Vyacheslav Nikolayevich Borisov (; 12 January 1955 – 4 November 2021) was a Russian major general. He took part in the 2008

Russo-Georgian War The August 2008 Russo-Georgian War, also known as the Russian invasion of Georgia,Occasionally, the war is also referred to by other names, such as the Five-Day War and August War. was a war waged against Georgia by the Russian Federation and the ...

as a commanding officer in

South Ossetia South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia or the State of Alania, is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, partial diplomatic recognition. It has an offici ...

. 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 ...

(ICC) collected evidence against Borisov, who, according to a ICC prosecutor, was "believed to have intentionally contributed to the execution" of war crimes against Georgian civilians, but Borisov died before the ICC investigation was concluded.

Early life and career

Borisov was born in Ruza, near

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, during the rule of the Soviet Union. He graduated from the Sverdlovsk

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 ...

. He joined the Soviet Military in 1976, when he graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne College and was commissioned into the airborne forces. A good officer, he rose through the ranks and in 1990 he graduated from the M. V. Frunze Military Academy. From 1991 to 1995, he was commander of the 11th Separate Airborne Brigade in

Ulan-Ude Ulan-Ude (; , ; , ) is the capital city of Buryatia, Russia, located about southeast of Lake Baikal on the Uda River, Buryatia, Uda River at its confluence with the Selenga River, Selenga. According to the Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census, 43 ...

, the

Transbaikal Military District The Transbaikal Military District () was a military district of first the Soviet Armed Forces and then the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed on 17 May 1935 and included the Buryat Republic, Chita Oblast, and Yakutia. Chita was ...

. Later after promotion to General officer rank, he commanded the 2nd Guards ''Tamanskaya'' Motor Rifle Division of 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, ...

in the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District () is a Military districts of Russia, military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Originally it was a district of the Imperial Russian Army until the Russian Empire's collapse in 191 ...

from 1995 to 1996.

Commands in Georgia

In 1998, he graduated from the General Staff Academy and was appointed the commander of the 12th Russian Military Base in

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...

, Georgia's

Autonomous Republic of Adjara Adjara ( ka, აჭარა ''Ach’ara'' ) or Achara, officially known as the Autonomous Republic of Adjara ( ka, აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა ''Ach’aris Avt’onomiuri Resp’ublik’a ...

. In 2003, he became Deputy Commander for Airborne Training.

2008 Russo-Georgian War

The 76th Airborne Division was sent from its garrison in Pskov to reinforce

58th Army The 58th Guards Combined Arms Army () is an army of the Russian Ground Forces, headquartered at Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia-Alania, within Russia's Southern Military District. It was formed in 1941 as part of the Soviet Union's Red Army and has be ...

, and took part in the

Battle of Tskhinvali The Battle of Tskhinvali ( ka, ცხინვალის ბრძოლა; ) was a fight for the city of Tskhinvali, the capital of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia. It was the only major battle in the Russo-Georgian War. Georgia ...

. After the successful conclusion of the battle, the force moved further and

occupied ' ( Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October ...

Gori. He was the commander of Russian military forces during the occupation of Gori. In the absence of civilian government, he was the de facto governor in the region. On 6 June 2009, Borisov in an interview with Moscow-based radio

Ekho Moskvy Echo of Moscow () was a 24/7 commercial Russian radio station based in Moscow. It broadcast in many Russian cities, some of the former Soviet republics (through partnerships with local radio stations), and via the Internet. From 1996 its editor- ...

said that the reason why his division performed well in the

2008 Russo-Georgian War The August 2008 Russo-Georgian War, also known as the Russian invasion of Georgia,Occasionally, the war is also referred to by other names, such as the Five-Day War and August War. was a war waged against Georgia by the Russian Federation and the ...

was that "a week before the war they held military exercises exactly there, in those places". In December 2022, the International Criminal Court investigation uncovered Borisov's role in war crimes committed during the hostilities, but no warrant was issued as he had died in November 2021.

Personal life

General Borisov was married and had two sons. He was also a Christian.

Military medals and ribbons

References

External links

Picture of the General in Gori

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borisov, Vyacheslav 1955 births 2021 deaths Military personnel of the Russo-Georgian War Russian major generals Frunze Military Academy alumni People from Moscow Oblast Russian Airborne Forces personnel Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School alumni Personnel of the Soviet Airborne Forces