Bondarev VKS biography. Biography of Colonel General Viktor Bondarev. Main activities of the State Educational Establishment of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

Bondarev Viktor Nikolaevich - commander of the 899th Guards Orsha Twice Red Banner Order of Suvorov, 3rd degree assault aviation regiment named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky 105th mixed aviation division of the 16th Air Force and Air Defense Army, colonel.

Born on December 7, 1959 in the village of Novobogoroditskoye, now Petropavlovsk district, Voronezh region. Russian. In 1977 he graduated from high school in Novobogoroditsky.

Since August 1977 - in the USSR Air Force. In 1981 he graduated from the Borisoglebsk Higher Military Aviation School named after V.P. Chkalova. Since 1981 he served in the 44th training aviation regiment, which provided the educational process of the Barnaul Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (Kalmanka station, Altai Territory): instructor pilot, senior pilot, flight commander. In 1989 he was sent to study at the academy.

In 1992 he graduated from the command department of the Yu.A. Air Force Academy. Gagarin. Since 1992, he served at the Borisoglebsk flight training center: senior navigator, squadron commander. Then he served as commander of an attack aviation squadron, deputy commander, and from September 1996 to October 2000 - commander of the 899th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment of the 105th Mixed Aviation Division of the 16th Air Force and Air Defense Army, stationed at the Buturlinovka military airfield in Voronezh areas.

Participant in combat operations in the North Caucasus region during the first and second Chechen wars. In the first Chechen war he made over 100 combat missions. In December 1994, during an attack on Dudayev’s positions near the village of Shatoy, the plane of one of the regiment’s pilots was shot down by fire from the ground. Then V.N. Bondarev suppressed the militants' anti-aircraft weapons and, until the rescue helicopter arrived, used fire from the sky to drive the militants away from the pilot's landing site. During the second Chechen war, he made over 300 combat missions against illegal armed bandit groups.

By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 709dsp of April 21, 2000, for courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty in conditions involving risk to life, Colonel Bondarev Viktor Nikolaevich awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

From November 2000 to 2002 - deputy commander of the 105th mixed aviation division of the 16th Air Force and Air Defense Army (Voronezh). In 2004 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Since June 2004 - commander of the 105th mixed aviation division. Since May 2006 - Deputy Commander, and since June 2008 - Commander of the 14th Air Force and Air Defense Army (Novosibirsk).

From July 17, 2009 - Deputy Commander-in-Chief, from July 15, 2011 - Chief of the General Staff - First Deputy Commander-in-Chief, and from May 6, 2012 to August 1, 2015 - Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force of the Russian Federation. From August 1, 2015 to September 26, 2017 - Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation.

Mastered the L-29, MiG-21, Su-25 and others. Has a total flight time of more than 3000 hours. Was cleared to fly day and night, in any weather conditions. On May 9, 2015, during the aviation part of the military parade in Moscow to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, he piloted a Tu-160 aircraft.

On September 26, 2017, he was relieved of his position and dismissed from military service. Prior to this, on September 19, 2017, as a representative of the executive body of state power of the Kirov region, he was appointed a member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. On September 27, 2017, he was confirmed as Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security.

Lives and works in Moscow.

Military ranks:
Major General (2005);
Lieutenant General (08/09/2012);
Colonel General (08/11/2014).

Awarded the Orders “For Services to the Fatherland”, 4th class (2016), Courage (01/04/1995), “For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR”, 3rd class (1984), medals, including the Medal of the Order of Merit before the Fatherland" 2nd degree with swords (01/06/1995), as well as orders and medals of foreign countries.

Honored Military Pilot of the Russian Federation (2010).

Candidate of Technical Sciences.

