Moscow Military District
Encyclopedia
The 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
.
to meet new circumstances. During May 1862, the War Ministry, headed by Army General
Dmitry Milyutin
, introduced to Tsar Alexander II of Russia
proposals for the reorganization of the army, which included the formation of fifteen military districts. A tsarist edict of 6 August 1864, announced in a Defence Minister’s order on 10 August of the same year, established ten military districts, including Moscow
. The District’s territory then comprised 12 provinces: Vladimir
, Vologda
, Kaluga
, Kostroma
, Moscow, Nizhniy Novgorod, Ryazan
, Smolensk
, Tambov
, Tver
, Tula
, and Yaroslavl
. The District was intended as a reinforcement source for troops and equipment, being some distance from the frontier, rather than an operational area.
The District dispatched five infantry and a cavalry division south to the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-8, as well as sending another division to the Caucasus
area. This force totaled around 30,000 men and 20,000 horses. Over 80,000 men were also called into reserve units. The District also housed 21,000 Turkish prisoners of war. During the First World War over a million men were stationed in the district. Much of the garrison was involved in the October Revolution
of 1917, and consequent establishment of a Soviet regime in the cities of Bryansk
, Vladimir, Voronezh
, Kaluga, Nizhniy Novgorod, Orel
, Tver, Yaroslavl. By a resolution of the Moscow military revolutionary committee on , Corps Commander N.I. Muralyov was assigned the as the new commander of the district.
In the period of the Russian Civil War
and military intervention in Russia 1917 - 22 the District prepared military personnel for all the fronts and supplied the Red Army
with different forms of armament and allowances. From June to the middle of September 1919 the District conducted 33 callups totalling more than 500,000 people. In Moscow the 1 Moscow Rifle Division, Warsaw
revolutionary infantry regiment, and 2nd revolutionary infantry regiment were formed, and Latvia
n forces were brought to the Latvian Rifles Division. In Voronezh two cavalry divisions were formed, two rifle divisions and two rifle regiments in Nizhniy Novgorod, and the 16th Rifle Division in Tambov. Artillery units too were also being raised in the capital area.
After the end of Civil War in the troops of region were demobilized, as a result of which their number was reduced from 580,000 (at the end of 1920) to 85,000 in January 1923, and the District was reorganised on a peacetime basis. In the 1920s the District had 10 rifle divisions: the 1st Moscow Proletariat Red Banner Rifle Division
(first formed either in December 1924 or at the beginning of 1927), the 6th Оrlovskaya
; the 14th Vladimirskaya
; the 17th Nikhegorodskaya; the 18th Yaroslavskaya; the 19th Voronekhskaya; the 48th Tverskaya; the 55th Kurskaya; the 81st Kalukhskaya; and the 84th Tulskaya Rifles. Autumn maneuvers began to be conducted yearly here in the district. In the beginning of the 1930 tanks started to be introduced, including the MS or T-18
, T-26
, T-27
, BT, T-28
, and the heavy T-35
. In 1930 the first mechanized infantry brigade in the Soviet Army was formed in the district.
The Russian Ground Forces
' official site notes that the first tactical parachute landing took place in the District on 2 August 1930.
In World War II the District formed three fronts
, 23 armies
, 128 divisions of all arms, and 197 brigades of all arms, an approximate total of 4.5 million men. In 1944-5 alone the District sent to the front 1,200,000 soldiers. From summer 1945 to summer 1946, in order to supervise the demobilisation process, the District was subdivided into four: the Moscow, Voronezh
, Gorki (where the 324th Rifle Division
was probably demobilised), and Smolensk
Military Districts (33rd Army
, home from Germany, formed Smolensk MD headquarters in late 1945). General Kirill Moskalenko
took command of the District in 1953 and would later be a Marshal of the Soviet Union after leaving his post.
On 22 February 1968, for the large contribution to the cause of strengthening the defense of the state, for its successes in combat and political training, and in view of the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Army plus its important role in the 2nd World War, the District was awarded with the Order of Lenin.
In 1979 Scott and Scott reported the HQ address as being Moscow, A-252, Chapayevskiy Per., Dom 14.
The District's dispositions at the end of the 1980s were:
With the collapse of the USSR the District became for the first time in its history a boundary district and thus a new priority was put on building up combat forces within it, rather than the training and capital garrison focus of the Soviet period.
