KHANKALA. Nov 9 (Interfax-AVN) - New key appointments have been made to the Land Forces Command that is to be fully staffed by December 1 2001, a spokesman for the staff bodies of the Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Friday.
President Vladimir Putin has decreed to appoint Lieutenant General Vladimir Popov as deputy commander of the Land Forces, Lieutenant General Vladimir Rebrikov as deputy commander and chief of armament of the Land Forces, Leuitenant General Gennady Kotenko as first deputy of the Land Forces chief of staff. Other generals and officers have been assigned new posts, too.
Popov was born in the town of Troitsk, Chelyabinsk region, in 1949. He graduated from the Chelyabinsk High Tank Command College in 1971, Armored Troops Military Academy in 1978 and General Staff Academy in 1991. Popov has been promoted from the post of the deputy commander of the Volga military district.
Rebrikov was born in the village of Tisul, Kemerovo region, in July 1950. He graduated from the Omsk Tank Technical College in 1970 and Armored Troops Military Academy in 1976. His previous post has been that of the deputy chief of the Main Ordnance Department in the Ministry of Defense.
Kotenko was born in the village of Vlasovka, Rostov region, in January 1948. He graduated from the Baku High Command College in 1970, Frunze Military Academy in 1982 and General Staff Academy in 1989. Kotenko was assigned the post of the deputy chief of the Land Forces Main Department in 1998.
After all these appointments have been made, only the post of the Land Forces deputy commander for peacekeeping operations remains vacant.