In 1994, he was chief of staff and first deputy commander of the Separate Combined-Arms Army of Turkmenistan, after Soviet units in Turkmenistan passed under joint control between Russia and Turkmenistan. The Library of Congress Country Studies said that 'the Treaty on Joint Measures signed by Russia and Turkmenistan in July 1992 provided for the Russian Federation to act as guarantor of Turkmenistan's security and made former Soviet army units in the republic the basis of the new national armed forces.'
Later he became Russia's first military representative at NATO Headquarters (from November 1997 to November 2001, according to Scott and Scott's Russian Military Directory 2002). He was there in post during the Kosovo War. He may have originated the 'dash to Pristina' idea that saw Russian troops, detached from the SFOR peacekeeping force in Bosnia-Hercegovina, arrive in Pristina before KFOR arrived there.[2]
His final military appointment was First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Staff for Coordinating Military Cooperation of the Commonwealth of Independent States.[3]
On December 7, 2003, Viktor Zavarzin was elected to the State Duma of the fourth convocation of the Kamchatka constituency number 88 (Kamchatka region), the party "United Russia".[4] He became Chairman of the Defense Committee of the State Duma from 16 January 2004.
December 2, 2007 elected to the State Duma of the fifth convocation on a federal list of candidates nominated by the All-Russian political party "United Russia", a member of the General Council of "United Russia". Chairman of the Defense Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation from December 24, 2007.