Bondarev Viktor Nikolaevich - commander of the 899th Guards Orsha Twice Red Banner Order of Suvorov, 3rd degree assault aviation regiment named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky, 105th mixed aviation division of the 16th Air Force and Air Defense Army, colonel. Born on December 7, 1959 in the village of Novobogoroditskoye, now Petropavlovsk district, Voronezh region. Russian. In 1977 he graduated from high school. Since 1977 - in the USSR Air Force. In 1981 he graduated from the Borisoglebsk Higher Military Aviation School named after V.P. Chkalov, in 1992 from the command department of the Yu.A. Gagarin Air Force Academy, and in 2004 from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. After graduating from college, he served as an instructor pilot and flight commander at the Barnaul Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots. Then he served as senior navigator and squadron commander at the flight training center. In the 1980s, as part of a limited contingent of Soviet troops, he took part in hostilities in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. Then he was the commander of an aviation squadron, deputy commander, and from September 1996 to October 2000, commander of the 899th Guards Attack Aviation Regiment of the 105th Mixed Aviation Division of the 16th Air Force and Air Defense Army, stationed at the Buturlinovka military airfield in the Voronezh region. Participant in combat operations in the North Caucasus region during the first and second Chechen wars. In the first Chechen war he made over 100 combat missions. In December 1994, during an attack on Dudayev’s positions near the village of Shatoy, the plane of one of the regiment’s pilots was shot down by fire from the ground. Then V.N. Bondarev suppressed the militants’ anti-aircraft weapons and, until the rescue helicopter arrived, used fire from the sky to drive the militants away from the pilot’s landing site. During the second Chechen war, he made over 300 combat missions against illegal armed bandit groups. By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 709dsp dated April 21, 2000, for courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty in conditions involving risk to life, Colonel Viktor Nikolaevich Bondarev was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation with a special distinction - the Gold Star medal. . Since 2000 - deputy commander, and since 2004 - commander of the 105th mixed aviation division of the 16th Air Force and Air Defense Army (Voronezh). Since May 2006 - Deputy Commander, and since June 2008 - Commander of the 14th Air Force and Air Defense Army (Novosibirsk). From July 17, 2009 to July 15, 2011 - Deputy Commander-in-Chief, from July 15, 2011 to May 6, 2012 - Chief of the General Staff - First Deputy Commander-in-Chief, and from May 6, 2012 to August 1, 2015 - Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force RF. Since August 1, 2015 - Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation. On May 9, 2015, in Moscow, during the aviation part of the military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, a Tu-160 aircraft was piloted. Lives in Moscow. Military ranks: major general (2005), lieutenant general (08/09/2012), colonel general (08/11/2014). Awarded the Soviet Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" 3rd degree, the Russian Order of Courage (01/04/1995), medals, including the Medal of the Order "For Services to the Fatherland" 2nd degree with swords (01/06/1995) . Honored Military Pilot of the Russian Federation, sniper pilot. Mastered the L-29, MiG-21 and Su-25 aircraft. Has a total flight time of more than 3000 hours. Was cleared to fly day and night, in any weather conditions.

News agency TASS published an interesting interview with the ex-commander-in-chief Aerospace Forces of Russia, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Defense and Security of Hero of Russia Viktor Bondarev. Our blog provides a shortened version of it.

Over the past five years, the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) have significantly updated their combat personnel and have undergone serious testing in Syria. The aviation industry is working on the creation of promising aircraft of various types, and a new state weapons program until 2025 is being agreed upon. The ex-commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Defense and Security, Hero of Russia Viktor, spoke in an interview with TASS about the justification for the creation of the Aerospace Forces, the training of pilots and their combat work in Syria, the relations of the military department with industrialists and the prospects of the new Su-57 fighter. Bondarev.

Victor Bondarev Alexey Ereshko / Russian Ministry of Defense

Bondarev the pilot, Bondarev the commander in chief and Bondarev the senator are still different people, Viktor Nikolaevich? What has changed in civilian life?

Probably, every officer's life in the army comes to an end someday. And we need to prepare ourselves for something else. It turned out that by the will of fate I am a pilot. They noticed - he became commander-in-chief, they noticed - he became a senator. I think that it is no longer possible to change me, to make me someone else. Therefore, this is one person - whether it is a pilot, a commander-in-chief, or a senator. I just changed my uniform, but everything else is the same: I also support Russia, the VKS, and the army.I changed my uniform, but everything else is the same: I also support Russia, the VKS, and the army.

