General of the Army Vladimir Nikolayevich Yakovlev (Russian: Влади́мир Никола́евич Я́ковлев; born August 17, 1954) is a retired Russian Strategic Rocket Forces officer who was the commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces from 1997 to 2001.

He was born in Kalinin, now Tver, the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. He applied to Kalinin Suvorov Military School, but failed the admissions exam. He graduated with honors from his local high school in 1971.

He entered Kharkov Higher Military Command-Engineering School. He established himself as a competent team leader and was made a course leader.

Yakovlev then went to college, graduating in 1976, which led to an assignment in a missile regiment.

Yakovlev served as an engineer, senior engineer and team leader. Due to his success at Combat Duty alerting, Yakovlev was appointed Chief of Staff of the missile regiment in 1981.

In 1983, Yakovlev enrolled in the command school of the Dzerzhinsky Military Academy, graduating in 1985. While there, he earned a gold medal and then was sent to become the post commander of the 6th Guards missile regiment of Riga (Pervomais'k-on-Bug). In 1989, he became deputy commander of a missile division.

In 1991, Yakovlev was appointed Guard Division Commander of the 60th Missile Division in the city Tatishevo-5 in the Tatischevskogo district of Saratov region. Yakovlev made special efforts to improve the living conditions of military families residing there.

In 1993, Yakovlev was appointed chief of staff of the 60th Missile Division, and in 1994 was made Commander of the 27th Guards Rocket Army in Vladimir Oblast.