Sergey Vasilyevich Kuralenko (; born 21 December 1961) is a

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, ...

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, ...

serving as the Head of the Main Directorate of

Military Police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...

of the

Ministry of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

of Russia since 2020.

Early life

Sergei Vasilyevich Kuralenko was born in

Rathenow Rathenow () is a town in the district of Havelland (district), Havelland in Brandenburg, in eastern Germany, with a population of 24,063 (2020). Overview The Protestant church of St. Marien Andreas, originally a basilica, and transformed to the Go ...

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

, on December 21, 1961, into a military family.

Military career

In 1979, he graduated from Ussuriysk Suvorov Military School. From 1979 to 1983, cadets attended Kharkov Guards High Command Tank School, located in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

, Ukraine. After graduation, he joined the GSVG and served as a tank platoon commander, deputy tank company commander, and tank company commander. From 1988 until 1992, he served as tank company commander, deputy tank battalion commander, and tank battalion commander in the 14th Guards Combined Arms Army's

Odessa military district The Odessa Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military administrative division of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This district consisted of Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldavia and five Oblasts of Ukraine, Ukrainian oblasts of Odesa ...

. From May 2012 to May 2013, he served as Head of the Department of Military Art at the Military Academy of the General Staff of the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...

. He was the 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 ...

6th Combined Arms Army The 6th Red Banner Combined Arms Army () is a field army of the Red Army and the Soviet Army that was active with the Russian Ground Forces until 1998 and has been active since 2010 as the 6th Combined Arms Army (в/ч 31807). It was first form ...

from May 2013 until December 2015. On December 13, 2014, he was promoted to lieutenant general via presidential decree. From February to May 2016, he served as the head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Coordination Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties in Syria, based at

Khmeimim Air Base Khmeimim Air Base (), also Hmeimim Air Base (), is a Syrian airbase currently operated by Russia, located south-east of the city of Latakia in , Latakia Governorate, Syria and approximately 2 miles north-east of the coastal town of Jableh. The a ...

. He served as the Head of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Federation's Armed Forces from September 16, 2016, to November 2017. He served as the Deputy Commander of Russian soldiers in Syria from August to September 2017, then as Commander from September to October 2018. On February 21, 2020,

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

issued decree No. 146, appointing him to the position of Chief of the Main Directorate of Military Police at the

Russian Ministry of Defense The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (; MOD) is the governing body of the Russian Armed Forces. The President of Russia is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Commander-in-Chief of the forces ...

. Sergey Kuralenko has been accused by The Insider, a Russian investigative media organization, of being aware of coercive measures used to compel Russian servicemen back into

war in Ukraine 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 ...

. This includes claimed beatings and attempts to recruit into the Wagner PMC, which is well known for its involvement in many global conflicts. He also holds a top role and appears to be in charge of military actions involving the Russian Armed Forces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to ACF International.

Personal life

He is married and father of two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerasimov, Valery Living people Russian military personnel of the Syrian civil war Russian military personnel of the Russo-Ukrainian War Russian military personnel of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni 21st-century Russian military personnel 1961 births