I have been in the armed forces for over 40 years and have participated in many military conflicts. Now many of my subordinates are in Syria. They will always be my subordinates, even though I retired from the army. I prepared them, sent them there, and the demand was on me.In civilian life, a lot has changed, of course. Here, as in the army, you can’t give orders, you can only ask respectfully. But life is life, you just need to try to do your job.

When you became Commander-in-Chief in 2012, what was your top priority in the vast undertaking of the Air Force? What was the most difficult?

Maximum efforts were aimed at updating the aviation fleet and training young pilots. We began to receive modern helicopters and airplanes, which performed well in Syria. After each combat use, a thorough analysis was carried out, and industry was called in for modifications. Now there is practically no difference between unguided and guided ammunition; the results in terms of hit accuracy are almost the same.

Thanks to the Minister of Defense, great efforts were devoted to providing housing for personnel, military camps began to be restored to proper condition, and airfields built in the 40s and 50s of the last century were repaired.We have raised the species with dignity, and now it occupies a leading place in the armed forces. After the creation of the VKS, the work increased even more. This includes air defense, and the space component, the organization and management of this entire huge organism. And of course, combat training. Uniting is the simplest thing; we still need to make sure that it is combat-ready and meets modern requirements. I believe that we have reached certain heights in this direction. I am grateful to my subordinates and deputies. I think we have adequately raised the species, and now it occupies a leading place in the armed forces.

In such energetic changes, were you given, as they say, complete carte blanche? Have your ideas met any objections?

No, my ideas did not meet with any objections. On the contrary, support was provided by both the Minister of Defense and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. We began to report to him twice a year on the state of affairs in the branches and branches of the armed forces. I can say with honor and dignity that thanks to the care of the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and the Aerospace Forces countries, they received enough aircraft, helicopters, air defense, and space assets. For example, the strategic missile carrier Tu-160 still has no equal in the world, and now, when the production of this aircraft is resumed, so much new stuff will be invested in it that it will be a supernova aircraft for another 40 years.

Different opinions are still expressed about the advisability of uniting the Air Force and Aerospace Defense Forces into one large service. From its very foundation, the Space Forces “moved” either from the Strategic Missile Forces to the General Staff, or became the Military Space Forces. What do you think about this - where is the place for space in our army?

In my opinion, the place for space is where it is now. For example, in the United States, the Air Force also includes nuclear missile forces.

That is, it would be possible to take over the Strategic Missile Forces?

We don’t need this, we have something to command. The three “trunks” of the Aerospace Forces - aviation, air defense and space - are inseparable, complement each other, and I think that with their development we will have enormous potential, the strongest force, which will monitor the situation in the world in real time and instantly respond to its changes.

It turns out that the management of this colossus must be masterful. Does the current management system meet these requirements? How should everything be lined up, maybe something needs to be changed?

No, nothing needs to be changed, you just need to develop and provide videoconferencing with more modern management tools. A lot of development work (R&D) is going in this direction. I think that these elements will arrive in the very near future; Almaz-Antey and other organizations are doing this. It is already clear that information from one type of military to another is received much more quickly, and Syria has confirmed this.

The fact that cadets should fly from their first year is, of course, not my idea. This was how it was initially in the Soviet Union. Since the birth of aviation, the study of technology lasted two to three weeks, and then the pilot began flying. When I was in college, we also flew from the first year, and started flying in the second semester. And I think that's right. The number of dropouts from the school was minimal.Since the birth of aviation, the study of technology lasted two to three weeks, and then the pilot began flying

And today a cadet studies for two and a half years, studies all the disciplines, does not fly, prepares, and before going on flights he is checked and a health discrepancy is discovered. So much time has been lost, we need to do something again. Previously, a cadet only completed the first semester, and if he was told that he was unfit for flight training, he immediately took his documents and went either to another school or to a civilian university. We will come to this and will definitely fly from the first year.

Yes, the production of light multipurpose aircraft Diamond 42 will now be launched at the Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA), the VKS will receive them for initial flight training. I flew on this plane and I want to say that you can train a cadet well on it. This plane, by the way, is very reliable and easy to fly.

In the first year, a person must confirm the theory of flight that he studied. Over time, in the next course, we will give a different type of aircraft so that the future pilot will master as many types of aircraft as possible during his training at the school. The easier it will be for him later in the army to master combat aircraft and switch to new types. He will make an excellent pilot. This is the kind of training system there should be - and over time there will be.

