Russian President Vladimir Putin, visiting one of the command posts in the Northern Military District on November 20, introduced at a meeting with military leaders the new Commander of the Southern Forces Group and Commander of the Southern Military District (SMD), Lieutenant General Sergei Medvedev. This is the youngest commander in the history of the Southern Military Region. He is 46 years old. In the Northern Military Region, he was twice promoted to major general in December 2022 and lieutenant general in May 2024.
Until November 20, little was known about the general who established his military career so quickly. He, as one of the sources noted, “has been kept out of the media's attention, although clearly undeserved.”
Reporting to the president on the operations of the Southern Group of Forces, Lieutenant General Sergei Medvedev outlined the operational objectives, including the liberation of Konstantinovka by mid-December. Assault units were active in several areas of the city. He also declared control of Kupyansk, Yampol and 80% of Volchansk, Kharkov region.
Medvedev was replaced as Commander of the Southern Group of Forces by General Alexander Sanchik, who in November was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation responsible for logistics.
Before his new appointment, Sergei Medvedev was Chief of Staff of the Southern Military District, and before that he commanded one of the largest combined arms armies of the Southern Military District – the 58th Military District. This army was informally called “Caucasians” and was a personnel springboard for its commanders. At various times, it was led by Valery Gerasimov (currently Chief of the General Staff of the RF armed forces), Andrei Kartapolov (Colonel, head of the State Duma Defense Committee), Andrei Gurulev (Lieutenant General, State Duma Deputy), and other prominent generals.
What do people know about the new commander of the Southern Military Region? Sergei Viktorovich Medvedev was born in 1979 in Prague, into the family of a professional soldier who served in the Central Forces Group of the Soviet Army. He went through all levels of military service and graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. Until May 2022, Sergei Medvedev served as chief of staff of the 11th Corps of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy. In October 2023, Sergei Medvedev became commander of the 58th Guards General Armed Corps of the Southern Military District. The general's sign in the Northern Military District is “Ermak”.
According to information sources, there is no reliable information about the composition of Sergei Medvedev's family.
