Ruslan Kokshin

Ruslan Kokshin (born May 7, 1979) is an officer in the Russian military. While serving as a leader of a mortar platoon, Kokshin located and took out a small group of opposition forces in Chechnya. Due to this action by him, Kokshin was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation for his "heroic duty while in the service of the state."

Biography Ruslan Kokshin was born on 7 May 1979 in the city of Tula. He completed his secondary education there. In 1996, Kokshin enrolled in the Tula Artillery Engineering Institute. After graduating in 2001, he continued his military service in an airborne assault unit of the Russian Border Troops, stationed in the North Caucasus Border District. By July 2002, Senior Lieutenant Ruslan Kokshin was commanding a mortar platoon of the airborne assault maneuver group of the Itum-Kale (Argun) Border Detachment of the North Caucasus Regional Directorate of the Federal Border Service.

By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 1389dsp of 9 December 2002, for “courage and heroism demonstrated in the performance of military duty in the North Caucasus region,” Senior Lieutenant Ruslan Kokshin was awarded the high title of Hero of the Russian Federation, with the presentation of the Gold Star medal No. 771.