The Red Banner Carpathian Military District (, ) 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

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 ...

during the Cold War and subsequently of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the early

Post-Soviet 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 ...

period. It was established on 3 May 1946 on the base of the

1st Ukrainian Front The 1st Ukrainian Front ( Russian: Пéрвый Украи́нский фронт), previously the Voronezh Front ( Russian: Воронежский Фронт) was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to ...

4th Ukrainian Front The 4th Ukrainian Front (Russian: Четвёртый Украинский фронт) was the name of two distinct Red Army strategic army groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The front was first formed on 20 October 1943, ...

, and Lviv Military District. It became part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 1991 and was disbanded by being redesignated the

Western Operational Command Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

in January 1998.

History

Two districts were formed in what was to become the district's territory in 1944 and 1945. During May 1944 in the freed territory of the

West Ukraine Western Ukraine or West Ukraine ( uk, Західна Україна, Zakhidna Ukraina or , ) is the territory of Ukraine linked to the former Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, which was part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Austrian ...

the

Lvov Military District The Red Banner Carpathian Military District (, ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces during the Cold War and subsequently of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the early Post-Soviet period. It was established on 3 May 1946 on the ...

was formed, headed by the former deputy commander of the

2nd Ukrainian Front The 2nd Ukrainian Front (2-й Украинский фронт), was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. History On October 20, 1943 the Steppe Front was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front. During the Second Jassy–Kishinev ...

. On 9 July 1945 the Carpathian Military District (PrikVO) was ordered created from the headquarters of the

Chernovtsy Chernivtsi ( uk, Чернівці́}, ; ro, Cernăuți, ; see also other names) is a city in the historical region of Bukovina, which is now divided along the borders of Romania and Ukraine, including this city, which is situated on the up ...

. under the command of former front commander

Army General Army general is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System.　 In countries that adopt the general officer four rank system, it is rank of general commanding an army in the field, but in coun ...

Andrey Yeryomenko , birth_date = , death_date = , image = Маршал Советского Союза Герой Советского Союза Андрей Иванович Ерёменко (cropped).jpg , image_size = , caption = Y ...

. It was responsible for troops on the territory of Stanislav, Ternopol,

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

, Zakarpattia, and Kamenets-Podolsk Oblasts, excluding Berezdovsky, Polonsky, Shepetovsky, Isyaslavsky, and Slavutsky Districts. The district's troops were mainly from the 4th Ukrainian Front, but also included units transferred from the Lvov and

Kiev Military District The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military district of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Red Army and Soviet Armed Forces. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (Kyiv) for most of its exis ...

s. By the fall of 1945, the district included the

27th 27 (twenty-seven; Roman numeral XXVII) is the natural number following 26 and preceding 28. In mathematics * Twenty-seven is a cube of 3: 3^3=3\times 3\times 3. 27 is also 23 (see tetration). There are exactly 27 straight lines on a smooth ...

and 38th Armies, transferred from the Southern and Central Groups of Forces, respectively. The 35th Guards, 33rd, and

37th Rifle Corps 37th may refer to: * 37th (Howitzer) Brigade Royal Field Artillery, a brigade of the Royal Field Artillery which served in the First World War *37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot, raised in Ireland in February 1702 *37th (Northern Ontario) Bat ...

were directly subordinated to the district headquarters when 27th Army disbanded around this time. On 8 September the 133rd Rifle Corps at Stanislav was disbanded with its two divisions. The

31st Tank Division 31 (thirty-one) is the natural number following 30 and preceding 32. It is a prime number. In mathematics 31 is the 11th prime number. It is a superprime and a self prime (after 3, 5, and 7), as no integer added up to its base 10 digits ...

(the former

31st Tank Corps 31 (thirty-one) is the natural number following 30 and preceding 32. It is a prime number. In mathematics 31 is the 11th prime number. It is a superprime and a self prime (after 3, 5, and 7), as no integer added up to its base 10 digits ...

) was also directly subordinated to the district at

Proskurov 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 (dist ...

. By a decree of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union on 3 May 1946, the Lvov and Carpathian Military Districts were merged as the Carpathian Military District with headquarters at Lvov. The District's territory included 10 regions of the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

– Vinnytsia,

Volyn Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. The ...

Zhitomir Zhytomyr ( uk, Жито́мир, translit=Zhytomyr ; russian: Жито́мир, Zhitomir ; pl, Żytomierz ; yi, זשיטאָמיר, Zhitomir; german: Schytomyr ) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the administrative ...

