Vladimir Nikolaevich
Zozulin
1991-2022
Vladimir Nikolaevich Zozulin served as the commander of the reconnaissance company of the 217th Guards Parachute Regiment of the 98th Guards Airborne Division, holding the rank of Guards Senior Lieutenant. He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation. He was born on March 24, 1991, in the village of Azery, the Rakvere district, the Estonian SSR (now Viru-Nigula, Lääne-Viru County, Estonia). Zozulin spent his childhood and youth in the Vologda Region, Russia. In 2008, he finished high school in the village of Borisovo-Sudskoe, the Babayevsky district. In 2013, he completed his studies at Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School named after General of the Army V. F. Margelov. Following his graduation, he was assigned to the 217th Guards Parachute Regiment, 98th Guards Airborne Division, in Ivanovo, where he became a reconnaissance company commander. From February 24, 2022, Zozulin participated in the Russian Armed Forces’ special military operation in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. In the morning, on March 12, 2022, his company began reconnaissance and search operations, discovering concealed artillery positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Zozulin promptly identified and relayed the coordinates to command, enabling the destruction of enemy artillery and securing a critical foothold without resistance. During further reconnaissance, the company encountered an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group. Demonstrating bravery, Guards Senior Lieutenant Zozulin ordered an attack, resulting in the enemy group’s defeat and the capture of an officer with classified documents. While returning to the evacuation site, the lead patrol was ambushed. Despite sustaining multiple shrapnel injuries, Zozulin exhibited extraordinary courage, ordering his unit to move to an alternate evacuation point while he provided cover. For 30 minutes, he engaged the superior enemy forces; after exhausting his ammunition, he allowed the enemy to approach and used his last grenade. By Presidential Decree on March 31, 2022, Guards Senior Lieutenant Vladimir Nikolaevich Zozulin was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation for his heroism, bravery, and valor in service. In his honour, streets in Ivanovo and Lugansk were named after him, and a memorial plaque was installed on the school building in Borisovo-Sudskoe.
Address: Moscow, Victory Park
