Odessa Military District
Encyclopedia
The Odessa Military District (OVO) 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 1992. In 1998 most of it territory was transformed into the Southern Operation Command (Ukraine).
. It was the second of two districts on the territory of Ukraine, the other being Kiev Military District
. OVO existed from 1862 - 1918 as part of the Imperial Russian Armed Forces. It encompassed the territories of Kherson
, Yekaterinoslav
, Tauride
, Bessarabia
guberniya
s. The district bordered Kingdom of Romania
, Kiev Military District
, Don Voisko Oblast, and Black Sea
. In the 1870s and 1880s (until August 12, 1889) the Commander of the district served as the interim Governor General of Odessa city
concurrently. In January 1918 Odessa Military District headquarters was transformed into the headquarters of the Soviet's Romanian front under the jurisdiction of Rumcherod
. With the establishment of the Ukrainian government on its territory, it was terminated. OVO was reinstated as the Ukrainian forces were pushed out the area in April to August 1919.
. At that time its territory included the newly created Moldovian SSR, six oblasts of the Ukrainian SSR
(Izmail
, Odessa
, Dnipropetrovsk
, Zaporizhia
, Mykolaiv
, Kirovohrad
) and also the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
as part of the Russian SFSR. The Odessa MD was reinforced by several units from the Ukrainian Front
that took part in the Soviet invasion of Poland
and Romania, previously formed on base of the Odessa Army Group of the Kiev Special Military District
(reformed Kiev Military District).
Primary combat formations included:
By directives OV/583 and OV/584 of the Soviet People Commissariat of Defense, military units of the Odessa Military District were ordered into battle ready state in the spring of 1940. Soviet troop concentrations along the Romanian border took place between April 15 and June 10, 1940. In order to coordinate the efforts of the Kiev and Odessa military districts in the preparation of action against Romania, the Soviet Army created the Southern Front under general Georgy Zhukov
, composed of the 5th, 9th and 12th Armies
. The Southern Front had 32 infantry divisions, 2 motorized infantry divisions, 6 cavalry divisions, 11 tank brigades, 3 paratrooper brigades, 30 artillery regiments, and smaller auxiliary units.
Two action plans were devised. The first plan was prepared for the case that Romania would not accept to evacuate Bessarabia
and Bukovina
. The Soviet 12th Army was supposed in such a situation to strike Southward along the Prut river towards Iaşi
, while Soviet 9th Army was supposed to strike East-to-West south of Chişinău
towards Huşi
. The target of this plan was to surround the Romanian troops in the Bălţi
-Iaşi area. The second plan took into consideration the case that Romania would succumb to Soviet demands and would evacuate its military. In such a situation, Soviet troops were given the mission to reach quickly the Prut river, and take charge of the evacuation process of the Romanian troops. The first plan was taken as the basis of action. Along the portions where the offensive was supposed to take place, Soviets prepared to have at least a triple superiority of men and means.
On September 10, 1941 the district was abolished as it was overran by the Armed Forces of Nazi Germany
and its allies.
The District was reformed on April 23, 1944 with its headquarters at Kirovohrad
, which in October 1944 relocated to Odessa. After the war the 57th Аrmy and the Seventh Guards Army were deployed in the District. In April 1960 the District consisted of three oblasts (Mykolaiv Oblast
, Izmail Oblast
and Odessa Oblast
) as well as the Moldavian SSR
and the three new oblasts from the disbanded Tavria Military District: Zaporizhia Oblast
, Crimean Oblast
, and Kherson Oblast
.
and 22nd Army
with its headquarters in Simferopol
. In April 1960 the District's contingent came under command of the Force Command in Southwestern Direction, with its headquarters at Kishinev where it was practically relocated. Its administrative representation in the Ukrainian oblasts came under responsibility of the Odessa MD.
, created on the basis of 10th Guards Rifle Corps), the 32nd Army Corps (reformed on the basis of the headquarters units of former Tavria Military District), the 82nd Army Corps (disbanded in 1987), complementing with the 98th Guards Airborne Division
as well as seven additional various Motor Rifle Divisions. The 5th Air Army
of the Soviet Air Force
s provided tactical air support
(CAS) for the District's units and the 49th Corps of the 8th PVO Army of the Soviet Air Defence Forces was tasked with national air defense for the territory.
