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Key Persons

Vadim Klimenko

Commander of the 7th Military Base of the Russian Federation in Abkhazia

General Biographical information

  • Vadim Klimenko was born in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union.
  • In 1991 he graduated from the Simferopol Higher Military-Political School (Russia). Klimenko is also a graduate of the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
  • He is a Knight of the Order of Courage.
  • Holds numerous awards: the II class Medal of the Order For Merit to the Fatherland, the I class Medal For Military Valor, the II and III class Medals for Distinction in Military Service.
  • Holds a nominal weapon from the Minister Defense of the Russian Federation.
  • Holds the military rank of Colonel.

Military Career

  • In October 1991, he became the Commander of the special reconnaissance platoon of marine brigade of the Black Sea Fleet.
  • Reportedly, he participated in the 1992-1993 Georgian-Abkhazian conflict.
  • In 1998, he was appointed as the Chief of the marine reconnaissance regiment of the Black Sea Fleet.
  • From September 1999 to April 2000, participated in the Chechen war (for eight months).
  • After serving in the Black Sea Fleet, in accordance with the personnel rotation plan, he left for Kamchatka as the Commander of a separate marine regiment.
  • In 2019, he was appointed as the Commander of the motorized infantry brigade of the 20th Guard of the Russian Southern Military District.

Relations with Abkhazia

  • In 2021, he was appointed as the Commander of the 7th military base of the Russian Federation in Abkhazia. In this position, Klimenko replaced Oleg Senkov who has been occupying the position since 2019.
  • The weekly online magazine Zvezda published an interview on August 16, 2021, in which Klimenko speaks about the 7th military base. He discusses the issues such as the specifics of military service abroad, the functions, technical resources, and future plans of the 7th military base, etc.
  • On August 27, 2021, he led the opening ceremony of the Army-2021 International Military-Technical Forum.