Anton Yelizarov | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Антон Олегович Елизаров |
| Birth name | Anton Olegovich Yelizarov |
| Nickname | Lotos |
| Born | (1981-05-01)1 May 1981 (age 44) |
| Allegiance |
|
| Branch |  VDV (1998–2014) |
| Rank | Captain (–2014) |
| Commands |
|
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards |    |
Anton Olegovich Yelizarov[a] (Russian:Антон Олегович Елизаров; born 1 May 1981), also known by hisnom de guerre "Lotos" (Russian:Лотос, literally:Lotus), is a Russian mercenary leader and military officer, one of the commanders ofPMC Wagner Group. He has medals of theHero of Russia,Donetsk People's Republic andLuhansk People's Republic.
Anton Olegovich Yelizarov was born on 1 May 1981 in theRostov Oblast,USSR.[1][2]
In 1998 he graduated from the Ulyanovsk GuardsSuvorov Military School. In 2003 he graduated from theRyazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School. Since 2003, he served as the commander of an airborne platoon in the7th Guards Air Assault Division.[2]
In 2014, he was dismissed from the army after the verdict of the Krasnodar garrison military court for acrime against property (4.159CC RF).[2] He received a three-yearsuspended sentence and paid a fine of one hundred thousand rubles.[3]
After his dismissal, he joined theWagner Group. He participated in theRussian military intervention in the Syrian civil war. From 2016 to 2019 he was an instructor in theCentral African Republic. In 2021, he commanded a stormtrooper detachment inLibya. From the first days of theRussian invasion of Ukraine, he took part in it.[2] Yelizarov led theassault on the city ofSoledar and reportedly commanded Wagner forces during thestorming of Bakhmut.[4][5] By a closed decree of Vladimir Putin of 2022 "for courage and heroism" shown in the fighting in Ukraine, he was awarded the titleHero of the Russian Federation.
From 25 February 2023, Yelizarov was under the sanctions of all countries of theEuropean Union.[6]
After the death ofYevgeny Prigozhin in the 23 August2023 Wagner Group plane crash, a rumor appeared that Yelizarov had become the new commander of Wagner PMC.[7] On 26 August 2023,PMC Wagner denied the appointment of Yelizarov as the new leader. The Group official Telegram channel of "Wagner Orchestra" stated that although Yelizarov actually managed the combat and training work of the company, he was not appointed to the post of head of Wagner. However, at the moment, his position is already the most senior in the organization.[8]
Some Russian Wagner-affiliated Telegram channels reported that Yelizarov was killed during thebattle of Tinzaouaten in July 2024, however his death was not independently confirmed.[9] According to Russianwar correspondent Boris Rozhin, known on Telegram as Colonelcassad, Yelizarov was captured and has already been exchanged.[10] There is no reliable and confirmed information about Yelizarov's fate yet.[11][12]
Yelizarov is married and has a daughter.[13]