The Odessa Military District was transformed under the jurisdiction of Ukraine after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
on January 3, 1992 at 18:00. William E. Odom says that 'in accordance with the Minsk agreements [from the CIS summit in Minsk of 30–31 December 1991], Shaposhnikov
sent an order on 3 January 1992, formally transferring conventional forces to Ukraine. President Kravchuk then approved the firing of the three military district commanders (..). On 7–8 January each were removed, none resisting because within their headquarters Kravchuk's people had quietly created a network of officers loyal to his government.'
Its units were split between the Military of Ukraine and Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
.
the 14th Guards Army became entangled in the later War of Transnistria
(see 14th Army involvement in Transnistria
). The 98th Guards Airborne Division
was split between Russia and Ukraine; the Ukrainian half became the 1st Airmobile Division
and the Russian part was withdrawn to Ivanovo
in the Moscow Military District
and became part of the Russian Airborne Troops.
The 5th Air Army was later redesignated the 5th Aviation Corps of the Ukrainian Air Force
, while over the northern border, the Army was reformed in Russia's Volga-Urals Military District
in 2001.
Since January 3, 1998 the Odessa Military District was transformed into the Southern Operational Command of the Ukrainian Ground Forces
according to the Decree of Ministry of Defense of Ukraine from July 1, 1997. The command encompasses nine oblast
s: Odessa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kirovohrad, Kharkiv, and the autonomous republic of Crimea.
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 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
Military of Moldova
The Moldovan Armed Forces consist of the Ground Forces and Air and Air Defense Forces.- History :Moldova has accepted all relevant arms control obligations of the former Soviet Union...
in 1992. In 1998 most of it territory was transformed into the Southern Operation Command (Ukraine).
History
Russian Empire
The Odessa Military District was established during the reforms of the Russian military minister Dmitry MilyutinDmitry Milyutin
Count Dmitry Alekseyevich Milyutin was Minister of War and the last Field Marshal of Imperial Russia...
. It was the second of two districts on the territory of Ukraine, the other being Kiev Military District
Kiev Military District
The 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...
. OVO existed from 1862 - 1918 as part of the Imperial Russian Armed Forces. It encompassed the territories of Kherson
Kherson Governorate
The Kherson Governorate or Government of Kherson was a guberniya, or administrative territorial unit, in the Southern Ukrainian region, between the Dnieper and Dniester Rivers, of the Russian Empire. It was one of three governorates created in 1802 when the Novorossiya guberniya was abolished...
, Yekaterinoslav
Yekaterinoslav Governorate
The Yekaterinoslav Governorate or Government of Yekaterinoslav was a governorate in the Russian Empire. Its capital was the city of Yekaterinoslav .-Administrative divisions:...
, Tauride
Taurida Governorate
The Taurida Governorate or Government of Taurida was a historical governorate of the Russian Empire. It included the Crimean peninsula and the mainland between the lower Dnieper River and the coasts of the Black Sea and Sea of Azov It was formed after the defunct Taurida Oblast in was abolished in...
, Bessarabia
Bessarabia Governorate
Bessarabia was an oblast and later a guberniya in the Russian Empire. It was the eastern part of the Principality of Moldavia annexed by Russia by the Treaty of Bucharest following the Russo-Turkish War, 1806-1812...
guberniya
Guberniya
A guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire usually translated as government, governorate, or province. Such administrative division was preserved for sometime upon the collapse of the empire in 1917. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin ,...
s. The district bordered Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
, Kiev Military District
Kiev Military District
The 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...
, Don Voisko Oblast, and Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. In the 1870s and 1880s (until August 12, 1889) the Commander of the district served as the interim Governor General of Odessa city
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
concurrently. In January 1918 Odessa Military District headquarters was transformed into the headquarters of the Soviet's Romanian front under the jurisdiction of Rumcherod
Rumcherod
Rumcherod was a self-proclaimed, unrecognized, and short-lived organ of Soviet power in the South-Western part of Russian Empire that functioned during May 1917–May 1918...
