Viktor Mardusin

Mardusin was born on 18 March 1958 in Bryansk, then part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, in the Soviet Union.[1][2] He attended the P. S. Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School, graduating in 1980.[1] Mardusin's initial service was spent with the Baltic Fleet, where he started out as a commander of the anti-aircraft missile battery of a small missile ship, rising through the ranks to serve as weapons commander of the Nanuchka-class small missile ship Grad, and then as assistant commander of a Molniya-class small missile ship.[3]

In 1986 Mardusin became senior assistant commander of the Kilden-class destroyer Prozorliviy, and in 1988 he became commander of the destroyer Speshny.[2][3] The Speshny was an elderly Kotlin-class destroyer which had first joined the Soviet Navy in 1955. She was decommissioned in 1989.[3] During this period Mardusin took the navy's Higher Special Officer Classes, graduating in 1986, and the classes at the N. G. Kuznetsov Naval Academy, graduating in 1991.[1] Following his graduation from the Naval Academy, Mardusin was given command of the 106th division of small missile ships, and between 1991 and 1996 held the posts of chief of staff and deputy brigade commander, and then commander of the 36th missile ship brigade.[2][4] In 1996 he was appointed chief of staff and first deputy commander of the Baltic Naval Base at Baltiysk, and after a period of study at the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, from which Mardusin graduated in 2000, from July 2000 to May 2001 he served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Baltic Fleet.[2]

Mardusin, second from right, meeting with US Navy officers at Pearl Harbor. In the background is the Marshal Shaposhnikov.

Mardusin's next posting, from May 2001 to August 2003, was as commander of the Baltic Naval Base, followed by his transfer in August 2003 to take up his new role as Deputy Commander of the Pacific Fleet.[1] On 4 November 2003 Mardusin visited Pearl Harbor as part of a naval visit to the American base by the Udaloy-class destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov and the Dubna-class tanker Pechenga.[5] He met with US admirals Jonathan Greenert, Thomas B. Fargo and Barry McCullough during the visit, which marked the first time Russian ships had visited Pearl Harbor since 1995.[5]

Mardusin held the post of Deputy Commander of the Pacific Fleet until March 2005. On 9 March 2005 he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Fleet, before returning to the Pacific Fleet as its chief of staff from 6 May 2006 until 6 December 2007.[1] On 6 December 2007 he was appointed commander of the Baltic Fleet. During his period in command, Somali pirates captured the Ukrainian cargo vessel MV Faina, with several Russian crewmen among the hostages. The Neustrashimyy-class frigate Neustrashimyy was dispatched from the Baltic Fleet to patrol off the Somali coast, with Mardusin stating that the frigate would be deployed "for more than two months in order to guarantee the safety of Russian ships."[6] On the Neustrashimyy's return to base in February 2009, Mardusin welcomed her crew, and as per tradition, presented her commander, Captain 2nd Rank Alexei Apanovich, with a roasted piglet.[7]

Mardusin was commander of the Baltic Fleet until 8 September 2009.[1] He had by that time, on 1 September 2009, been appointed Deputy Chief of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.[1] On 4 October 2013 Mardusin was appointed deputy commander of the Western Military District, replacing Lieutenant General Oleg Makarevich, who was appointed Chief of Staff of the Eastern Military District.[1]

Over his career Mardusin had received the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" Third Class, the Order of Military Merit, and the Order of Naval Merit.[1] He is married, with a daughter and a son.[1]