Sergey Vyazmitinov Count Sergey Kuzmich Vyazmitinov ( ) ( 7 October 1744 – 15 October 1819 , Saint Petersburg ) , was a Russia n general and statesman . He descended from the ancient noble landowner ' s family of Ruthenia n origin , known from end of 15th century . 22 June 1759 he was recorded as corporal into the Observational Corps , but started service only 21 December 1761 as ensign of Ukrainian Narodnoe Opolcheniye Corps . In 1762 he was moved into Manezh Company ( " Манежная рота " ) . During Russo - Turkish War , 1768 - 1774 he was aide - de - camp of the Vice President of the War Collegium Count Zakhar Chernyshev , from 1770 he was a " generals - auditor - lieutenants " in the rank of premier - major , manager of the affairs of the march office of Chernyshev ( from October 1771 of Count Peter Rumyantsev - Zadunaysky ) . In 1777 he was promoted to Colonel and was appointed as the commander of Astrakhan infantry regiment . On 22 September 1786 he obtained the rank of Major General and became the commander of the Astrakhan grenadier regiment for whose formation he was chiefly responsible . During Russo - Turkish War , 1787 - 1792 he commanded joined forces of the chasseur s and grenadiers battalions and participated in the taking of Khotin , Akkerman and Bendery . From 1 March 1790 Vyazmyatinov was the ruler of Mogilev ' s deputy and the commander of Belarusian chasseur Corps . On 2 September 1793 he was promoted to lieutenant - general , from 4 March 1794 Senator . In September 1794 he was appointed acting Governor General of Simbirsk and Ufa . From 1795 he commanded the Orenburg Corps . He helped stifle a rebellion of Kyrgyz and secured election as the khan of the Russian - backed puppet . From 29 November 1796 he was Orenburg military governor and the chief of Moscow musketeer regiment . He was a military governor of Kamenets - Podolskiy from 1 December 1796 , from 3 December 1796 Governor General of Malorossiya , from 13 January 1797 commandant of Peter and Paul Fortress and the chief of its garrison regiment . Simultaneously ( from 24 April 1797 ) he commanded the Commissariat Department . On 5 November 1799 Vyazmyatinov was dismissed from the military service . On 9 September 1801 he was appointed the civil governor of Malorossiya . From 1 January 1802 he was the Vice President of the War Collegium and from 15 January simultaneously a senator and a member of the Permanent Council ( " Непременный Совет " ) . After the creation of Ministry of Land Forces in 8 September he become the first Defense Minister of Russia and carried out enormous work on the reorganization of the Arms Forces Administration . During his departure into front - line army ( 1805 ) emperor Aleksander I left Vyazmitinov as the commander - in - chief in St . Petersburg . 13 January 1808 he was dismissed ( one of the reasons were the large scale of abuses by the commissariat officials ) . On 20 April 1811 he was newly accepted to the service , and with appointment as a member of the State Council . From 25 March 1812 he was a member of the Committee of Ministers , and from 28 March Vyazmitinov was the commander - in - chief in St . Petersburg during absence of the Emperor , managing the Ministry of Police . Simultaneously , from 9 September 1812 he was the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers , and from 30 October 1816 military Governor General of St . Petersburg . On 19 August 1818 Vyazmitinov was granted a comital title . He was buried in the Lazarev burial - vault of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery .