Oleg Ostapenko

Oleg Nikolayevich Ostapenko [1]
General Oleg Ostapenko
Native name	Олег Миколайович Остапенко/Олег Николаевич Остапенко
Born	3 May 1957 [1] Pokoshychi, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [2][3]
Allegiance	Russia
Service/branch	Space Forces
Years of service	1979–2013[1]
Rank	Colonel General [4]
Commands held	Aerospace Defence Forces [1] Space Forces [1] Plesetsk Cosmodrome [1]
Awards	Order of Military Merit [1][3]

Oleg Nikolayevich Ostapenko (Russian: Олег Николаевич Остапенко, Ukrainian: Олег Миколайович Остапенко) (born 3 May 1957, Pokoshychi, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR) is a Head of Roscosmos, the federal space agency, retired Colonel General in the Russian Military, former Deputy Minister of Defence, and former commander of the Aerospace Defence Forces, a position he held from their foundation on 1 December 2011 until his promotion in November 2012.^[5] Prior to this he was commander of the Russian Space Forces from 2008, replacing Vladimir Popovkin.^[1]

Ostapenko joined the Soviet Strategic Missile Forces in 1979 after graduating from the Felix Dzerzhinsky military academy, specialising in 'Strategic Missiles, Engines, and Production Equipment'.^[3] He undertook higher military studies, ending in 1992 and moved into the Ministry of Defence Space Units. He held a number of roles at Titov Main Test and Space Systems Control Centre ending with being Chief of Staff from 2002 to 2004.^[1]

In 2004 he was promoted to be First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Space Forces and after undertaking a PhD in military sciences he became the commander of Plesetsk Cosmodrome in 2007. A year later on 30 June 2008 he was promoted to be commander of the Russian Space Forces replacing Vladimir Popovkin who became a Deputy Defence Minister. He was commander of the Aerospace Defence Forces from 1 December 2011 to 9 November 2012^[1][6] and was promoted to the rank of Colonel General on 9 August 2012.^[4]

On 9 November 2012 he was appointed as a Deputy Minister of Defence and relieved of his command of the Aerospace Defence Forces.^[7]

On October 10, 2013 Ostanpenko has been discharged from military service and relieved of his post to head Roscosmos, the federal space agency.^[8]

Military education

General Ostapenko earned PhD in Military Sciences in 2007

• Graduated from F. Dzerzhinsky Military College, 1979
• Graduate from the Command Faculty of F. Dzerzhinsky Military College, 1992
• Completed his specialty studies by graduating from the General Staff Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, 2007

References

1. "Oleg Ostapenko". Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. n.d. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
2. Назначен новый командующий Космическими войсками России [Appointed the new commander Russian Space Forces] (in Russian). Новости космонавтики (Novosti Kosmonavtiki). 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-08-18. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
3. "Russia: Biographies, Photos of RF Armed Forces Leadership". Open Source Center/Rossiyskoye Voyennoye Obozreniye. 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
4. Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 09.08.2012 № 1141 "О присвоении воинских званий высших офицеров военнослужащим Вооруженных Сил Российской Федерации" [Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated 09.08.2012 number 1141 "About the assignment of ranks of senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation"] (in Russian). Kremlin.ru. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
5. "Russia creates Air and Space Defense Forces". russianforces.org. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
6. ОСТАПЕНКО Олег Николаевич (in Russian). Kommersant. 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
7. "New appointments at Defence Ministry". Kremlin.ru. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
8. "Распоряжение Правительства Российской Федерации от 10 октября 2013 г. № 1840-р" (PDF).