Polkovnik

''Polkovnik'' (russian: полковник, lit=regimentary; pl, pułkownik) is a military rank used mostly in Slavic-speaking countries which corresponds to a colonel in English-speaking states and oberst in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries. The term originates from an ancient Slavic word for a group of soldiers and folk. However, in Cossack Hetmanate and Sloboda Ukraine, ''polkovnyk'' was an administrative rank similar to a governor. Usually this word is translated as colonel, however the transliteration is also in common usage, for the sake of the historical and social context. ''Polkovnik'' began as a commander of a distinct group of troops (''polk''), arranged for battle.

The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different languages, but all descend from the Old Slavonic word ''polk'' (literally: regiment sized unit), and include the following in alphabetical order:

# Belarus —
# Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia — ()
# Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Russia and Ukraine — (, )
# Czech Republic and Slovakia —
# Georgia — ()
# Latvia —
# Lithuania —
# Poland — ()
# Slovenia —

Although Georgia, Latvia, and Lithuania are not Slavic countries linguistically, they have been influenced by Russian terminology due to having been part of both the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Latvian and Lithuanian were also influenced by Polish terminology, due to those countries having been part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The rank of ''polkovnik'' was also used in the Estonian army until 1924.

Countries

Russia

In the 17th century, ''polkovnik'' became the position of a regimental commander of the ''streltsy''; this position also made it into New Regiments of the ''streltsy'' and later into the new army of Peter the Great. The rank was legalized by Table of Ranks that placed it in the 6th grade as the second-top field officer, right under the brigadier. A promotion to the rank of ''polkovnik'' gave a privilege of hereditary nobility.

The Red Army reintroduced the ''polkovnik'' rank in 1935, together with a number of other former Russian ranks, and it continued to be in used in many ex-USSR countries, including Russia.

Rank insignia

The Rank insignia to Polkovnik (OF-5) is as follows:

1904ic-p07.png,
1911-ir001-p15.png,
1904ossr01-15.png,
1904-ip100-p15.png,
1904ir036-p15.png,
Red Army Polkovnik-1940 & Podpolkovnik-1943v.png,
RA AF F5-Polkovnik-1940 F4-Podpolkovnik-1943v.png,
RA A F5-Polkovnik 1943v.png,
RA AF F5-Polkovnik 1943v.png,
RA-SA_A-inf_F5Col_1955.png,
RAF_A_F5Col_since_2010par.svg,
RAF AF F5Col since 2010par.svg,
Russia-Army-OF-5-1994-field.svg,
Russia-AirBorne-OF-5-1994-field.svg,
Russia-AirForce-OF-5-1994-field.svg,
Russia-Army-OF-5-camo.svg,
RAF A F5-Polkovnik 2010shirt.png,
Russia-Navy-OF-5-1994-parade.svg,
VMY Полковник ВВ.gif,
Russia-Army-OF-5-2010.svg,
15Polk.png,
RAF NA F5-Polkovniken after2010.png,
Russia-Police-OF-5-2013.svg,

= See also

=
* Ranks and insignia of the Russian armed forces until 1917
* Ranks and insignia of the Red Army 1935–1940, and ... 1940–1943
* Ranks and insignia of the Soviet Army 1943–1955, and ... 1955–1991
* Ranks and insignia of the Russian Federation's armed forces 1994–2010

Poland

As part of the Commonwealth

The rank was first introduced in the armies of the Commonwealth in the 17th century to denote a captain ('' rotmistrz'') of the core banner of a regiment. By the end of the 17th century, the title of the assignment became a ''de facto'' rank as such and started to denote the commanding officer of the entire regiment. In mercenary troops fighting in the ranks of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth's army, the direct equivalent of the rank of ''pułkownik'' was ''oberszter'', but in the 18th century the rank was abolished and renamed as ''pułkownik'' as well.

Interwar

During the Sanation in the period between World War I and World War II, a large number of officers were promoted to the rank, often for political reasons (the rule of the Sanation was even dubbed the ''government of the colonels'' because of that).

World War II

During the Invasion of Poland in 1939, the Polish divisions were commanded by officers of many grades, from colonels to three-star generals. In fact 22 divisions out of 42 were commanded by colonels in 1939. The ''pułkownicy'' (plural of ''pułkownik'') also commanded units of all sizes, from divisions down to mere battalions.

