Andrey Mordvichev

Colonel General Andrey Nikolayevich Mordvichev (, born 14 January 1976) is a Russian military officer who has been the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces since 2025.

Mordvichev graduated from the Novosibirsk Higher Military Command School in 1997 and served in motor rifle units of the Russian Ground Forces. He later graduated from the Combined Arms Academy in 2006 and the General Staff Academy in 2016, and took part in the Russo-Georgian War and the Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war. Mordvichev commanded several brigades before commanding the 8th Combined Arms Army, which he led during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, most notably in the Siege of Mariupol.

Mordvichev was the deputy commander of the Southern Military District from 2022 to 2023. He then led the Central Military District and the Group of Forces "Center" in the Russo-Ukrainian war from 2023 to 2025, being in command during the Battle of Avdiivka. He was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation in 2024.

Early life and education Andrey Nikolayevich Mordvichev was born on 14 January 1976 in Pavlodar, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union. He became the first member of his family to join the military, Mordvichev commanded the 4th Separate Guards Tank Brigade from April 2011. Mordvichev was promoted to major general on 12 June 2013, at the unusually young age of 37.

Russo-Ukrainian war He commanded the 8th Combined Arms Army during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where Ukrainian sources falsely claimed he was killed and on 28 March, Russian television broadcast images that showed Ramzan Kadyrov meeting Mordvichev in Mariupol.

Mordvichev led Russian forces in the Siege of Mariupol, from February to May 2022, as a lieutenant general. During that time, he was reportedly injured and was away from the from the front line for several weeks. As of April 2023 he was commander of the Center Grouping of Forces in Ukraine. On September 7, Mordvichev was promoted to colonel general by a presidential decree. According to an interview he gave at the end of July 2023 with the state-run Russia-1 television channel, Mordvichev views the invasion of Ukraine as a mere "stepping stone" to further conflict with Eastern Europe.

In February 2024, Mordvichev was congratulated by President Vladimir Putin for capturing Avdiivka as the Russian commander-in-charge of the Battle of Avdiivka. He led forces during the battle, starting from October 2023, which resulted in the front line being moved away from Donetsk. Mordvichev was 49 at the time of his appointment, making him the youngest head of the Russian or Soviet ground forces since just after World War II. He was introduced to his new troops by Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov.

In May 2026, he commanded the 2026 Moscow Victory Day Parade.

Awards and decorations Mordvichev has received the following decorations: