Key Persons

Mikhail Zusko

Commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation

General Biographical Information

  • Mikhail Zusko was born on May 24, 1972, in the RSFSR, the Soviet Union.
  • In 1993, graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne School.
  • Received military education at the All-Military Academy and the Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
  • Held all major command and staff positions from a platoon commander to an army commander.
  • Has an experience in protecting southern borders of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasus region and the North-West strategic direction.
  • Received the rank of lieutenant general.

Military Career

  • Participated in the First Chechen War (1994-1996).
  • In 2007-2011, was the Deputy Commander, and later the Commander, of the 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade of the Sosnovy-Bor garrison (the Republic of Buryatia, Russia).
  • In 2011-2014, was the Commander of the 34th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of the 49th Army of the Russian Federation in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic.
  • Participated in the 2014 hostilities between Russia-Ukraine under the name: Orlov Mykhailo Stepanovych, and received a promotion.
  • Was the First Deputy Commander of the 58th and 8th Armies of the Russian Federation.
  • In 2015, became the Deputy Commander of the 49th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Southern Military District.
  • In July 2019, assumed the position of the Commander of the 49th Army. He replaced the Lieutenant General Sergei Sevryukov in this position.
  • In August 2020, he was appointed as the Commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation. He replaced the Major-General Sergei Ryzhkov in this position. The 4thmilitary base of the Russian Federation in the Tskhinvali region is part of the 58th Combined Arms Army.
  • On October 7, 2020, during a solemn ceremony, Aleksandr Dvornikov, the Commander of the Southern Military District in Vladikavkaz, awarded Mikhail Zusko with the personal standard.

Relations with the Tskhinvali region

  • On November 24, 2020, Mikhail Zusko met with the Acting Minister of Defense of the Tskhinvali Region, Ibragim Gaseev. During the meeting, they discussed the co-operation plans for 2021. Zusko named strengthening the region's defense capabilities as the main priority.
  • On November 24, 2020, Zusko met with the de facto President of the Tskhinvali region, Anatoly Bibilov. During the meeting, Bibilov congratulated Zusko on his appointment as commander of the 58th Army and wished him success. At the same meeting, Zusko introduced Roman Viazovsky, the Head of the 4th military base since October, 2020.
  • On January 21, 2021, another meeting was held between Mikhail Zusko and Anatoly Bibilov. Zusko mentioned that as a result of the November 24 meeting, a package of documents was developed on cooperation with Russia in the promotion of the de facto Armed Forces of the Tskhinvali region.