The Suvorov Military Schools (russian: Суворовское военное училище) are a type of boarding school in the former

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, ...

and in modern

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

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 ...

for boys of 10–17. Education in these schools focuses on military related subjects. The schools are named after

Alexander Suvorov Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Суво́ров, Aleksándr Vasíl'yevich Suvórov; or 1730) was a Russian general in service of the Russian Empire. He was Count of Rymnik, Count of the Holy ...

, a well-known 18th century general. Their naval counterparts among Russian military schools are the

Nakhimov Naval School The Nakhimov Naval School (russian: Нахимовское военно-морское училище) or Nakhimov School (russian: Нахимовское училище) is a form of military education for teenagers introduced in the Soviet Unio ...

s. They are named after

Pavel Nakhimov Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov (russian: Павел Степанович Нахимов, ; – ) was a Russian Admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy known for his victory in the Battle of Sinop and his leadership in the Siege of Sevastopol (1 ...

, the 19th century admiral.

History

The Suvorov and Nakhimov school models were created during the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

in December 1943 to provide boys of school age, particularly those from families of military personnel, with a

secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...

specializing in military (army, navy, intelligence, etc.) subjects and training. Boarding school aspect was particularly important at the time because many students were war orphans, who were either without parents or with only a surviving mother, unable to support them. A number still exist in

and the

former Soviet Union The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (russian: links=no, ближнее зарубежье, blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that wer ...

. Other schools have existed in other Soviet republics. The former

Kiev Suvorov Military School The Kyiv Suvorov Military School (KvSVU) (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Київське суворовське військове училище, Russian language, Russian: Киевское суворовское военное училище) wa ...

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 ...

was reorganized in 1992 and named after

Ivan Bohun Ivan Bohun ( ua, Іван Богун) (died 1664) was a Ukrainian Cossack colonel. Close associate and friend of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, he opposed both the pacts with Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ( Treaty of Hadiach of 1658) and with Tsardom ...

in 1998. In July 1991, the Cabinet of Ministers of the USSR signed an order making the Bishkek Suvorov Military School and the

Ulyanovsk Ulyanovsk, known until 1924 as Simbirsk, is a city and the administrative center of Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River east of Moscow. Population: The city, founded as Simbirsk (), was the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin (born ...

Guards Suvorov Military School. Although the school in Ulyanovsk was created, the Bishkek branch was not created due to the

collapse of the USSR 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 ...

. Carey Schofield, a British journalist with close links to the

Soviet Armed Forces The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and th ...

, wrote in 1990–91, 'it is still generally accepted that the best way for an officer to start his career is to attend one of the very smart Suvorov or Nakhimov schools, the military boarding schools.'

Republican Special Boarding Schools

Republican Special Boarding Schools (russian: Республиканские специальные школы-интернаты) are military schools that were created in the early 1980s on the basis of the Suvorov Military Schools. They were subordinate to the Ministry of Education of the USSR. After the

, the military lyceums/high schools in the newly formed countries in the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...

were nationalized and came under the auspices of the local defense ministries.

Role

The Suvorov schools in Russia are now subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief of the

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 ...

, with schools operating in cities such as

Tambov Tambov (, ; rus, Тамбов, p=tɐmˈbof) is a city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, central Russia, at the confluence of the Tsna and Studenets Rivers, about south-southeast of Moscow. Population: 280,161 ( 2010 Census); 29 ...

, Ekaterinburg, and

Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering an ...

Traditions

Corps of Drums

The

Moscow Military Music College The Valery Khalilov Moscow Suvorov Military Music College is one of the leading military music institutions in Russia. It is a separate branch of the Suvorov Military Schools in Russia, and the oldest of them all (opened 1937). History On Augu ...

, which is a spin-off of the Suvorov Military School whose mission is to train future Rususan military musicians, is known for its Corps of Drums.

Suvorovite military culture

The Military Lyceum of the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz State National Military Lyceum are often referred to as the "Suvorov School". In 2020, during the first Turkmen

Victory Parade A victory parade is a parade held to celebrate a victory. Numerous military and sport victory parades have been held. Military victory parades Among the most famous parades are the victory parades celebrating the end of the First World War a ...

at the

Halk Hakydasy Memorial Complex Halk Hakydasy Memorial Complex (People's Memory) is a memorial complex to the honor of those killed in the Battle of Geok Tepe in 1881, in World War II, and in the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake. It is in the southwestern part of Ashgabat, Turkmenistan ...

, the students of

Berdimuhamed Annayev 1st Specialized Military School The Berdimuhamed Annayev 1st Specialized Military School () is a boarding school of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan. It is part of the Ministry of Defence and is located at the Military Institute, next to the university buildings. It is one of ...

wore the traditional full dress uniforms of the Suvorov Military Schools.

Active schools in Russia

Under MoD

Under the
MVD The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (MVD; russian: Министерство внутренних дел (МВД), ''Ministerstvo vnutrennikh del'') is the interior ministry of Russia. The MVD is responsible for law enfor ...

Active schools outside of Russia

Outside of the Russian Federation, there are two Suvorov Schools operating as of 2020: one each in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

(

), and

Tiraspol Tiraspol or Tirișpolea ( ro, Tiraspol, Moldovan Cyrillic: Тираспол, ; russian: Тира́споль, ; uk, Тирасполь, Tyraspol') is the capital of Transnistria (''de facto''), a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the th ...

(

Transnistria Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...

). The

Minsk Suvorov Military School The Minsk Suvorov Military School (MnSVU) ( be, Мінск Сувораўскае ваеннае вучылішча; russian: Минское суворовское военное училище) is one of the Suvorov Military Schools in Belarus a ...

was established in the former building of the United Belarusian Military School on 21 May 1952. The

Tiraspol Suvorov Military School The Tiraspol Suvorov Military School (TrSVU) (russian: Тираспольское Суворовское военное училище, ro, Şcoala militară ”Suvorov”, uk, Тирасполь Суворовська військова школ ...

is located in the partially recognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, being established on 1 September 2017.

Former Soviet era schools

* Voronezh Suvorov Military School * Kuibyshev Suvorov Military School *

* Saratov Suvorov Military school *

Stavropol Suvorov Military School Stavropol (; rus, Ставрополь, p=ˈstavrəpəlʲ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Stavropol Krai, Russia. As of the Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census, its population was 547,820, mak ...

* Stalingrad Suvorov Military School * Tambov Suvorov Military School * Leningrad Suvorov Military School (under the MVD) * Tashkent Suvorov Military School (under the MVD)

External sources

*Harriet F. Scott and William F. Scott, Russian Military Directory 2004, pp. 207–208
Association of Suvorov Military Schools

References

{{authority control Suvorov Military School Military education and training in Russia Military education and training in the Soviet Union Military high schools Boarding schools in Russia Alexander Suvorov Military education and training in Belarus Schools in Belarus