Military district (Soviet Union)
Encyclopedia
In the Soviet Union
, a military district was a territorial association of military units, formations, military schools, and various local military administrative establishments. This territorial division type was utilised in the USSR to provide a more efficient management of army units, their training and other operations activities related to combat readiness
.
First military districts in the USSR begun with the formation of the first six military districts (Yaroslavsky
, Moskovsky
, Orlovsky
, Belomorsky
, Ural
sky, and Privolzhsky) on 31 March 1918 during the Russian Civil War
to prepare substantial army reserves for the front.
The next reform did not take place until the economic reforms (NEP
) of 1923 which concluded in 1929. At this time the military districts in the Russian Soviet Republic still conformed to the gubernyas and oblast
s of the Russian Empire, with the exception of the other republic
s each of which constituted a military district in their own right.
Formations in the territory of Khabarovsk
and Primorsky Krai
were combined into the 1st and 2nd independent Red Banner Armies, which since January 14, 1941 were reformed into the Far Eastern Front.
. Before the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45 there were 16 military districts and one front
although this number fluctuated and as many as 25 military districts existed at different time before the war.
North and North Western districts
West and Central USSR districts
South and South Western districts
Siberian and Central Asian districts
Far Eastern districts
Right after the war, the number was increased to 33 to aid in demobilisation of forces, but by October 1946, they had been reduced to 21.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, a military district was a territorial association of military units, formations, military schools, and various local military administrative establishments. This territorial division type was utilised in the USSR to provide a more efficient management of army units, their training and other operations activities related to combat readiness
Combat readiness
Combat readiness is a condition of the armed forces and their constituent units and formations, warships, aircraft, weapon systems or other military technology and equipment to perform during combat military operations, or functions consistently with the purpose for which they are organised or...
.
First military districts in the USSR begun with the formation of the first six military districts (Yaroslavsky
Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historical part of the city, a World Heritage Site, is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl Rivers. It is one of the Golden Ring cities, a group of historic cities...
, Moskovsky
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Orlovsky
Oryol
Oryol or Orel is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow...
, Belomorsky
White Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
, Ural
Ural (region)
Ural is a geographical region located around the Ural Mountains, between the East European and West Siberian plains. It extends approximately from north to south, from the Arctic Ocean to the bend of Ural River near Orsk city. The boundary between Europe and Asia runs along the eastern side of...
sky, and Privolzhsky) on 31 March 1918 during the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
to prepare substantial army reserves for the front.
The next reform did not take place until the economic reforms (NEP
New Economic Policy
The New Economic Policy was an economic policy proposed by Vladimir Lenin, who called it state capitalism. Allowing some private ventures, the NEP allowed small animal businesses or smoke shops, for instance, to reopen for private profit while the state continued to control banks, foreign trade,...
) of 1923 which concluded in 1929. At this time the military districts in the Russian Soviet Republic still conformed to the gubernyas and oblast
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
s of the Russian Empire, with the exception of the other republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
s each of which constituted a military district in their own right.
Abbreviation of military districts
Abbreviation of 17 military districts of the USSR at the beginning July 1940:- BOVO – Belorussian special military district (from 11.7.40
ZapOVO – Western Special military district - KOVO – Kiev special military district
- ArkhVO – Arkhangel'sk military district
- ZabVO – Transbaikal military district
- ZakVO – Transcaucasian military district
- KalVO – Kalinin military district (abolished by 11.7.1940)
- LVO – Leningrad military district
- MVO – Moscow military district
- OdVO – Odessa military district
- OrVO – Orel military district
- PribVO – Baltic military district (formed 11.07.40, from August 17, 1940 renamed into PribOVO - Baltic special military district )
- PriVO – Volga military district
- SAVO – Central-Asian military district
- SibVO – Siberian military district
- SKVO – North-Caucasian military district
- UrVO – Ural military district
- KhVO – Kharkov military district
Formations in the territory of Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk Krai
Khabarovsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Russian Far East. It lies mostly in the basin of the lower Amur River, but also occupies a vast mountainous area along the coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk, an arm of the Pacific Ocean. The administrative center of the krai is the...
and Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
were combined into the 1st and 2nd independent Red Banner Armies, which since January 14, 1941 were reformed into the Far Eastern Front.
