''Polkovnik'' (russian: полковник, lit=

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

ary; pl, pułkownik) is a

military rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in ...

used mostly in Slavic-speaking countries which corresponds to a

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 ...

in English-speaking states and

oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries. The term originates from an ancient Slavic word for a group of soldiers and folk. However, in

Cossack Hetmanate The Cossack Hetmanate ( uk, Гетьманщина, Hetmanshchyna; or ''Cossack state''), officially the Zaporizhian Host or Army of Zaporizhia ( uk, Військо Запорозьке, Viisko Zaporozke, links=no; la, Exercitus Zaporoviensis) ...

and

Sloboda Ukraine Sloboda Ukraine (literally: Borderland of free frontier guards; uk, Слобідська Україна, Slobidska Ukraina), or Slobozhanshchyna ( uk, Слобожанщина, Slobozhanshchyna, ), is a historical region, now located in Northeas ...

, ''polkovnyk'' was an administrative rank similar to a governor. Usually this word is translated as

, however the transliteration is also in common usage, for the sake of the historical and social context. ''Polkovnik'' began as a commander of a distinct group of troops (''polk''), arranged for battle. The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different languages, but all descend from the Old Slavonic word ''polk'' (literally: regiment sized unit), and include the following in alphabetical order: #

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

— #

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

and

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

— () #

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

— (, ) #

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

— #

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

— () # Latvia — # Lithuania — #

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

— () #

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

— Although Georgia, Latvia, and Lithuania are not Slavic countries linguistically, they have been influenced by Russian terminology due to having been part of both the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

and the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. Latvian and Lithuanian were also influenced by Polish terminology, due to those countries having been part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The rank of ''polkovnik'' was also used in the Estonian army until 1924.

Countries

Russia

In the 17th century, ''polkovnik'' became the position of a

al commander of the '' streltsy''; this position also made it into New Regiments of the ''streltsy'' and later into the new army of Peter the Great. The rank was legalized by

Table of Ranks The Table of Ranks (russian: Табель о рангах, Tabel' o rangakh) was a formal list of positions and ranks in the military, government, and court of Imperial Russia. Peter the Great introduced the system in 1722 while engaged in a ...

that placed it in the 6th grade as the second-top field officer, right under the

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

. A promotion to the rank of ''polkovnik'' gave a privilege of hereditary

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

. 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, afte ...

reintroduced the ''polkovnik'' rank in 1935, together with a number of other former Russian ranks, and it continued to be in used in many ex-

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

countries, including Russia.

Rank insignia

The

Rank insignia An insignia () is a sign or mark distinguishing a group, grade, rank, or function. It can be a symbol of personal power or that of an official group or governing body. On its own, an insignia is a sign of a specific or general authority and is ...

to Polkovnik (OF-5) is as follows: 1904ic-p07.png, 1911-ir001-p15.png, 1904ossr01-15.png, 1904-ip100-p15.png, 1904ir036-p15.png, Red Army Polkovnik-1940 & Podpolkovnik-1943v.png, RA AF F5-Polkovnik-1940 F4-Podpolkovnik-1943v.png, RA A F5-Polkovnik 1943v.png, RA AF F5-Polkovnik 1943v.png, RA-SA_A-inf_F5Col_1955.png, RAF_A_F5Col_since_2010par.svg, RAF AF F5Col since 2010par.svg, Russia-Army-OF-5-1994-field.svg, Russia-AirBorne-OF-5-1994-field.svg, Russia-AirForce-OF-5-1994-field.svg, Russia-Army-OF-5-camo.svg, RAF A F5-Polkovnik 2010shirt.png, Russia-Navy-OF-5-1994-parade.svg, VMY Полковник ВВ.gif, Russia-Army-OF-5-2010.svg, 15Polk.png, RAF NA F5-Polkovniken after2010.png, Russia-Police-OF-5-2013.svg,

= See also

= *

Ranks and insignia of the Russian armed forces until 1917 The Ranks and insignia of the Imperial Russian Armed Forces were the military ranks used by the Imperial Russian Army and the Imperial Russian Navy. Many of the ranks were derived from the Military ranks of the German Empire, German model. The rank ...

* Ranks and insignia of the Red Army 1935–1940, and ... 1940–1943 * Ranks and insignia of the Soviet Army 1943–1955, and ... 1955–1991 * Ranks and insignia of the Russian Federation's armed forces 1994–2010

Poland

As part of the Commonwealth

The rank was first introduced in the armies of the Commonwealth in the 17th century to denote a captain (''

rotmistrz __NOTOC__ (German and Scandinavian for "riding master" or "cavalry master") is or was a military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in the armies of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A ''Rittmeister'' is typic ...

'') of the core

banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Als ...

of a regiment. By the end of the 17th century, the title of the assignment became a ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' rank as such and started to denote the commanding officer of the entire regiment. In

mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...

troops fighting in the ranks of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...

