Yakov Vladimirovich Rezantsev (; 4 January 1973) is a Russian

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

(

two-star rank Military star ranking is military terminology, used in mainly English speaking countries, to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10. Star ranking One-star A one-star rank is usuall ...

). Between 2020 and 2023, he commanded the

49th Army The 49th Combined Arms Army () is a combined arms ( field) army (CAA) of the Russian Ground Forces, formed in 2010 and headquartered in Stavropol. Military Unit в/ч 35181. Part of the Southern Military District, the army traces its heritage b ...

of the

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

. According to Ukrainian officials, he was killed in

Chornobaivka Chornobaivka (, ) is a suburban Village#Ukraine, village in Kherson Raion, Kherson Oblast, southern Ukraine. It is the center of the Municipal council, village council. It hosts the administration of the Chornobaivka rural hromada, one of the h ...

near

Kherson Kherson (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , , ) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-bui ...

(Ukraine) during the

2022 Chornobaivka attacks The 2022 Chornobaivka attacks were a series of Ukrainian attacks against the Russian-held Kherson International Airport at Chornobaivka, which began on 27 February 2022 during the southern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ...

of 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 ...

; Russian sources have not confirmed his death.

Biography

Yakov Rezantsev was born on 4 January 1973, in the village of Elbanka in the Ust-Pristansky District of

Altai Krai Altai Krai (, ) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai). It borders, clockwise from the west, Kazakhstan ( East Kazakhstan Region, Abai Region and Pavlodar Region), Novosibirsk and Kemerovo, and the Altai Republic. The krai's administrative ce ...

. He started his military service in 1990, graduating from the

Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School The Marshal of the Soviet Union K. K. Rokossovsky Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School, also known by its abbreviation DVOKU (), is a military academy of the Russian Armed Forces. Established on 11 February 1940 as the Vladivostok In ...

(1994), the Combined Arms Academy (2002) and the Military Academy of the General Staff (2008). He graduated from all military universities with gold medals. He passed the main command positions from the commander of a platoon of cadets to the commander of a motorized rifle brigade. From 2010 to 2011 he served as commander of the 57th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade. From 2011 to 2013 he was the commander of the 7th Military Base. In 2013 he was promoted to Major General. In 2018 he served as Chief of Staff of the

20th Guards Combined Arms Army The 20th Guards Combined Arms Army (originally designated as the 4th Tank Army, 4th Guards Tank Army in 1945, 4th Guards Mechanised Army in 1946, and the 20th Guards Army in 1960 within the Soviet Ground Forces) is a field army. In 1991, after th ...

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 ...

. From 2018 to 2022, he was the commander of the

41st Combined Arms Army The 41st Guards Combined Arms Army () is a field army of the Russian Ground Forces, currently part of the Central Military District. Originally, it was formed in 1942 as part of the Soviet Red Army, during World War II. It was reformed in 1998, wh ...

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 ...

(Novosibirsk). From October 2020 he served as the commander of the

49th Combined Arms Army The 49th Combined Arms Army () is a combined arms ( field) army (CAA) of the Russian Ground Forces, formed in 2010 and headquartered in Stavropol. Military Unit в/ч 35181. Part of the Southern Military District, the army traces its heritage ba ...

of the

(Stavropol). In 2021, he was promoted to lieutenant general. He was deployed in Russia's military intervention in Syria. According to Ukrainian officials, he was killed at the Chornobaivka aerodrome in

near

(Ukraine) during the

of the

; his death was confirmed by "a Western security source" but Russian sources had not confirmed his death as of 25 March. According to the Ukrainians, he would be Russia's seventh general officer to be killed in the invasion and one of the two most highly ranked casualties of the war. The

Nevinnomyssk Nevinnomyssk () is a city in Stavropol Krai, Russia, located on both banks of the Kuban River at its confluence with the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River, south of Stavropol. The only single-industry town in Stavropol Krai. Since December 22, 2017 ye ...

mayor congratulated Rezantsev on his birthday on 17 June in a Telegram post.

Awards

* Order of Military Merit (2020) * Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree * Order of Alexander Nevsky * Suvorov medal *

Medal "Participant of the military operation in Syria" The Medal "Participant of the military operation in Syria" (Russian: Медаль «Участнику военной операции в Сирии») is an award of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. It was created by order of S ...

* Order of Courage "Afyrkhaharazy aorden" (December 8, 2016, Abkhazia) - ''for the exemplary performance of peacekeeping tasks to ensure the security and inviolability of the state border of the Republic of Abkhazia'' * Medal "For military valor" (Abkhazia) * Medal "For Combat Commonwealth" (Abkhazia)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rezantsev, Yakov 1973 births Russian lieutenant generals Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Russia) People from Ust-Pristansky District Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School alumni Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni People of the Chechen wars Russian military personnel of the Syrian civil war Russian military personnel of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Recipients of the Medal "Participant of the military operation in Syria"

Biography

Awards

See also

References