. With the establishment of the Ukrainian government on its territory, it was terminated. OVO was reinstated as the Ukrainian forces were pushed out the area in April to August 1919.
Soviet Union
The district was reformed by the decision of October 11, 1939 specifically for the occupation of Bessarabia after the Soviet Union signed Molotov-Ribbentrop PactMolotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
. At that time its territory included the newly created Moldovian SSR, six oblasts of the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
(Izmail
Izmail Oblast
Izmail Oblast was an oblast in the Ukrainian SSR. It had a territory of 12.4 thousand km².The oblast was organized on August 7, 1940 on the territory, known as Budjak or southern Bessarabia, occupied by the Soviet Union from Romania. It was originally known as Akkerman Oblast until December 1,...
, Odessa
Odessa Oblast
Odesa Oblast, also written as Odessa Oblast , is the southernmost and largest oblast of south-western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Odessa.-History:...
, Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine, the most important industrial region of the country. Its administrative center is Dnipropetrovsk....
, Zaporizhia
Zaporizhia Oblast
Zaporizhia Oblast is an oblast of southern Ukraine. Its capital is Zaporizhia.This oblast is an important part of Ukraine's industry and agriculture.-Geography:...
, Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv Oblast
Mykolaiv Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Mykolayiv.-Geography:The Mykolaiv Oblast is located in the southern half of Ukraine...
, Kirovohrad
Kirovohrad Oblast
Kirovohrad Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kirovohrad.-Geography:The area of the province is , its population is 1.1 million....
) and also the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created on October 18, 1921 as Crimean Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic of RSFSR in place of Taurida Governorate and within the Crimean Peninsula,...
as part of the Russian SFSR. The Odessa MD was reinforced by several units from the Ukrainian Front
Ukrainian Front
Ukrainian Front may refer to several Soviet fronts of the Second World War:* Ukrainian Front formed during the Polish September Campaign*1st Ukrainian Front, renamed from Voronezh Front on October 20, 1943....
that took part in the Soviet invasion of Poland
Soviet invasion of Poland (1939)
The 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland was a Soviet military operation that started without a formal declaration of war on 17 September 1939, during the early stages of World War II. Sixteen days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west, the Soviet Union did so from the east...
and Romania, previously formed on base of the Odessa Army Group of the Kiev Special Military District
Kiev Military District
The 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...
(reformed Kiev Military District).
Primary combat formations included:
- 9th Army9th Army (Soviet Union)The 9th Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army was a Soviet field army, active from 1939 – 43, and then after the war from 1966 to 1989.It was active during the Winter War against Finland as part of the Leningrad Military District, beginning operations at the end of November 1939 under ComKor M.P....
was relocated to the District as 9th Separate Army in June 1941 from the 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:...
after the Winter WarWinter WarThe Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
and invasion of Romania - 7th Rifle Corps was formed in the District in June 1941,
- 9th Rifle Corps formed as the part of the District on June 22, 1941.
- 51st Independent Army, formed in August 1941 in the CrimeaCrimeaCrimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
By directives OV/583 and OV/584 of the Soviet People Commissariat of Defense, military units of the Odessa Military District were ordered into battle ready state in the spring of 1940. Soviet troop concentrations along the Romanian border took place between April 15 and June 10, 1940. In order to coordinate the efforts of the Kiev and Odessa military districts in the preparation of action against Romania, the Soviet Army created the Southern Front under general Georgy Zhukov
Georgy Zhukov
Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov , was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who, in the course of World War II, played a pivotal role in leading the Red Army through much of Eastern Europe to liberate the Soviet Union and other nations from the Axis Powers' occupation...
, composed of the 5th, 9th and 12th Armies
12th Army (Soviet Union)
The Soviet Union's 12th Army was a field army formed multiple times during the Russian Civil War and World War II.-Civil War & Polish-Soviet War:...
. The Southern Front had 32 infantry divisions, 2 motorized infantry divisions, 6 cavalry divisions, 11 tank brigades, 3 paratrooper brigades, 30 artillery regiments, and smaller auxiliary units.
