Early life and studies Andrey Kartapolov was born in
Weimar,
East Germany, on 9 November 1963. He graduated from the
Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School named after the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR in 1985, the
Frunze Military Academy in 1993, and the
Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia in 2007.
Military service Kartapolov rose from platoon commander to commander of a motorized rifle division in the
Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, the Western Group of Forces, and the
Far Eastern Military District. From 2007 to 2008, he was the Deputy Commander of the
41st Army in the
Siberian Military District, and from 2008 to 2009, he was the Chief of Staff of the
22nd Guards Army in the
Moscow Military District. From 2009 to 2010, he was the Head of the Directorate of the
Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. From May 2010 to January 2012, Kartapolov was the Commander of the
58th Army of the
North Caucasus, then the
Southern Military District. Between January 2012 and February 2013, he was the Deputy Commander of the Southern Military District. On 13 December 2012, Kartapolov was awarded the rank of
lieutenant general. From February 2013 to June 2014, he was the Chief of Staff of the
Western Military District. Between June 2014 and 9 November 2015, he was the Chief of the Main Operations Directorate - Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia. During this time he was a close associate of
Valery Gerasimov and emphasized "preemption and asymmetric measures against expected NATO courses of action". On 11 June 2015, Kartapolov was promoted to
colonel general. On 10 November 2015, Kartapolov was appointed commander of the
Western Military District. On 23 November 2015, he was presented by the Minister of Defense,
Sergey Shoygu, to the leadership of the Western Military District and he was awarded the standard of the commander of the district. From 19 December 2016 to March 2017, Kartapolov was the commander of the
Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war. During his command after
an operation involving Russian aviation and
Russian Special Operations Forces on 2 March 2017,
Palmyra was returned to the control of the
Syrian government for the second time. Victorious, said he:
Civil service and Defense Minister
Sergei Shoigu, 29 July 2018 On 30 July 2018, by
decree of the President of Russia, Kartapolov was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense, the Head of the Main Military-Political Directorate. He thus became the ninth Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia and headed the GVPU, recreated on the same day, to strengthen military-patriotic education in the Armed Forces of Russia. On 9 August 2018, he was presented to the personnel, on 31 August 2018, the Minister of Defense, Shoygu, presented him with a personal standard. In addition to the Main Military-Political Directorate, Kartapolov is subordinate to the
Department of Culture of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, for work with citizens' appeals and the Military Heraldic Service of the Armed Forces of Russia. On 18 November 2019, the Decree of the President of Russia, No. 561, Kartapolov was included in the
Heraldic Council of the President of the Russian Federation. He is a member of the Collegium of the Ministry of Defense. At the end of April 2021, Kartapolov applied for participation in the primaries of the
United Russia party. If he wins, he will participate in
the upcoming elections to the
State Duma on a party list in Moscow.
Political service Kartapolov was elected on 19 September 2021 a deputy of the
8th State Duma, and as of April 2023 chaired the Defence Committee there. On 5 October 2021, by decree of the President of Russia, Kartapolov was relieved of his post as head of the Main Military-Political Directorate and released from military service in connection with his transfer to work in the State Duma. On 18 March 2022 Kartapolov informed other members of the
CSTO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) about Russian investigations of US involvement in Ukrainian biolabs. On 10 April 2023 as chair of the Defense Committee Kartapolov stated that soon-to-come legislative amendments would make it illegal to ignore electronic all military draft summonses. If the legislation is passed, "it will limit draft evaders’ rights to drive a vehicle, buy and sell real estate, apply for credit, and leave the country." In July 2023, Kartapolov was responsible for new legislation which established regional military companies that will be in charge of "guarding the state border in times of war." The legislation would come into effect on 1 January 2024. Kartapolov praised Putin for his decision to remove as Minister of Defence
Sergey Shoigu amid the spring 2024 general house-cleaning in the ministry and said: “The president does not make mistakes in personnel matters.” On 24 June 2024 Kartapolov warned that Russia might change the doctrine for the application of
nuclear weapons, to shorten the chain of command and thus to speed delivery. This followed Putin's earlier announcement to the same effect. In late July 2024, the
State Duma has passed a law that will make it a disciplinary offence for Russian soldiers to possess smart devices, the law now requires President Putin's signature to come into force. The draft law was introduced by Andrey Kartapolov, as Chairman of the Parliamentary Defense Committee. It bans Russian soldiers from using devices that connect to the internet, that geolocate, take pictures or can take audio/video recordings. Duma members debated the law, as Russian soldiers use smart devices for communication and to control drones. However Andrey Kartapolov said a total ban was the only way to "protect the Russian military from the bad influence of the Internet." In July 2025, the State Duma passed a law officially restoring the
Federal Security Service's authority to operate its own detention centers. Russian investigative journalists
Andrei Soldatov and
Irina Borogan described the legislation as "a foundation for a new
Gulag” and predicted a major expansion of
political repression in Russia. Kartapolov, who was the initiator of the bill, stated: "Unlike Europe, we have an absolutely transparent judicial system and penal system. Therefore, everything will be transparent and controlled. Primarily by the legislative power. And by the courts."
Sanctions Kartapolov was sanctioned by the
UK government in 2015 for his role in the
Russo-Ukrainian War. On 16 February 2015, the
European Union included him in the sanctions list of persons whose assets are frozen in the EU and in respect of whom visa restrictions have been introduced. He is one of the members of the
State Duma sanctioned by the
United States Treasury on 24 March 2022 in response to the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. ==Controversies==