VZCZCXRO6013
RR RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHLN RUEHPOD RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHMO #1404/01 1491422
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291422Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3550
INFO RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 001404 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINR MCAP PREL PINS RS
 
SUBJECT: CONTROVERSIAL GENERAL NAMED HEAD OF RUSSIAN AIRBORNE 
TROOPS 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Strongly criticized for war crimes committed in 
Chechnya by troops under his command, Lt. General Vladimir 
Shamanov's appointment to command Russian airborne troops is 
considered by some experts to be a message from the Russian 
leadership in support of not only military reform but also of MOD 
Serduykov, at a time when rumors abound about his possible 
resignation.  While Chechens criticized the appointment, Shamanov is 
considered an experienced and well-known military expert who will 
help advance reform from within the military.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
A Controversial General Appointed Airborne Commander 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On May 25, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that 
Lieutenant General Vladimir Shamanov would replace Lt. General 
Valeiy Yevtukhovich as commander of Russia's airborne troops.  The 
airborne commander post had been vacant since the May 6th discharge 
of Yevtukhovich, who had reached the mandatory retirement age. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Shamanov gained notoriety during the Chechen wars when 
troops under his command committed war crimes.  Russian military 
analysts, if not human rights experts, differ on whether to label 
Shamanov a war criminal.  Many analysts here continue to justify 
Shamanov's actions in the Caucasus as helping to bring under control 
a region of bandits "where the people understand only force." 
Experts agree that Shamanov is an effective general and now a key 
figure within the Russian military leadership who will help advance 
Serduykov's unpopular military reforms. 
 
---------------- 
Chechen Reaction 
---------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Officials in Chechnya have criticized Shamanov's 
appointment.  Chechnya's Ombudsman for Human Rights Nurdi Nukhaziev 
stated on May 25 that no one in Chechnya has forgotten the violence 
Shamanov wrought on the local civilian population, nor have they 
forgotten his attempts to protect war criminals.  (Note: In the year 
2000, as Governor of the Ulyanovsk Oblast region, Shamanov publicly 
supported one of his former commanders, Colonel Yuri Budanov, during 
his trial over the kidnap and murder of a young Chechen woman, Elza 
Kungeva.) 
 
--------------------------------- 
What It Means for Military Reform 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Experts argued that Shamanov's designation is an indication 
that Russian political leaders have stopped thinking in terms of a 
global war that necessitates a mass mobilization of troops.  They 
said that the August 2008 war with Georgia was a reminder that 
future conflicts involving Russia will most likely occur within or 
near its borders.  As a result, a smaller army consisting mainly of 
professional, effective, and readily deployable troops is needed. 
Shamanov, a seasoned fighter in conventional warfare and a notable 
figure within the public and military spheres, is considered the 
right person to help push forward such a reform. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Respected and well-known within the military, Shamanov has 
publicly supported military reform.  Some experts argue that his 
appointment thus serves as a message from the Russian leadership in 
support of not only military reform but also of MOD Serduykov, at a 
time when rumors abound about his possible resignation or transfer 
to another position (septel). 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
Appointment's Timing: Reneging on Tula Base Closure 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶7. (SBU) Shamanov's appointment coincides with the reversal of the 
Russian MOD's decision to disband the 106th airborne unit in Tula. 
According to press sources, the turn-around followed a number of 
letters and complaints to the MOD and the Presidency.  However, 
local press reported that the decision was expected.  Within the 
proposed military reform, airborne troops, along with Russia's 
strategic nuclear forces, will be a main component of Russia's 
mobile ground forces; thus significant reductions in the number of 
airborne troops are unlikely. 
 
--------------- 
Biographic Note 
--------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Shamanov had been in charge of the MOD's Main Directorate 
 
MOSCOW 00001404  002 OF 002 
 
 
for Military Training since 2007.  A recipient of the Hero of the 
Russian Federation decoration for his service in Chechnya, Shamanov 
was appointed in 2007 as advisor to then MOD Sergei Ivanov, and then 
co-chairman of the US-Russian Joint Commission on POW/MIA (USRJC). 
Considered a "hawk" among Russian military leaders, Shamanov's 
military career includes service with Russian Ground Forces in 
Pskov, Moldavia, Azerbaijan and Ulyanovsk.  Shamanov graduated from 
the Ryazansk airborne command school in 1978. 
 
¶9. (SBU) In March 1995 Shamanov was deployed to Chechnya to command 
a division of troops that took heavy combat losses.  In October 1995 
he was appointed deputy commander of Russian forces in Chechnya, and 
was then promoted to commander in April 1996.  In April 1998 he was 
named commander of the 20th Army (Voronezh), and then in July 1999 
he was appointed commander of the 58th Army based in Vladikavkaz, 
North Caucasus Military District.  During this time he led the 
retaliatory attack against Chechen fighters in Dagestan and 
suppressed Wahhabism within the republic.  In September 1999 
Shamanov was appointed commander of federal forces in the North 
Caucasus.  He is considered one of the most effective military 
leaders in both Chechen Wars. 
 
BEYRLE