PLACE AND DATE OF BIRTH: May 25, 1969, Irkutsk, RSFSR (Russia).
NATIONALITY: Russian.
EDUCATION:
1986. – graduated from the 10^th grade of Alma-Ata secondary school № 22;
October 27, 1990 – graduated from Kacha VVAUL named after A.F. Myiasnikov with specialty «Command, tactical fighter aviation» with pilot-engineer diploma;
May 25, 2000 – graduated from Moscow state university of economic, statistics and information technology with specialty «Information systems» and obtained qualification «Economist».
OCCUPATION BEFORE JOINING COSMONAUT CORPS:
since October  24, 1991 - at the disposal of the 1^st air fleet commander;
since January 16 , 1992  - senior pilot (MiG-29 plane) of the 293^rd  separate reconnaissance air regiment, township. Orlovka, Amur region;
since November 30 , 1992  - at the disposal of the 76^th  air fleet commander, since June 11 , 1993  - pilot, since February 9 , 1994  - senior pilot of the 159^th guards fighter air regiment of the 239^th fighter air  division, 76^th  air fleet, city Petrozavodsk-15
DATE OF ENROLLMENT IN COSMONAUT CORPS (GROUP NUMBER, DATE):
July 28, 1997 – State joint committee decision recommended him to assign to the GCTC cosmonaut corps (group 12);
December 26, 1997 – by the Russian Ministry of Defense order was assigned as a test cosmonaut candidate to the GCTC cosmonaut corps;
since December 22 , 1999 – test cosmonaut.
RATING: а first-class military pilot (1997).
BACK-UP ACTIVITY:
since January 2001 – assigned as flight engineer-1 to the ISS-5 back up crew together with А. Kaleri and S. Kelly.
CURRENT STATUS: since  2006 - colonel, commander of the GCTC cosmonaut corps group.

---