killed another Russian general during fighting in Kharkiv". The Independent. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  3. ^ Під Харковом ліквідовано генерал-майора російської армії [A major general of the Russian army was liquidated near Kharkiv]. Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (in Ukrainian and English). Government of Ukraine. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  4. ^ Smirnova, Yuliana (23 May 2022). Воскрес "убитый" генерал ВС РФ Герасимов. Pravda.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  5. ^ Груз 200: что известно о потерях России в Украине к середине июня. BBC News Russian. 10 June 2022.
  6. ^ a b Полковник Виталий Герасимов назначен командиром самарских миротворцев [Colonel Vitaly Gerasimov appointed commander of Samara peacekeepers]. Новости Волги (Volga News) (in Russian). 21 October 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  7. ^ Komaxidze, Irakli (19 November 2017). "Commanders of 15th MRB ready to carry out Kremlin's criminal orders". InformNapalm.org. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  8. ^ a b Borger, Julian (8 March 2022). "Vitaly Gerasimov: second Russian general killed, Ukraine defence ministry claims". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  9. ^ Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 11 June 2016 г. № 276 [Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of June 11, 2016 No. 276]. President of Russia (in Russian). Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Ukraine: Russian general killed near Kharkiv, say defenders". BBC News. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  11. ^ a b Bowman, Verity (8 March 2022). "Second Russian general killed on the battlefield as 'demoralised' troops suffer heavy losses". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  12. ^ Picheta, Rob; Guy, Jack (9 March 2022). "Ukraine claims Russian general has been killed in Kharkiv". CNN. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  13. ^ Martin, Alexander (8 March 2022). "Russians reportedly take out own secure communications system during Kharkiv assault". Sky News. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  14. ^ Smirnova, Yuliana (23 May 2022). Воскрес "убитый" генерал ВС РФ Герасимов. Pravda.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  15. ^ Груз 200: что известно о потерях России в Украине к середине июня. BBC News Russian. 10 June 2022.

External links

Russian invasion of Ukraine
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