's army, the direct equivalent of the rank of ''pułkownik'' was ''oberszter'', but in the 18th century the rank was abolished and renamed as ''pułkownik'' as well.

Interwar

During the

Sanation Sanation ( pl, Sanacja, ) was a Polish political movement that was created in the interwar period, prior to Józef Piłsudski's May 1926 ''Coup d'État'', and came to power in the wake of that coup. In 1928 its political activists would go on ...

in the period between

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, a large number of officers were promoted to the rank, often for political reasons (the rule of the Sanation was even dubbed the ''government of the colonels'' because of that).

World War II

During the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

in 1939, the Polish divisions were commanded by officers of many grades, from colonels to three-star generals. In fact 22 divisions out of 42 were commanded by colonels in 1939. The ''pułkownicy'' (plural of ''pułkownik'') also commanded units of all sizes, from divisions down to mere battalions.

Ukraine

In the

Zaporozhian Host Zaporozhian Host (or Zaporizhian Sich) is a term for a military force inhabiting or originating from Zaporizhzhia, the territory beyond the rapids of the Dnieper River in what is Central Ukraine today, from the 15th to the 18th centuries. These i ...

, the political, social, and military organization of Ukrainian cossacks, the title ''polkovnyk'' indicated a high military rank among the

Ukrainian Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

starshyna ( rus, старшина, p=stərʂɨˈna, a=Ru-старшина.ogg or in Ukrainian transliteration) is a senior non-commissioned rank or designation in the military forces of some Slavic states, and a historical military designation. In arm ...

'' (

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

); a polkovnyk commanded one or more military detachments during land and naval military actions in the 16th to 18th centuries. In the 18th century, a ''polkovnyk'' was a leader of a ''palanka'', a territorial unit of the

. The military council elected a ''palanka polkovnyk'' to serve for a term of one year. He represented the

Kosh Otaman Kish otaman ( uk, Кошовий отаман, ; russian: Кошевой атаман, ; pl, Ataman koszowy; also known as of the Zaporizhian Host) was a chief officer of the ''Kish'' (central body of government) of the Zaporozhian Host in the 1 ...

in the ''palanka'' and had significant powers, including the right to condemn Cossacks to the death penalty. At the time of liquidation of the Zaporozhian Host by the

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

government in 1775, there were eight ''palanka polkovnyks''. As symbol of office a ''polkovnyk'' wore a '' pernach'' (a mace with a hexagonal head; see also ''

bulawa The bulava or buława ( Polish spelling: ''buława''; Ukrainian spelling: ''булава'' 'bula'va'' is a ceremonial mace or baton or sceptre. Poland, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Historically the ''buława'' ...

'') in his belt. In the Registered Cossack Army of the

in the 16th and 17th centuries, a ''polkovnyk'' commanded a

(. ''polk''), a Cossack military unit. After the reform of the Cossack army by

hetman ( uk, гетьман, translit=het'man) is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders. Used by the Czechs in Bohemia since the 15th century. It was the title of the second-highest military co ...

Mykhailo Doroshenko Mykhailo Doroshenko ( uk, Михайло Дорошенко; died 1628) was the Hetman of the registered Ukrainian Cossacks from 1623 to 1628. Brief biography He was elevated to the rank of Cossack colonel in 1616, and he was active in Petro ...

in the 1620s there were six Cossack regiments, each comprising one thousand Cossacks. ''Polkovnyk''s were elected by the Cossack Council (, ''rada'') subject to the approval of the Polish government. A ''polkovnyk'' obtained a salary for his service, and enjoyed considerable privileges. After the

Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of ...

of the

adopted the "Ordination" of 1638, only

noblemen Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characterist ...

('' szlachta'') were allowed to become ''polkovnyk''s. During Khmelnytsky Uprising (1648-1657) and in the

(1649-1764; also in the Slobozhanschtschyna in 1652–1765), a ''polkovnyk'' headed a territorial administrative unit, the regiment (). In terms of Nobility, Khmelnytsky's Polkovnyks were recognized as equal to Lithuania's Barons. In modern Ukraine, the military rank of ''polkovnyk'' resembles the similar rank of the former

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

Colonel (Eastern Europe)'s insignia

File:15.AzAF-COL.png,
(

Azerbaijani Land Forces The Azerbaijani Land Forces ( az, Azərbaycan Silahlı Qüvvələri Quru Qoşunları) are the land force component of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has been trying to create professional, well trained ...

) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-5.svg,

(

Belarusian Ground Forces The Belarusian Ground Forces is a service branch of the Armed Forces of Belarus. History The ground forces were founded on March 20, 1992, on the same day the Defence Ministry of Belarus was established. By 1994, the ground forces had over 5 ...

