Map of Military Districts of Russian Empire 1913

The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a

military district Military districts (also called military regions) are formations of a state's armed forces (often of the Army) which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and ...

of the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, Romanization of Russian, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the earl ...

and subsequently of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

and

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 ...

. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

) for most of its existence.

Imperial Russian Army formation

The Kiev Military District was an imperial military district, a territorial division type utilised to provide more efficient management of army units, their training and other operations activities related to

combat readiness readiness is a condition of the armed forces and their constituent units and formations, warships, aircraft, weapon systems or other military technology and equipment to perform during combat military operations, or functions consistent with ...

. The district originally covered the

Kiev Governorate Kiev Governorate, r=Kievskaya guberniya; uk, Київська губернія, Kyivska huberniia (, ) was an administrative division of the Russian Empire from 1796 to 1919 and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1919 to 1925. It wa ...

Podolia Governorate The Podolia Governorate or Podillia Governorate (), set up after the Second Partition of Poland, was a governorate ('' gubernia'', ''province'', or ''government'') of the Russian Empire from 1793 to 1917, of the Ukrainian People's Republic from ...

(less Balta County), and

Volhynia Governorate Volhynian Governorate or Volyn Governorate (russian: Волы́нская губе́рния, translit=Volynskaja gubernija, uk, Волинська губернія, translit=Volynska huberniia) was an administrative-territorial unit initially ...

. Assigned formations included the 10th Army. In 1888, the

Kharkov Military District The Kharkov Military District () was a military district of the Russian Empire, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, and the Soviet Union. Throughout its history, the district headquarters was located in the city of Kharkov in northeast ...

was merged into the Kiev Military District. With the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

the district was transformed into the 3rd Army. In April 1917, Poltava and Kursk governorates were transferred under the administration of the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military ...

. After the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

Petrograd Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, the district came under jurisdiction of the

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR), or Ukrainian National Republic (UNR), was a country in Eastern Europe that existed between 1917 and 1920. It was declared following the February Revolution in Russia by the First Universal. In March 1 ...

and existed until the early February 1918 advance of the Petrograd-Moscow Russian Red Guards forces of the Antonov's Task Force that was charged by

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

to "fight counter-revolution in the Southern Russia", but was in fact invading Ukraine in what would become known as the

Ukrainian–Soviet War The Ukrainian–Soviet War ( uk, радянсько-українська війна, translit=radiansko-ukrainska viina) was an armed conflict from 1917 to 1921 between the Ukrainian People's Republic and the Bolsheviks ( Soviet Ukraine and ...

. The district was not reinstated during the brief Bolshevik period in 1918 nor after the establishment of the independent

Ukrainian State The Ukrainian State ( uk, Українська Держава, translit=Ukrainska Derzhava), sometimes also called the Second Hetmanate ( uk, Другий Гетьманат, translit=Druhyi Hetmanat, link=no), was an anti-Bolshevik government ...

Commanders in the Russian Empire

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 ...

Prince

Illarion Vasilchikov Illarion Illarionovich Vasilchikov (1805 – 12 November 1862) was an Imperial Russian general. He was the son of Illarion Vasilyevich Vasilchikov and Vera Vasilchikova. He was the father of Sergei Vasilchikov. One of his daughters married Alexa ...

(July 6, 1862 – November 12, 1862*) *

Count

Adam Rzhevusky Aleksander Adam Rzewuski (russian: Адам Адамович Ржевуский, tr. ; 1801 – April 17, 1888) was a Polish-Russian general. He was born in Pohrebyshche in the Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine). He par ...

(temporary in November 1862) *

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 ...

Nicholas Annenkov General Nicholas Nikolaievich Annenkov (Николай Николаевич Анненков) (December 1799 in Sergachsky Uyezd, Nizhny Novgorod Governorate – 25 November 1865 in St. Petersburg, Russia) was an influential Russian General of th ...

(December 1862? – January 19, 1865) *

Aleksandr Bezak Alexander Pavlovich Bezak (, 1800 – December 30, 1868) was an Imperial Russian Army general. He commanded the Kiev Military District from 1865 to 1868, and simultaneously was Governor-General of the Southwestern Krai. During his time as the go ...

(January 19, 1865 – December 30, 1868*) *

Nikolai Kozlyaninov (January 6, 1869 – May 1, 1872) *

Prince

Aleksandr Dondukov-Korsakov Dondukov is a Russian princely family descending from Donduk-Ombo, the sixth khan of the Kalmucks (reigned 1737–41). In 1732 he led 11,000 Kalmuck households from the Volga banks to the border of the Ottoman Empire at the Kuban River, asking the ...

