# Commander of the Russian Airborne Forces

The Commander of the Russian Airborne Forces (Russian: Командующий воздушно-десантными войсками России) is a general officer position that is tasked with leading the Russian Airborne Forces. The office is part of the Airborne Forces Command and reports to the Chief of the General Staff.

## History

On 4 September 1941 the Directorate of the Commander of the Airborne Forces (VDV) of the Red Army was established. All of the Soviet airborne corps were transferred from the front commanders of the Red Army to be subordinated to the new organization, led by the Commander of the Airborne Forces. In October 1944 it was transferred from the Red Army to the Soviet Air Forces. In 1946 the VDV was placed under the direct command of the Ministry of Defense, then became part of the Soviet Ground Forces in 1956, before once again being made a separate combat arm in 1964.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the modern Russian Airborne Forces were officially established on 7 May 1992 by presidential decree No. 466.
In 1998 the Directorate of the Commander of the Airborne Forces was reorganized into the Airborne Forces Command.

## List of commanders

| No. | Commander of the Airborne Forces | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
| 1 | Lieutenant General Vasily Glazunov (1896–1967) | 4 September 1944 | June 1943 | ~1 year, 270 days |
| 2 | Major General Alexander Kapitokhin (1892–1958) | June 1943 | August 1944 | ~1 year, 61 days |
| 3 | Lieutenant General Ivan Zatevakhin (1901–1957) | August 1944 | April 1946 | ~1 year, 243 days |
| 4 | Lieutenant General Vasily Glagolev (1898–1947) | 10 June 1946 | 21 September 1947 | 1 year, 103 days |
| 5 | Lieutenant General Alexander Kazankin (1900–1955) | October 1947 | December 1948 | ~1 year, 61 days |
| 6 | Colonel General Sergei Rudenko (1904–1990) | December 1948 | September 1949 | ~274 days |
| (5) | Lieutenant General Alexander Kazankin (1900–1955) | January 1950 | March 1950 | ~59 days |
| 7 | Colonel General Alexander Gorbatov (1891–1973) | March 1950 | May 1954 | ~4 years, 61 days |
| 8 | Colonel General Vasily Margelov (1908–1990) | June 1954 | March 1959 | ~4 years, 273 days |
| 9 | Colonel General Ivan Tutarinov (1904–1978) | March 1959 | July 1961 | ~2 years, 122 days |
| (8) | Army General Vasily Margelov (1908–1990) | July 1961 | January 1979 | ~17 years, 184 days |
| 10 | Army General Dmitri Sukhorukov (1922–2003) | January 1979 | June 1987 | ~8 years, 151 days |
| 11 | Colonel General Nikolai Kalinin (1937–2008) | August 1987 | January 1989 | ~1 year, 153 days |
| 12 | Colonel General Vladislav Achalov (1945–2011) | January 1989 | December 1990 | ~1 year, 334 days |
| 13 | Colonel General Pavel Grachev (1948–2012) | December 1990 | 31 August 1991 | ~243 days |
| 14 | Colonel General Yevgeny Podkolzin (1936–2003) | 31 August 1991 | 4 December 1996 | 5 years, 95 days |
| 15 | Colonel General Georgy Shpak (born 1943) | 4 December 1996 | 10 September 2003 | 6 years, 280 days |
| 16 | Colonel General Alexander Kolmakov (born 1955) | 10 September 2003 | 19 November 2007 | 4 years, 70 days |
| 17 | Lieutenant General Valery Yevtukhovich (born 1954) | 19 November 2007 | 6 May 2009 | 1 year, 168 days |
| – | Lieutenant General Nikolai Ignatov (born 1956) Acting | 6 May 2009 | 24 May 2009 | 18 days |
| 18 | Colonel General Vladimir Shamanov (born 1957) | 24 May 2009 | 5 October 2016 | 7 years, 134 days |
| 19 | Colonel General Andrey Serdyukov (born 1962) | 5 October 2016 | 16 June 2022 | 5 years, 254 days |
| 20 | Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky (born 1969) | 16 June 2022 | | 2 years, 270 days |

## Deputies and chiefs of staff
### First deputy commanders
#### Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander

* Nikolai Staskov (1998–2005)
* Valery Yevtukhovich (2005–2007)
* Nikolai Ignatov (2008–2019)
* Yevgeny Ustinov (2019–2022)
* Anatoly Kontsevoy (2022–present)

#### First Deputy Commander

* Vasily Margelov (1959–1961)
* Dmitri Sukhorukov (1969–1971)
* Pavel Grachev (1990–1991)
* Osvaldas Pikauskas (1991–1995)
* Alexander Chindarov (1995–1997)
* Post abolished (1997–1998)

#### Chief of Staff

* Yevgeny Podkolzin (1986–1991)
* Valery Belyayev (1991–1998)

### Deputy commanders
#### Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces

* Valery Yevtukhovich (2000–2005)
* Nikolai Ignatov (2005–2008)
* Yevgeny Ustinov (2008–2009)
* Alexander Lentsov (2009–2013)
* Andrei Kholzakov (2013–2019)
* Anatoly Kontsevoy (2019–2022)
* Alexey Naumets (2022–2023)
* Nikolai Choban (2023?–present)

#### Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces for Combat Training

* Alexander Lebed (1991–1992)
* Alexey Sigutkin ( –2000)
* Vladimir Oparin (2000–2002)
* Gevork Isakhanyan (2002–2006)
* Nikolai Belyayev (2008–2010)
* Sergey Volyk (2016–present)

#### Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces for Airborne Training

* Vyacheslav Borisov (2002–2009)
* Andrei Kholzakov (2009–2013)
* Alexey Ragozin (2013–2015)
* Vladimir Kochetkov (2015–2020)
* Aleksandr Vyaznikov (2020–present)

#### Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces for Peacekeeping

* Nikolai Staskov (1993–1997)
* Vladimir Kazantsev (1997–2000)
* Aleksandr Popov (2000–2001)
* Andrei Kholzakov (2019–present)