No. Portrait Name (Born-Died) Term of office Political Party Defence Branch Government Took office Left office Time in office 1 Kobets, KonstantinGeneral of the Army Konstantin Kobets (1939–2012) 20 August 1991 9 September 1991 20 days CPSU Russian Ground Forces Silaev II Between 9 September 1991 and 7 May 1992 the Russian Federation de jure did not have its own Minister of Defence. During this period its armed forces were under control of Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union Yevgeny Shaposhnikov. – Yeltsin, BorisColonel Boris Yeltsin (1931–2007) Acting 16 March 1992 18 May 1992 63 days Independent None Yeltsin & Gaidar 2 Grachev, PavelGeneral of the Army Pavel Grachev (1948–2012) 18 May 1992 18 June 1996 4 years, 31 days Independent Russian Ground Forces Yeltsin & Gaidar Chernomyrdin I – Kolesnikov, MikhailGeneral of the Army Mikhail Kolesnikov (1939–2007) Acting 18 June 1996 17 July 1996 29 days Independent Russian Ground Forces Chernomyrdin I 3 Rodionov, IgorGeneral of the Army in reserve Igor Rodionov (1936–2014) 17 July 1996 22 May 1997 309 days Independent Russian Ground Forces Chernomyrdin I–II 4 Sergeyev, IgorMarshal of the Russian Federation Igor Sergeyev (1938–2006) 22 May 1997 28 March 2001 3 years, 310 days Independent Russian Ground Forces Chernomyrdin II Kiriyenko Primakov Stepashin Putin I Kasyanov 5 Ivanov, SergeiFSB Colonel General in reserve Sergei Ivanov (born 1953) 28 March 2001 15 February 2007 5 years, 324 days United Russia Federal Security Service Kasyanov Fradkov I–II 6 Serdyukov, AnatoliyColonel in reserve Anatoliy Serdyukov (born 1962) 15 February 2007 6 November 2012 5 years, 265 days United Russia Russian Ground Forces Fradkov II Zubkov Putin II Medvedev I 7 Shoigu, SergeiGeneral of the Army Sergei Shoigu (born 1955) 6 November 2012 Incumbent 9 years, 337 days United Russia Ministry of Emergency Situations Medvedev I–II Mishustin