Kiev Military District
Encyclopedia
The Kiev
Military District
(KVO) was a Russia
n unit of military-administrative division
(a military district
) of the Imperial Russian Army
and subsequently of the Ukrainian Army, RKKA, and Soviet Armed Forces
. It was first formed in 1862.
, a territorial division type utilised to provide a more efficient management of army units, their training and other operations activities related to combat readiness
.
Assigned formations included the 10th Army
.
Commanders included Alexander Drenteln, Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov
, Vladimir Sukhomlinov
, and Nikolai Ivanov.
In the early 1920s the District included the following divisions:
In 1935 the eastern half of the Ukrainian Military District became the new Kharkov Military District, and at that point the Kiev Military District was probably reformed as well.
When the German Operation Barbarossa
began on 22 June 1941, the then Kiev Special Military District became the Soviet Southwestern Front
.
. In June 1946, 7 oblast
s of the disbanded Kharkov Military District were added to the Kiev Military District. The District now included the oblast
s (provinces) of Kiev
, Cherkasy
, Uman, Voroshilovgrad
, Dnipropetrovsk
, Poltava
, Stalin
, Sumy
, Kharkiv
and Chernihiv
.
Units stationed in the District were 1st Guards Army and 6th Guards Tank Army
. 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 was relocated to the District from Mongolia
to provide air support. The 60th Corps of the 8th Air Defense Army provided air defense
for the District.
The 43rd Rocket Army
of the Strategic Rocket Forces
was formed at Vinnitsa within the District's boundaries in 1960. It comprised the 19th Rocket Division (Khmelnitsky
), 37th Guards Rocket Division (Lutsk
), 43rd Rocket Division (Kremenchug), 44th Rocket Division (Kolomyia
, Ivano-Frankovsk Oblast, disbanded 31 March 1990. Previously 73rd Engineer Brigade RVGK at Kamyshin
.), and the 46th Rocket Division (Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv Oblast
). The 43rd Rocket Army's last commander was Colonel-General Vladimir Alekseevich Mikhtyuk, who served from 10.1.1991 to 8.5.1996. It was finally disbanded on 8 May 1996.
In 1991 the district included 6th Guards Tank Army
- Dnipropetrovsk
, 1st Guards Army -Chernihiv
, 17th Air Army, and the 60th Air Defence Corps of the 8th Air Defense Army (Soviet Air Defence Forces). Among the district's air force units were the Chernigov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots at Chernigov
.
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 and General Staff
.
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
Military District
Military district
Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle.Navies have also used...
(KVO) was a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n unit of military-administrative division
Military district
Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle.Navies have also used...
(a military district
Military district (Russian Empire)
In the Imperial Russian Army, a military district was a territorial association of military units, formations, military schools, and various local military establishments...
) of the Imperial Russian Army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
and subsequently of the Ukrainian Army, RKKA, and Soviet Armed Forces
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...
. It was first formed in 1862.
Imperial Russian Army Formation
The Kiev Military District was a Military DistrictMilitary district (Russian Empire)
In the Imperial Russian Army, a military district was a territorial association of military units, formations, military schools, and various local military establishments...
, a territorial division type utilised to provide a more efficient management of army units, their training and other operations activities related to combat readiness
Combat readiness
Combat 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 consistently with the purpose for which they are organised or...
.
Assigned formations included the 10th Army
10th Army (Russian Empire)
The 10th Army of the Imperial Russian Army was a military unit engaged in the First World War.- Military Fronts and engagements in which the 10th Army participated :* Northwestern Front...
.
Commanders included Alexander Drenteln, Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov
Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov
Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov was a Russian general and military writer....
, Vladimir Sukhomlinov
Vladimir Sukhomlinov
Vladimir Aleksandrovich Sukhomlinov was a cavalry general of the Imperial Russian Army who served as the Chief of the General Staff in 1908–09 and the Minister of War until 1915, when he was ousted from office amid allegations of failure to provide necessary armaments and munitions.Vladimir...
, and Nikolai Ivanov.
First Red Army Formation
The District was formed after the Russian Revolution and active by 1921.In the early 1920s the District included the following divisions:
- 3rd Crimea Rifle Division
- 7th Chernigov Rifle Division7th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)The 7th Rifle Division was a infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army, formed five separate times from 1918 to 1955. The division was first formed in September 1918 at Vladimir in the Moscow Military District....