In the early 1990s the District received the headquarters of the First Guards Tank Army
from the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
. It was relocated to Smolensk
, and consisted of the 4th Guards Tank Division and 144th Guards Motor Rifle Division
(at Yelnya
). However the Army's headquarters disbanded later in the 1990s, along with the 144th Guards MRD.
The 22nd Army Headquarters was reformed from 13th Army Corps in the early 1990s, to control the new 3rd Motor Rifle Division among other formations. The 22nd Army had previously been inactive for a long period; it was last operational immediately after the war (when it participated in the Second Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive in late 1942) when its HQ along with the 109th Rifle Division arrived in the South Ukraine in May 1945. In the Northern summer of 1945, together with the headquarters of the Independent Coastal Army, located in the Crimea, it was reorganised as the new but short-lived Tavricheskiy Military District.
After several years as a direct reporting formation, the Operational Group of Russian Forces in Moldova was realigned under the command of the Moscow Military District in 1998. Previously the 14th Guards Army (it was renamed in April 1995), forces and individuals from this command played a major part
in the early 1990s in establishing and maintaining the trans-Dnestr separatists of the Transnistria
as a viable de facto state.
The District has around 75,000 troops assigned and consists of the following formations. The entire Ground Forces are going through a major reorganisation, which apparently began in March 2009, in which armies are becoming operational commands and divisions are being redesignated brigades. Information about the exact new designations is not fully clear as yet; reports disagree.
In addition to normal units, the district was home at least until 2001 to the 11th Separate Cavalry Regiment, a unit used for producing war films. The unit was based at Kobyakovo.
Order of Lenin
Moscow Military District 2010:
Formations of the Airborne Forces, including the 98th Guards Airborne Division
and 106th Guards Airborne Division "Tula", also are based within the District's boundaries, but report directly to VDV headquarters.
Army General Vladimir Bakin was the former chief of staff - first deputy commander-in-chief of forces of the Volga-Ural Military District.
Military district
Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle.Navies have also used...
of the Soviet Armed Forces
Soviet Armed Forces
The Soviet Armed Forces, also called the Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Armed Forces of the Soviet Union refers to the armed forces of the Russian SFSR , and Soviet Union from their beginnings in the...
and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are the military services of Russia, established after the break-up of the Soviet Union. On 7 May 1992 Boris Yeltsin signed a decree establishing the Russian Ministry of Defence and placing all Soviet Armed Forces troops on the territory of the RSFSR...
. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District
Leningrad Military District
The 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:...
, the Northern Fleet
Northern Fleet
The Red Banner Northern Fleet is a unit of the Russian Navy that has access to the Barents and Norwegian Seas, the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, and is responsible for the defense of northwestern Russia. It was established in 1937 as part of the Soviet Navy...
and the Baltic Fleet
Baltic Fleet
The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...
to form the new Western Military District
Western Military District
Western Military District is one of the four operational strategic commands of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was formed in Presidential Decree № 1144 signed on September 20, 2010...
.
History
In the beginning of the second half of the 19th century Russia officials realized the need for re-organization of the Russian ArmyImperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
to meet new circumstances. During May 1862, the War Ministry, headed by Army General
Army General
For the army rank of General, as opposed to the specific rank of Army General, see General officer.Army General is a title used in many countries to denote the rank of General nominally commanding an army in the field...
Dmitry Milyutin
Dmitry Milyutin
Count Dmitry Alekseyevich Milyutin was Minister of War and the last Field Marshal of Imperial Russia...
, introduced to Tsar Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
proposals for the reorganization of the army, which included the formation of fifteen military districts. A tsarist edict of 6 August 1864, announced in a Defence Minister’s order on 10 August of the same year, established ten military districts, including Moscow
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...
. The District’s territory then comprised 12 provinces: Vladimir
Vladimir
Vladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. Population:...
, Vologda
Vologda
Vologda is a city and the administrative, cultural, and scientific center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the Vologda River. The city is a major transport knot of the Northwest of Russia. Vologda is among the Russian cities possessing an especially valuable historical heritage...
, Kaluga
Kaluga
Kaluga is a city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Population: It is served by Grabtsevo Airport.-History:...