(temporary January – April 1877) *

Mikhail Chertkov Mikhail Ivanovich Cherkov (russian: Михаил Иванович Чертков ) (St. Petersburg, August 14, 1829 - Paris, October 19, 1905) was a Russian Cavalry General and statesman who served as Governor-General of Warsaw in Poland between ...

(temporary September 13, 1877 – April 15, 1878) *

(September 15, 1878 – January 13, 1881) *

Alexander Drenteln Alexander Romanovich Drenteln (Александр Романович Дрентельн) (1820-1888) was a Russian general. He held the rank of General of the Infantry, and held the positions of: * Adjutant General of the H. I. M. Retinue, * ...

(January 13, 1881 – July 15, 1888*) *

Fyodor Radetsky Fyodor Fyodorovich Radetsky (Radetzky in German) (; 1820–1890) was a Russian general of German- Silesian extraction. He founded the city of Krasnovodsk (modern Türkmenbaşy, Turkmenistan) in 1869. He commanded the Russian forces at the 3rd stag ...

(October 31, 1888? – 1889) *

Mikhail Dragomirov Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov (russian: Михаил Иванович Драгомиров; – ) was a Russian general and military writer. His grandfather Ivan Antonovych Dragomirecki-Mockewicz after being granted a noble title in 1786, change ...

(January 1, 1889 – December 24, 1903) *

Nikolai Kleigels Nikolai Vasilyevich Kleigels ( rus, Николай Васильевич Клейгельс, 25 November 1850 – 20 July 1916) was a Russian general, statesman, Adjutant-General, and also préfet de police of Saint Petersburg. Political career A ...

(December 24, 1903 – October 19, 1905) *

Vladimir Sukhomlinov Vladimir Aleksandrovich Sukhomlinov ( rus, Владимир Александрович Сухомлинов, p=sʊxɐˈmlʲinəf; – 2 February 1926) was a Russian general of the Imperial Russian Army who served as the Chief of the General St ...

(October 19, 1905 – December 2, 1908; Colonel General from 1906) *

Nikolay Ivanov (December 2, 1908 – July 19, 1914) *

Nikolai Khodorovich (April 16, 1916 – 1917)

Commanders under the Provisional Government

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 ...

Konstantin Oberuchev (commissar of Provisional Government, March – May 1917) *

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 ...

Konstantin Oberuchev (May 1917 – October 17, 1917) *

Mikhail Kvetsinsky :''Kvetsinsky leads here. For the Polish variant, see Kwieciński'' Mikhail Fyodorovich Kvetsinsky (russian: Михаи́л Фёдорович Квецинский) (January 3, 1866 – March 31, 1923), also known as Michael (von) Kwetzinsky ...

(October 17, 1917 – November 7, 1917)

Major conflicts

January Uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

(pro-Polish insurgency) *

Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...

(1914–1917)

First Ukrainian Army formation

Commanders

* Lieutenant Colonel

Viktor Pavlenko Viktor Pavlenko ( ukr, Віктор Олексійович Павленко; russian: Виктор Алексеевич Павленко; 1886–1932) was a Ukrainian military officer in the service of the Russian Empire and both the Hetmanate a ...

(November 14, 1917 – December 13, 1917) *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Mykola Shynkar (December 13, 1917 – 1918)

Major conflicts

* Bolshevik insurgency (1917) *

(1917–1918)

First Red Army formation

The district was reinstated on March 12, 1919, and then again disbanded on August 23, 1919, with the advance of Denikin's forces.

Kiev Military Region

The Kiev Military Region (oblast) was formed by Denikin's forces on August 31, 1919, but already on December 14, 1919, its forces were retrieved and merged with the Forces of Novorossiysk Region. Commander of the military district was

Abram Dragomirov Abram Mikhailovich Dragomirov (russian: Абра́м Миха́йлович Драгоми́ров, tr. ; 9 December 1955) was a General in the Imperial Russian Army. Following the Russian Revolution he joined Anton Denikin in the Volunteer Army. ...

