![Banner of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Banner_of_the_Military_Academy_of_the_General_Staff_of_the_Armed_Forces_of_Russia.svg)
The Military Academy of the
(russian: Военная академия Генерального штаба Вооруженных Сил Российской Федерации) is the senior
staff college
Staff colleges (also command and staff colleges and War colleges) train military officers in the administrative, military staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career. For ex ...
of the
Russian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...
.
The academy is located in Moscow, on 14 Kholzunova Lane. It was founded in 1936 as a Soviet institution, based on higher command courses that had been established at the
M. V. Frunze Military Academy
The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (russian: Военная академия имени М. В. Фрунзе), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (rus ...
, itself founded in 1918. An
earlier General Staff Academy had existed during the
Imperial period, since 1832.
Students were, and probably still are, admitted to the Academy in the
rank
Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as:
Level or position in a hierarchical organization
* Academic rank
* Diplomatic rank
* Hierarchy
* H ...
s of lieutenant colonel,
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
, and General-Major (one star). Most were colonels or newly promoted generals. Officers enter in their late 30s, as a general rule. Officers selected for this academy would have first attended the appropriate service or branch academy (see
Military academies in Russia
Russia has a number of military academies of different specialties. This article primarily lists institutions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation rather than those of the Soviet Armed Forces.
Russian institutions designated as an "acad ...
). Graduates who were not already generals or admirals usually were promoted to this rank a short time after completing the course. Length of the academy was only two years, in contrast to the three years for the branch and service academies.
Faculty and students of the General Staff Academy were involved in debates over Soviet military restructuring in the last years of the USSR. They became associated with the military reform efforts of Major Vladimir Lopatin and made specific suggestions for deep force reductions.
As of 22 November 2017,
Colonel General
Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...
Vladimir Zarudnitsky has been the chief of the academy.
History
Precursors
The existence of a general staff academy for the Russian military dates back to the
Imperial period, with the founding of the
Imperial Military Academy
The General Staff Academy () was a Russian military academy, established in 1832 in St.Petersburg. It was first known as the Imperial Military Academy (Императорская военная академия), then in 1855 it was renamed Nichol ...
in Saint Petersburg in 1832, and its official opening on .
In 1855 the academy was renamed the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, commemorating
Emperor Nicholas I
, house = Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp
, father = Paul I of Russia
, mother = Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Gatchina Palace, Gatchina, Russian Empire
, death_date =
...
, who had died that year.
Further renamings followed, to the Nikolaev Military Academy in 1909, the Imperial Nikolaev Military Academy in 1910, and back to the Nikolaev Military Academy in 1917. Following the
Russian Revolutions
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
, the Nikolaev Military Academy functioned in support of the
White Army
The White Army (russian: Белая армия, Belaya armiya) or White Guard (russian: Бѣлая гвардія/Белая гвардия, Belaya gvardiya, label=none), also referred to as the Whites or White Guardsmen (russian: Бѣлогв ...
, being evacuated to territory held by Admiral
Alexander Kolchak
Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (russian: link=no, Александр Васильевич Колчак; – 7 February 1920) was an Imperial Russian admiral, military leader and polar explorer who served in the Imperial Russian Navy and fought ...
. With the defeat of the White cause in the
Russian Civil War
, date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...
, the academy ceased to exist in 1921, with its final graduation held in
Vladivostok
Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...
at the end of that year.
280px, Academy of the General Staff on Vernadskogo prosp., 100
In the meantime a new academy had been established by the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
, in light of its early experiences during the first stages of the Civil War, which had demonstrated the inadvisability of entrusting battlefield commands to former workers and soldiers who had little experience of tactics or of leading men.
On 7 October 1918 the
Revolutionary Military Council
The Revolutionary Military Council (russian: Революционный Военный Совет, Revolyutsionny Voyenny Sovyet, Revolutionary Military Council), sometimes called the Revolutionary War CouncilBrian PearceIntroductionto Fyodor Ra ...
ordered the foundation of the
General Staff Academy of the Red Army, based in Moscow.
The first intake of students, who joined on 25 November that year, numbered 183, with the official opening of the academy taking place on 8 December 1918.
In August 1921 this became the Military Academy of the Red Army, with the focus on training personnel in tactical warfare.
Additional nine-month courses were established to provide operational-strategic command training, termed the Higher Military Academic Courses, which from 1931 became one-year-long courses as part of the academy's Faculty of Operations.
These courses became the basis of the creation of a new , and in 1936 a new staff college was created, split from the
M. V. Frunze Military Academy
The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (russian: Военная академия имени М. В. Фрунзе), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (rus ...