, Kostroma
Kostroma
Kostroma is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian towns, it is located at the confluence of the Volga and Kostroma Rivers...
, Moscow, Nizhniy Novgorod, Ryazan
Ryazan
Ryazan is a city and the administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Oka River southeast of Moscow. Population: The strategic bomber base Dyagilevo is just west of the city, and the air base of Alexandrovo is to the southeast as is the Ryazan Turlatovo Airport...
, Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
, Tambov
Tambov
Tambov is a city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tsna and Studenets Rivers southeast of Moscow...
, Tver
Tver
Tver is a city and the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: 403,726 ; 408,903 ;...
, Tula
Tula, Russia
Tula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
, and Yaroslavl
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...
. The District was intended as a reinforcement source for troops and equipment, being some distance from the frontier, rather than an operational area.
The District dispatched five infantry and a cavalry division south to the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-8, as well as sending another division to the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
area. This force totaled around 30,000 men and 20,000 horses. Over 80,000 men were also called into reserve units. The District also housed 21,000 Turkish prisoners of war. During the First World War over a million men were stationed in the district. Much of the garrison was involved in the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
of 1917, and consequent establishment of a Soviet regime in the cities of Bryansk
Bryansk
Bryansk is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Moscow. Population: -History:The first written mention of Bryansk was in 1146, in the Hypatian Codex, as Debryansk...
, Vladimir, Voronezh
Voronezh
Voronezh is a city in southwestern Russia, the administrative center of Voronezh Oblast. It is located on both sides of the Voronezh River, away from where it flows into the Don. It is an operating center of the Southeastern Railway , as well as the center of the Don Highway...
, Kaluga, Nizhniy Novgorod, Orel
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...
, Tver, Yaroslavl. By a resolution of the Moscow military revolutionary committee on , Corps Commander N.I. Muralyov was assigned the as the new commander of the district.
In the period of 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...
and military intervention in Russia 1917 - 22 the District prepared military personnel for all the fronts and supplied the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
with different forms of armament and allowances. From June to the middle of September 1919 the District conducted 33 callups totalling more than 500,000 people. In Moscow the 1 Moscow Rifle Division, Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
revolutionary infantry regiment, and 2nd revolutionary infantry regiment were formed, and Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n forces were brought to the Latvian Rifles Division. In Voronezh two cavalry divisions were formed, two rifle divisions and two rifle regiments in Nizhniy Novgorod, and the 16th Rifle Division in Tambov. Artillery units too were also being raised in the capital area.
After the end of Civil War in the troops of region were demobilized, as a result of which their number was reduced from 580,000 (at the end of 1920) to 85,000 in January 1923, and the District was reorganised on a peacetime basis. In the 1920s the District had 10 rifle divisions: the 1st Moscow Proletariat Red Banner Rifle Division
1st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The Soviet 1st Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army, first established in 1918, and finally disbanded in the mid 1950s...
(first formed either in December 1924 or at the beginning of 1927), the 6th Оrlovskaya
6th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 6th Rifle Division was a Soviet military unit. They participated in several battles, most notably the Soviet westward offensive of 1918–1919 and Estonian War of Independence. From their inception the unit saw combat and had three periods of active service...
; the 14th Vladimirskaya
14th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 14th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army from 1922 to 1944.It was formed in Moscow 1 Jul 1922.During the Winter War, it covered the state border in the north and north-east coast of the Kola Peninsula in the Murmansk Group....
; the 17th Nikhegorodskaya; the 18th Yaroslavskaya; the 19th Voronekhskaya; the 48th Tverskaya; the 55th Kurskaya; the 81st Kalukhskaya; and the 84th Tulskaya Rifles. Autumn maneuvers began to be conducted yearly here in the district. In the beginning of the 1930 tanks started to be introduced, including the MS or T-18
T-18 tank
The T-18 light tank was the first Soviet-designed tank. Produced from 1928–31, it was based on the Renault FT-17, with the addition of a vertically sprung suspension....
, T-26
T-26
The T-26 tank was a Soviet light infantry tank used during many conflicts of the 1930s as well as during World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and is widely considered one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s....
, T-27
T-27
The T-27 was a tankette produced in the 1930s by the Soviet Union. It was based on the design of the Carden Loyd tankette, bought under license from the United Kingdom in 1930.-Design:...