, Zakarpattia, Stanislav (Ivano-Frankivsk from 1962),

Lvov Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...

Rovno Rivne (; uk, Рівне ),) also known as Rovno (Russian: Ровно; Polish: Równe; Yiddish: ראָוונע), is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the surrounding Rivne Raio ...

, Kamenets-Podolsk (Khmelnitsky from 1954), Ternopol, and Chernovtsy. Simultaneously, the 52nd Army began reorganizing on the district's territory as the 8th Mechanized Army. The newly created district included the

13th In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave pl ...

and 38th Armies, with air support provided by the 14th Air Army. The 13th and 38th Armies totalled five rifle corps headquarters and seventeen divisions (one tank, five mechanized, one cavalry, two mountain rifle, and eight rifle) between them. In 1947, the 50th, 280th, and 395th Rifle, 18th Tank, and the 23rd and 25th Mechanized Divisions were disbanded. The 3rd Mountain Rifle Corps was in the Lvov Military District in September 1945. It became part of the 38th Army in the Carpathian Military District, but disbanded by 1957. Troops of the district, including 57th Air Army, took part in 'Operation Danube,' the 1968

Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia refers to the events of 20–21 August 1968, when the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Rep ...

. The District became subordinate to the Western Strategic Direction in the late 1970s/early 80s. The 8th Tank (formed from 8th Mechanised Army in 1957, which in its turn was formed from the 52nd Army in 1946), 13th, and 38th Armies were stationed in the District for most of its existence. The 14th Air Army and 2nd Army of the

Soviet Air Defence Forces The Soviet Air Defence Forces (russian: войска ПВО, ''voyska protivovozdushnoy oborony'', ''voyska PVO'', ''V-PVO'', lit. ''Anti-Air Defence Troops''; and formerly ''protivovozdushnaya oborona strany'', ''PVO strany'', lit. ''Anti-Air De ...

were also located there. Scott and Scott reported the HQ address in 1979 as Lviv-8, Vulytsa Vatutina, Bud 12. In September 1990, the 66th Artillery Corps was formed in Novye Belokorovichi, Zhitomir Oblast, from parts of the disbanded HQ

50th Rocket Army The 50th Red Banner Rocket Army (Military Unit Number 55135) was an army of the Soviet, later Russian Strategic Rocket Forces. It was created in 1960. Its first commander was General Lieutenant Feodor Dobish ( :ru:Добыш, Фёдор Иван� ...

. It took under control the pre-existing 26th and 81st Artillery Divisions. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union,

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент України, Prezydent Ukrainy) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, condu ...

Leonid Kravchuk Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk ( uk, Леонід Макарович Кравчук; 10 January 1934 – 10 May 2022) was a Ukrainian politician and the first president of Ukraine, serving from 5 December 1991 until 19 July 1994. In 1992, he signed ...

appointed Lieutenant General Petro Ivanovich Shulyak, former commander of the 13th Army, as commander of the district on April 7, 1994, in Presidential

Ukaz In Imperial Russia, a ukase () or ukaz (russian: указ ) was a proclamation of the tsar, government, or a religious leader (patriarch) that had the force of law. "Edict" and "decree" are adequate translations using the terminology and concepts ...

N 143/94. Former Soviet and Western sources agree on an end-1980s figure of three tank divisions and nine or ten motor rifle divisions in the District. In its last years under Ukrainian control the District saw a large reduction in the number of troops within it as Ukraine reduced the 780,000 troops it had inherited from the Soviet Union to comply with the

treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe The original Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) was negotiated and concluded during the last years of the Cold War and established comprehensive limits on key categories of conventional military equipment in Europe (from the Atlan ...

Order of battle c.1988

The District's forces at the end of the 1980s included: * 8th Tank Army (Zhytomyr) - Redesignated 8th Army Corps (Ukraine) 1 December 1993 ** 23rd Tank Division (

Ovruch Ovruch ( uk, Овруч, pl, Owrucz, yi, , russian: О́вруч) is a city in Korosten Raion, in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, it was the administrative center of the former Ovruch Raion (district). It has ...

), 1990 converted into a military equipment storage unit (6065th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base) ** 30th Guards Tank Division (

Novograd-Volynsky Zviahel (, ; translit. ''Zvil'') is a city in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Originally known as ''Zviahel'', the city was renamed to ''Novohrad-Volynskyi'' () in 1795 after annexation of territories of Polish–Lithuanian ...