Great Patriotic War
The number of military districts varied depending on the circumstances and with the evolution of the Soviet ArmySoviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
. Before the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45 there were 16 military districts and one front
Front (Soviet Army)
A front was a major military organization in the Soviet Army during many wars. It was roughly equivalent to an army group in the militaries of most other countries except Germany...
although this number fluctuated and as many as 25 military districts existed at different time before the war.
North and North Western districts
- Arkhangel Military District
- Belomorsky Military DistrictBelomorsky Military DistrictThe Belomorsky Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, active from in the immediate aftermath of the Russian Civil War and just after the Second World War....
- Leningrad Military DistrictLeningrad Military DistrictThe Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:...
- Baltic specialBaltic Military DistrictThe Baltic Military District was a military district of the Soviet armed forces, formed briefly before the German invasion, and then reformed after World War II and disbanded after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991....
military district - Kalinin Military District
West and Central USSR districts
- WesternBelorussian Military DistrictThe Byelorussian Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces. Originally in the times of Russian Civil War it formed as the Western Front, and in April 1924 it was renamed to the Western Military District. In October 1926 it was redesignated the Belorussian Military...
special military district - Moscow Military DistrictMoscow Military DistrictThe Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
- Yaroslavl Military District
- Orel Military District
- Steppe Military District
- KievKiev Military DistrictThe Kiev Military District was a Russian unit of military-administrative division of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Ukrainian Army, RKKA, and Soviet Armed Forces...
special military district
South and South Western districts
- Ukrainian Military District
- Kharkov Military District created 1919 1st formation, (1935 - 1941 2nd formation) used for formation of the 18th Army18th Army (Soviet Union)The 18th Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army was formed on 21 June 1941 on the basis of HQ Kharkov Military District and armies of the Kiev Special Military District.The Army's commander in 1941 was General-Leitenant Andrew Kirilovych Smirnov...
, 3rd formation in September 1943, disbanded and amalgamated into the Kiev Military district in June 1946 as the 21st Army21st Army (Soviet Union)-June to September 1941:21st Army was a part of the Second Operational Echelon of the RKKA. It was formed from the forces of the Volga Military District in May 1941 and was initially based on 63rd Rifle Corps and 66th Rifle Corps. The army was under the command of Lieutenant-General Vasilii... - Odessa Military DistrictOdessa Military DistrictThe Odessa Military District was a military administrative division of the Imperial Russian military, the Soviet Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces and was known under such name from around 1862 to 1998. It was reorganized as part of the Military of Ukraine and the Military of Moldova in...
- Trans-Volga Military District (for Trans-Volga Region)
- Transcaucasian Military DistrictTranscaucasian Military DistrictThe Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia into the USSR...
- North Caucasus Military DistrictNorth Caucasus Military DistrictThe North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also includes the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla....
Siberian and Central Asian districts
- Volga Military District
- Ural Military District
- Western Siberian Military DistrictSiberian Military DistrictThe Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Ground Forces. In 2010 it was divided between the two newly formed Central and Eastern Military Districts.- History :...
- Siberian Military DistrictSiberian Military DistrictThe Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Ground Forces. In 2010 it was divided between the two newly formed Central and Eastern Military Districts.- History :...
- Central Asian Military District
- Turkestan regional military commissariatTurkestan Military DistrictThe Turkestan Military District was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with its headquarters at Tashkent. The District was first created during the 1874 Russian military reform when by order of Minister D.A. Milyutinym the territory of Russia was...
Far Eastern districts
- Eastern Siberian Military DistrictSiberian Military DistrictThe Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Ground Forces. In 2010 it was divided between the two newly formed Central and Eastern Military Districts.- History :...
- Far Eastern Military DistrictFar Eastern Military DistrictThe Far Eastern Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces. In 2010 it was merged with the Pacific Fleet and part of the Siberian Military District to form the new Eastern Military District....