, BT, T-28
T-28
The Soviet T-28 was among the world's first medium tanks. The prototype was completed in 1931 and production began in late 1932. It was an infantry-support tank intended to break through fortified defences...
, and the heavy T-35
T-35
The T-35 was a Soviet multi-turreted heavy tank of the interwar period and early Second World War that saw limited production and service with the Red Army. It was the only five-turreted heavy tank in the world to reach production but proved to be slow and mechanically unreliable...
. In 1930 the first mechanized infantry brigade in the Soviet Army was formed in the district.
The Russian Ground Forces
Russian Ground Forces
The Russian Ground Forces are the land forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed from parts of the collapsing Soviet Army in 1992. The formation of these forces posed economic challenges after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and required reforms to professionalize the force...
' official site notes that the first tactical parachute landing took place in the District on 2 August 1930.
In World War II the District formed three fronts
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...
, 23 armies
Army (Soviet Army)
An army, besides the generalized meanings of ‘a country's armed forces’ or its ‘land forces’, is a type of formation in militaries of various countries, including the Soviet Union. This article serves a central point of reference for Soviet armies without individual articles, and explains some of...
, 128 divisions of all arms, and 197 brigades of all arms, an approximate total of 4.5 million men. In 1944-5 alone the District sent to the front 1,200,000 soldiers. From summer 1945 to summer 1946, in order to supervise the demobilisation process, the District was subdivided into four: the Moscow, Voronezh
Voronezh
Voronezh is a city in southwestern Russia, the administrative center of Voronezh Oblast. It is located on both sides of the Voronezh River, away from where it flows into the Don. It is an operating center of the Southeastern Railway , as well as the center of the Don Highway...
, Gorki (where the 324th Rifle Division
324th Rifle Division
The 324th Rifle Division was a Soviet infantry division of the Red Army during World War II. On 6.04.1945 it was part of the 69th Rifle Corps of the 50th Army....
was probably demobilised), and Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
Military Districts (33rd Army
33rd Army (Soviet Union)
The Red Army's 33rd Army was a Soviet field army during the Second World War. It was disbanded by being redesignated HQ Smolensk Military District in 1945.-Initial Operations:...
, home from Germany, formed Smolensk MD headquarters in late 1945). General Kirill Moskalenko
Kirill Moskalenko
Kirill Semyonovich Moskalenko was a Marshal of the Soviet Union. A member of the Soviet Army who fought in both the Russian Civil War and World War II, he later served as Commander in Chief of Strategic Missile Forces and Inspector General for the Ministry of Defense.-Biography:Moskalenko was born...
took command of the District in 1953 and would later be a Marshal of the Soviet Union after leaving his post.
On 22 February 1968, for the large contribution to the cause of strengthening the defense of the state, for its successes in combat and political training, and in view of the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Army plus its important role in the 2nd World War, the District was awarded with the Order of Lenin.
In 1979 Scott and Scott reported the HQ address as being Moscow, A-252, Chapayevskiy Per., Dom 14.
The District's dispositions at the end of the 1980s were:
- 13th Guards Army Corps
- 60th Tank Division
- 206th Motor Rifle Division, TambovTambovTambov is a city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tsna and Studenets Rivers southeast of Moscow...
- District Troops
- 2nd Guards 'Taman' Motor Rifle Division, Kalinnets
- 4th Guards Kantimirov Tank Division, Naro-FominskNaro-FominskNaro-Fominsk is a town and the administrative center of Naro-Fominsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, situated southwest from Moscow, on the Nara River. The Moscow – Kiev railway passes through the town. Population: -History:...
- 26th Guards Tank Training Division, VladimirVladimirVladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. Population:...
- 32nd Guards Motor Rifle Division, KalininTverTver is a city and the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: 403,726 ; 408,903 ;...
- 106th Guards Airborne Division, TulaTula, RussiaTula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
Commanders 1930's-2010
- Commandarm Avgust I Kork (1930-1935)
- ComcorComcorComcor was a military rank in the Red Army until the end of the 1930s....
Boris S Gorbashev (1935) - 1st Rank Commandarm Ivan P Belov (1935-37)
- Marshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
Semyon BudyonnySemyon BudyonnySemyon Mikhailovich Budyonny , sometimes transliterated as Budennyj, Budyonnyy, Budennii, Budenny, Budyoni, Budyenny, or Budenny, was a Soviet cavalryman, military commander, politician and a close ally of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.-Early life:...
