Mikhail Yevgenyevich Mizintsev (; born 10 September 1962) is a Russian

colonel general Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically General officer#Old European system, general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, ...

. He headed the

National Defense Management Center The National Defense Management Center, also known as the National Defense Control Center (NDCC) (, ) НЦУО, formerly the Central Command Post of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces is the supreme Command center, command and control ...

of Russia, served as the deputy minister of defence of Russia for logistics from 24 September 2022 to 27 April 2023, and later in

Wagner Group The Wagner Group (), officially known as PMC Wagner (, ), is a Russian state-funded private military company (PMC) controlled 2023 Wagner Group plane crash, until 2023 by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former close ally of Russia's president Vladimir Pu ...

. During the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, Mizintsev commanded Russian forces during the

siege of Mariupol The siege of Mariupol began on 24 February 2022 and lasted until 20 May, as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It saw fighting between the Russian Armed Forces (alongside the Donetsk People's Republic People's Militia) and the Ukrainian ...

. He commanded numerous attacks on civilians, including airstrikes on the city's

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

and

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

, which were denounced as

war crimes A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...

and earned him the nickname of "Butcher of Mariupol".

Military career

Mizintsev began his military career in 1980, under the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, and continued serving in the

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...

after its dissolution.

Syrian civil war

He allegedly orchestrated bombing campaigns during the

Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war {{Infobox military conflict , partof = the foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war, foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war, and the war against the Islamic State , image = , image_size = , border ...

, including at the Battle of Aleppo. He was accused of arranging a brutal bombing campaign that annihilated Aleppo. He is a recipient of the "Participant of the military operation in Syria" Medal.

Russo-Ukraine War

During the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, Mizintsev has led troops during the

Siege of Mariupol The siege of Mariupol began on 24 February 2022 and lasted until 20 May, as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It saw fighting between the Russian Armed Forces (alongside the Donetsk People's Republic People's Militia) and the Ukrainian ...

, reportedly taking a personal role in directing the siege. He has been accused of war crimes by multiple people, including Ukrainian human rights lawyer

Oleksandra Matviichuk Oleksandra Viacheslavivna Matviichuk (; born 8 October 1983) is a Ukrainian human rights lawyer and civil society leader based in Kyiv. She heads the non-profit organization Centre for Civil Liberties (Nobel Peace Prize receiver in 2022) and is ...

, who stated that he should be held accountable for war crimes at the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

. Mizintsev has denied these accusations, blaming Ukrainian forces for creating "a terrible humanitarian catastrophe", accusing the

Azov Battalion The 12th Special Forces Brigade "Azov" () is a formation of the National Guard of Ukraine formerly based in Mariupol, in the coastal region of the Sea of Azov, from which it derives its name. It was founded in May 2014 as the Azov Battalion (), ...

of hiding inside the drama theatre and hospital, and claiming he will allow the "safe exit" of anyone in Mariupol who surrenders. His claims have been refuted by sources which assert refugees are being attacked and sent to filtration camps. On 24 September 2022 Mizintsev was appointed deputy minister of defense of Russia and Chief of the Rear, replacing Dmitry Bulgakov. On 27 April 2023, Russian military correspondent Alexander Sladkov confirmed via Telegram that Mizintsev was sacked from his post as deputy defense minister for logistics. Russian military blogger and propagandist Semyon Pegov stated that this was part of a "number of senior dismissals likely related to Putin's visit to Ukraine where officers at the front had an opportunity to explain the real situation." On 5 May 2023, Reuters reported that Mizintsev was visible in two videos on Telegram posted by war correspondent Alexander Simonov wearing Wagner-branded combat gear. He was shown visiting a training camp and touring Russian positions in Bakhmut. In a video statement,

Yevgeny Prigozhin Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin (1 June 1961 – 23 August 2023) was a Russian mercenary leader and oligarch. He led the Wagner Group, a private military company, and was a close confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin until launching a ...

praised Mizintsev but did not confirm or deny that he was hired by Wagner. Per a Polish

Centre for Eastern Studies The Centre for Eastern Studies (, OSW) is a Warsaw-based think tank that undertakes independent research on the political, economic and social situation in Central and Eastern Europe, Balkans, Caucasus and Central Asia. The centre was founded i ...

report detailing the fallout after Prigozhin's mutiny, Mizintsev's dismissal as deputy defense minister was indeed due to his collaboration with Prigozhin, and he was confirmed as a member of Wagner Group’s command structure before the

Wagner Group rebellion On 23 June 2023, the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, staged an uprising against the Russia under Vladimir Putin, Russian government. It marked the climax of the Wagner Group–Russian Ministry of Defence conflict, Wagner Grou ...

in June 2023 and Prigozhin's subsequent death on 23 August. Mizintsev's subsequent whereabouts remain unknown. He was replaced in his ministerial post by Alexey Kuzmenkov.

Sanctions

He has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, the European Union, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, and Ukraine.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mizintsev, Mikhail 1962 births Living people People from Vologda Oblast Russian military personnel of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Russian colonel generals Russian military personnel of the Syrian civil war Russian individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class Recipients of the Order of Zhukov Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Recipients of the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", 3rd class Kiev Military College of Frunze alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni Russian individuals subject to European Union sanctions People of the Wagner Group Recipients of the Medal "Participant of the military operation in Syria" Deputy defence ministers of Russia