We constantly talk about import substitution. And here are Austrian aircraft, albeit produced in Russia.

Well, production is localized. At the moment, I think it is cheaper to purchase these aircraft than to wait for our own. They are being developed in parallel, but I want to tell you that the cadet needs to be taught today, and not in five years. The first Diamond DA42Ts should begin arriving in 2018, and students will be flying them.

The SR-10 training aircraft project, as far as I understand, has become somewhat controversial over the past two years. Will it still be implemented?

The problem is to launch production of this aircraft in Smolensk. Nevertheless, I think that this aircraft should go into production in 2018. The flight training system will be structured as follows: Diamond is initial flight training, SR-10 is intermediate flight training in the second to fourth year, and the third stage is the Yak-130 in the final year. Maybe also MiG-29 and MiG-35, depending on how the combat units and schools will be equipped.

We have talked about this topic more than once, but now, it seems to me, we can expand on it a little. What should a sixth generation aircraft be like? Much is now moving towards unmanned options. But can a living, intelligent, experienced person be completely replaced by a smart, but still machine?

Once upon a time, at the dawn of aviation, no one could even imagine that an airplane would have an on-board digital computer system, that it would solve targeting problems. Everything was, as we say, “according to the bast shoes.” Nevertheless, today the pilot does not think about what his speed, altitude, or overload are. Its main job is to place the crosshair on the target and the bomb will be there.

At school we learned to count on an abacus. We were told that there is nothing and cannot be better than the human mind and memory. Then microcomputers, tablets, supercomputers appeared, and people could not even dream of what they could calculate. I think the day is not far off when machines will have their own intelligence, so why not trust them with aviation or air defense? In the meantime, the human mind, with its multivariance, can still eclipse everything and everyone. The pilot can stop in a timely manner or, conversely, complicate this or that task. The machine only executes the program.

Do you think that in the future artificial intelligence will be able to replace the soldier on the battlefield and the pilot in the cockpit?

Certainly. And flying robots will be able to act not separately, but as a whole “swarm”. Maybe an operator will sit on the ground and control an entire unmanned squadron using computer technology.

And in such a scenario, won’t we be threatened with a machine uprising?

Year after year we hear statements that next year this or that promising aircraft will definitely begin to enter service with the troops - and as a result, at the end of 2017, things are still there. Where is the promising strategic missile carrier, interceptor, transporter? Why have they been talked about for so many years in a row, but work is going so slowly?

A very serious question. In some cases, we probably spoiled the industry a little with the timing of development work, which took 10-15 years. The Minister set the goal from the very beginning - the R&D project will take no more than three years. In principle, the industry has caught up, all developments have moved much faster.

There is no interest in taking the army's junk. Based on this, in the process of preparing and completing R&D, industrialists are often forced to refine some elements so that they meet modern requirements. This, of course, is insignificant, but it lengthens the time frame. Some ROCs were closed immediately because they had already lost their relevance and no results were obtained there. But basically everyone is walking and moving. Now the maximum is three years, but they are trying to complete it in one and a half to two years.

Okay, let’s take the PAK DP as an example, a promising interceptor. You yourself said that the MiG-31 has practically exhausted its service life. When will they get a replacement?

By decision of the Minister of Defense, 53 MiG-31 aircraft were taken from the surplus and delivered to the plant in order to put them on the wing again. In 2016, the Aerospace Forces received 17 updated aircraft, this year, in my opinion, 23 will receive them, and in 2018 everything else. Plus, the life of the existing fleet was extended by five years, and for some aircraft by seven - up to 40 years.

Research work (R&D) on PAK DP is underway. I hope it ends soon. I think that in 2018 the R&D work on the development of a promising interceptor will begin. We can’t live without it, we have a maximum of seven to ten years ahead, but during this time we must not only develop this aircraft, but also manufacture it and begin serial deliveries to military units. It's a lot of work.

And yet, regarding many projects, the Ministry of Defense tells industry: do it at your own expense, and we will see whether to take it or not. Industrialists shrug their shoulders. Is the position of the military department in this case correct?