(1937-39) - General of the ArmyGeneral of the ArmyGeneral of the Army is a military rank used in some countries to denote a senior military leader, usually a General in command of a nation's Army. It may also be the title given to a General who commands an Army in the field....
Ivan Tylunev (1939-1941) - Colonel GeneralColonel GeneralColonel General is a senior rank of General. North Korea and Russia are two countries which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories...
Pavel A Artemyev (П А Артемьев) (1944-1947 and 1949-06/1953) - Marshal of the Soviet Union Kirill MeretskovKirill MeretskovKirill Afanasievich Meretskov was a Soviet military commander. Having joined the Communist Party in 1917, he served in the Red Army from 1920. During the Winter War, he was responsible for penetrating the Mannerheim Line as commander of the 7th Army...
(К А Мерецков) (1947-1949) - Marshal of the Soviet Union (Then General of the Army) Kirill MoskalenkoKirill MoskalenkoKirill Semyonovich Moskalenko was a Marshal of the Soviet Union. A member of the Soviet Army who fought in both the Russian Civil War and World War II, he later served as Commander in Chief of Strategic Missile Forces and Inspector General for the Ministry of Defense.-Biography:Moskalenko was born...
(К С Москаленко) (06 1953-10 1960) - Мarshal of the Soviet Union Nikolay Ivanovich KrylovNikolay Ivanovich KrylovNikolai Ivanovich Krylov was a Marshal of the Soviet Union . He was commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces from 1963 to 1972....
(Н И Крылов) (10 1960-04 03 1963) - General of the Army Afanaciy R Beloborodov (A P Белобородов) (05 03 1963-1968)
- Colonel General Evgeny F Ivanovsky (Е Ф Ивановский) (1968-1972)
- General of the Army (formerly Colonel General) Vladimir Leonidovich Govorov (В Л Говоров) (1972-1980) (son of the Soviet Marshal Leonid GovorovLeonid GovorovLeonid Aleksandrovich Govorov was a Soviet military commander. An artillery officer, he joined the Red Army in 1920. He graduated from several Soviet military academies, including the Military Academy of Red Army General Staff. He participated in the Winter War as a senior artillery officer.In...
) - General of the Army Petr Georgyevich Lushev (П Г Лушев) (1980-06 1985)
- Colonel General Vladimir M Arkhipov (В М Архипов) (A (06 1985-08 1988)
- General of the Army Konstantin A Kochetov (К А Кочетов) (08 1988-05 1989)
- Colonel General Nikolai V Kalinin (Н В Калинин) (05 1989-09 1991)
- Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Vladimir М Toporov (В М Топоров)(09 1991-17 05 1992) - Colonel General Leonid Vasilyevich Kuznetsov (Л. В. Кузнецов) (1992-1999)
- Colonel General Ivan E Puzanov (И. Е. Пузанов) (1999-2001)
- Colonel General Nikolai Makarov (2001, acting)
- General of the Army Ivan P Efremov (И. П. Ефремов) (2001-2005)
- General of the Army Vladimir Yu Bakin (В. Ю. Бакин) (2005-2009)
- Colonel General Valery V Gerasimov (В. В. Герасимов) (2009-2010)
The 1990s and Today
In the early 1990s the District received the headquarters of the First Guards Tank Army
Soviet 1st Guards Tank Army
The 1st Tank Army was a Soviet armoured formation that fought as part of the Red Army on the Eastern Front during World War II. The army was commanded throughout most of the war by Mikhail Katukov...
from the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
The 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....
. It was relocated to Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
, and consisted of the 4th Guards Tank Division and 144th Guards Motor Rifle Division
32nd Rifle Division
The 32nd Rifle Division was first raised in 1934 at Vladivostok and organized as a Siberian Rifle Division. The division initially served Far Eastern Military District as part of the 39th Rifle Corps. It took part in a number of border skirmishes on the Manchurian border near Lake Khasan...
(at Yelnya
Yelnya
Yelnya is a town and the administrative center of Yelninsky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Desna River from Smolensk. Population: -History:...
). However the Army's headquarters disbanded later in the 1990s, along with the 144th Guards MRD.