) (now

30th Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine) , image = 30 ОМБр.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = 30th Mechanized Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia , dates = 1 September 1941 – present , country = (1941 – 6 Dec 1991)(6 Dec 1991 – present) , allegiance = , branch = Ground ...

) * 13th Red Banner Army (

Rivne Rivne (; uk, Рівне ),) also known as Rovno (Russian: Ровно; Polish: Równe; Yiddish: ראָוונע), is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the surrounding Rivne Raio ...

) ** 51st Guards Motor Rifle Division (Volodymyr-Volynskyi) **

97th Guards Motor Rifle Division The 97th Guards Mechanized Brigade () was a rifle, and then a motor-rifle division of the Soviet Union's Army, before becoming a mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, based in Slavuta in western Ukraine. The full name of the divis ...

(Slavuta) ** 161st Motor Rifle Division (

Izyaslav Iziaslav ( uk, Ізя́слав, ) or Zaslav ( uk, Заслав, links=no, ; pl, Zasław) is one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, oldest cities in Volhynia. Situated on the Horyn River, Horyn river ( uk, Горинь, links ...

) *38th Army (Ivano-Frankivsk) **

17th Guards Motor Rifle Division 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number. Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers. In mathematics 17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as s ...

(Khmelnitsky) (to 13th Army 1990) **

70th Guards Motor Rifle Division 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

(Ivano-Frankivsk). Redesignated 857th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base January 1991. ** 128th Guards Motor Rifle Division (

Mukachevo Mukachevo ( uk, Мукачево, ; hu, Munkács; see name section) is a city in the valley of the Latorica river in Zakarpattia Oblast (province), in Western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of Mukachevo Raion (district), the city ...

) *District Troops **

26th Artillery Division 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second smalles ...

(Ternopil) ('26th-Stettin Sivashskaya twice Red Banner Order of Suvorov Artillery Division') ***Included 897th Guards Gun Artillery Kiev Red Banner order of Bogdan Khmelnytsky Regiment, now the 11th Artillery Brigade ** 81st Artillery Division (

Vynohradiv Vynohradiv ( uk, Виноградів, hu, Nagyszőlős, ro, Seleușu Mare, sk, Vinohradov) is a city in western Ukraine, in Zakarpattia Oblast. It was the center of Vynohradiv Raion and since 2020 it has been incorporated into Berehove Raio ...

) **

24th Motor Rifle Division Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

(

Yavoriv Yavoriv ( uk, Яворів, ; pl, Jaworów; yi, יאַוואָראָוו , translit=Yavorov; german: Jaworiw) is a city in the Lviv region of western Ukraine which is around 15 kilometers from the Polish border. It is the administrative centre ...

) ** 66th Guards Training Motor Rifle Division (Chernivtsi) ***128th Guards Tank Training Regiment, 145th, 193rd, 195th Guards Motor Rifle Training Regiments ** 117th Guards Tank Training Division ( Berdychiv) ***242nd (

), 254th, 286th Tank Training Regiments, 320th Guards Motor Rifle Training Regiment. Division later became the 119th Guards District Training Centre. 242nd Tank Training Regiment later became the 95th Airmobile Brigade. **8th Special Forces Brigade GRU (formed

, Khmelnitskiy Oblast, Carpathian Military District, December 1962, to Armed Forces of Ukraine) ** 39th Air Assault Brigade (

Khyriv Khyriv (, ) is a town in Sambir Raion, Lviv Oblast (oblast, region) of Ukraine with a population of around It hosts the administration of Khyriv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. It became known principally for the celebrated Epo ...

) ** 61st Anti-Aircraft Rocket Artillery Division (Mobilization) ( Dzigovtsy) - Became 4600th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base 1989. ** 62nd Reserve Tank Division (Mobilization) (Berdychiv) ** 72nd Artillery Division (Mobilization) - Became 701st Territorial Training Center 1 December 1987, 1586th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base 31 December 1989. ** 119th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Artillery Division (Mobilization) (Zhytomyr) - Became 4603rd Weapons and Equipment Storage Base 1989. ** 168th Motor Rifle Division (Mobilization) (Berdychiv) - Became 1950th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base 1989. ** 232nd Rear Protection Division (Mobilization) ( Slavuta) ** 233rd Rear Protection Division (Mobilization) (Khmelnytskyi) ** 251st Reserve Motor Rifle Division (Mobilization) (Chernivtsi)

Commanders since World War II

Lvov Military District

* Lieutenant General Ilya Smirnov (May 1944 - July 1945) * Colonel-General

Markian Popov Markian Mikhaylovich Popov (; 1902–1969) was a Soviet military commander, Army General (26 August 1943), and Hero of the Soviet Union (1965). Early life Markian Popov was born in 1902 in Ust-Medvediskaya in the Don Host Oblast (now Volgograd ...