You know, I believe that the Ministry of Defense is taking the right position. The whole world lives by these rules.

Where does industry get the money for all this?

Where, for example, does Lockheed Martin get the money for a new plane? And then sells it to the United States Department of Defense. It’s just that the local military said at one time: so and so, guys, your planes are our money. We developed it, we liked it, we took it. And when all this reaches our industrialists...

So this system is viable?

Yes, I think that’s how it should work. As a result, our aircraft show excellent results.

Why don't Americans fly to Aviadarts?

Because they are afraid that their F-22 and F-35 will not get anywhere.

But I think it’s more likely due to the political situation.

No, initially, when we started holding competitions on the instructions of the minister, the relationship was not the same as it is now. But they still didn’t arrive. Okay, God bless them, but half of Europe flies on these types of aircraft. And everyone categorically refused, because they knew that they had nothing special to show. We see this in Syria - how they bomb and how we bomb.

It is often said that our Su-57 is a copy of the American Raptors, that we are trying to copy them and in fact they are too expensive to go into production.

Everyone understands perfectly well that the Su-57 will not cost as much as the Yak-130. And not even like the Su-35. This is a completely different, ultra-modern development. I saw it, sat in it, saw how it worked, they reported to me from the Akhtuba Aviation Center.

This is actually a wonderful aircraft, and it can be not only the fifth, but also the sixth generation. It has enormous modernization potential. The most important thing is that in terms of its stealth, it is the best among existing models. He embodied all the best that exists in modern aviation science, not only Russian, but also worldwide.

But no one says it has to be cheap. Then we can stop the entire industry altogether, and it will not give us anything. Since we ordered it and allocated money for it, then excuse me, no one will fight with the Nieuports now. We have promoted aviation factories to produce a certain batch of the latest aircraft and helicopters, and now it is under no circumstances possible to say that we do not need them, an irreversible process will begin. If it doesn't happen this year, it will happen next year. Without aviation, Russia has no future.

Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said that we will reduce the number of Su-57s purchased in the first years.

Naturally, it takes time to launch their production. In the first year, the Aerospace Forces will not receive 20 or 15 aircraft, only two or three, and so on. But we have no right to lag behind. Today, the Chinese and Indians are making a fifth-generation aircraft, the Europeans have begun joint development, and the Americans are working on a sixth-generation aircraft.

Will the new state armaments program (GAP) be greatly reduced?

I think that the money included in the new SAP will remain unchanged. It will be no less than the previous one.

Will the Ministry of Defense still purchase a new light MiG-35 fighter?

Yes, its purchases are included in the new state arms program.I can’t say for sure now, but until 2020, it seems, there will be 24 aircraft. Of course, you should take it, it’s a good plane. It is approximately two times cheaper than the Su-30 or Su-35. It is reliable, suitable for training, airspace security, has the shortest possible take-off time and minimal requirements for flight preparation.

Will the famous "Rook" Su-25 be replaced with something or is the age of attack aircraft coming to an end?

A stormtrooper will always be needed. The Su-25 has been upgraded to the SM3 variant; it has a very reliable airframe and huge modernization and repair potential. I think it will fly for another 10-15 years. Naturally, over time it will need to be changed. Today different options are being considered.

You said that a single family of aircraft, including an attack aircraft version, would be created on the basis of the Su-34.

Yes, my opinion is that the new attack aircraft should still be made on the basis of the Su-34. An excellent aircraft, maneuverable, eight tons of bomb load versus the twenty-fifth’s four, excellent precision characteristics.There are, of course, some drawbacks - due to the fact that the pilots are sitting next to each other, the pilot on the right side has 50% less visibility than on the left. But I think it would be easier and faster to make a cockpit for one pilot and leave everything else as is. The engines will be practically the same for the Su-34 and for the new attack aircraft.

Returning to the VKS operation in Syria and taking into account your experience of participating in hostilities, is it possible to compare the conflict in this country with the Afghan, Chechen and other local wars in which Soviet and Russian military personnel participated?

Pilots, infantrymen, paratroopers, engineering troops, and artillery fought in the Afghan campaign. If the task was to take a city, village, province or pass, it was done with a huge onslaught, with great firepower. Our guys took a small town in three or four days.

