Russian military leader (1965–2023)
Gennady Valeryevich Zhidko (Russian: Геннадий Валериевич Жидко ; 12 September 1965 – 16 August 2023) was a
colonel general of the
Russian Armed Forces . He was awarded the title
Hero of the Russian Federation in 2017 for his service as chief of staff of
Russian forces deployed to Syria . Following this assignment, Zhidko commanded the
Eastern Military District and headed the
Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces .
In late May 2022, it was reported that Zhidko had been put in charge of Russian forces during the
Russian invasion of Ukraine , replacing Army General
Aleksandr Dvornikov .
[1] In October 2022, he was replaced by Army General
Sergey Surovikin as the new commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine.
Early life
Gennady Zhidko was born on 12 September 1965,
[2]
[3] in the village of
Yangiobod in the
Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic .
[4]
Graduating from the
Tashkent Higher Tank Command School in 1987, Zhidko became a platoon commander in the
27th Guards Motor Rifle Division .
[5]
[3]
[4]
[2] During Zhidko's service with the 27th Guards Motor Rifle Division, part of the
Volga and
Volga–Ural Military Districts at
Totskoye ,
Orenburg Oblast , Zhidko rose to
divizion (artillery battalion) commander, was promoted to captain early, and then to colonel.
[4]
[3] He received awards for organizing fire training from the commander of the Ural Military District, Colonel-General
Alexander Baranov .
[6]
In 1997, Zhidko graduated from the
Malinovsky Military Armored Forces Academy .
[5]
[4]
[3]
[2]
Military career
Zhidko served as commander of the 92nd Motor Rifle Regiment of the
201st Motor Rifle Division in
Dushanbe ,
Tajikistan by 2001.
[7]
[2] In 2007, he graduated from the
Military Academy of the General Staff .
[5]
[4]
[3]
[2] From August 2007 to July 2009, he was commander of the
20th Guards Motor Rifle Division of the
North Caucasian Military District , based in
Volgograd .
[4]
[3] During his tenure in this post, he continued the work of Major General
Aleskandr Lapin to establish trusting relationships with military groups, improve combat and technical training.
[3] He also oversaw the beginning of the transition of the division from conscripts to contract servicemen.
[8]
[9]
Zhidko with President
Vladimir Putin in 2017
From July 2009 to January 2011, he was the Deputy Commander of the
20th Guards Combined Arms Army of the
Moscow , then
Western Military Districts with headquarters in
Voronezh .
[4] From January 2011 to January 2012 – Chief of Staff – First Deputy Commander of the
6th Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District, based in
Saint Petersburg .
[10]
[4] He participated in the formation of this unit, for his organizational skills he was noted by the commander of the 6th Army, Major General
Yevgeny Ustinov ,
[11] with the Commander of the Western Military District, Colonel-General
Arkady Bakhin .
[12]
From January 2015 to September 2016, Zhidko was Chief of Staff – First Deputy Commander of the
2nd Guards Combined Arms Army , and from September 2016 to November 2017 – Commander of the 2nd Guards Combined Arms Army of the
Central Military District with headquarters in
Samara .
[4] During the
Zapad-2017 military exercises, the army units were quickly deployed from Samara to the
Kola Peninsula .
[13] On 20 February 2016, he was promoted to the rank of major general.
[14]
Zhidko in November 2018
In December 2017, Major General
Rustam Muradov took over as commander of the 2nd Combined Arms Army.
[15]
[16]
[17] A participant in the
Russian military intervention in Syria , in 2016, Zhidko served as chief of staff of the group of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Syria.
[18]
[19] From 22 November 2017 to 3 November 2018, he was the Deputy Chief of the
General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces .
[20]
[21]
[22] On 11 June 2018, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.
[23]
In November 2018, Zhidko was appointed commander of the
Eastern Military District ,
[24] replacing
Alexander Zhuravlyov , who had transferred to the post of commander of the Western Military District, on 13 November,
[25]
[26] he was presented to the leadership at the district headquarters in
Khabarovsk .
[27]
[28] On 11 June 2020, Zhidko was promoted to colonel general.
[29]
On 12 November 2021, Zhidko was appointed head of the
Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces (GVPU), a position included among the deputy ministers of defence. Zhidko replaced
Andrey Kartapolov , who had retired from the army.
[30]
[31] On 28 July 2022, Colonel General Viktor Goremykin replaced him as head of the GVPU.
[32]
2022 invasion of Ukraine
On 26 May 2022, the
Conflict Intelligence Team , citing Russian soldiers, reported that Zhidko had been put in charge of Russian forces during the
Russian invasion of Ukraine , replacing Army General
Aleksandr Dvornikov .
[1]
[33] On 22 June 2022,
The Guardian reported that during a visit to Ukraine by Russian defence minister
Sergei Shoigu , "footage appeared to confirm that the colonel general Gennady Zhidko is now commanding troops in Ukraine".
[34] Having assumed the position in May, Zhidko was demoted a month later to head of the Eastern Military District, and
Sergey Surovikin was publicly announced to have taken the position on October 8.
[35]
Zhidko was included under US sanctions in July 2022.
[36] He was also later sanctioned by Canada under the Special Economic Measures Act (S.C. 1992, c. 17) for Grave Breach of International Peace and Security
[37] and by the UK government on 15 March 2022, both in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
[38]
Death
Zhidko died in Moscow on 16 August 2023, at the age of 57.
[39]
[40]
[41]
See also
References
^
a
b Conflict Intelligence Team [@CITeam_en] (26 May 2022).
"Also reportedly, Russia's command in the battle for Donbas has undergone another shakeup — the overall commander is now said to be Colonel General Gennady Zhidko. Like Dvornikov, he once commanded operations in Syria and also headed the Eastern Military District" (
Tweet ) – via
Twitter .
^
a
b
c
d
e
"Военнослужащие, получившие награды за операцию в Сирии. Досье" .
TASS . 28 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g Александр Хроленко (29 April 2008).
"Главная высота" .
Krasnaya Zvezda . Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
"Жидко Геннадий Валериевич" (in Russian). Warheroes.ru. Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^
a
b
c
"Жидко Геннадий Валериевич" (in Russian). Ministry of Defense of Russia. Retrieved 13 April 2019 .
^ Юрий Белоусов (22 November 2003).
"С прицелом на будущее" .
Krasnaya Zvezda . Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^ Алескендер Рамазанов (27 December 2001).
" "В декабре есть еще одна дата…" " .
Krasnaya Zvezda . Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^ Александр Хроленко (27 November 2007).
"Реалии контрактизации" .
Krasnaya Zvezda . Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^ Юрий Бородин (20 December 2007).
"До чего дошел прогресс…" .
Krasnaya Zvezda (in Russian). Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^ Геннадий Миранович, Олег Починюк (6 May 2012).
"Северо-западный рубеж" .
Krasnaya Zvezda . Archived from
the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^ Олег Починюк (16 September 2011).
"Алгоритм успеха" .
Krasnaya Zvezda . Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^ Геннадий Миранович, Олег Починюк (6 May 2012).
"Северо-западный рубеж" .
Krasnaya Zvezda . Archived from
the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^ Александра Джорджевич, Иван Сафронов (11 December 2017).
"Они сражались за Сирию. 11 российских генералов, отличившихся в арабской республике" .
Kommersant . Retrieved 14 June 2018 .
^
"Указ Президента Российской Федерации "О присвоении воинских званий высших офицеров, специальных званий высшего начальствующего состава и высших специальных званий" " .
Krasnaya Zvezda . 20 February 2016. Archived from
the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^
"Командующим общевойсковой армией ЦВО в Поволжье назначен кавалер двух Орденов Мужества генерал-майор Рустам Мурадов" .