) File:Bosnia and Herzegovina Colonel Insignia.svg,
( Bosnian Ground Forces) File:Rank insignia of Полковник of the Bulgarian Army.png,

(

Bulgarian Land Forces The Bulgarian Land Forces ( bg, Сухопътни войски на България, Sukhopŭtni voĭski na Bŭlgariya, lit=Ground Forces of Bulgaria) are the ground warfare branch of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. The Land Forces were established ...

) File:Army-HRV-OF-04.svg,
(

Croatian Army The Croatian Army ( hr, Hrvatska kopnena vojska or HKoV) is the largest and most significant component of the Croatian Armed Forces (CAF). Role and deployment The fundamental role and purpose of the Croatian Army is to protect vital national i ...

) File:CzArmy 2011 OF5-Plukovnik shoulder.svg,
(

Czech Land Forces The Czech Land Forces ( cs, Pozemní síly) are the land warfare force of the Czech Republic. The Land Forces consisting of various types of arms and services complemented by air and special operations forces constitute the core of the Czech Ar ...

) File:Georgia-Army-OF-5.svg,

(

Georgian Land Forces The Georgian Land Forces ( ka, საქართველოს სახმელეთო ძალები) are the land force component of the Defense Forces of Georgia. They are the largest branch of the military and constitute the bulk o ...

) File:16-RKGF-COL.svg,

(

Kazakh Ground Forces The Kazakh Ground Forces (, ; ) is the land service branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is one of the three uniformed military services, and is the most senior branch of the Kazakh military in order of precedence. The mai ...

) File:13.Kyrgyzstan Army-COL.svg,

(

Kyrgyz Army The Kyrgyz Ground Forces, also commonly known as the Kyrgyz Army is the infantry branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. History In April 1992, Kyrgyzstan formed a State Committee for Defense Affairs, and in June the republic ...

) File:LV-Army-OF5.png,
(

Latvian Land Forces The Latvian Land Forces ( lv, Sauszemes spēki, SzS) together with the Latvian National Guard form the land warfare branch of the Latvian National Armed Forces. Since 2007, land forces are organized as a fully professional standing army. Mission ...

) File:18-Lithuania Army-COL.svg, '
(

Lithuanian Land Forces The Lithuanian Land Forces (LLF) form the backbone of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, capable of acting as an integral part of NATO forces. Lithuanian Land Forces consist of three brigades, the Engineer Battalion, and the National Defence Volunte ...

) File:14-APM-COL.svg,

( North Macedonian Ground Forces) File:15-Montenegro Army-COL.svg,
( Montenegrin Ground Army) File:Army-POL-OF-05.svg,
( Polish Land Forces) File:Russia-Army-OF-5-2010.svg,

(

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...

) File:14-Serbian Army-COL.svg,

(

Serbian Army The Serbian Army ( sr-cyr, Копнена војска Србије, Kopnena vojska Srbije, lit=Serbian Land Army) is the land-based and the largest component of the Serbian Armed Forces. History Originally established in 1830 as the Army of Pr ...

) File:Army-SVK-OF-05.svg,
( Slovak Ground Forces) File:17-Slovenian Army-COL.svg,
(

Slovenian Ground Force The Slovenian Ground Force is the primary component of Slovenian Armed Forces. History The current Slovenian Armed Forces are descended from the Territorial Defense of the Republic of Slovenia (''Teritorialna Obramba Republike Slovenije''; ''TO ...

) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-5.svg,

(

Tajik National Army tg, Қувваҳои Мусаллаҳи Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, italics=off , image=File:Tajik Armed Forces Shoulder Patch.jpg , image_size= , image2 = , alt2 = Roundel , caption=The shoulder patch o ...

) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-5.svg,
(

Turkmen Ground Forces The Turkmen Ground Forces () is the army branch of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan. The ground forces include the 2nd, 3rd, 11th, and 22nd Motor Rifle Divisions as well as smaller units consisting of various types of troops. History The b ...

) File:UA shoulder mark 17.svg,

(

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces ( uk, Сухопу́тні військá Збрóйних сил Украї́ни), also known as the Ukrainian Army, are the land forces of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They ...

) File:Uzbekistan-army-OF-5.svg,
(

Uzbek Ground Forces The Uzbek Ground Forces are the land component of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Operating since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the army is made up of former Soviet Army units that were in the territory of Uzbekistan. A ...

)

Notes and references

* Гайдай Л. Історія України в особах, термінах, назвах і поняттях.-Луцьк: Вежа, 2000.
Довідник з історії України.За ред. І.Підкови та Р.Шуста.- К.: Генеза, 1993

ЗАКОН УКРАЇНИ Про військовий обов'язок і військову службу

Про положення про проходження військової служби відповідними категоріями військовослужбовців

Воинские звания военнослужащих России и СССР

Воинские звания

The International Encyclopedia of Uniform and Rank Insignia around the World
{{Military ranks by country Military ranks Military ranks of Poland Military ranks of Russia Military ranks of Ukraine Military ranks of the Soviet Union