Valery Nikolaevich Solodchuk (; born 24 March 1971) is a Russian army officer who is current commander of the

Central Military District The Order of the Red Banner Central Military District () is a Military districts of Russia, military district of Russia. It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction primarily within the centr ...

and joint group of forces "Center". He previously commanded the

36th Combined Arms Army The 36th Combined Arms Army is a combined arms ( field) army of the Russian Ground Forces, part of the Eastern Military District ( 05776). History The army was formed in 1997 from the 55th Army Corps at Borzya in the Siberian Military Dist ...

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 ...

and the "

Kursk Kursk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur (Kursk Oblast), Kur, Tuskar, and Seym (river), Seym rivers. It has a population of Kursk ...

" joint group of forces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine from 2024 to 2025.

Biography

After studying at the , Solodchuk entered the Ryazan Airborne Command School, which he graduated from in 1992. He served in the positions of

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

commander to chief of staff of a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

. In 2004 he graduated from the

Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation The Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is a military academy in Moscow which provides graduate education for officers of the Russian Armed Forces. The full name reads: ''The Combined Academies Order of Lenin Order ...

. Solodchuk graduated from the

Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia The Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation () is the senior staff college of the Russian Armed Forces. The academy is located in Moscow, on 14 Kholzunova Lane. It was founded in 1936 as a Soviet inst ...

in 2012, and between 2012 and 2014 commanded the 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division of the

Russian Airborne Forces The Russian Airborne Forces () is the airborne separate combat arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It is a rapid response force and strategic reserve that is under the President of Russia, reporting directly to the Chief of the General Staff, and ...

. Between fall 2014 and late spring 2015 he was commander of the 1st Army Corps (DPR), operating in Donetsk, Ukraine of the 12th Reserve Component Command of the Southern Military District. Between 2015 and 2017 he was Deputy Commander of the

5th Combined Arms Army The 5th Guards Combined Arms Red Banner Order of Zhukov Army (5-я гвардейская общевойсковая Краснознамённая, ордена Жукова армия) is a Russian Ground Forces formation in the Eastern Milita ...

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 ...

, and then from 2017 to 2020 Chief of Staff of the

, stationed in

Buryatia Buryatia, officially the Republic of Buryatia, is a republic of Russia located in the Russian Far East. Formerly part of the Siberian Federal District, it has been administered as part of the Far Eastern Federal District since 2018. To its nort ...

. In January 2020 he became commander of the 36th Army. In December 2021 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General.

2022 invasion of Ukraine

At the beginning of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Solodchuk's command led the unsuccessful Battle of Kyiv. Invading from Belarus, a substantial portion of the 36th Army were stopped, then repelled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces west of Kyiv in March 2022. According to a call intercepted by Ukrainian intelligence, Solodchuk was almost shot in the same year while confronting rioting troops. The SBU claimed that he was one of the general responsible for an attack on a

hypermarket A hypermarket or superstore is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including full grocery lines and general merchandise. In ...

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

in January 2025. Solodchuk was promoted to the rank of

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, ...

on 21 February 2025. On May 2025 he was appointed commander of the

, replacing

Andrey Mordvichev Andrey Nikolayevich Mordvichev (; born 14 January 1976) is a Russian colonel general who has been Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces since 2025. He previously commanded the Central Military District and the "Center" group of forces ...

Awards

* Order of Military Merit *

Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" The Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" () is a Russian medal. It was established on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree No.442. Its award criteria were modified on 6 January 1999 by Presidential Decree 19 and again on 7 September 201 ...

, II degree

References

External links

Командующий войсками ВВО вручил штандарт новому командующему общевойсковой армией

Улан-Удэ. Генерал-майор Валерий Николаевич Солодчук, командующий 36-й общевойсковой армии, на "коронавирусном" параде (24.06.2020)

В Бурятии к празднованию Дня Победы восстановят легендарный танк ИС-2

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solodchuk, Valery 1971 births Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School alumni Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Russia) Recipients of the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 2nd class Personnel of the Soviet Airborne Forces Russian colonel generals

Biography

2022 invasion of Ukraine

Awards

See also

References

External links