New Commander Appointed for Russian Peacekeeping Forces in Artsakh

The Russian peacekeeping contingent stationed in Artsakh has a new commander. The latest appointee is Andrey Volkov. Since November 2020, he is the fourth commander of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Volkov was appointed on January 11 and immediately began official meetings with representatives from both the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides following his appointment.

Andrey Volkov is a major general and has been in Nagorno-Karabakh since 2020. He previously served as the deputy to Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov, who was the commander of the peacekeepers until May 2021. Before this appointment, he was the commander of the radiation, biological, and chemical defense forces in the Southern Military District.

Interestingly, right after the announcement of his appointment, Volkov traveled to Baku on January 12 for a meeting with Zakir Hasanov, the Azerbaijani Minister of Defense, and then arrived in Yerevan on January 13 to meet with Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan.

General Volkov hails from the Kostroma region of Russia. He studied at the Kostroma Higher Military School and served in the North Caucasian Military District before voluntarily deploying to Afghanistan. For his service in Afghanistan, he was awarded the Medal for Courage and the Order of the Star.

He furthered his education at a military academy specializing in Radiation, Biological, and Chemical Defense, after which he was proposed to lead the corresponding forces in the Caucasus. He participated in the Chechen War, during which he was injured and achieved the rank of colonel early, receiving a medal for bravery.

Volkov also took part in the Syrian campaign, earning a state award for combat merit.