The 22nd Army Headquarters was reformed from 13th Army Corps in the early 1990s, to control the new 3rd Motor Rifle Division among other formations. The 22nd Army had previously been inactive for a long period; it was last operational immediately after the war (when it participated in the Second Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive in late 1942) when its HQ along with the 109th Rifle Division arrived in the South Ukraine in May 1945. In the Northern summer of 1945, together with the headquarters of the Independent Coastal Army, located in the Crimea, it was reorganised as the new but short-lived Tavricheskiy Military District.
After several years as a direct reporting formation, the Operational Group of Russian Forces in Moldova was realigned under the command of the Moscow Military District in 1998. Previously the 14th Guards Army (it was renamed in April 1995), forces and individuals from this command played a major part
14th Army involvement in Transnistria
The involvement of the Soviet 14th Guards Army in the War of Transnistria was extensive and contributed to the outcome, which left the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic with de facto independence from the Republic of Moldova.-Background:...
in the early 1990s in establishing and maintaining the trans-Dnestr separatists of the Transnistria
Transnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
as a viable de facto state.
The District has around 75,000 troops assigned and consists of the following formations. The entire Ground Forces are going through a major reorganisation, which apparently began in March 2009, in which armies are becoming operational commands and divisions are being redesignated brigades. Information about the exact new designations is not fully clear as yet; reports disagree.
- 2nd Tamanskaya GuardsRussian GuardsGuards or Guards units were and are elite military units in Imperial Russia, Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. The tradition goes back to the retinue of a knyaz of medieval Kievan Rus' and the streltsy, the Muscovite harquebusiers formed by Ivan the Terrible by 1550...
Motor Rifle Division, гвардейская мотострелковая Таманская дивизия (to brigade) - 34th Guards Artillery Division, MulinoMulino (settlement), Nizhny Novgorod OblastMulino is a settlement in Volodarsky District of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Population: Dialing code: +7 83136. Postal code: 606083....
(Gorokhovets), гвардейская артиллерийская дивизия - 27th Sevastopolskaya GuardsRussian GuardsGuards or Guards units were and are elite military units in Imperial Russia, Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. The tradition goes back to the retinue of a knyaz of medieval Kievan Rus' and the streltsy, the Muscovite harquebusiers formed by Ivan the Terrible by 1550...
Motor Rifle Brigade, мотострелковая бригада - 112th Rocket Brigade (ShuyaShuyaShuya is the third largest town in Ivanovo Oblast, Russia; located on the Teza River. Population: -History:The first record of Shuya is dated by 1393. Since 1403, the area was held by a branch of the House of Suzdal, which got their name "Shuysky" after the town. In 1539, the town was sacked by...
) (Tochka SSM) - 20th Guards Army4th Tank Army (Soviet Union)The 20th Guards Army, , is a field army, since 1991, part of the Russian Ground Forces.-1st Formation :It was first formed within the Stalingrad Front from July 1942 and...
, 20-я армия (to operational command)- 4th Kantemirovskaya Guards Tank Division, гвардейская танковая Кантемировская дивизия (to brigade)
- 10th Guards Uralsko-Lvovskaya Tank Division10th Guards Uralsko-Lvovskaya Tank DivisionThe 10th Guards Uralsko-Lvovskaya Volunteer Tank Division, also known at the Ural-Lvov Tank Division, is a tank division of the Russian Ground Forces and part of the Moscow Military District's 20th Army, under the command of Lt. General Andrey Tretyak. The division traces its heritage back to 1943,...
, гвардейская танковая Уральско-Львовская дивизия (to brigade or may disband) - 397th MRL Regiment (Skopin)
- 448th Rocket Brigade (KurskKurskKursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
) (Tochka SSM) - 4944th Base for Storage of Weapons and Equipment (YelnyaYelnyaYelnya is a town and the administrative center of Yelninsky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Desna River from Smolensk. Population: -History:...
)(former 144 Guards MRD) - other units
- 22nd Army22nd Army (Soviet Union)The 22nd Army was a field army of the Russian Ground Forces, part of the Moscow Military District. It was active from 1941 to 2010. The order for the formation's dissolution was signed by the Minister of Defence on 1 July 2009....