Soviet Armed Forces of Ukraine and Crimea formation

The District was formed again in January 1920 as part of the

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

Armed Forces stationed in Ukraine. In the early 1920s, the District included the following divisions: * 3rd Crimea Rifle Division * 7th Chernigov Rifle Division * 15th Sivashsk Division * 24th Samaro-Simbirsk Iron Rifle Division * 25th Chapaev Rifle Division * 30th Irkutsk Rifle Division * 44th Kiev Mountain Rifle Division * 45th Volhynia Rifle Division *51st Perekop Rifle Division

Ukrainian Military District

In April 1922 the Kiev Military District was merged with the

into the South-Western Military District. In June 1922 it was renamed Ukrainian Military District. The

6th Rifle Corps The 6th Rifle Corps () was a rifle corps of the Soviet Union's Red Army and later the Soviet Army, formed three different times. The corps was first formed in 1922, and spent most of the interwar period headquartered at Odessa. It fought in the ...

was formed on the orders of the Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Crimea number 627/162 from May 23, 1922, in Kiev, part of Kiev and Kharkov Military District.

Commanders

Mikhail Frunze Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze (russian: Михаил Васильевич Фрунзе; ro, Mihail Frunză; 2 February 1885 – 31 October 1925) was a Bolshevik leader during and just prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Born in the modern-da ...

(1922–1924) * Alexander Yegorov (1924–1925) *

Iona Yakir Iona Emmanuilovich Yakir (russian: Ио́на Эммануи́лович Яки́р; 3 August 1896 – 12 June 1937) was a Red Army commander and one of the world's major military reformers between World War I and World War II. He was an ear ...

(1925–1935)

Second Red Army formation

On May 17, 1935 the Ukrainian Military District was split between the

and the Kiev Military District.

13th Rifle Corps The 13th Rifle Corps () was a rifle corps of the Red Army, first formed in 1922. On October 12, 1922, the Corps began forming in the Turkestan Front. Alexander Todorsky became the corps commander. The corps participated in the suppression of the B ...

was reformed in the district by a District order of December 1936, and its headquarters was established at

Bila Tserkva Bila Tserkva ( uk, Бі́ла Це́рква ; ) is a city in the center of Ukraine, the largest city in Kyiv Oblast (after Kyiv, which is the administrative center, but not part of the oblast), and part of the Right Bank. It serves as the adm ...

. On July 26, 1939, the district was renamed into the Kiev Special Military District. On February 20, 1941, the district formed the 22nd Mechanized Corps (which had 527 tanks) in the

5th Army (Soviet Union) The 5th Combined Arms Red Banner Army (5-я общевойсковая армия) is a Russian Ground Forces formation in the Eastern Military District. It was formed in 1939, served during the Soviet invasion of Poland that year, and was deplo ...

, the

16th Mechanized Corps 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English spee ...

(which had 372 tanks) in the 12th Army, and the

9th mechanized Corps 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

(had 94 tanks), the 24th mechanized Corps (which had 56 tanks), the

15th mechanized Corps 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicio ...

(which had 707 tanks), and the

19th Mechanized Corps 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

(had 274 tanks ) in the reserve of the district.Meltyuhov MI Lost Chance of Stalin.Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, 1976. Air-defence forces within the District included the 36th Fighter Aviation Division of the PVO located at

Vasylkiv Vasylkiv (, uk, Васильків, lit=, translit=Vasylʹkiv, yi, וואַסלקעוו, Vasilikev) is a city located on the Stuhna River in Obukhiv Raion, Kyiv Oblast (oblast, province) in Central Ukraine, central Ukraine. It hosts the administ ...

. When the German

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named afte ...

began on 22 June 1941, on the basis of the Kiev Special Military District was created the

Soviet Southwestern Front The Southwestern Front was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War, formed thrice. It was first created on June 22, 1941 from the Kiev Special Military District. The western boundary of the front in June 1941 was 865 km long, fr ...

that completely integrated the district on September 10, 1941.

Commanders

Komandarm 1st rank 1st rank (russian: Командарм 1-го ранга) is the abbreviation to Commanding officer of the Army 1st class (russian: Командующий армией 1-го ранга, Komanduyushchiy armiyey 1-go ranga; ), and was a military ...

(1935–1937) * Komandarm 1st rank

Ivan Fedko Ivan Fyodorovich Fedko (Russian: Ива́н Фёдорович Федько́; July 6, 1897 – February 26, 1939) was a Soviet Komandarm 1st rank and army commander. He was born in what is now the Left-bank Ukraine. He fought in the Imperial Russ ...

