Sergey Kuzovlev

{{Infobox military person

| honorific_prefix=Colonel General

| name = Sergey Kuzovlev

| native_name = Сергей Юрьевич Кузовлев

| image = Sergey Kuzovlev.jpg

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|01|07|df=y}}

| death_date =

| birth_place = Michurinsk, Russia, Soviet Union

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| nickname =

| birth_name = Sergey Yuryevich Kuzovlev

| allegiance = {{USSR}} (to 1991)
{{RUS}}

| branch =

| serviceyears = 1985–present

| rank = Colonel general

| servicenumber =

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| commands = {{plainlist|

}}

| battles =

Syrian Civil War
Russo-Ukrainian War
War in Donbas
Russian invasion of Ukraine
Wagner Group rebellion
2023 Ukrainian counteroffensivehttps://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-june-10-2023

| battles_label =

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}}

Sergey Yuryevich Kuzovlev (Russian: Сергей Юрьевич Кузовлев; born 7 January 1967) is a Russian military officer. {{As of|2024 |May}}, he holds the rank of colonel general, and commands the Moscow Military District.

Biography

Sergey Kuzovlev was born in Michurinsk on 7 January 1967. He studied at school number 21 in the city of Michurinsk, Tambov Oblast, from 1974 to 1984. In 1990, he graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School (6th company).{{cite web |url=http://www.rvvdku-vi.ru/o-vuze/istoriya/vyipuskniki-generalyi |title=Выпускники генералы |publisher=Сайт РРВДКУ |language=ru |accessdate=7 January 2015|archive-date=23 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423034345/http://www.rvvdku-vi.ru/o-vuze/istoriya/vyipuskniki-generalyi |url-status=live }}

Kuzovlev commanded the {{ill|506th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment|ru|506-й гвардейский мотострелковый полк|lt=506th Guards Motorized Rifle Poznan Red Banner Order of Suvorov Regiment}} (military unit 21617, Totsky District, Orenburg Oblast) of the 27th Guards Motor Rifle Division, and served in the First and Second Chechen wars. He graduated from the Combined Arms Academy.{{cite web|title=Кузовлев Сергей Юрьевич|url=https://structure.mil.ru/management/details.htm?id=12084800@SD_Employee|publisher=Ministry of Defence (Russia)|accessdate=1 August 2019|archive-date=12 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812183606/https://structure.mil.ru/management/details.htm?id=12084800@SD_Employee|url-status=live}} From February 2005 to July 2008, he commanded the 15th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade of the Volga-Urals Military District. In May 2005, he was promoted to colonel. In 2008 he entered the Military Academy of the General Staff,{{cite web |url=http://www.riasamara.ru/rus/news/region/society/article27834.shtml |title=Новый командир миротворческой бригады |publisher=«РИА Самара» |language=ru |accessdate=7 January 2015|archive-date=7 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107031848/http://www.riasamara.ru/rus/news/region/society/article27834.shtml |url-status=live }} after graduating in July 2010 he was appointed commander of the 18th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.

At the beginning of 2014, he was appointed chief of staff of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District, and on 22 February of the same year, he was promoted to major general.{{cite web |url=http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/20311 |title=Указ о присвоении воинских званий и высших специальных званий |publisher=Официальный сайт Президента России |language=ru |accessdate=7 January 2015|archive-date=7 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107033055/http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/20311 |url-status=live }} At the end of August 2015, the Security Service of Ukraine announced that Kuzovlev had commanded the Russian forces in the Luhansk People’s Republic's 2nd Army Corps from autumn 2014 to winter 2015, during the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.{{Cite web |date=11 September 2015|title=Российские войска на Донбассе - В СБУ показали структуру управления российскими войсками в Донбассе - zn.ua |url=http://zn.ua/UKRAINE/v-sbu-pokazali-strukturu-upravleniya-rossiyskimi-voyskami-v-donbasse-186962_.html |access-date=24 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911164708/http://zn.ua/UKRAINE/v-sbu-pokazali-strukturu-upravleniya-rossiyskimi-voyskami-v-donbasse-186962_.html |archive-date=2015-09-11 }} Russian sources denied that statement.{{Cite web |url=http://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/559a3b159a794763d8fd2272 |title=СМИ рассказали о "российских генералах" в Донбассе из списка СБУ :: Политика :: РБК |access-date=29 June 2016|archive-date=27 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927010653/http://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/559a3b159a794763d8fd2272 |url-status=live }}