Ukraine

In the Zaporozhian Host, the political, social, and military organization of Ukrainian cossacks, the title ''polkovnyk'' indicated a high military rank among the Ukrainian Cossack '' starshyna'' (officers); a polkovnyk commanded one or more military detachments during land and naval military actions in the 16th to 18th centuries. In the 18th century, a ''polkovnyk'' was a leader of a ''palanka'', a territorial unit of the Zaporozhian Host. The military council elected a ''palanka polkovnyk'' to serve for a term of one year. He represented the Kosh Otaman in the ''palanka'' and had significant powers, including the right to condemn Cossacks to the death penalty. At the time of liquidation of the Zaporozhian Host by the Russian government in 1775, there were eight ''palanka polkovnyks''. As symbol of office a ''polkovnyk'' wore a '' pernach'' (a mace with a hexagonal head; see also '' bulawa'') in his belt.

In the Registered Cossack Army of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th and 17th centuries, a ''polkovnyk'' commanded a regiment (. ''polk''), a Cossack military unit. After the reform of the Cossack army by hetman Mykhailo Doroshenko in the 1620s there were six Cossack regiments, each comprising one thousand Cossacks. ''Polkovnyk''s were elected by the Cossack Council (, ''rada'') subject to the approval of the Polish government. A ''polkovnyk'' obtained a salary for his service, and enjoyed considerable privileges. After the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth adopted the "Ordination" of 1638, only noblemen (''szlachta'') were allowed to become ''polkovnyk''s.

During Khmelnytsky Uprising (1648-1657) and in the Cossack Hetmanate (1649-1764; also in the Slobozhanschtschyna in 1652–1765), a ''polkovnyk'' headed a territorial administrative unit, the regiment (). In terms of Nobility, Khmelnytsky's Polkovnyks were recognized as equal to Lithuania's Barons.

In modern Ukraine, the military rank of ''polkovnyk'' resembles the similar rank of the former Soviet Army.

Colonel (Eastern Europe)'s insignia

File:15.AzAF-COL.png,
( Azerbaijani Land Forces)
File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-5.svg,

( Belarusian Ground Forces)
File:Bosnia and Herzegovina Colonel Insignia.svg,
(Bosnian Ground Forces)
File:Rank insignia of Полковник of the Bulgarian Army.png,

( Bulgarian Land Forces)
File:Army-HRV-OF-04.svg,
(Croatian Army)
File:CzArmy 2011 OF5-Plukovnik shoulder.svg,
( Czech Land Forces)
File:Georgia-Army-OF-5.svg,

( Georgian Land Forces)
File:16-RKGF-COL.svg,

(Kazakh Ground Forces)
File:13.Kyrgyzstan Army-COL.svg,

(Kyrgyz Army)
File:LV-Army-OF5.png,
( Latvian Land Forces)
File:18-Lithuania Army-COL.svg, '
( Lithuanian Land Forces)
File:14-APM-COL.svg,

( North Macedonian Ground Forces)
File:15-Montenegro Army-COL.svg,
(Montenegrin Ground Army)
File:Army-POL-OF-05.svg,
(Polish Land Forces)
File:Russia-Army-OF-5-2010.svg,

(Russian Ground Forces)
File:14-Serbian Army-COL.svg,

(Serbian Army)
File:Army-SVK-OF-05.svg,
(Slovak Ground Forces)
File:17-Slovenian Army-COL.svg,
(Slovenian Ground Force)
File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-5.svg,

( Tajik National Army)
File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-5.svg,
( Turkmen Ground Forces)
File:UA shoulder mark 17.svg,

(Ukrainian Ground Forces)
File:Uzbekistan-army-OF-5.svg,
( Uzbek Ground Forces)

See also

* Lieutenant (Eastern Europe)
* Lieutenant colonel (Eastern Europe)
* Lieutenant colonel general
* Comparative army officer ranks of Europe

Notes and references

* Гайдай Л. Історія України в особах, термінах, назвах і поняттях.-Луцьк: Вежа, 2000.

Довідник з історії України.За ред. І.Підкови та Р.Шуста.- К.: Генеза, 1993


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The International Encyclopedia of Uniform and Rank Insignia around the World

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