Aleksandr Galkin was born in Ordzhonikidze (present-day
Vladikavkaz) on 22 March 1958. In 1979, he graduated from the . He served in the
Group of Soviet Forces in Germany and in the
Far Eastern Military District. He rose from the commander of a motorized rifle platoon to the commander of a motorized rifle battalion. In 1990, he graduated from the
Frunze Military Academy. From 1990 to 1992, he continued to serve in the
Transcaucasian and Far Eastern military districts as deputy commander and commander of a motorized rifle regiment. From 1992 to 1997, he served as chief of staff and a deputy commander of a motorized rifle division. From 1997 to 2001, he served as commander of a motorized rifle division. In 2003, he graduated from the
Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. He served as the Deputy Commander of the
41st Army, and the Chief of Staff, as the First Deputy Commander of the
36th Army. On 3 January 2006, Galkin was appointed commander of the 41st Army in the
Siberian Military District in
Novosibirsk. On 8 April 2008, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Siberian Military District. On 3 December 2008, he was appointed Chief of Staff, the First Deputy Commander of the Siberian Military District. On 13 January 2010, Galkin was appointed Commander of
North Caucasus Military District. On 10 December 2010, by decree of the President of Russia, he was appointed commander of the troops of the
Southern Military District, due to the massive transformation of all Russian military districts in 2010. On 11 June 2011, Galkin was awarded the military rank of Colonel General. On 17 March 2014, the
European Union included Galkin in
the sanctions list of persons whose assets are frozen in the EU and in respect of whom visa restrictions have been introduced. At the end of August 2015, the
Security Service of Ukraine announced that, through the headquarters of the Southern Military District, headed by Galkin, the
General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation had led Russian troops in
the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. In June 2016, Galkin was relieved of his post as commander of the Southern Military District. Since January 2017, he has continued to serve in the central office of the
Russian Ministry of Defence as an Assistant to the Minister of Defence. ==Family==