From July 2015 to August 2016, Kuzovlev was the Commander of the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District. From August 2016 to January 2017, he was the Commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District.{{Cite web |url=http://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12108470@egNews |title=Во Владикавказе вручили штандарт новому командующему 58-й общевойсковой армией / mil.ru, 16.01.2017 |access-date=16 January 2017|archive-date=18 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118043402/http://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12108470@egNews |url-status=live }} In March 2017, Kuzovlev was appointed commander of the newly formed 8th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District. On 10 June 2017, he was awarded the military rank of lieutenant general.{{Cite web |url=http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001201706100002 |title=Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 10.06.2017 № 258 «О присвоении воинских званий высших офицеров, специальных званий высшего начальствующего состава, высших специальных званий и классных чинов» |access-date=10 June 2017|archive-date=13 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170613122843/http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001201706100002 |url-status=live }} In February 2019, he was appointed Chief of Staff - First Deputy Commander of the Southern Military District.{{Cite web |url=https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/6136609 |title=Генерал-лейтенант Сергей Кузовлев стал начальником штаба Южного военного округа / [[ТАСС]], 20 февраля 2019 |access-date=12 November 2019|archive-date=15 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115023216/https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/6136609 |url-status=live }}

From November 2020 to February 2021, Kuzovlev was the Commander of the Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of Russia in Syria.{{Cite web|language=ru|url=https://www.1tv.ru/news/2020-11-25/397376-pamyatnyy_znak_geroyu_rf_olegu_peshkovu_torzhestvenno_otkryli_na_aerodrome_hmeymim|title=Памятный знак Герою РФ Олегу Пешкову торжественно открыли на аэродроме Хмеймим. Новости. Первый канал|accessdate=18 January 2021|archive-date=22 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122103520/https://www.1tv.ru/news/2020-11-25/397376-pamyatnyy_znak_geroyu_rf_olegu_peshkovu_torzhestvenno_otkryli_na_aerodrome_hmeymim|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|language=ru|url=http://syria.mil.ru/war-on-terror/info/news/more.htm?id=12342666@egNews|title=На авиабазе ВКС РФ Хмеймим в Сирии открыли памятник погибшему в бою с террористами летчику Роману Филипову|accessdate=4 February 2021|archive-date=5 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605125503/http://syria.mil.ru/war-on-terror/info/news/more.htm?id=12342666@egNews|url-status=live}}

In June 2021, Kuzovlev became the ex officio Acting Commander of the Southern Military District.{{Cite web|url=https://function.mil.ru/news_page/person/more.htm?id=12368097@egNews|title=Министр обороны России провел селекторное совещание с руководящим составом Вооруженных Сил : Министерство обороны Российской Федерации|website=function.mil.ru|access-date=24 June 2021|archive-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624203704/https://function.mil.ru/news_page/person/more.htm?id=12368097@egNews|url-status=live}} On 18 February 2021, Kuzovlev was promoted to the rank of Colonel General.{{Cite web|language=ru|url=http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001202102180042?index=0&rangeSize=1|title=Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 18 февраля 2021 года №104|accessdate=18 February 2021|archive-date=18 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218204502/http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001202102180042?index=0&rangeSize=1|url-status=live}} On 13 December 2022, Kuzolev officially became the commander of the Western Military District.[https://companies.rbc.ru/id/1117847144876-federalnoe-kazennoe-uchrezhdenie-obedinennoe-strategicheskoe-komandovanie-zapadnogo-voennogo-okruga/ ФКУ «ОСК ЗВО» / РБК КОМПАНИИ][https://synapsenet.ru/searchorganization/organization/1117847144876-fku-osk-zvo ФКУ ОСК ЗВО. Карточка организации / Синапс]

According to Ukrainian intelligence, Kuzovlev was commander of the troops of the Western Military District for slightly more than a month, until 26 December 2022.{{cite web | url=https://gur.gov.ua/content/okupanty-pryznachyly-novoho-komanduvacha-zakhidnoho-vo-chetvertoho-z-pochatku-povnomasshtabnoi-ahresii.html | title=Окупанти призначили нового командувача західного во – четвертого з початку повномасштабної агресії }} It was announced on 23 January 2023 that Kuzovlev had been transferred to command the Southern Military District, being succeeded by Lieutenant General Yevgeny Nikiforov in the Western Military District.{{Cite web |title=В Западном и Южном военных округах сменили командующих |url=https://www.rbc.ru/politics/23/01/2023/63cec90a9a7947978567094d |access-date=24 January 2023|website=РБК |language=ru}} During his command, the Wagner Group rebellion broke out on 23–24 June 2023, which saw the mercenary group briefly occupy his headquarters.