Two action plans were devised. The first plan was prepared for the case that Romania would not accept to evacuate Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
and Bukovina
Bukovina
Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
. The Soviet 12th Army was supposed in such a situation to strike Southward along the Prut river towards Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
, while Soviet 9th Army was supposed to strike East-to-West south of Chişinău
Chisinau
Chișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
towards Huşi
Husi
Huși is a city in Vaslui County, Romania, former capital of the disbanded Fălciu County in the historical region of Moldavia, Romanian Orthodox episcopal see, and home of some of the best vineyards of Romania. The city is located on a branch of the Iaşi-Galaţi railway, nine miles west of the Prut...
. The target of this plan was to surround the Romanian troops in the Bălţi
Balti
Balti can refer to:* Balti language, a language spoken in Baltistan in Pakistan and Ladakh in Kashmir* Balti people, Muslims of Ladakhi/Tibetan origin from Baltistan in Pakistan and Ladakh in Kashmir...
-Iaşi area. The second plan took into consideration the case that Romania would succumb to Soviet demands and would evacuate its military. In such a situation, Soviet troops were given the mission to reach quickly the Prut river, and take charge of the evacuation process of the Romanian troops. The first plan was taken as the basis of action. Along the portions where the offensive was supposed to take place, Soviets prepared to have at least a triple superiority of men and means.
On September 10, 1941 the district was abolished as it was overran by the Armed Forces of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and its allies.
Post World War II Development
Kirovohrad
Kirovohrad , formerly Yelisavetgrad, is a city in central Ukraine. It is located on the Inhul River. It is a motorway junction. Pop. 239,400 ....
, which in October 1944 relocated to Odessa. After the war the 57th Аrmy and the Seventh Guards Army were deployed in the District. In April 1960 the District consisted of three oblasts (Mykolaiv Oblast
Mykolaiv Oblast
Mykolaiv Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Mykolayiv.-Geography:The Mykolaiv Oblast is located in the southern half of Ukraine...
, Izmail Oblast
Izmail Oblast
Izmail Oblast was an oblast in the Ukrainian SSR. It had a territory of 12.4 thousand km².The oblast was organized on August 7, 1940 on the territory, known as Budjak or southern Bessarabia, occupied by the Soviet Union from Romania. It was originally known as Akkerman Oblast until December 1,...
and Odessa Oblast
Odessa Oblast
Odesa Oblast, also written as Odessa Oblast , is the southernmost and largest oblast of south-western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Odessa.-History:...
) as well as the Moldavian SSR
Moldavian SSR
The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic , commonly abbreviated to Moldavian SSR or MSSR, was one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union...
and the three new oblasts from the disbanded Tavria Military District: Zaporizhia Oblast
Zaporizhia Oblast
Zaporizhia Oblast is an oblast of southern Ukraine. Its capital is Zaporizhia.This oblast is an important part of Ukraine's industry and agriculture.-Geography:...
, Crimean Oblast
Crimean Oblast
The Crimean Oblast was an oblast of the former Russian SFSR and Ukrainian SSR , which was at the time part of the Soviet Union. Its capital was the city of Simferopol....
, and Kherson Oblast
Kherson Oblast
Kherson Oblast is an oblast in southern Ukraine, just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson. The area of the region is 29000 km², its population is 1.12 million.Important cities in the oblast include:...
.
Tavria Military District
The Tavria Military District had previously been created in July 1945 from the headquarters of the Separate Coastal ArmySeparate Coastal Army
The Separate Coastal Army was an army-level unit in the Red Army that fought in the World War II. It was ordered to be established on July 18, 1941 by the order of the Southern Front from the forces of 9th Army’s Coastal Group and was stood up on July 20, 1941....
and 22nd Army
22nd 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....
with its headquarters in Simferopol
Simferopol
-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
. In April 1960 the District's contingent came under command of the Force Command in Southwestern Direction, with its headquarters at Kishinev where it was practically relocated. Its administrative representation in the Ukrainian oblasts came under responsibility of the Odessa MD.
