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Minister of Defence (Russia)

For military leaders of the Russian Empire, see Ministry of War of the Russian Empire and List of heads of the military of Imperial Russia.
For Ministers of Defence of the Soviet Union, see Minister of Defence (Soviet Union).

The Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation (Russian: Министр обороны Российской Федерации) is the minister responsible for the Russian Armed Forces. Marshal of Aviation Yevgeny Shaposhnikov was the last Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union. General Colonel Konstantin Kobets supported then President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Boris Yeltsin during the August coup of 1991. From 19 August until 9 September 1991, Konstantin Kobets was Defense Minister of the RSFSR, though there was no ministry.[1] This post was then abolished.

Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation
Министр обороны Российской Федерации
Emblem of the Minister of Defence
Flag of the Minister of Defence
since 14 May 2024
Ministry of Defence
Member ofGovernment, Security Council, CIS Defense Ministers Council
Reports toThe President
SeatDefense Ministry Building, Moscow
NominatorThe President
AppointerThe President
after consultation with Federation Council
PrecursorMinister of Defence (Soviet Union)
Formation20 August 1991 (20 August 1991)
First holderKonstantin Kobets
DeputyFirst Deputy Minister of Defence
WebsiteOfficial website

The first Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation was Boris Yeltsin, who appointed himself to the position by a decree of mid March 1992.[2]

In May 1992, President of Russia Boris Yeltsin appointed General of the Army Pavel Grachev to the post of Minister of Defence. Grachev's decision to side with Yeltsin in the Russian constitutional crisis of 1993, when the president called up tanks to shell the Russian White House to blast his opponents out of parliament, effectively deprived the Supreme Soviet of Russia of its nominal an opportunity[clarification needed] to overturn the president's authority. At least partly for that reason, Yeltsin retained his defence minister despite intense criticism of Grachev's management of the First Chechen War and the Russian military establishment in general. Finally, Yeltsin's victory in the first round of the 1996 Russian presidential election spurred Yeltsin to dismiss Grachev.[citation needed]

In March 2001, Sergei Ivanov, previously secretary of the Security Council of Russia, was appointed defence minister by President Vladimir Putin, becoming Russia's first non-uniformed civilian defence minister.[3] Putin called the personnel changes in Russia's security structures coinciding with Ivanov's appointment as defence minister "a step toward demilitarizing public life." Putin also stressed Ivanov's responsibility for overseeing military reform as defence minister. What Putin did not emphasise was Ivanov's long service within the KGB and FSB and his then rank of General-Lieutenant within the FSB. Such military and security agency associated men are known as siloviki.

As of 2002 there were four living Marshals of the Soviet Union. Such men were automatically Advisors to the Defence Minister. The Marshals alive at that time were Viktor Kulikov, Vasily Petrov, Sergei Sokolov, a former Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union, and Dmitri Yazov. Yazov was listed by the American analysts Scott and Scott in 2002 as a consultant to the (former 10th) Directorate for International Military Cooperation.[4] The last of the four, Yazov, died in February 2020.

Perhaps the first 'real' non-uniformed Defence Minister was Anatoliy Serdyukov, appointed in February 2007. Serdyukov was a former Tax Minister with little siloviki or military associations beyond his two years' military service.

List of ministers of defence

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  Denotes acting Minister of Defence
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Term of office Political party Defence branch Government
Took office Left office Time in office
1Kobets, KonstantinGeneral of the Army
Konstantin Kobets
(1939–2012)		20 August 19919 September 199120 daysCPSU  Russian Ground ForcesSilaev II
Between 9 September 1991 and 7 May 1992 the Russian Federation de jure did not have its own Minister of Defence. During this period its armed forces were under control of Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union Yevgeny Shaposhnikov.
–Yeltsin, BorisColonel
Boris Yeltsin
(1931–2007)
Acting		16 March 199218 May 199263 daysIndependentNoneYeltsin & Gaidar
2Grachev, PavelGeneral of the Army
Pavel Grachev
(1948–2012)		18 May 199218 June 19964 years, 31 daysIndependent  Russian Ground ForcesYeltsin & Gaidar
Chernomyrdin I
–Kolesnikov, MikhailGeneral of the Army
Mikhail Kolesnikov
(1939–2007)
Acting		18 June 199617 July 199629 daysIndependent  Russian Ground ForcesChernomyrdin I
3Rodionov, IgorGeneral of the Army in reserve
Igor Rodionov
(1936–2014)		17 July 199622 May 1997309 daysIndependent  Russian Ground ForcesChernomyrdin I–II
4Sergeyev, IgorMarshal of the Russian Federation
Igor Sergeyev
(1938–2006)		22 May 199728 March 20013 years, 310 daysIndependent  Russian Ground ForcesChernomyrdin II
Kiriyenko
Primakov
Stepashin
Putin I
Kasyanov
5Ivanov, SergeiColonel general in reserve
Sergei Ivanov
(born 1953)		28 March 200115 February 20075 years, 324 daysUnited Russia  Federal Security ServiceKasyanov
Fradkov I–II
6Serdyukov, AnatoliyColonel in reserve
Anatoliy Serdyukov
(born 1962)		15 February 20076 November 20125 years, 265 daysUnited Russia  Russian Ground ForcesFradkov II
Zubkov
Putin II
Medvedev I
7Shoigu, SergeiGeneral of the Army
Sergei Shoigu
(born 1955)		6 November 201212 May 202411 years, 188 daysUnited Russia  Ministry of Emergency SituationsMedvedev I–II
Mishustin I
8Belousov, AndreyAndrey Belousov
(born 1959)		14 May 2024Incumbent197 daysIndependentNoneMishustin II