Ministry of Defense of Russia . 7 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018 .
^ Андрей Борсуков (7 December 2017).
"Командарм назначен. Дмитрий Азаров провел встречу с новым командующим 2-й гвардейской армии Рустамом Мурадовым" .
Volzhskaya kommuna . Archived from
the original on 19 March 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2018 .
^
"Личному составу 2-й гвардейской общевойсковой армии представили нового командующего" . Guberniatv. 7 December 2017. Archived from
the original on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2018 .
^
"Жидко: в Сирии проявились положительные изменения в российских ВС" .
TASS . 17 September 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^
"Назначены два новых замначальника Генштаба ВС России" .
RIA Novosti . 29 November 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^ Александр Пинчук, Виктор Худолеев (29 November 2017).
"Штандарты в надёжных руках" .
Krasnaya Zvezda . Archived from
the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^
"Главкомом ВКС назначен Сергей Суровикин" .
TASS . 29 November 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018 .
^
"Командующий группировкой российских войск в Сирии возглавил ВКС" .
RIA Novosti . 29 November 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2018 .
^
"Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 11.06.2018 № 298 "О присвоении воинских званий высших офицеров, специальных званий высшего начальствующего состава и классных чинов" " . Publication.pravo.gov.ru. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018 .
^
Назначения в Вооружённых Силах (PDF) (in Russian) (Российское военное обозрение ed.). «Военинформ» Минобороны России. November 2018. pp. 77–78.
^ Иван Сафронов (12 November 2018).
"Сирийский опыт передали Западу и Востоку. Определены новые командующие военными округами" .
Kommersant . Retrieved 13 November 2018 .
^
"Восточный военный округ возглавил воевавший в Сирии генерал" .
Kommersant . 13 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018 .
^
"Командующим войсками Восточного военного округа назначен генерал-лейтенант Геннадий Жидко" .
Ministry of Defense of Russia . 13 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018 .
^
"В Хабаровске представили нового командующего ВВО" .
RIA Novosti . 13 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018 .
^
"Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 11.06.2020 № 383 "О присвоении воинских званий высших офицеров, специальных званий высшего начальствующего состава и высшего специального звания" " . Publication.pravo.gov.ru. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020 .
^ Baranets, Viktor (15 November 2021).
"Герой войны в Сирии стал главным политруком армии" .
Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian). Retrieved 3 June 2022 .
^
"В Восточном военном округе сменился командующий" . Retrieved 16 November 2021 .
^
"Russian President appoints Goremykin as Deputy Minister of Defense" .
Azerbaijani Press Agency . Retrieved 31 July 2022 .
^
"General Dvornikov 'no longer in command' of Russian Army in Ukraine" .
The New Voice of Ukraine . 3 June 2022.
^
"Russia-Ukraine war: Kyiv hit by missile strikes; G7 leaders gather in Germany – live updates" .
The Guardian . 26 June 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022 .
^ Ilyushina, Mary; Abbakumova, Natalia (7 October 2022).
"Kremlin, shifting blame for war failures, axes military commanders" .
Washington Post . Retrieved 10 October 2022 .
^
"США ввели санкции против жены Лукашенко и восьмерых заместителей Шойгу" .
RBK Group . 15 March 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022 .
^
"Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations (SOR/2014-58)" . Retrieved 24 June 2023 .
^
"CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK" (PDF) . Retrieved 16 April 2023 .
^
"Умер бывший командующий Восточным военным округом Геннадий Жидко" [Former commander of the Eastern Military District Gennady Zhidko died]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). 16 August 2023.
^
"Russia's Former Top Commander in Ukraine Dies" .
The Moscow Times . 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023 .
^ Bennetts, Marc (17 August 2023).
"Russian commander dismissed over war failings dies 'of illness' in Moscow" .
The Times . Retrieved 17 August 2023 .
Overview
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