(1937–1938) *

Komandarm 2nd rank 2nd rank (russian: Командарм 2-го ранга) is the abbreviation to Commanding officer of the Army 2nd class (russian: Командующий армией 2-го ранга, Komanduyushchiy armiyey 2-go ranga; ), and was a military ...

Semyon Timoshenko Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko (russian: link=no, Семён Константи́нович Тимоше́нко, ''Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko''; uk, Семе́н Костянти́нович Тимоше́нко, ''Semen Kostiantyno ...

(1938–1940) * General of the Army

Georgy Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov ( rus, Георгий Константинович Жуков, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ˈʐukəf, a=Ru-Георгий_Константинович_Жуков.ogg; 1 December 1896 – ...

(1940–1941) *

Mikhail Kirponos Mikhail Petrovich Kirponos (russian: Михаи́л Петро́вич Кирпоно́с, uk, Михайло Петрович Кирпонос, ; 12 January 1892 – 20 September 1941) was a Soviet general of the Red Army during World War II. ...

(1941) *

Vsevolod Yakovlev Vsevolod or Wsewolod (russian: Все́волод ; uk, Все́волод ) is a Slavic male first name. Its etymology is from Slavic roots 'vse' (all) and 'volodeti' (to rule) and means 'lord-of-everything/everybody', (similar to another princ ...

(1941)

Soviet Army formation

The District was formed again on 25 October 1943, with the Headquarters in

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

. In June 1946, seven

oblast An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdom ...

s of the disbanded

were added to the Kiev Military District. The district now included the

s (provinces) of

Cherkasy Cherkasy ( uk, Черка́си, ) is a city in central Ukraine. Cherkasy is the capital of Cherkasy Oblast (province), as well as the administrative center of Cherkasky Raion (district) within the oblast. The city has a population of Che ...

Uman Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...

, Voroshilovgrad (historically and now Luhansk), Dnipropetrovsk (now

Dnipro Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper R ...

Poltava Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administrative ...

, Stalino (now Donetsk),

Sumy Sumy ( uk, Суми ) is a city of regional significance in Ukraine, and the capital of Sumy Oblast. The city is situated on the banks of the Psel River in northeastern Ukraine with a population of according to the 2021 census, making it the 2 ...

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Chernihiv Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within ...

. Units stationed in the District were the 1st Guards Army and

6th Guards Tank Army The 6th Guards Order of Red Banner Tank Army was a tank army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, first formed in January 1944 as the 6th Tank Army,Glantz (Companion), p. 66. and disbanded in Ukraine in the 1990s after the dissolution of the Soviet Un ...

. 69th Air Army was active from the early 1950s to at least 1964 in the district (see :ru:Колесник, Василий Артёмович). In 1959, the

17th Air Army The 17th Air Army () was an Air army of the Red Air Force and Soviet Air Forces from 1942. World War II It was formed in October (Bonn et al.: November) 1942 on the basis of the Air Forces of the Southwestern Front. Bonn et al. say that it inc ...

was relocated to the District from

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 millio ...

to provide air support. The 60th Corps of the 8th Air Defense Army provided

air defence Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

for the District. The

43rd Rocket Army The 43rd Red Banner Rocket Army was an army of the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces. It was formed in Vinnytsia from the 43rd Air Army of Long Range Aviation. In 1991, it came under the control of the Commonwealth of Independent States while statio ...

of the

Strategic Rocket Forces The Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or the Strategic Missile Forces of the Russian Federation (RVSN RF; russian: Ракетные войска стратегического назначения Российской Фед� ...

was formed at

Vinnytsia Vinnytsia ( ; uk, Вінниця, ; yi, װיניצע) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast and the largest city in the historic region o ...

within the District's boundaries in 1960. It comprised the 19th Rocket Division (

Khmelnytskyi Khmelnytskyi ( uk, Хмельни́цький, Khmelnytskyi, ), until 1954 Proskuriv ( uk, Проску́рів, links=no ), is a city in western Ukraine, the administrative center for Khmelnytskyi Oblast (region) and Khmelnytskyi Raion (distr ...

), 37th Guards Rocket Division (

Lutsk Lutsk ( uk, Луцьк, translit=Lutsk}, ; pl, Łuck ; yi, לוצק, Lutzk) is a city on the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast (province) and the administrative center of the surrounding Luts ...

), 43rd Rocket Division (

Kremenchuk Kremenchuk (; uk, Кременчу́к, Kremenchuk ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnipro Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, w ...

