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RF President Vladimir Putin signed out his latest promotion list on December 12, 2018. For the MOD, it included two new three-stars, 10 two-stars, and 11 one-stars.
Against 23 MOD promotees, the National Guard had 13 (1 three-star, 3 two-stars, and 9 one-stars).
Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of the Central MD Yevgeniy Ustinov became a general-colonel.
Ustinov served as a conscript in 1979-1980 before becoming a career Airborne Troops officer. He earned combat experience in his two years in Afghanistan serving as a deputy battalion commander.
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After mid-career assignments and graduating MAGS, he served briefly as commander of the 106th Airborne Division in 2007. In 2009, he became deputy commander of the former Leningrad MD, and then commanded its 6th CAA.
He became deputy commander of the Central MD in 2013. He was TDY in Syria during 2016-2017 when he participated in the second operation to reclaim Palmyra. He was one of the leading contenders to replace Vladimir Shamanov as VDV commander in 2016.
He was passed over when younger General-Lieutenant Aleksandr Lapin was brought in from the Eastern MD to command the Central MD in 2017.
Ustinov has been acting MD commander since October so Lapin is likely commanding Russian forces in Syria now. But what about when Lapin returns? A two-star with a three-star first deputy? Lapin is likely to get his third star in February before he returns to the Central MD.
VDV generals who’ve traded blue for green uniforms may experience jealousy and resentment from career Ground Troops colleagues. Ustinov could be the victim of some of this.
Also getting his third star is Baltic Fleet Commander Admiral Aleksandr Nosatov who got his current post when his predecessor was dismissed for deficiencies in combat training and for distorted reports about the state of his command.
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The two-star promotions include:
- Chief of the command center of the Main Command of Ground Troops;
- Commander of the RVSN’s 27th Missile Army;
- Chief of Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense (RKhBZ) Troops;
- Commander of the 58th CAA;
- Chief of staff, first deputy commander of the Northern Fleet;
- Chief of staff, first deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet;
- A senior air forces officer serving as a deputy chief of the General Staff’s Main Operations Directorate;
- A duty general from the National Defense Command and Control Center;
- Deputy commander for material-technical support, Northern Fleet;
- Deputy chief of the material-technical support directorate, Aerospace Forces.
The one-stars include:
- Chief of staff, first deputy commander of the Pacific Fleet’s Primorsk Flotilla;
- Commander of the RVSN’s 7th Missile Division;
- Commander of the 32nd Air Defense Division;
- Commander of the 76th Air Defense Division;
- Commander of the 8th Special Designation Aviation Division;
- Deputy chief of the Military-Academy of Communications;
- Chief of the Military-Orchestra Service.
Four new general-majors could not be identified in a post at present.