The Chechen campaign was taking place on its own territory, and it was impossible to act as in Afghanistan. In Chechnya, civilians, old people and children did not leave their villages, and naturally, we did not have the right to bomb our own cities. That's why the campaign lasted so long. Moreover, we sought to resolve this entire conflict peacefully. After almost every operation there were days and even weeks of silence. The most important thing is that the Chechen people believed that we are Russians, we are one people and should live together. And not like in Syria now - to fight with each other.

Are the Russian army's losses in Syria high?

The losses of the Russian army in Syria are minimal compared to the Chechen or Afghan campaigns. Yes, we lost a wonderful pilot Oleg Peshkov there. The Mi-8 crew of Roman Pavlov was killed, and the bodies of the pilots are still there. We are working on this issue. This is my pain. All warriors must return to their native land, even some posthumously.

Was it necessary to start the Syrian campaign at all?

If it were not for the wise decision to send troops to Syria in 2015, this country would not have existed long ago. Only God knows how many terrorists there are in this region. According to the most conservative estimates, there are more than 100 thousand of them there - and all of them are perfectly prepared. A simple bandit, armed with a machine gun or a grenade launcher, still needs to be taught to fight with a regular army, and if he did this successfully, it means he received huge amounts of money, weapons, and ammunition.

The Syrian army was practically abandoned, fighting alone. Thanks to the work of the Russian Aerospace Forces, we first stopped the offensive, then turned the tide, and then prepared a springboard for an attack on all territories, cities, villages, and provinces occupied by ISIS. To be honest, if you face the truth, except for the Aerospace Forces, except for Russia, which provides enormous support to Syria, practically no one there is fighting terrorists. Also, however, the Syrian army.

How long will the war in Syria last?

How long it will last, only God knows. About 95% of the country's territory has been liberated, although all of it has been destroyed almost to the ground. We understand perfectly well that it is impossible to destroy all ISIS fighters today. Many of them dispersed across villages, fields and deserts, many entered Iraqi territory, many went over to the side of the Syrian army, although these need to be checked and verified - many pretended to be civilians and are waiting for the go-ahead.

And the more authority the Syrian army has (and its authority is clearing the territory and destroying these gangs), the faster peace and order will be restored there. The sooner all oil and gas fields are liberated, the sooner Syria will begin building infrastructure, housing, plants, factories - everything necessary for the development of the country.

But Russia probably also has its own geopolitical interests in Syria? We are not spending huge amounts of money on this war out of chivalry.

No war is cheap. Yes, we spend certain funds to support the army, to provide assistance to Syria, but let’s count other money - if this whole pack came to our borders, how much would we spend then? We would have to rebuild the entire Russian economy. Now we are making do with the funds allocated for combat training.

It’s no secret that the Aerospace Forces allowed the entire flight crew of strike and military transport aircraft to pass through Syria. The “strategists” worked a lot there. The entire army aviation visited, and some helicopter pilots visited two or three times. The air defense had a wonderful experience. Do you know how our guys work there? Naturally, this is of great importance. In no case can you abandon the group and leave it without cover.

In two years we learned to fight in a new way. The Syrian campaign shows that subsequent wars will take place not only in the air, but also in the space sphere, and priority will be given to the corresponding branch or branch of the armed forces. There will be a high-tech war, and it is already clear that it is almost impossible to resist modern weapons with a rifle and a machine gun. The most important role is played by reconnaissance from space and control of airspace, control and guidance of cruise missiles. This is information about the enemy’s movements, preparations for operations, offensives, and so on.

What tasks are you currently facing as the head of the relevant committee of the Federation Council?

The tasks are enormous. The committee is in charge of various laws and measures aimed at strengthening the defense and security of the country.

We are responsible to senior management and are obliged to do everything to ensure that the army and other security forces reliably carry out all the tasks that are assigned to them. I have worked and continue to work with the Ministry of Defense. We invite deputy ministers of defense to committee meetings; recently, at a planned meeting of the Federation Council, we heard from the head of the Russian Guard, Viktor Zolotov. He reported to us on the state of affairs regarding the formation of his department. They have existed for a little over a year, but what they have done is an honor and praise. Let’s say that as commander-in-chief it was difficult for me to unite the Air Force, Air Defense and Space. But they already existed.