- 15th Sivashsk Division
- 24th Samaro-Simbirsk Iron Rifle Division24th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)style="float: right; clear: right; background-color: transparent"| The 24th Samaro-Ulyanovsk Division was a rifle, then a motor-rifle division of the Red Army of the USSR...
- 25th Chapaev Rifle Division25th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)The 25th Rifle Division 'Chapayevskaya was a Russian, and later Soviet, Red Army formation formed during the Russian Civil War. It was named after its civil war commander, Vasily Chapayev...
- 30th Irkutsk Rifle Division
- 44th Kiev Mountain Rifle Division44th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)The 44th Kievskaya of the Red Banner Rifle Division of Nikolay Shchors, or 44th Kievskaya for short, was an elite military formation of the Soviet Union....
- 45th Volhynia Rifle Division45th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)The 45th Rifle Division was a Red Army infantry division formed originally during the Russian Civil War that fought in World War II and then served through the Cold War in the Leningrad Military District....
- 51st Perekop Rifle Division
In 1935 the eastern half of the Ukrainian Military District became the new Kharkov Military District, and at that point the Kiev Military District was probably reformed as well.
When the German Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
began on 22 June 1941, the then Kiev Special Military District became the Soviet Southwestern Front
Soviet Southwestern Front
The Southwestern Front was a name given to a Front by the Imperial Russian Army during the First World War, by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic during the Russian Civil War, and by the Red Army during the Second World War.The Southwestern Front in this article describes several...
.
Second Formation
The District was formed again on 25 October 1943, with the Headquarters in KievKiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. In June 1946, 7 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 of the disbanded Kharkov Military District were added to the Kiev Military District. The District now included the 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 (provinces) of Kiev
Kiev Oblast
Kyiv Oblast, sometimes written as Kiev Oblast is an oblast in central Ukraine.The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kyiv , also being the capital of Ukraine...
, Cherkasy
Cherkasy Oblast
Cherkasy Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine located along the Dnieper River. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Cherkasy).-Geography:...
, Uman, Voroshilovgrad
Luhansk Oblast
Luhansk Oblast ) is the easternmost oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the name Voroshilovgrad Oblast in honor of Kliment Voroshilov....
, Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine, the most important industrial region of the country. Its administrative center is Dnipropetrovsk....
, Poltava
Poltava Oblast
Poltava Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Poltava.Other important cities within the oblast include: Komsomolsk, Kremenchuk, Lubny and Myrhorod.-Geography:...
, Stalin
Donetsk Oblast
Donetsk Oblast is an oblast of eastern Ukraine. Its administrative center is Donetsk. Historically, the province is an important part of the Donbas region...
, Sumy
Sumy Oblast
Sumy Oblast is an oblast in the northeastern part of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Sumy.Other important cities within the oblast include Konotop, Okhtyrka, Romny, and Shostka....
, Kharkiv
Kharkiv Oblast
Kharkiv Oblast is an oblast in eastern Ukraine. The oblast borders Russia to the north, Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the south-east, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the south-west, Poltava Oblast to the west and Sumy Oblast to the north-west...
and Chernihiv
Chernihiv Oblast
Chernihiv Oblast is an oblast of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Chernihiv.-Geography:The total area of the province is around 31,900 km²....
.
Units stationed in the District were 1st Guards Army and 6th Guards Tank Army
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 during World War II and disbanded in Ukraine in the 1990s after the dissolution of the Soviet Union....
. 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 was relocated to the District from Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
to provide air support. The 60th Corps of the 8th Air Defense Army provided air defense
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
for the District.
The 43rd Rocket Army
43rd Rocket Army
The 43rd Red Banner Rocket Army was an army of the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces.It was formed at Vinnitsa within the Kiev Military District's boundaries on 1 September 1960 from the previous 43rd Air Army of the Long Range Aviation....
of the Strategic Rocket Forces
Strategic Rocket Forces
The Strategic Missile Troops or Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or RVSN RF , transliteration: Raketnye voyska strategicheskogo naznacheniya Rossiyskoy Federatsii, literally Missile Troops of Strategic Designation of the Russian Federation) are a military branch of the Russian...
was formed at Vinnitsa within the District's boundaries in 1960. It comprised the 19th Rocket Division (Khmelnitsky
Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine
Khmelnytskyi is a city in Ukraine in the region of Podillia. It is located on the Southern Buh River and about from the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. The town's original name was Płoskirów, later Proskurov, but in 1954 was renamed Khmelnytskyi. It is the center of the Khmelnytskyi Oblast in western...
