Kadyrov became the only head of a region with the title of army general.

Ramzan Kadyrov received the title of army general and reached the effective ceiling of a military career in modern Russia, where the title of marshal has not been awarded to anyone since 1997. The commanders of the Ground Forces and the Aerospace Forces hold ranks one step below that of the head of Chechnya.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", Vladimir Putin, by his decree, awarded the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov the title of army general. On October 3, the commander of the National Guard Viktor Zolotov presented Kadyrov with the insignia of an army general and a maroon beret in Grozny. At the same ceremony, Kadyrov awarded Zolotov the title of Hero of Chechnya.

Formally, only the Marshal of the Russian Federation ranks above an army general. This title was awarded only once: on November 21, 1997, it was received by Defense Minister Igor Sergeev, who became "the first marshal in the modern history of Russia," according to the biography on the Ministry of Defense's website.

Sergeev died on November 10, 2006. The Great Russian Encyclopedia also names him the first Marshal of the Russian Federation in the history of modern Russia.

No information about the awarding of the marshal title to anyone else has been found in open official sources for almost 29 years, according to the "Caucasian Knot." Thus, the title of army general remains the effective ceiling of a military career in modern Russia.

Who else holds this title

Among the current army generals is Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov: in September 2025, Putin signed a decree "On awarding the Order of Courage to Army General Gerasimov V.V.," as stated on the Kremlin's website.

Also listed as an army general is FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov, as indicated in his biography on the agency's website and on the National Anti-Terrorism Committee's website. Zolotov, who presented Kadyrov with the insignia, also holds this title, TASS noted.

Army General is also the Deputy Minister of Defense Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, who headed Ingushetia from 2008 to 2019. He was awarded the title by presidential decree on December 9, 2024, published on the official legal information portal; the same decree made another Deputy Minister of Defense, head of the Main Political Directorate Viktor Goremykin, an army general, TASS reported.

Yevkurov has been a Hero of Russia since 2000; he was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense in July 2019, shortly after leaving the post of head of Ingushetia, and at that time received the title of lieutenant general.

Among army generals, there are no other current heads of regions, according to open data on holders of this title. Yevkurov received it five years after leaving the position of head of Ingushetia, already being Deputy Minister of Defense, while Kadyrov became an army general while remaining the head of the republic.

Commanders with lower ranks

Kadyrov's title is now higher than that of the commanders of the two branches of the Armed Forces. The Ground Forces have been headed by Colonel General Andrey Mordvichev since May 2025.

“Colonel General Andrey Nikolayevich Mordvichev is an experienced combat officer who fully revealed his talent as a military leader during the special military operation,” said Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, as reported by the Ministry of Defense's newspaper "Red Star." Mordvichev's predecessor, Oleg Salyukov, was an army general.

The Aerospace Forces have been headed by Colonel General Alexander Chayko since May 2026, who replaced Colonel General Viktor Afzalov in this position.

“In May 2026, he was appointed Commander of the Aerospace Forces by presidential decree,” as stated in Chayko's biography on the Ministry of Defense's website. Before his appointment, he was the Deputy Chief of the General Staff.

The title does not guarantee inviolability

Since 2003, Sergey Shoigu has also held the title of army general. In May 2024, he was relieved of his duties as Minister of Defense and appointed Secretary of the Security Council.

Shortly before this, on April 23, 2024, his deputy Timur Ivanov was detained. In July 2025, the Moscow City Court sentenced Ivanov to 13 years in a general regime colony and a fine of 100 million rubles for embezzlement and money laundering, reported "Vedomosti."

Another former deputy of Shoigu, army general Pavel Popov, received 19 years in a strict regime colony and a fine of 85 million rubles in April 2026 for bribery, fraud, forgery, and abuse of power. The court also stripped him of his military rank of army general in retirement and state awards, reported "Interfax."