Since November 2017, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Viktor Bondarev, was dismissed from his post and left the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces. By decision of the President of the Russian Federation, he will take the position of senator and will represent the interests of the Kirov region in the Federation Council.

Biography

Viktor Nikolaevich Bondarev born in 1959. Its homeland is the village of Novobogoroditskoye, located near Voronezh. In 1977, he graduated from the village high school. He spent his entire childhood listening to the sounds of airplanes flying overhead. He could no longer think of any other profession. The future head of the Aerospace Forces Bondarev had a burning desire to become a pilot and after graduating from school he dreamed only of a flight school.

From 1977 to 1981, he was a cadet at the Borisoglebsk Flight School named after Chkalov. From the first year he already began to fly an airplane and continued his studies with good results.

In 1981, he served on assignment in Barnaul at the Higher Military Aviation School, where he served until 1989 and served as a flight commander. He was involved in instructor work and does not regret it at all. He treated his work with interest. The future commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces (VKS) Viktor Bondarev knows perfectly well how to train a pilot so that he becomes a good specialist.

In 1989, he was sent to study at the Gagarin Flight Academy and became a graduate in 1992. Since 1992, he continued to serve as part of the Borisoglebsk training center, where pilots were trained. He became a mentor at the educational institution where he himself learned to fly. He served in this position until 1996.

From 1996 to 2000, he led the 899th flight regiment, 105th flight division, located near Voronezh.

As commander in chief

Viktor Nikolaevich Bondarev became Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force in 2012. Thanks to his work, the flight fleet was updated and the flight crew was trained. The aviation fleet has been updated with new helicopters and planes, which have shown themselves to be very good in Syria. Each new combat vehicle was refined and improved. Work began to repair old airfields. Airfields that were 40-50 years old received a new life.

After the creation of the Aerospace Forces, the work became even more complicated, air defense systems and space units were added. Managing this entire structure was no easy task. It was necessary to organize the work so that the combined troops could carry out combat missions. Sometimes this was not easy to do. But with the task set, the new united structure under the leadership of V.N. Bondarev. managed.

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The Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces Bondarev planned to introduce flight practice starting from the 1st year of flight school, just as it was in Soviet times. Now only second-year students are allowed to fly, which, according to Bondarev, is not correct. Before being allowed to fly, the medical examination must be passed immediately, so that the cadet, if he fails to pass it, has a chance to enroll in a civilian university. Now it takes 2 years before a cadet receives final clearance to fly, but no one will give him back 2 years.

During the two years of management of the VKS Group of Companies by Bondarev, a lot of work was done to introduce new weapons. The VKS has successfully mastered new types of space reconnaissance. The latest developments were used in the Syrian company. As a result, the Russian army was replenished with new generation combat vehicles.

Why did the dismissal happen?

During his work in this post, he did a lot, but why did Viktor Nikolaevich Bondarev, the commander of the Aerospace Forces, be dismissed from the ranks of the RF Armed Forces? The reason could be the tragedy that occurred in 2016, in which 92 people died. The plane on which the ensemble of Alexandrov and Doctor Lisa flew belonged to the Ministry of Defense. The investigation was not carried out at the level that the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Federation expected. For this reason, the commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces resigned.

The Commander-in-Chief in charge of the aerospace forces of the Aerospace Forces, Viktor Bondarev, has recently represented the Kirov region in the Federation Council. According to the senator, his years of service in the army gave him an understanding of the issues facing industrial enterprises; he understands why plant managers are puzzled and what problems need to be solved. But he was able to occupy such a post in the region due to the fact that he is a former military man with a high rank. According to the law of residence, you must live in the region for at least 5 years, but it does not apply to the former commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces.

Find out: Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces Sergei Vladimirovich Surovikin

Now Viktor Nikolaevich Bondarev is in excellent physical shape, he is still able to fly an airplane. In 2015, during the victory parade in Moscow, he was the pilot of a Tu-160 that soared over Red Square.