), 37th Guards Rocket Division (Lutsk
Lutsk
Lutsk is a city located by the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of the surrounding Lutskyi Raion within the oblast...
), 43rd Rocket Division (Kremenchug), 44th Rocket Division (Kolomyia
Kolomyia
Kolomyia or Kolomyya, formerly known as Kolomea , is a city located on the Prut River in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , in western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative centre of the Kolomyia Raion , the city is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
, Ivano-Frankovsk Oblast, disbanded 31 March 1990. Previously 73rd Engineer Brigade RVGK at Kamyshin
Kamyshin
Kamyshin is a city in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volgograd Reservoir of the Volga River, in the estuary of the Kamyshinka River. Population: 101,000 ; 24,000 ....
.), and the 46th Rocket Division (Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv Oblast
Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv Oblast
Pervomaisk is a city in Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine and the center of the Pervomaiskyi Raion. It is located on the Southern Bug river which bisects the city...
). The 43rd Rocket Army's last commander was Colonel-General Vladimir Alekseevich Mikhtyuk, who served from 10.1.1991 to 8.5.1996. It was finally disbanded on 8 May 1996.
In 1991 the district included 6th Guards Tank Army
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 during World War II and disbanded in Ukraine in the 1990s after the dissolution of the Soviet Union....
- Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
, 1st Guards Army -Chernihiv
Chernihiv
Chernihiv or Chernigov is a historic city in northern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Chernihiv Oblast , as well as of the surrounding Chernihivskyi Raion within the oblast...
, 17th Air Army, and the 60th Air Defence Corps of the 8th Air Defense Army (Soviet Air Defence Forces). Among the district's air force units were the Chernigov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots at Chernigov
Chernihiv (air base)
Chernihiv is an air base in Ukraine located 5 km north of Chernihiv. It was a training base...
.
In 1991, Colonel General Viktor S. Chechevatov was dismissed as District commander for refusing to take an oath of loyalty to Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
The District was disbanded 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...
, by 1 November 1992, and its structure utilized as the basis for the new Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and General Staff
Chief of the General Staff (Ukraine)
The Chief of the General Staff is the chief of staff of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He is appointed by the President of Ukraine. If the Minister of Ukraine is a civilian the Chief of the General Staff becomes the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces...
.
Commanders
- Colonel GeneralColonel GeneralColonel General is a senior rank of General. North Korea and Russia are two countries which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories...
Andrei GrechkoAndrei GrechkoAndrei Antonovich Grechko was a Soviet general, Marshal of the Soviet Union and Minister of Defense.-Biography:Born in a small town near Rostov-on-Don, the son of Ukrainian peasants, he joined the Red Army in 1919, where he was a part of the legendary “Budyonny Cavalry”...
- 9 July 1945 - 25 May 1953 - Marshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
Vasily ChuikovVasily ChuikovVasily Ivanovich Chuikov was a Russian lieutenant general in the Red Army during World War II, twice Hero of the Soviet Union , who after the war became a Marshal of the Soviet Union.-Early life and career:Born into a peasant family in the village of Serebryanye Prudy, he joined the Red Army during...
- 26 May 1953 - April 1960 - General of the Army Pyotr KoshevoyPyotr KoshevoyPetr Kirillovich Koshevoi was a Soviet military leader.Koshevoi was born to a peasant Ukrainian Cossack family and joined the Red Army in 1920...
- April 1960 - January 1965 - General of the Army Ivan Yakubovsky - January 1965 - April 1967
- General-Polkovnik Viktor KulikovViktor KulikovViktor Georgiyevich Kulikov was the Warsaw Pact commander-in-chief from 1977 to 1989. He has held the rank of the Marshal of the Soviet Union for over 30 years, since January 14, 1977.Kulikov was born into a peasant family and joined the Red Army in 1939...
- April 1967 - 1969 - General-Polkovnik G. Salmanov - April 1969 - 1975
- General-Polkovnik I. Gerasimov - 1975 - 1984
- General-Polkovnik V. Osipov - 1984 - 1989
- General-Polkovnik Boris GromovBoris GromovBoris Vsevolodovich Gromov is a prominent Russian military and political figure. Since 2000, he has been the Governor of Moscow Oblast.-Biography:...
- 1989 - January 1990 - General-Polkovnik Viktor Chechevatov - January 1990 - 1991