Aleksandr Dvornikov

Former Commander of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation

Main Biographical Information 

• Aleksandr Dvornikov was born on August 22, 1961 in the city of Ussuriysk, Primorsky Krai, RSFSR, Soviet Union.
• In 1978 he graduated from Ussuriysk’s Suvorov Military School.
• In 1982 he graduated Moscow Higher Military Command School.
• In 1991 he graduated from Frunze Military Academy.
• In 2005 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
• During his military career he has been awarded the title of the Hero of the Russian Federation, as well as numerous other awards:  for “Military Merits”, Order for Commitment, Orders of Third and Fourth Degree for “Merits to Homeland”, Order of Third Degree for “Serving Homeland in the USSR Armed Forces” and various other state and institutional awards of Russian Federation and USSR.
• Dvornikov is General-Colonel.

Military Career

• After graduating from the school Dvornikov served on various positions in the Far Eastern Military District.
• From 1991, he was First Deputy and then Commander of the Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Western army grouping.
• From 1995 to 2000 he served as the Head of Brigade in Moscow Military District as well as Head of Brigade Staff.
• In 2000-2003 he was the Head of Division Staff and then Commander of Motorized Rifle Division in the North Caucasus Military District.
• From 2005, after graduating from Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, he was First the Deputy Commander of Army in the Siberian Military District and then the Head of Army Staff.
• From 2008 to 2010 he served as the Commander of the Army of the Far East Military District.
• In 2012, he was appointed to the position of First Deputy Commander of the Central Military District Armies and the Chief of Staff.

Commander of Russian Forces in Syria

• From September 2015 to June 2016, Dvornikov was the First Commander of Russian military forces in Syria. Russia engaged in a military conflict in Syria on September 30, 2015. According to the Russian media, during Dvornikov’s work in Syria, Russian aviation performed 9,000 combat missions, with winged missiles launched from the Caspian Sea and more than 200 oil producing and processing factories under the control of Syrian President’s opponents destroyed. Syrian President restored control over 400 settlements with the support of the Russian aviation, including historically important Palmira. 

Commander of Southern Military District

• On September 20, 2016, at the Directive of the President of the Russian Federation, Dvornikov was appointed to the position of the Commander of Southern Military District (SMD). Dvornikov had already been performing the duties of SMD Commander since July 1 and even managed to pay a visit to Abkhazia before his official appointment. Dvornikov replaced Aleksandr Galkin as the SMD Commander, who lead the District from December 2010. The 7th Russian military base located in Gudauta, Abkhazia and the 4th Russian military base in Tskhinvali and Java are under Dvornikov’s command.
• On 23 January, 2023, Dvronikov was replaced by Sergey Kuzovlev.

Relations with Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region

• On February 2, 2017 Dvornikov personally visited Tskhinvali and conducted a surprise inspection of combat readiness of the Russian military base located there.
• On May 16, 2017 Dvornikov inspected the infrastructure and infrastructural projects as well as the condition of the military machinery at the Russian base in Abkhazia.
• On June 30, 2017, Dvornikov visited Abkhazia and met the de facto Minister of Defense of Abkhazia, Merab Kishmaria. Joint events in the military field were planned during the meeting. During the visit Dvornikov also attended joint tactical trainings at Tsebelda military polygon.
• In November 2017, 78 families of soldiers stationed on the 7th Russian military base in Gudauta received new flats. The soldiers received keys for their new flats from Dvornikov himself.
• In August 2018, bilateral military trainings were held on Dzartsemi military polygon in Tskhinvali Region where Dvornikov checked the ability of the commanders to take non-standard decisions independently. About 2,000 personnel and 400 units of military machinery participated in the trainings.
• In July 2019, The 58th general military army motorized infantry advance units of Southern Military District landed in the mountains of Tskhinvali Region, adjacent territories to Mamisoni Pass and Roki Tunnel. Landing party was conducted to check district military units combat readiness and was headed by Dvornikov. Reconnaissance, artillery, engineering units as well as units of radioelectric combat, radiation, chemical, biological protection and unmanned aerial vehicles units participated in the exercise involving more than 6000 servicemen and up to 1500 units of military equipment.