Timeline

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Andrey BelousovSergei ShoiguAnatoliy SerdyukovSergei IvanovIgor SergeyevIgor RodionovMikhail Kolesnikov (politician)Pavel GrachevBoris YeltsinKonstantin Kobets

Former first deputy ministers of defence

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  • Andrei Kokoshin (3 April 1992 – 25 January 1996); (25 January 1996 – 28 August 1997), State Secretary
  • Pavel Grachyov (3 April 1992 – 18 May 1992)
  • Viktor Dubynin (10 June 1992 – 22 November 1992), Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces
  • Mikhail Kolesnikov (23 December 1992 – 18 October 1996), Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces
  • Viktor Samsonov (18 October 1996 – 22 May 1997), Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces
  • Anatoly Kvashnin (23 May 1997 – 19 June 1997), Acting Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces; (19 June 1997 – 19 July 2004), Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces
  • Nikolai Mikhailov (11 September 1997 – 28 March 2000), State Secretary
  • Vladimir Matyukhin (11 March 2003 – 21 May 2004)
  • Yury Baluyevsky (19 July 2004 – 3 June 2008), Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces
  • Aleksandr Belousov (19 July 2004 – 25 September 2007)
  • Aleksandr Kolmakov (25 September 2007 – 21 June 2010)
  • Nikolai Makarov (3 June 2008 – 9 November 2012), Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces
  • Vladimir Popovkin (21 June 2010 – 29 April 2011)
  • Aleksandr Sukhorukov (1 September 2011 – 9 November 2012)
  • Arkady Bakhin (9 November 2012 – 17 November 2015)
  • Ruslan Tsalikov (24 December 2015 – 29 May 2024)

Former deputy ministers of defence

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  • Georgy Kondratyev (10 June 1992 – 9 February 1995)
  • Valery Mironov (10 June 1992 – 9 February 1995)
  • Vladimir Toporov (10 June 1992 – 28 March 2001)
  • Boris Gromov (24 June 1992 – 16 March 1995)
  • Konstantin Kobets (?? June 1993 – 18 May 1997), Chief Military Inspector of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
  • Matvey Burlakov (23 August 1994 – 9 February 1995)
  • Anatoly Solomatin (9 February 1995 – ?? April 1997), Chief of Construction and Quartering of Troops
  • Vladimir Churanov (17 January 1995 – 16 June 1997), Chief of Logistics of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
  • Aleksandr Kosovan (?? April 1997 – 6 March 2003), Chief of Construction and Quartering of Troops
  • Vladimir Isakov (30 June 1997 – 2 December 2008), Chief of Logistics of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
  • Mikhail Dmitriyev (13 November 2000 – 8 April 2004)
  • Aleksei Moskovsky (28 March 2001 – 19 April 2007), Chief of Armament of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
  • Igor Puzanov (28 March 2001 – 18 October 2004), State Secretary
  • Lyubov Kudelina (28 March 2001 – 18 October 2004), Chief of the Main Financial-Economic Administration of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation and Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation for Financial-Economic Work; (1 September 2007 – 14 April 2009), Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation for Financial-Economic Work
  • Nikolai Kormiltsev (28 April 2001 – 29 September 2004), Commander-in-chief of the Land Force
  • Anatoly Grebenyuk (4 March 2003 – 18 October 2004), Chief of Construction and Quartering of Troops
  • Nikolai Makarov (19 April 2007 – 3 June 2008), Chief of Armament of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
  • Oleg Eskin (19 November 2007 – 20 November 2008)
  • Vladimir Popovkin (?? July 2008 – 21 June 2010), Chief of Armament of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
  • Vladimir Filippov (17 September 2008 – 12 January 2010), Chief of Quartering and Accommodation
  • Dmitry Chushkin (20 November 2008 – 15 November 2012)
  • Dmitry Bulgakov (2 December 2008 – 27 July 2010), Chief of Logistics of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
  • Vera Chistova (14 April 2009 – 4 November 2010), Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation for Financial-Economic Work
  • Grigory Naginsky (12 January 2010 – 6 July 2010), Chief of Quartering and Accommodation; (6 July 2010 – 22 April 2011)
  • Mikhail Mokretsov (27 July 2010 – 5 July 2011), Chief of Staff of the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation; (5 July 2011 – 10 December 2011)
  • Yelena Kozlova (25 June 2012 – 15 November 2012)
  • Oleg Ostapenko (9 November 2012 – 9 October 2013)
  • Ruslan Tsalikov (15 November 2012 – 24 December 2015)
  • Aleksei Dyumin (24 December 2015 – 2 February 2016)
  • Anatoly Antonov (2 February 2011 – 29 December 2016)
  • Yury Borisov (15 November 2012 – 18 May 2018)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Vladimir Orlov, Roland Timerbaev, and Anton Khlopkov, Nuclear Nonproliferation in U.S.-Russian Relations: Challenges and opportunities, PIR Library Series, 2002, p. 24. Accessed at "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2010-06-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) 7 June 2010.
  2. ^ William Eldridge Odom, 'The Collapse of the Soviet Military,' Yale University Press, 1998, ISBN 0-300-08271-1, p. 385.
  3. ^ Peter Finn, Russian Leader Expands Powers of a Possible Successor Archived 2017-10-18 at the Wayback Machine, Washington Post, 16 February 2007.
  4. ^ Harriet F. Scott and William Scott, Russian Military Directory 2002, p. 341, citing DS2002-0802.
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