, 22-я армия, Nizhni Novgorod (appears to be disbanding)- 3rd Vislenskaya Motor Rifle Division3rd Motor Rifle DivisionThe Soviet Army's 3rd Rifle Division was an infantry division active from 1921 to 1946 and from 1955 to 1956. It was formed 5 June 1921 in the Ukraine Military District. It appears that Order No. № 724/284 created the division from the 3rd and 46th Separate Rifle Brigades. At the beginning of...
, MulinoMulino (settlement), Nizhny Novgorod OblastMulino is a settlement in Volodarsky District of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Population: Dialing code: +7 83136. Postal code: 606083....
, мотострелковая Вислянская дивизия (splitting into two brigades) - 5th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade5th Anti-Aircraft Rocket BrigadeThe 5th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade is an air defence brigade of the 22nd Army, Moscow Military District of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It is located in the city of Shuya, Ivanovo Oblast....
(ShuyaShuyaShuya is the third largest town in Ivanovo Oblast, Russia; located on the Teza River. Population: -History:The first record of Shuya is dated by 1393. Since 1403, the area was held by a branch of the House of Suzdal, which got their name "Shuysky" after the town. In 1539, the town was sacked by...
) - 50th Rocket Brigade (ShuyaShuyaShuya is the third largest town in Ivanovo Oblast, Russia; located on the Teza River. Population: -History:The first record of Shuya is dated by 1393. Since 1403, the area was held by a branch of the House of Suzdal, which got their name "Shuysky" after the town. In 1539, the town was sacked by...
) (Tochka SSM) - 211th Artillery Brigade (Mulino)
- 918th Multiple Rocket Launcher Regiment (Mulino)
- Base for Storage of Weapons and Equipment90th Guards Rifle DivisionThe 90th Guards Rifle Division was a Soviet infantry division of the Second World War.The division traces its history back to 8 September 1941 when the 325th Rifle Division was formed in the Orel Military District...
(Tver) (ex 166th Motor Rifle Brigade) - other units
- 3rd Vislenskaya Motor Rifle Division
- Operational Group of Russian Forces in MoldovaMoldovaMoldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
(TiraspolTiraspolTiraspol is the second largest city in Moldova and is the capital and administrative centre of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic . The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River...
) (formerly 14th Guards Army)- (two?) separate battalions, formerly from the 8th Guards MR Brigade
- 16th Spetsnaz Brigade, 16-я бригада спецназа
- 16th Air Army
- other formations and units
In addition to normal units, the district was home at least until 2001 to the 11th Separate Cavalry Regiment, a unit used for producing war films. The unit was based at Kobyakovo.
Subordinate Units
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
Moscow Military District 2010:
- Combat formations:
- 4th Guards Independent Tank Brigade "Kantemir", in Naro-FominskNaro-FominskNaro-Fominsk is a town and the administrative center of Naro-Fominsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, situated southwest from Moscow, on the Nara River. The Moscow – Kiev railway passes through the town. Population: -History:...
- 5th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade "Taman", in Kalininec equipped with BTR
- 6th Independent Tank Brigade "Chentokhovskaya", in MulinoMulino (settlement), Nizhny Novgorod OblastMulino is a settlement in Volodarsky District of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Population: Dialing code: +7 83136. Postal code: 606083....
- 9th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade, in Nizhny NovgorodNizhny NovgorodNizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
equipped with BMPBMP-In computing:* BMP file format, the file name extension for the Bitmap image file format.* Basic Multilingual Plane, related to the Unicode character set.* Beep Media Player, a multimedia player.-Biology:... - 16th Independent SpetsnazSpetsnazSpetsnaz, Specnaz tr: Voyska specialnogo naznacheniya; ) is an umbrella term for any special forces in Russian, literally "force of special purpose"...
Brigade, in (TambovTambovTambov is a city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tsna and Studenets Rivers southeast of Moscow...
) - 27th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade, in VidnoyeVidnoyeVidnoye is a town and the administrative center of Leninsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, situated south of Moscow city limits. Population:...
equipped with BMPBMP-In computing:* BMP file format, the file name extension for the Bitmap image file format.* Basic Multilingual Plane, related to the Unicode character set.* Beep Media Player, a multimedia player.-Biology:... - Operational Group of Russian Forces in TransnistriaTransnistriaTransnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
- 99th Reserve Base (13th Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade), in TverTverTver is a city and the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: 403,726 ; 408,903 ;...