(July 1945 - May 1946)

Carpathian Military District

The Carpathian Military District's commanders included: *General of the Army

(September 1945-October 1946), *Colonel General

Kuzma Galitsky Kuzma Nikitovich Galitsky (russian: Кузьма́ Ники́тович Гали́цкий; 24 October 189714 March 1973) was a Soviet army general who earned the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Biography Kuzma Galitsky was born on 24 October 189 ...

(October 1946-November 1951), *

Marshal of the Soviet Union Marshal of the Soviet Union (russian: Маршал Советского Союза, Marshal sovetskogo soyuza, ) was the highest military rank of the Soviet Union. The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in 19 ...

Ivan Konev Ivan Stepanovich Konev ( rus, link=no, Ива́н Степа́нович Ко́нев, p=ɪˈvan sʲtʲɪˈpanəvʲɪtɕ ˈkonʲɪf; – 21 May 1973) was a Soviet general and Marshal of the Soviet Union who led Red Army forces on the ...

(November 1951-March 1955), * General of the Army

Pavel Batov Pavel Ivanovich Batov (russian: Па́вел Ива́нович Ба́тов; – April 19, 1985) was a senior Red Army general during the Second World War and afterwards, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Batov fought in World War I, where he ...

(1955-1958) *General of the Army

Andrei Getman Andrei Lavrentyevich Getman (; uk, Андрі́й Лавре́нтійович Ге́тьман, Andriy Lavretiyovych Hetman; 5 October (22 September OS) 1903 – 8 April 1987) was a Soviet military commander, Army General (13 April 1964) and Hero ...

(1958–1964), *Colonel General Pyotr Lashchenko (1964-1967), *Colonel General Vasily Bisyarin (1967-1969), *Colonel General

Gennady Obaturov Gennady Ivanovich Obaturov (russian: Геннадий Иванович Обатуров; – 29 April 1996) was a Soviet Army General. Childhood and youth Born in a peasant family in the village of Maloe Zarecheno, then part of the Marakuli ...

(01 1970-07 1973), *General of the Army Valentyn Varennikov (07 1973-08 1979), *General of the Army

Valery Belikov The French name Valery () is a male given name or surname of Germanic origin ''Walaric'' (see Walric of Leuconay), that has often been confused in modern times with the Latin name ''Valerius''—that explains the variant spelling Valéry (). The S ...

(08 1979-07 1986), *Colonel General Viktor V. Skokov (с.07 1986) *Lieutenant General (28 January–September 1992) *Colonel General (September 1992–June 1994) *Colonel General

Petro Shulyak Petro Ivanovych Shulyak ( uk, Петро Іванович Шуляк; born 29 March 1945, in Korshiv, Zdolbuniv Raion, Ukrainian SSR) is a member of the Ukrainian military, Colonel General who served as the Chief of General Staff and Commander ...

(June 1994–February 1998)

District Museum

The Museum of the History of the Troops of the Carpathian Military District ( uk, Музей історії військ Прикарпатського військового округу) is a military history museum in Lviv depicting the history of the district. It is located on Stryjska Street on the territory of the 24th Mechanized Brigade. The museum was inaugurated on 7 May 1965 on the eve of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the victory in the Second World War. It was created on the basis of the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. In 1995, due to lack of funds for the maintenance of the museum, the district authorities made the decision to put it up for sale. In 1999, a multi-story hotel was planned to be built there, but during the excavation work, human bones were found by excavator, which resulted in the ceasing of construction at the request of members of the Lviv City Council.Бандрівський Микола Степанович
/ref> Lieutenant General Shulyak decided to transfer the funds of the former museum to the premises of the Iron Division Museum, located on the territory of the 7th Regiment of the 24th Mechanized Brigade. The task of creating a new museum was assigned to Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Rogozhin, with the process taking up 3 months in early 1996.

Notes

References

* * *Scott and Scott, The Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, Westview Press, Boulder, Co., 1979 *

International Institute for Strategic Studies The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England. The 2017 Global Go To Think ...

, The Military Balance 1990-91