Later Developments
In the Odessa District's territory were additionally deployed the 14th Guards Army (Combined ArmsCombined arms
Combined arms is an approach to warfare which seeks to integrate different branches of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects...
, created on the basis of 10th Guards Rifle Corps), the 32nd Army Corps (reformed on the basis of the headquarters units of former Tavria Military District), the 82nd Army Corps (disbanded in 1987), complementing with 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....
as well as seven additional various Motor Rifle Divisions. The 5th Air Army
5th Air Army
The 5th Air Army was the Russian Air Force's smallest Air Army, with the headquarters located in Yekaterinburg, its zone of responsibility being the Volga-Ural Military District, on the border between Europe and Asia...
of the Soviet Air Force
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Force, officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily and often abbreviated VVS was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces...
s provided tactical air support
Air Support
Air Support is a 1992 computer game for the Amiga and Atari ST. It is a top-down strategy game, with a first-person mode available for special missions. The game takes place during a retrofuturistic 21st century where all wars are fought in virtual reality. The game was given mostly positive...
(CAS) for the District's units and the 49th Corps of the 8th PVO Army of the Soviet Air Defence Forces was tasked with national air defense for the territory.
The Odessa Military District was transformed under the jurisdiction of Ukraine after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
on January 3, 1992 at 18:00. William E. Odom says that 'in accordance with the Minsk agreements [from the CIS summit in Minsk of 30–31 December 1991], Shaposhnikov
Yevgeny Shaposhnikov
Yevgeny Ivanovich Shaposhnikov is a Russian military leader and business figure, Marshal of Aviation .Shaposhnikov was born on a farm near Aksay in Rostov Oblast Russia...
sent an order on 3 January 1992, formally transferring conventional forces to Ukraine. President Kravchuk then approved the firing of the three military district commanders (..). On 7–8 January each were removed, none resisting because within their headquarters Kravchuk's people had quietly created a network of officers loyal to his government.'
Its units were split between the Military of Ukraine and 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...
.
Commanders 1945-91
- General Colonel V A Yushkevich (until 06 1946)(former commander of 31st Army)
- Marshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
Georgy ZhukovGeorgy ZhukovMarshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov , was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who, in the course of World War II, played a pivotal role in leading the Red Army through much of Eastern Europe to liberate the Soviet Union and other nations from the Axis Powers' occupation...
(06 1946-02 1948) - General Colonel N P Pyhov (02 1948-1951),
- General Colonel K N Galitskiy (1951–1954),
- General Colonel A I Radzievskiy (1954–1959),
- General Colonel Hamazasp BabadzhanianHamazasp BabadzhanianHamazasp Khachaturi Babadzhanian was Chief Marshal of the Mechanized Forces of the USSR and Hero of the Soviet Union.-Biography:Babadzhanian was born in the family of an Armenian peasant, in the village of Chardakhlu near Yelizavetpol , then part of the Russian Empire, attending school there...
(P H Babadjanyan) (1959-03 1967), - General Colonel M V Lugovtsev (03 -12 1967)
- General Colonel A G Shyrypov (01 1968-1974)
- General Colonel I M Voloshin (1974–1982)
- General Colonel S A Elagin (1982-'»)
- General Colonel I S Morozov (?)
- General Lieutenant V G Radetskiy (?)
Forces in the 1980s
Towards the end of the 1980s, the District contained the following forces:- 14th Guards Army
- 28th Guards Motor Rifle Division (ChornomorskeChornomorske (Odessa Oblast)Chornomorske is an urban-type settlement in Odessa Oblast of Ukraine. It's the administrative center of Kominternivskyi Raion. Before 1978 it was known as Hvardiyske village. 28th Mechanized Brigade is stationed in the settlement....
/YuzhneYuzhneYuzhne is a port city in Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. The city is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, and is situated on the country's Black Sea coast....
?)(became 28th Mechanized Brigade28th Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)The 28th Guards Mechanized Brigade is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The full name of the Brigade is the 28th Separate Guards Mechanized Brigade....
circa 2001) - 59th Guards Motor Rifle Division (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...
