Vladimir Chirkin

Colonel General Vladimir Valentinovich Chirkin (генерал полковник Владимир Валентинович Чиркин, born October 12, 1955 in Khasavyurt, Dagastani Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, RSFSR, USSR) is a Russian military officer and current commander of Russian Ground Forces as of April 26, 2012.

Chirkin studied at the Kazan Suvorov Military School from 1971 to 1974 and the Konev Higher Joint Command School in Alma Ata from 1974-1978. He entered military service in 1978. From 1978 to 1983, he served with Soviet forces in Germany. He also served in the Baltic region, the Russian Far East, and the North Caucasus before becoming deputy commander of the Moscow Military District in 2007. He was Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of the Trans-Volga-Ural Military District from December 2008, and Commander of the Siberian Military District from January 2010. He then served as Commander of the Central Military District beginning in December 2010 before being named commander of Ground Forces.

His other military education includes the Frunze Military Academy, from which he graduated in 1988 and the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia which he graduate from in 2000.

His awards include the Order "For Service Before the Fatherland," Fourth Class (Орден «За заслуги перед Отечеством» IV степени), The Order of Bravery (Oрден Мужества), the Order "For Military Service" («За военные заслуги»), and the Order "For Service to the Mother Land in the Armed Forces of the USSR," third class (Орден «За службу Родине в Вооружённых Силах СССР» III степени), as well as other medals.