- Transbaikal Military DistrictTransbaikal Military DistrictThe Transbaikal Military District was a military district of first the Military of the Soviet Union and then the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed on May 17, 1935 and included the Buryat Republic, Chita Oblast, and Yakutia. Chita was the headquarters of the district...
Right after the war, the number was increased to 33 to aid in demobilisation of forces, but by October 1946, they had been reduced to 21.
Cold War era
At the end of the 1980s, immediately before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, there were sixteen military districts, within three to five main groupings:- Western Theatre
- Western Strategic Direction
- Group of Soviet Forces in GermanyGroup of Soviet Forces in GermanyThe Group of Soviet Forces in Germany , also known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany and the Western Group of Forces were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany....
- Northern Group of ForcesNorthern Group of ForcesThe Northern Group of Forces was the military formation of the Soviet Army stationed in Poland from the end of Second World War in 1945 until 1993 when they were withdrawn in the aftermath of the fall of Soviet Union...
(Poland) - Central Group of ForcesCentral Group of ForcesThe Central Group of Forces was a Soviet military formation used to control Soviet troops in Central Europe on two occasions: in Austria and Hungary from 1945-55 and troops stationed in Czechoslovakia after the Prague Spring of 1968....
(Czechoslovakia) - Baltic Military DistrictBaltic Military DistrictThe Baltic Military District was a military district of the Soviet armed forces, formed briefly before the German invasion, and then reformed after World War II and disbanded after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991....
- Belorussian Military DistrictBelorussian Military DistrictThe Byelorussian Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces. Originally in the times of Russian Civil War it formed as the Western Front, and in April 1924 it was renamed to the Western Military District. In October 1926 it was redesignated the Belorussian Military...
- Carpathian Military DistrictCarpathian Military DistrictThe Carpathian Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1945 after the conclusion of the Second World War to 1990-91. It became part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1991 and was disbanded by being redesignated the Western Operational Command later in the 1990s.Two...
- Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
- South-Western Strategic Direction
- Southern Group of ForcesSouthern Group of ForcesThe Southern Group of Forces was a Soviet Armed Forces formation formed twice following the Second World War, most notably around the time of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956....
(Hungary) - Odessa Military DistrictOdessa Military DistrictThe Odessa Military District was a military administrative division of the Imperial Russian military, the Soviet Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces and was known under such name from around 1862 to 1998. It was reorganized as part of the Military of Ukraine and the Military of Moldova in...
- Kiev Military DistrictKiev Military DistrictThe Kiev Military District was a Russian unit of military-administrative division of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Ukrainian Army, RKKA, and Soviet Armed Forces...
- Southern Group of Forces
- Western Strategic Direction
- Northwestern Theatre
- Leningrad Military DistrictLeningrad Military DistrictThe Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:...
- Leningrad Military District
- Far Eastern Strategic Direction/Theatre
- Siberian Military DistrictSiberian Military DistrictThe Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Ground Forces. In 2010 it was divided between the two newly formed Central and Eastern Military Districts.- History :...
- Transbaikal Military DistrictTransbaikal Military DistrictThe Transbaikal Military District was a military district of first the Military of the Soviet Union and then the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed on May 17, 1935 and included the Buryat Republic, Chita Oblast, and Yakutia. Chita was the headquarters of the district...
- Far Eastern Military DistrictFar Eastern Military DistrictThe Far Eastern Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces. In 2010 it was merged with the Pacific Fleet and part of the Siberian Military District to form the new Eastern Military District....
- Central Asian Military District
- Siberian Military District
- Southern Theatre
- Transcaucasian Military DistrictTranscaucasian Military DistrictThe Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia into the USSR...
- North Caucasus Military DistrictNorth Caucasus Military DistrictThe North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also includes the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla....
- Turkestan Military DistrictTurkestan Military DistrictThe Turkestan Military District was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with its headquarters at Tashkent. The District was first created during the 1874 Russian military reform when by order of Minister D.A. Milyutinym the territory of Russia was...
- Transcaucasian Military District
- Central Reserve
- Moscow Military DistrictMoscow Military DistrictThe Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
- Volga Military District
- Ural Military District
- Moscow Military District