, as the Military Academy of the Red Army had been known since 1925.
Soviet General Staff Academy
The academy trained large numbers of senior commanders and staff officers prior to, and during, the Second World War. From 1941 it became the K. E. Voroshilov Military Academy of the General Staff of the Red Army, and in April 1942 it was named the K. Е. Voroshilov Higher Military Academy, and in 1958 the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR.
It became the K. E. Voroshilov Military Academy of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces in 1969.
Russian General Staff Academy
With the
dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
in 1991, the academy became part of the
Russian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...
, and since 1992 has been the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia.
Awards
*
Order of Kutuzov
The Order of Kutuzov (russian: орден Кутузова ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established du ...
(2015)
*
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...
(1968)
*
Order of the Red Banner
The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...
(1986)
*
Order of Suvorov
The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800).
History
The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet award established on July 29, 1942 ...
I degree (1945)
*Order of the Red Banner (Czechoslovakia, 1967)
*
Scharnhorst Order
The Scharnhorst Order ( or ) was the highest medal awarded to members of the East German National People's Army (NVA). It was given for services to military or other strengthening of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Established on 17 Februa ...
(GDR, 1969)
*
Order of the Banner of Work
The Order of the Banner of Labor ( pl, Order Sztandaru Pracy) was a governmental award in Poland during the 20th-century era of the Polish People's Republic, a former Marxist-Leninist state.
The order was established by the Sejm (a chamber of th ...
(Poland, 1973)
*Order of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (NRB, 1974)
*Order of the Red Banner (
Hungarian People's Republic
The Hungarian People's Republic ( hu, Magyar Népköztársaság) was a one-party socialist state from 20 August 1949
to 23 October 1989.
It was governed by the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, which was under the influence of the Soviet Uni ...
, 1975)
*
Order of Sukhbaatar
The Order of Sukhbaatar (or Order of Suche Bator) is a state decoration of Mongolia, originally instituted on 16 May 1941. It was awarded to Mongolians and foreigners "for special services to defenses, economic and cultural construction of the Mon ...
(
Mongolian People's Republic
The Mongolian People's Republic ( mn, Бүгд Найрамдах Монгол Ард Улс, БНМАУ; , ''BNMAU''; ) was a socialist state which existed from 1924 to 1992, located in the historical region of Outer Mongolia in East Asia. It w ...
, 1976)
*Order of Antonio Maceo (Cuba, 1982)
*
Order of Ho Chi Minh
The Order of Ho Chi Minh ( vi, Huân chương Hồ Chí Minh) is a decoration of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam that was first instituted on 6 June 1947. The creator of the order was the president Hồ Chí Minh.
The Order of Ho Chi Minh is c ...
(Vietnam, 1986)
Notable faculty
*
Fyodor Kuznetsov
Fyodor Isidorovich Kuznetsov (russian: Фёдор Иси́дорович Кузнецо́в; 29 September 1898 – 22 March 1961) was a Colonel General and military commander in the Soviet Union.
Biography
Born to a peasant family in Mogilev G ...
- Commandant of the Academy (1942-1943), Colonel General
*
Matvei Zakharov
Matvei Vasilevich Zakharov (russian: Матве́й Васи́льевич Заха́ров; August 17, 1898 – January 31, 1972) was Marshal of the Soviet Union, Chief of the General Staff, and Deputy Defense Minister.
Biography
Zakharov was ...
- Commandant of the Academy (1945-1949 & 1963-1964),
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union (russian: Маршал Советского Союза, Marshal sovetskogo soyuza, ) was the highest military rank of the Soviet Union.
The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in 19 ...
*
Dmitry Karbyshev
Dmitry Mikhaylovich Karbyshev (russian: Дмитрий Михайлович Карбышев; , Omsk — 18 February 1945, Mauthausen, Austria) was an officer of the Russian Imperial Army, a Red Army general, professor of the Soviet General St ...
- Doctor of Military Sciences, professor
*
Gregory Lavrik
Gregory may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Gregory (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Gregory (surname), a surname
Places Australia
*Gregory, Queensland, a town in the Shire of ...
– Doctor of Military Sciences, professor.
*
Valentin Rog
Valentin is a male given name meaning "strong, healthy, power, rule, terco". It comes from the Latin name ''Valentinus'', as in Saint Valentin. Commonly found in Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Scandinavia, Latin America ...
- Doctor of Military Sciences, professor, Major General of aviation.
[Академия Генерального штаба. – М., Военное издательство, 1987. с. 243.]
*
Ivan Timokhovich – Doctor of Historical Sciences, professor, Major General of aviation.
