Yakov Rezantsev was born on 4 January 1973,[2] in the village of Elbanka[citation needed] in the Ust-Pristansky District of Altai Krai.

In 2018 he served as Chief of Staff of the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District.

[6] From October 2020 he served as the commander of the 49th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District (Stavropol).

According to the Ukrainians, he would be Russia's seventh general officer to be killed in the invasion and one of the two most highly ranked casualties of the war.

[11][9][12] The Nevinnomyssk mayor congratulated Rezantsev on his birthday on 17 June in a Telegram post.