)(the former 59th Guards Rifle Division59th Guards Rifle DivisionThe 59th Guards Kramatorsk Order of Red Banner, Order of Suvorov, Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Motor-Rifle Division of the Soviet Union's Red Army was initially formed near Krasnodar in March 1942 as the 197th Rifle Division . On the division's formation Colonel M. I...
) - 86th Guards Motor Rifle Division (Beltsy)
- 180th Motor Rifle Division
- 28th Guards Motor Rifle Division (Chornomorske
- 32nd Army Corps
- 126th Motor Rifle Division (SimferopolSimferopol-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
) - 157th Motor Rifle Division (Feodosiya)
- 126th Motor Rifle Division (Simferopol
- District Troops
- 92nd Guards Motor Rifle Training Division (NikolaevMykolaivMykolaiv , also known as Nikolayev , is a city in southern Ukraine, administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv is the main ship building center of the Black Sea, and, arguably, the whole Eastern Europe.-Name of city:...
/Shirokiy Lan) - 98th Guards Airborne Division98th Guards Airborne DivisionThe 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....
(Bolgrad)
- 92nd Guards Motor Rifle Training Division (Nikolaev
- 5th Air Army5th Air ArmyThe 5th Air Army was the Russian Air Force's smallest Air Army, with the headquarters located in Yekaterinburg, its zone of responsibility being the Volga-Ural Military District, on the border between Europe and Asia...
Ukraine/Moldova
Following the dissolution of the Soviet UnionDissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
the 14th Guards Army became entangled in the later War of Transnistria
War of Transnistria
The War of Transnistria was a limited conflict that broke out in November 1990 at Dubăsari between pro-Transnistria forces, including the Transnistrian Republican Guard, militia and Cossack units, and supported by elements of the Russian 14th army, and pro-Moldovan forces, including Moldovan...
(see 14th Army involvement in Transnistria
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:...
). 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....
was split between Russia and Ukraine; the Ukrainian half became the 1st Airmobile Division
1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine)
The 1st Airmobile Division was a formation of the Ukrainian Airmobile Forces from January 1, 1993 until it was disbanded in 2003.Brigade was located in Bolhrad.-Structure:Structure of the division in 2001...
and the Russian part was withdrawn to Ivanovo
Ivanovo
Ivanovo is a city and the administrative center of Ivanovo Oblast, Russia. Population: Ivanovo has traditionally been called the textile capital of Russia. Since most textile workers are women, it has also been known as the "City of Brides"...
in the Moscow Military District
Moscow Military District
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.-History:In the beginning of...
and became part of the Russian Airborne Troops.
The 5th Air Army was later redesignated the 5th Aviation Corps of the Ukrainian Air Force
Ukrainian Air Force
The Ukrainian Air Force is a part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian Air Force Command and headquarters are located in the city of Vinnytsia....
, while over the northern border, the Army was reformed in Russia's Volga-Urals Military District
Volga-Urals Military District
The Volga-Ural Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces, formed on 1 September 2001 by the amalgamation of the Volga Military District and the Ural Military District. The headquarters of the Ural Military District, located at Yekaterinburg became the new headquarters...
in 2001.
Since January 3, 1998 the Odessa Military District was transformed into the Southern Operational Command of the Ukrainian Ground Forces
Ukrainian Ground Forces
The Ukrainian Ground Forces are the land force component of the Military of Ukraine. They were formed from Soviet Army formations, units, and establishments, including three military districts , that were on Ukrainian soil when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990-92.Between the fall of the USSR and...
according to the Decree of Ministry of Defense of Ukraine from July 1, 1997. The command encompasses nine 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: Odessa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kirovohrad, Kharkiv, and the autonomous republic of Crimea.
Sources
- Feskov et al., The Soviet Army during the period of the Cold War, 2004
- А. Г. Ленский, Сухопутные силы РККА в предвоенные годы. Справочник. — Санкт-Петербург Б&К, 2000
- Military Encyclopedic Dictionary. Moscow, 2002. Ultimatum of the Soviet government to Romanian government on June 26, 1940 Odessa Soviet Military District Odessa Russian Military District