Notable alumni
*
Beqir Balluku
Beqir Balluku (14 February 1917 – 5 November 1975) was an Albanian politician, military leader, and Minister of Defense of Albania. Balluku assisted Enver Hoxha in carrying out the 1956 purge within the Labour Party. However, in 1974, Balluku h ...
,
Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
former Minister of Defense
*
Teme Sejko
Teme Sejko (August 25, 1922 – May 31, 1961) was an Albanian Rear Admiral and commander of the Albanian navy and the naval base of Durrës. In 1961 he was executed for allegedly being the leader of a pro-Soviet group that had been planning a co ...
,
Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
rear-admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarded ...
and commander of the
Albanian navy
The Albanian Naval Force ( sq, Forca Detare të Republikës së Shqipërisë) is the naval branch of the Albanian military. Their name was changed from the Albanian Naval Defense Forces in 2010. The Naval Force is headquartered in Durrës, and ...
in the 1950s.
*
Sherali Mirzo
Colonel General Sherali Mirzo () is a Tajik Colonel General who serves as the minister of defence since 20 November 2013, succeeding Sherali Khayrulloyev.
Biography
Early life and military career
Mirzo was born in 1967 in the Moskovskiy D ...
, Tajik Minister of Defence
*
Saken Zhasuzakov
Saken Adilkhanuly Zhasuzakov ( kk, Сәкен Әділханұлы Жасұзақов, ''Säken Ädılhanūly Jasūzaqov'', ; born 27 October 1957) was a Kazakh politician and Colonel General in the Kazakh Ground Forces. He was Minister of Defens ...
, former Defence Minister of Kazakhstan
*
Taalaibek Omuraliev
Taalaibek Baryktabasovich Omuraliev ( ky, Таалайбек Барыктабасович (Барыктабас уулу) Өмүралиев, translit=Taalaybek Baryktabasovich (Baryktabas uulu) Ömüraliyev, russian: Таалайбек Бары ...
, Kyrgyz Minister of Defence
*
Aleksi Inauri
Aleksi Inauri ( ka, ალექსი ინაური; russian: Алексей Николаевич Инаури, ''Aleksey Nikolayevich Inauri'') (May 12, 1908 – June 23, 1993) was a Soviet and Georgian commander who headed the Georgian KGB ...
,
Chairman of the Georgian KGB
*
Horst Stechbarth
Horst Stechbarth (13 April 1925 – 8 June 2016) was an East German politician and high-ranking military officer in the National People's Army (''Nationale Volksarmee''), holding the rank of ''Generaloberst'' (Colonel General). He was the Chief ...
, Deputy
Minister of Defense of the GDR
*,
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
Vice-admiral and Chief of the
Vietnam People's Navy
The Vietnam People's Navy (VPN; vi, Hải quân nhân dân Việt Nam), or the Naval Service (), also known as the Vietnamese People's Navy or simply Vietnam/Vietnamese Navy (), is the naval branch of the Vietnam People's Army and is responsi ...
.
*
Hmayak Babayan,
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
and
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...
.
*
Sergey Chemezov
Sergey Viktorovich Chemezov (russian: Сергей Викторович Чемезов; born 20 August 1952) is the CEO of Rostec Corporation, a state-owned defense conglomorate. A former KGB agent and high-ranking general, Chemezov befriended ...
, CEO of
Rostec Corporation.
*
Yordan Milanov
Yordan Milanov ( bg, Йордан Миланов; 1867–1932) was a Bulgarian architect.
Milanov was one of the leading Bulgarian architects from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[Bulgarian Air Force
The Bulgarian Air Force ( bg, Военновъздушни сили, Voennovazdushni sili) is one of the three branches of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and p ...]
Major-General
*
Georgij Alafuzoff former Chief of Finnish Military Intelligence Service, as well as former Director of the Intelligence Directorate of the European Union Military Staff.
*
Sedrak Saroyan
Sedrak Firdusi Saroyan (; 3 September 1967 – 13 August 2022), also known as Seyran Saroyan, was an Armenian general and politician who served in the Parliament of Armenia from 2007 until his resignation in 2018. During his tenure, Saroyan was an ...
, Armenian general and
member of parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
Chiefs since 1936
*
Komdiv
(russian: комдив) is the abbreviation to Commanding officer of the Division (russian: командир дивизии, komandir divizii; ), and was a military rank in the Soviet Armed Forces of the USSR in the period from 1935 to 1940. It ...
