Andrey Averyanov

Andrey Averyanov
Born (1967-09-29) 29 September 1967
Ashgabat, Turkmen SSR, Soviet Union
AllegianceSoviet Union (to 1991)
Russia
Branch
Soviet Army
Russian Ground Forces
Service years
1988–
Rank
Lieutenant General
CommandsDeputy Director of the Main Directorate of the General Staff
Africa Corps
GRU Unit 29155
Conflicts
Soviet-Afghan War
Bosnian War
First Chechen War
Second Chechen War
Russo-Ukrainian war
AwardsHero of the Russian Federation
Order of Courage (3)
EducationTashkent Higher All-Arms Command School

Lieutenant General Andrey Vladimirovich Averyanov[a] (born 29 September 1967) is a Russian military officer who has been the deputy director of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (known by its former acronym GRU) since 2022. He is believed to be the commander of the Africa Corps since it was created in 2023. Averyanov previously commanded GRU Unit 29155, and was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation in 2015.

Early life and education

Andrey Vladimirovich Averyanov was born on 29 September 1967[1] in Ashgabat, Turkmen SSR, Soviet Union. He lived at a military base and attended the Russian school there.[2] Averyanov later graduated from the Tashkent Higher All-Arms Command School in 1988.[2][3]

Military career

He is believed to be a decorated veteran of the Soviet-Afghan War, peacekeeping operations during the Bosnian War, and both of the Chechen Wars, for which he was awarded the Order of Courage three times.[2][3] Averyanov served as a military attaché at the Russian embassy in Warsaw, Poland, in 2004. As of 2008, he was a colonel.[4] Averyanov holds the title Hero of the Russian Federation since January 2015, possibly for his involvement in the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea.[2][3] He is believed to have served in the Special Operations Forces Command, which is based at Senezh near Moscow and includes the "little green men".[5]

Averyanov became the commander of GRU Unit 29155 in 2013, with the rank of major general.[5] He recruited GRU and spetsnaz officers for the unit, which eventually grew have about 70 members. The unit is believed by Western intelligence to be responsible for coordinating Russian sabotage operations in Europe.[3][4] Several Western governments accused Averyanov and Unit 29155 of being responsible for multiple incidents, including the 2014 Vrbětice ammunition warehouses explosions and the 2018 Skripal poisoning. The Russian government denies the allegations.[6] In May 2024, the Czech Republic placed Averyanov on its wanted list, alleging that he orchestrated the 2014 warehouse explosions.[1][7]

In 2022 Averyanov became the deputy director of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (known by its former acronym GRU). He visited Israel on 8 February 2022, and visited Iran in June 2022, October 2022, February 2023, and July 2023. Some of the latter visits coincided with Iran beginning to provide weaponry to Russia for use in the Russo-Ukrainian war.[6] After the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Averyanov's original unit was expanded into a larger department, becoming the Special Activities Service (SSD). Its subordinate formations include Unit 21955, Unit 54654, and a planning department.[8]

Africa Corps

He made his first public appearance at the July 2023 Russia–Africa Summit in Moscow. After that he joined members of the Russian Ministry of Defense on a tour of several African countries, as it took over the Wagner Group's operations in the region.[6] The tour, lasting from August to September 2023, saw Averyanov and deputy defense minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov visit Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, and Niger.[9][10] The Africa Corps was established under the supervision of Yevkurov to take over from the Wagner Group in late 2023,[9] and Averyanov reportedly became its commander on the continent.[11]

As of November 2025, he held the rank of lieutenant general. That month he led a Russian delegation in talks with the president of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.[12] In early December 2025, Radio France Internationale claimed that Averyanov was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian "shadow fleet" tanker off the coast of Libya. However, the government of Madagascar announced later that month that he is visiting the country, and RFI eventually withdrew its claim after more evidence emerged that he is alive.[13]

Notes

  1. ↑ Russian: Андрей Владимирович Аверьянов

References

  1. 1 2 "Search for persons". aplikace.policie.gov.cz. Police of the Czech Republic. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Ekel, Mark; Krutov, Mark; Dobrynin, Sergey; Shrek, Karl (14 October 2019). "Путь Аверьянова: что известно о командире секретной части ГРУ №29155 и почему на свадьбе его дочери был "Руслан Боширов". Расследование" [Averyanov's Journey: What is known about the commander of the secret GRU Unit 29155 and why "Ruslan Boshirov" was at the wedding of his daughter. Investigation]. Current Time TV (in Russian). Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Schwirtz, Michael (8 October 2019). "Top Secret Russian Unit Seeks to Destabilize Europe, Security Officials Say". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 Dobrokhotov, Roman; Grozev, Christo; Weiss, Michael (20 October 2023). "ГРУ взрывает Европу. Боширов-Чепига и его коллеги устраивали диверсии в ЕС с 2011 года, а теперь работают в АП". The Insider (in Russian). Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 Krutov, Mark; Dobrynin, Sergey (14 October 2019). "Чепига на берегу Сенежа и безликий генерал ГРУ". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (in Russian). Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 Krutov, Mark (5 September 2024). "Тель-Авив – Москва – Тегеран. Андрей Аверьянов из ГРУ и сотрудничество с Ираном" [Tel Aviv – Moscow – Tehran. Andrey Averyanov from the GRU and cooperation with Iran]. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (in Russian). Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  7. ↑ Fornusek, Martin (10 May 2024). "Czechia places Russian GRU general linked to ammunition depot blasts on wanted list". Kyiv Independent via Yahoo News. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  8. ↑ Greene, Sam; Soldatov, Andrei; Borogan, Irina (19 November 2025). "War Without End: Russia's Shadow Warfare". Center for European Policy Analysis. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  9. 1 2 McGregor, Andrew (12 March 2024). "Russian Military Intelligence Takes Over Wagner Operations in Libya". Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "With New Name, Same Russian Mercenaries Plague Africa". Africa Defense Forum. 16 January 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  11. ↑ Lawal, Shola (30 April 2026). "Mali crisis: Who are the key leaders to know about?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  12. ↑ "Russian delegation led by Lieutenant General Averyanov meets Equatorial Guinean leadership". afrinz.ru. African Initiative. 14 November 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  13. ↑ Kolesnikova, Anastasia (6 April 2026). "Французское радио извинилось, что преждевременно "похоронило" российского генерала ГРУ Аверьянова" [French radio apologized that it prematurely "buried" Russian general Averyanov]. 24tv.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 1 May 2026.
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