Alexander Ivanovich Baranov



Army General Alexander Ivanovich Baranov (Александр Иванович Баранов) (b. May 13, 1946) was the Commander of the North Caucasus Military District from July 2004 to May 2008. He is a recipient of the Hero of Russia award.

Yandiyev case
In July 2006 the European Court of Human Rights found the government of Russia guilty of the failure to protect from ill-treatment and a violation of the "right to life" of an alleged Chechen rebel fighter, Khadzhi-Murat Yandiyev. Key evidence in the case, according to court documents, was video footage filmed by a reporter for NTV and CNN television showing an army officer, later identified as Alexander Baranov, ordering soldiers to "finish off" and "shoot" Yandiyev after an argument between the two. Yandiyev was then separated from the other prisoners and has not been seen since.

Baranov, who has been questioned twice over the matter, has denied he sent Yandiyev to his death. He argues that his "intervention" was meant to calm Yandiyev down, and that the soldiers were not his direct subordinates and therefore could not have taken orders from him.

Honours and awards

 * Hero of the Russian Federation (5 May 2000)
 * Order of the Red Star
 * Order of Military Merit
 * Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, 3rd class