Dmitry Kuchinsky (1936—1937)
*
Kombrig
(russian: комбриг) is an abbreviation of Commanding officer of the brigade (russian: командир бригады, komandir brigady; ), and was a military rank in the Soviet Armed Forces of the USSR from 1935 to 1940. It was also the ...
Ivan Shlemin
Ivan Timofeyevich Shlyomin (russian: Иван Тимофеевич Шлёмин, – 10 January 1969) was a Soviet Lieutenant-General of the Red Army during World War II and a Hero of the Soviet Union.
Biography
Ivan Timofeyevich Shlyomin wa ...
(1937—1940)
*
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...
Fyodor Kuznetsov
Fyodor Isidorovich Kuznetsov (russian: Фёдор Иси́дорович Кузнецо́в; 29 September 1898 – 22 March 1961) was a Colonel General and military commander in the Soviet Union.
Biography
Born to a peasant family in Mogilev G ...
(JulyAugust 1940)
*Lieutenant General
Vasily Mordvinov (1940—1941)
*Lieutenant General
Yevgeny Shilovsky (1941—1942)
*
Colonel General
Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...
Fyodor Kuznetsov (1942—1943)
*
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union (russian: Маршал Советского Союза, Marshal sovetskogo soyuza, ) was the highest military rank of the Soviet Union.
The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in 19 ...
Boris Shaposhnikov
, birth_name = Boris Mikhailovitch Shaposhnikov
, birth_date =
, death_date =
, birth_place = Zlatoust, Ufa GovernorateRussian Empire
, death_place = Moscow, Soviet Union
, placeofburial = Kremlin Wall Necropolis
, placeofbu ...
(1943—1945)
*Lieutenant General Vasily Mordvinov (March—November 1945)
*
Army General
Army general is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the General officer#French (Revolutionary) system, French Revolutionary System.
In countries that adopt the general officer four rank system, it is rank of genera ...
Matvei Zakharov
Matvei Vasilevich Zakharov (russian: Матве́й Васи́льевич Заха́ров; August 17, 1898 – January 31, 1972) was Marshal of the Soviet Union, Chief of the General Staff, and Deputy Defense Minister.
Biography
Zakharov was ...
(1945—1949)
*Army General
Vladimir Kurasov (1946—1956)
*Marshal of the Soviet Union
Ivan Bagramyan
Ivan Khristoforovich Bagramyan,; russian: Ива́н Христофо́рович Баграмя́н, link=no also known as Hovhannes Khachaturi Baghramyan; russian: Оване́с Хачату́рович Баграмя́н, link=no ( – 2 ...
(1956—1958)
*Army General
German Malandin (1958—1961)
*Army General Vladimir Kurasov (1961—1963)
*Marshal of the Soviet Union
Matvei Zakharov
Matvei Vasilevich Zakharov (russian: Матве́й Васи́льевич Заха́ров; August 17, 1898 – January 31, 1972) was Marshal of the Soviet Union, Chief of the General Staff, and Deputy Defense Minister.
Biography
Zakharov was ...
(1963—1965)
*Army General
Vladimir Ivanov (1965—1968)
*Army General
Semion Ivanov (1968—1973)
*Army General
Ivan Shavrov
Ivan () is a Slavic languages, Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John (given name), John) from Hebrew language, Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. T ...
(1973—1979)
*Army General
Mikhail Kozlov (1979—1986)
*Army General
Grigory Salmonov (1986—1989)
*Colonel General
Igor Rodionov
Igor Nikolayevich Rodionov (russian: Игорь Николаевич Родионов; 1 December 1936 – 19 December 2014) was a Russian general and Duma deputy. He is best known as a hardline politician, and for his service heading the Defen ...
(1989—1996)
*Colonel General
Valery Tretyakov (1996—1999)
*Colonel General
Viktor Chechevatov (19992005)
*Army General
Ivan Yefremov
Ivan Antonovich (real patronymic Antipovich) Yefremov ( ru , Ива́н Анто́нович (Анти́пович) Ефре́мов; April 23, 1908 – October 5, 1972; last name sometimes transliterated as Efremov) was a Soviet paleonto ...
(2005—2007).
[Scott and Scott, Russian Military Directory 2004, p.194]
*Army General
Alexander Belousov (2007—2009)
*Army General
Vladimir Yakovlev (2009—2012)
*Lieutenant General of the Reserve
Andrei Tretyak (2012—2013)
*Colonel General of the Reserve
Sergei Makarov (2013—2016)
*Lieutenant General
Sergei Kuralenko (2016—2017)
*Colonel General
Vladimir Zarudnitsky (2017—present)
References
*
{{authority control
Military academies of Russia
Staff colleges