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The ''Stavka'' (
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 p ...
and
Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...
: Ставка) is a name of the high command of the armed forces formerly in the Russian Empire, Soviet Union and currently in Ukraine. In Imperial Russia ''Stavka'' referred to the administrative staff, and to the General Headquarters in the late 19th-century
Imperial Russian armed forces Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...
and subsequently in the Soviet Union. In Western literature it is sometimes written in uppercase (''STAVKA''), although whether it is an acronym is a subject of debate. ''Stavka'' may refer to its members, as well as to the headquarters location (its original meaning from the old Russian word ''ставка'', 'tent').


Stavka of the Supreme Commander during World War I

The commander-in-chief of the
Russian army 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 ...
at the beginning of World War I was Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholaievitch, a grandson of
Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...
Nicholas I. Appointed at the last minute in August 1914, he played no part in formulating the military plans in use at the beginning of the war.
Nikolai Yanushkevich Nikolai Nikolaevich Yanushkevich (russian: Никола́й Никола́евич Янушке́вич) – 1918) was a Russian General who served as Chief of Staff of the General Headquarters (Stavka) of the Imperial Russian Army from August 1 ...
was his
chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
. In the summer of 1915 the Tsar himself took personal command, with
Mikhail Alekseyev Mikhail Vasilyevich Alekseyev (russian: Михаил Васильевич Алексеев) ( – ) was an Imperial Russian Army general during World War I and the Russian Civil War. Between 1915 and 1917 he served as Tsar Nicholas II's Ch ...
as his chief of staff. In the years 1915–1917 Stavka was based in Mogilev and the Tsar, Nicholas II, spent long periods there as Commander-in-Chief. The Stavka was divided into several departments: * Department of General-Quartermaster (Operations department) * Department of General on Duty (Organisation of troops, supplies, promotions, staff matters) * Department of military transportations * Naval department * Diplomatic chancery (liaison with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) The Stavka was first established in
Baranovichi Baranavichy ( ; be, Бара́навічы, Łacinka: , ; russian: Бара́новичи; yi, באַראַנאָוויטש; pl, Baranowicze) is a city in the Brest Region of western Belarus, with a population (as of 2019) of 179,000. It is no ...
. In August 1915, after the German advance, the Stavka re-located to Mogilev.


Chiefs of staff

* 19 July 1914 – 18 August 1915: Lieutenant-General (from 22 October 1914, General of Infantry)
Nikolai Yanushkevich Nikolai Nikolaevich Yanushkevich (russian: Никола́й Никола́евич Янушке́вич) – 1918) was a Russian General who served as Chief of Staff of the General Headquarters (Stavka) of the Imperial Russian Army from August 1 ...
* 18 September 1915 – 1 Abril 1917: General of Infantry (from 1916 adjutant General)
Mikhail Alekseyev Mikhail Vasilyevich Alekseyev (russian: Михаил Васильевич Алексеев) ( – ) was an Imperial Russian Army general during World War I and the Russian Civil War. Between 1915 and 1917 he served as Tsar Nicholas II's Ch ...
* 10 November 1916 – 17 February 1917: General of Cavalry Vasily Gurko * 11 March 1917 – 5 April 1917: General of Infantry
Vladislav Klembovsky Vladislav Napoleonovich (Vladimir Nikolayevich) Klembovsky (russian: Владислав Наполеонович (Владимир Николаевич) Клембовский; 28 June 1860 in Moscow Governorate – 19 July 1921) was a Russia ...
* 5 April 1917 – 31 May 1917: Lieutenant-General
Anton Denikin Anton Ivanovich Denikin (russian: Анто́н Ива́нович Дени́кин, link= ; 16 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._4_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New St ...
* 2 June 1917 – 30 August 1917: Lieutenant-General
Alexander Lukomsky Alexander Sergeyevich Lukomsky (10 July 1868 – 25 January 1939 in Paris) was a Russian military commander, General Staff, Lieutenant-General (April 1916). He fought for the Imperial Russian Army during the First World War and was one of t ...
* 30 August 1917 – 9 September 1917: General of Infantry
Mikhail Alekseyev Mikhail Vasilyevich Alekseyev (russian: Михаил Васильевич Алексеев) ( – ) was an Imperial Russian Army general during World War I and the Russian Civil War. Between 1915 and 1917 he served as Tsar Nicholas II's Ch ...
* 10 October 1917 – 3 November 1917: Lieutenant-General
Nikolay Dukhonin Nikolay Nikolayevich Dukhonin (russian: Никола́й Никола́евич Духо́нин; 13 December 1876 – 3 December 1917) was a Russian general, the last commander-in-chief of the Imperial Russian Army. Biography Dukhonin was bo ...
* 3 November 1917 – 7 November 1917: Major General
Mikhail Dieterichs Mikhail Konstantinovich Diterikhs (russian: Михаи́л Константи́нович Ди́терихс, r=Michaíl Konstantinovič Díterichs; May 17, 1874 – September 9, 1937) served as a general in the Imperial Russian Army and subsequent ...
* 7 November 1917 – February 1918: Major General
Mikhail Bonch-Bruevich Mikhail Dmitriyevich Bonch-Bruyevich (russian: Михаи́л Дми́триевич Бонч-Бруе́вич;  – 3 August 1956) was an Imperial Russian and Soviet military commander (Lieutenant General from 1944). His family belonged to ...


