Roman Borisovich Berdnikov (; born 31 August 1974) is a Russian lieutenant general and former commander of the

Western Military District The Western Military District () was a Military districts of Russia, military district of Russia, in existence from 2010 until its abolishment as a unitary military command on February 26, 2024, succeeded by the newly reconstituted Moscow Mil ...

between October and December 2022. He previously commanded the

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

. He commanded the 59th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade and, subsequently, the

29th Combined Arms Army The 29th Guards Combined Arms Army is a field army of the Russian Ground Forces and previously the Soviet Army. History 1941–1943 In the opening weeks of Operation Barbarossa, the Soviet Red Army sustained several painful defeats. The We ...

Biography

Roman Borisovich Berdnikov was born on 31 August 1974 in the town of

Kamen-na-Obi Kamen-na-Obi (), known until 1933 as Kamen (), is a town in Altai Krai, Russia, located on the left bank of the Ob River northwest of Barnaul, the administrative center of the krai. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 43,888. Hist ...

, Altai Territory. From 1981 to 1989 he studied at the city school number 4. In 1989 he entered the

Suvorov Military School The Suvorov Military Schools () are a type of boarding school in the former Soviet Union and in modern Russia and Belarus for boys of 10–17. Education in these schools focuses on military related subjects. The schools are named after Alexander ...

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

. He graduated in 1991 and immediately joined the

Moscow Higher Military Command School The Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School ''" Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR"'' (; abbreviated to MVOKU) is a higher military educational institution of the Russian Armed Forces. Alumni of the school have served with the Soviet Army and the Russi ...

, wherefrom he graduated in 1995. He married in 1993 as a

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

. He also participated in the

1995 Moscow Victory Day Parades The 1995 Moscow Victory Day Parades () were two military parades held on 9 May 1995 to commemorate the historic 50th anniversary golden jubilee of the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in 1945. The parades marked the Soviet Union' ...

. After commissioning, Berdnikov began service as a motor rifle platoon commander in

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and the Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 1,633,595, making it the most populous city in Siber ...

, rising to the rank of

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of a motor rifle regiment there. Berdnikov graduated from the Combined Arms Academy in 2003. After commanding a regiment for 2.5 years, Berdnikov became a deputy brigade commander. He took command of the 59th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade of the

Eastern Military District The Order of the Red Banner Eastern Military District ( Russian: Восточный военный округ) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction wi ...

in February 2012 and was promoted to the rank of major general on 11 June 2014. He continued commanding the brigade until August 2014, when he joined the Military Academy of the General Staff. Upon graduation, he was appointed commander of the

on 4 March 2019 where his earnings were declared as 3,674,904.53 rubles (equivalent to roughly 56,000 US dollars), about a million more rubles than the previous year. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general on 10 December 2020. In October 2021, he was appointed Commander of the Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the

Syrian Arab Republic Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. In early June 2022, rumours spread that Berdnikov was killed in Ukraine in the course of the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

, although some sources argue that the fatality was that of general Roman Kutuzov, whose death was confirmed by Russian media on 5 June. A Ukrainian report suggested he had become commander of Russia's

on 26 August 2022, and was dismissed on 11 September 2022 amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive. According to Russian media reports, he was appointed commander of the Western Military District on 28 September 2022, replacing Colonel General

Alexander Zhuravlyov Colonel General Alexander Alexandrovich Zhuravlyov (; born 5 December 1965) is a Russian Ground Forces officer who has commanded the military force in Syria during the Russian military intervention in Syria, Russian military intervention in the ...

Awards

Order of Merit for the Fatherland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...

, 4th class with swords *

Order of Alexander Nevsky The Order of Alexander Nevsky () is an Order (distinction), order of merit of the Russia, Russian Federation named in honour of saint Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263) and bestowed to civil servants for twenty years or more of highly meritorious ser ...

* Order of Military Merit *

Medal of Suvorov The "Medal of Suvorov" () is a state decoration of the Russian Federation awarded to ground troops for courage in combat. It is named in honour of Russian field marshal Count Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800). History The Medal of Suvorov was est ...

* Jubilee Medal "50 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berdnikov, Roman Borisovich 1979 births Living people People from Altai Krai Russian lieutenant generals Russian military personnel of the Syrian civil war Russian military personnel of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni 20th-century Russian military personnel 21st-century Russian military personnel