# Andrey Ivanayev

Andrey Sergeyevich Ivanayev (Russian: Андрей Сергеевич Иванаев; born on 20 January 1972), is a Kazakh-born Russian army officer who is currently the commander of the Eastern Military District, since November 2024.
He had been the commander of the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District from 2018 to 2022. He is a colonel general as of 2025.
Due to participation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and undermining the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the country, Ivanayev is under personal international sanctions of all countries of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Ukraine, and New Zealand.

## Biography

Andrey Ivanayev was born on 19 January 1972 in Uralsk, Kazakh SSR (present-day Oral, Kazakhstan).
Since joining the military service in 1988, he entered the Ulyanovsk Guards Higher Tank Command School named after V.I. Lenin. In connection with the disbandment of the school in 1991, he continued his studies in the 9th company of the Chelyabinsk Higher Tank Command School named after the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution, which he successfully graduated in 1992.
He served from the commander of a tank platoon of a tank battalion of the 409th motorized rifle regiment of the 147th Motor Rifle Division (Akhalkalaki) of the Group of Russian Forces of the Transcaucasus (GRVZ) (former Transcaucasian Military District) to the commander of a tank battalion of the 27th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade named for the 60th Anniversary of the USSR of the Western Military District.
After graduating from the Combined Arms Academy in 2001, he was appointed the deputy commander of the 1st Guards Motorized Rifle Sevastopol Regiment of the 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Taman Division named after M.I. Kalinina.
From 2006 to 2008, he was the commander of the 1st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment.
In 2008, he was promoted to the deputy commander of the 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Taman Division.
In 2009, he was promoted to the commander of the 5th Guards Separate Motorized Rifle Taman Brigade. On 23 February 2011, by decree of the president of Russia, Ivanayev was promoted to major general.
In 2013, he graduated with honors from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia.
From 2013 to 2014, he was the head of the 392nd District Training Centre of the Pacific of the Eastern Military District.
In 2015, he was the deputy commander, then promoted in 2017, as the chief of staff – first deputy commander of the 36th Combined Arms Army of the Eastern Military District. At the same time of that same year, he was the commander of the Euphrates group in Syria.
By decree of the president of Russia in May 2018, Ivanyev had been appointed commander of the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District. On 15 May, in Voronezh, the chief of staff of the Western Military District, Lieutenant General Viktor Astapov, presented Major General Ivanayev with a personal standard and introduced him to the personnel of the formation.
On 11 June 2019, by decree of the president of the Russia 11 June 2019, he was promoted to lieutenant general.
In November 2024, Ivanayev was appointed as commander of Eastern Military District. He was promoted to the rank of colonel general on 21 February 2025.

## Sanctions

Due to the violation of the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian war, Ivanayev is under personal international sanctions from different countries.
On 25 February 2022, he was placed under Australian sanctions. On 15 March, he was sanctioned by Britain. On 18 March, he was placed under sanctions from New Zealand.
On 6 May, he has been sanctioned by Canada for “complicity in President Putin’s choice to invade a peaceful and sovereign country.” By decree of the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenksyy, from 19 October, he is under sanctions from Ukraine.
On 23 June 2023, he was also included in the sanctions list of all EU countries for the deployment of Russian troops that are participating “in Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine.”

## Family

He is married and has a son and daughter.