Stavka of the Red Army during World War II

The Stavka of the Soviet
Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
during World War II, or the headquarters of the "Main Command of the Armed Forces of the USSR" (''Stavka Glavnogo Komandovaniya'') (russian: link= no, Ставка Главного Командования Вооруженных Сил Союза ССР), was established on 23 June 1941 by a top-secret decree signed by Joseph Stalin in his capacities both as the head of government and as the leader of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union "Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first)Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...
. According to this decree, Stavka was composed of the defence minister Marshal Semyon Timoshenko (as its president), the head of General Staff
Georgy Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov ( rus, Георгий Константинович Жуков, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ˈʐukəf, a=Ru-Георгий_Константинович_Жуков.ogg; 1 December 1896 – ...
, Stalin, Vyacheslav Molotov, Marshal
Kliment Voroshilov Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov (, uk, Климент Охрімович Ворошилов, ''Klyment Okhrimovyč Vorošylov''), popularly known as Klim Voroshilov (russian: link=no, Клим Вороши́лов, ''Klim Vorošilov''; 4 Februa ...
, Marshal
Semyon Budyonny Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonnyy ( rus, Семён Миха́йлович Будённый, Semyon Mikháylovich Budyonnyy, p=sʲɪˈmʲɵn mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ bʊˈdʲɵnːɨj, a=ru-Simeon Budyonniy.ogg; – 26 October 1973) was a Russian ca ...
and the People's
Commissar Commissar (or sometimes ''Kommissar'') is an English transliteration of the Russian (''komissar''), which means 'commissary'. In English, the transliteration ''commissar'' often refers specifically to the political commissars of Soviet and Ea ...
(
Narkom A People's Commissariat (russian: народный комиссариат; Narkomat) was a structure in the Soviet state (in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, in other union and autonomous republics, in the Soviet Union) from 1917– ...
) of the Navy
Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov. The same decree organized at Stavka "the institution of permanent counsellors of Stavka": Marshal Kulik, Marshal Shaposhnikov,
Kirill Meretskov Kirill Afanasievich Meretskov (russian: Кири́лл Афана́сьевич Мерецко́в; – 30 December 1968) was a Soviet Union, Soviet military commander. Having joined the Communist Party in 1917, he served in the Red Army from 1 ...
, head of the Air force Zhigarev, Nikolay Vatutin, head of Air Defence Voronov, Mikoyan, Kaganovich, Lavrenty Beria, Voznesensky, Zhdanov,
Malenkov Georgy Maximilianovich Malenkov ( – 14 January 1988) was a Soviet politician who briefly succeeded Joseph Stalin as the leader of the Soviet Union. However, at the insistence of the rest of the Presidium, he relinquished control over the pa ...
, Mekhlis. Very soon afterwards, the deputy defence minister of the army, Meretskov, was arrested following false charges made by Beria and Merkulov. Meretskov was subsequently released from jail on the same day, at the end of the first week of September 1941, which was called for by Stalin. Stavka's Main Command was reorganized into the Stavka of the Supreme Command (''Stavka Verkhovnogo Komandovaniya'') on 10 July 1941. This action occurred after Stalin was named Supreme Commander, and replaced Timoshenko as head of Stavka. On 8 August 1941 it was again reorganized into Stavka of the Supreme Main Command (''Stavka Verkhovnogo Glavnokomandovaniya''). On the same day Strategic Directions commands were instituted. A 17 February 1945 decree set out the membership of Stavka as Stalin (President), Zhukov,
Aleksandr Vasilevsky Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Vasilevsky ( ru , Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Василе́вский) (30 September 1895 – 5 December 1977) was a Soviet career-officer in the Red Army who attained the rank of Marshal of the Soviet U ...
,
Aleksei Antonov Aleksei Innokentievich Antonov (russian: Алексей Иннокентьевич Антонов; 9 September 1896 – 16 June 1962) was a General of the Soviet Army, awarded the Order of Victory for his efforts in World War II. From 1945 to 1 ...
, Nikolai Bulganin and Kuznetsov.


Stavka of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The Stavka of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief ( uk, Ставка Верховного Головнокомандувача) is the highest command and control body for the troops and individual
branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term ''twig'' usually ...
es of the
Armed Forces of Ukraine , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country= Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly know ...
, as well as law enforcement services and agencies of Ukraine, which are part of the Armed Forces, formed by decree of the President of Ukraine No. 72/2022 dated February 24, 2022 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on that day.


See also

* General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation *
General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Генеральний штаб Збройних сил України) is the military staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is the central organ of the Armed Forces Administration and o ...


References

{{reflist Military of Russia Military of the Soviet Union Staff (military)