Mikhail Mizintsev
Михаил Мизинцев
🇷🇺 RussiaActive
Role
Director of Russia's National Defense Management Center; commander of Mariupol siege
Rank
Colonel-General
War Period
2022 – 2023
Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev directed the Russian siege of Mariupol in 2022 from the National Defense Management Center, earning the nickname "Butcher of Mariupol" for ordering strikes on the Mariupol Drama Theatre (where hundreds of civilians sheltered) and the Mariupol maternity hospital. He was placed under EU, UK, and US sanctions for war crimes. In 2023 he briefly became deputy commander of Wagner Group under Prigozhin.
Key Operations
- —Siege of Mariupol (March–May 2022)
- —Azovstal siege (April–May 2022)
- —Deputy commander Wagner Group (2023)
Notable
Mizintsev was the operational planner behind Russia's siege that reduced Mariupol to rubble, with Ukrainian officials estimating over 22,000 civilian deaths. He was included on Ukraine's war crimes suspect list and sanctioned internationally.
Other Russia Commanders
Vladimir Putin
ActiveSupreme Commander-in-Chief
Valery Gerasimov
ActiveChief of the General Staff / Commander of Russian forces in Ukraine
Sergei Surovikin
DismissedFormer Commander of Russian forces in Ukraine
Yevgeny Prigozhin
KIAWagner Group Founder & Commander
Alexander Dvornikov
DismissedFormer Overall Commander of Russian forces in Ukraine
Mikhail Teplinsky
ActiveCommander of Russian Airborne Forces (VDV)
Rustam Muradov
DismissedFormer Commander of the Eastern Military District
Aleksandr Lapin
DismissedCommander of the Central Military District ("Group Center")
Andrei Mordvichev
ActiveCommander of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army; later Commander of "Group South"
Oleg Salyukov
ActiveCommander-in-Chief of Russian Ground Forces
Aleksandr Zhuravlyov
ActiveCommander, Western Military District; Commander, "Group North" (2024)
Sergei Shoigu
ReplacedFormer Minister of Defence of Russia; Secretary of the Security Council
Andrei Belousov
ActiveMinister of Defence of Russia
Yunus-bek Yevkurov
ActiveDeputy Minister of Defence of Russia
Oleg Tsokov
KIADeputy Commander of the Southern Military District
Gennady Anashkin
ActiveCommander of the "Group South" forces
Related Battles & Operations
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Mikhail Mizintsev?
Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev directed the Russian siege of Mariupol in 2022 from the National Defense Management Center, earning the nickname "Butcher of Mariupol" for ordering strikes on the Mariupol Drama Theatre (where hundreds of civilians sheltered) and the Mariupol maternity hospital. He was placed under EU, UK, and US sanctions for war crimes. In 2023 he briefly became deputy commander of Wagner Group under Prigozhin.
What is Mikhail Mizintsev's role in the Ukraine war?
Mikhail Mizintsev (Colonel-General) served as Director of Russia's National Defense Management Center; commander of Mariupol siege on the Russia side. Service period: 2022 – 2023. Current status: Active.
What key operations was Mikhail Mizintsev involved in?
Siege of Mariupol (March–May 2022). Azovstal siege (April–May 2022). Deputy commander Wagner Group (2023).
What is notable about Mikhail Mizintsev in the context of the Ukraine war?
Mizintsev was the operational planner behind Russia's siege that reduced Mariupol to rubble, with Ukrainian officials estimating over 22,000 civilian deaths. He was included on Ukraine's war crimes suspect list and sanctioned internationally.
Is Mikhail Mizintsev still active in the Ukraine war?
Yes, Mikhail Mizintsev is currently active as of the latest available data (period: 2022 – 2023).