), 44th Rocket Division (

Kolomyia Kolomyia, formerly known as Kolomea ( ua, Коломия, Kolomyja, ; pl, Kołomyja; german: Kolomea; ro, Colomeea; yi, ), is a city located on the Prut River in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province), in western Ukraine. It serves as the admin ...

, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast), and the 46th Rocket Division (

Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv Oblast Pervomaisk ( uk, Первомайськ, , ; russian: Первомайск) is a landlocked city in Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine and the administrative center of the Pervomaisk Raion. It is located on the Southern Bug river which bisects the city. Pe ...

). The 43rd Rocket Army's last commander was Colonel-General Vladimir Alekseevich Mikhtyuk, who served from 10 January 1991 to 8 May 1996, when it was finally disbanded. Also in the district in 1988 was the 72nd Central Artillery Weapons Base (Центральная артиллерийская база вооружения (средств управления)) at Krasnograd. From 1980 to 1988 the 17th Air Army was known as the Air Forces of the Kyiv Military District (VVS KVO). Then-Colonel

Nikolay Antoshkin Nikolay Timofeyevich Antoshkin (russian: Николай Тимофеевич Антошкин; 19 December 1942 – 17 January 2021) was a Mokshan Russian Air Force colonel general, Hero of the Soviet Union and politician. Born in 1942 in Bashkort ...

was chief of staff of the VVS KVO at the time of the

Chernobyl disaster The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 nuclear reactor, reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainia ...

, and led helicopter operations to respond to the accident, dropping tonnes of sand and lead onto the exposed reactor core. He was quickly promoted to ''general-mayor'' (one star) rank, and awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1991 the district included the

(at Dnipropetrovsk), 1st Guards Army (Chernihiv), 36th Motor Rifle Division (Artemivsk [Bakhmut]), 48th Motor Rifle Division (Chuhuiv), 169th Training Centre (Ukraine), 48th Guards Tank Training Division (Desna), 9th independent Special Forces Brigade GRU (activated 15 October 1962 in Kirovohrad [Kropyvnytskyi, Kropyvnytsnkyi], formed up 31 December 1962, remaining in Ukraine in 1992),

, and the 60th Air Defence Corps of the 8th Air Defence Army (Soviet Air Defence Forces). Among the district's air force units were the Chernihiv Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots at Chernihiv (air base), Chernihiv. Also located within the district's boundaries but responsible to HQ South-Western Strategic Direction was the 23rd Airborne Brigade, 23rd independent Landing-Assault Brigade (effectively an airmobile brigade), at

, Poltava Oblast. In 1991, Colonel General Viktor S. Chechevatov was dismissed as District commander for refusing to take an oath of loyalty to Ukraine. The District was disbanded after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, by 1 November 1992, and its structure utilized as the basis for the new Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (Ukraine), Ministry of Defense and Chief of the General Staff (Ukraine), General Staff.

Commanders

Viktor Kosyakin (1943 – 1944) * Lieutenant General Vasyl Herasymenko (1944 – 1945) *

Andrei Grechko (9 July 1945 – 25 May 1953)Feskov et al., The Soviet Army during the period of the Cold War, Tomsk University, Tomsk, 2004 pg 16 * Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasily Chuikov (26 May 1953 – April 1960) * General of the Army (USSR), General of the Army Pyotr Koshevoy (April 1960 – January 1965) * General of the Army Ivan Yakubovsky (January 1965 – April 1967) * Colonel General Viktor Kulikov (April 1967 – 1969) * Colonel General Grigoriy Salmanov (April 1969 – 1975) * Colonel General Ivan Herasymov, Ivan Gerasimov (1975 – 1984) * Colonel General Vladimir Osipov (general), Vladimir Osipov (1984 – 1989) * Colonel General Boris Gromov (1989 – December 1990) * Colonel General Viktor Chechevatov (January 1991 – 1992)

Second Ukrainian Army formation

Commanders

* Lieutenant General Valentyn Boryskin (1992)

Imperial Russian Army formation

Commanders in the Russian Empire

Commanders under the Provisional Government

Major conflicts

First Ukrainian Army formation

Commanders

Major conflicts

First Red Army formation

Kiev Military Region

Soviet Armed Forces of Ukraine and Crimea formation

Ukrainian Military District

Commanders

Second Red Army formation

Commanders

Soviet Army formation

Commanders

Second Ukrainian Army formation

Commanders

See also

References

Further reading