- 262nd Reserve Base (1st Independent Tank Brigade), in BogucharBogucharBoguchar is a town in Voronezh Oblast, Russia, located on the Boguchar River south of Voronezh. Population: Town status was granted to it in 1779....
- 467th District Training Center, in KovrovKovrovKovrov is a city and the administrative center of Kovrovsky District of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, situated on the right bank of the Klyazma River . Kovrov's population as of the preliminary results of the 2010 Census was 145,492; down from 155,499 recorded in the 2002 Census, and further down from...
- 4th Guards Independent Tank Brigade "Kantemir", in Naro-Fominsk
- Missile and Artillery formations:
- 45th Heavy Artillery Brigade "Svir", in TambovTambovTambov is a city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tsna and Studenets Rivers southeast of Moscow...
- 79th Guards MLRS Brigade, in TverTverTver is a city and the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: 403,726 ; 408,903 ;...
- 112th Guards Missile Brigade, in ShuyaShuyaShuya is the third largest town in Ivanovo Oblast, Russia; located on the Teza River. Population: -History:The first record of Shuya is dated by 1393. Since 1403, the area was held by a branch of the House of Suzdal, which got their name "Shuysky" after the town. In 1539, the town was sacked by...
- 288th Artillery Brigade "Warsaw-Brandenburg", in MulinoMulino (settlement), Nizhny Novgorod OblastMulino is a settlement in Volodarsky District of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Population: Dialing code: +7 83136. Postal code: 606083....
- 448th Missile Brigade, in Durnevo
- 7015th Artillery Reserve Base, in Mulino
- 45th Heavy Artillery Brigade "Svir", in Tambov
- Air-defence formations:
- 53rd Air-defence Missile Brigade, in KurskKurskKursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
equipped with the Buk missile system - 886th Air-defence Command Center
- 53rd Air-defence Missile Brigade, in Kursk
- Radar formations:
- 70th Independent Radio Technical Brigade, in Naro-FominskNaro-FominskNaro-Fominsk is a town and the administrative center of Naro-Fominsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, situated southwest from Moscow, on the Nara River. The Moscow – Kiev railway passes through the town. Population: -History:...
- 51st Independent Radio Technical Battalion, in Dmitriev-Lgovskyy
- 70th Independent Radio Technical Brigade, in Naro-Fominsk
- Engineering formations:
- 7th Independent Engineer Regiment, in Belev
- 841st Independent Engineer Battalion
- NBC-defence formations:
- 27th Independent NBC-defence Brigade, in KurskKurskKursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
- 465th Independent NBC-defence Battalion, in KineshmaKineshmaKineshma is the second largest town in Ivanovo Oblast, Russia, which sprawls for along the Volga River. Population: -History:Kineshma was first noticed as a posad in 1429. In 1504, Ivan III gave it to Prince Feodor Belsky, who escaped to Moscow from Lithuania and married Ivan's niece...
- 27th Independent NBC-defence Brigade, in Kursk
- Signal formations:
- 1st Signal Brigade "Sevastopol", in Selyatino
- 16th Independent Electronic Warfare Brigade
- 119th Signal Brigade, in Selyatino
- 147th Independent (Rear) Signal Battalion
Formations of the Airborne Forces, including the 98th Guards Airborne Division
98th Guards Airborne Division
The 98th Guards Airborne Division is an airborne division of the Russian Airborne Troops, stationed in Ivanovo. It took part in the 2008 South Ossetian War....
and 106th Guards Airborne Division "Tula", also are based within the District's boundaries, but report directly to VDV headquarters.
Army General Vladimir Bakin was the former chief of staff - first deputy commander-in-chief of forces of the Volga-Ural Military District.
Further reading
- Order of Lenin Moscow Military District, translation of Russian 'Ordena lenina moskovskii voennyi okrug' by Air Force Foreign Technology Division, 1973. Original publication Moscow: VoenizdatVoenizdatVoenizdat is a publishing house in Moscow, Russia. It was one of the oldest and biggest publishing houses in USSR, and remains so in Russia. The name is a Russian abbreviation for "Voennoe Izdatelstvo", meaning "Military Publication"....
(Military Publishing House), 1971