Arkhip Ivanovich Ruchkin (; 19 September 1898 – 8 November 1979) was a

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

who held corps commands during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. A veteran of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, Ruchkin rose through a series of command and staff positions during the interwar period. He held high-level staff roles during

until early 1944. He commanded the 31st Guards Rifle Corps and 22nd Guards Rifle Corps in 1944 and 1945. Postwar, Ruchkin held a series of senior postings until retirement in the early 1960s.

Early life, World War I and Russian Civil War

Arkhip Ivanovich Ruchkin was born in a peasant family on 19 September 1898 in the village of Nizovka,

Balashovsky Uyezd Balashovsky Uyezd () was one of the subdivisions of the Saratov Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the western part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Balashov. Demographics At the time of the Russian Empire C ...

Saratov Governorate Saratov Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR. History On December 25, 1769, the Saratov province was established as part of the Astrakhan Governorate. On January 11, 17 ...

. He graduated from the village school in 1910, working in the village and at a factory in

Zlatoust Zlatoust (; ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Ay River (in the Kama River, Kama drainage basin, basin), west of Chelyabinsk. Population: 181,000 (1971); 161,000 (1959); 99,000 ...

. He was conscripted into the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

during

in February 1917, fighting as a

ryadovoy () in the Army, Airborne troops, and Air Force of the Russian Federation is the designation of a member of the rank group of enlisted personnel. The rank is equivalent to ''matros'' () in the Russian Navy. In the armed forces of the Soviet Uni ...

on the

Romanian Front The Romanian Front (, FR) was a moderate fascist party created in Romania in 1935. Led by former Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, it originated as a right-wing splinter group from the mainstream National Peasants' ...

. Ruchkin fell sick in October and was sent to a hospital. After treatment Ruchkin returned to his home village. His service in the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

began in September 1918 during the

, as a

Red Army man Red Army man () was the lowest military rank in the Red Army of the Soviet Union from 1918 to 1946. On 30 November 1917, after the October Revolution, the Military Revolutionary Committee cancelled all "officer and class ranks". Henceforth, the ...

in the local

Volsk Volsk () is a town in Saratov Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volga River, opposite the mouth of the Bolshoy Irgiz (a tributary of the Volga), northeast from Saratov, the administrative center of the oblast. As of the 2021 C ...

Reserve Battalion. Ruchkin was later transferred to Emergency Blocking Detachment No. 2 of the 9th Army Special Department. He was sent to the Southern Front in June 1919, serving as a platoon commander in the 201st Rifle Regiment and as a junior commander and platoon commander in the 473rd Border Regiment in the fighting against the

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

Armed Forces of South Russia The Armed Forces of South Russia (AFSR or SRAF) () were the unified military forces of the White movement in southern Russia between 1919 and 1920. On 8 January 1919, the Armed Forces of South Russia were formed, incorporating the Volunteer Ar ...

. In April 1920 he was transferred to command a platoon at the Oryol Infantry Courses. Ruchkin was sent to the 2nd Moscow Brigade of Cadets when the courses were mobilized in June, taking part in the fighting on the Southern Front against the

Army of Wrangel The Russian Army (), commonly known as the Army of Wrangel (), was a White Army active in South Russia during the Russian Civil War from March to November 1920. It was officially formed on 28 April 1920 from the merger of several White armies, i ...

, the fighting in Estonia and the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

Interwar period

Ruchkin returned to the Oryol Infantry Courses in August 1920 as a cadet and platoon commander, holding the same positions in the 7th Armavir Infantry Courses. Upon graduation from the latter in July 1921, he remained at the courses as a platoon commander. Ruchkin entered the recurring courses at the Higher Combined Military School of the Western Front in September 1922. After completing the courses in April 1923, he was posted to the 11th Rifle Regiment of the 4th Rifle Division of the

Belorussian Military District The Byelorussian Military District (; alternatively Belarusian; ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces. Originally formed just before World War I as the Minsk Military District out of the remnants of the Vilno Military District an ...

, serving as a platoon commander, assistant chief of the machine gun detachment, and assistant chief of the machine gun company. During May and June 1924 he served as chief of the machine gun detachment of the 5th Corps School for Training of Junior Command Personnel. Graduating from the

Vystrel courses The Vystrel course () was the popular name for an officer training course of the Soviet Armed Forces, later part of the Russian Armed Forces, located in Solnechnogorsk. The training course had a one-year curriculum to train battalion and regiment le ...

in 1928, Ruchkin was transferred to the 23rd Rifle Regiment of the 8th Rifle Division in May 1929, serving as a machine gun company commander and assistant regimental chief of staff. Ruchkin was accepted to the

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (), was a military academy of the Soviet and later the Russian Armed Forces ...

for advanced command training in April 1931, and on graduation in 1934 was appointed chief of staff of the 103rd Rifle Regiment of the 35th Rifle Division, stationed in the

Soviet Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Eastern Fe ...

with the

Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army The Special Far Eastern Army, later the Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army () was a military formation of the Red Army, active from 1929 to 1938 and under command of Vasily Blyukher. It was activated on 6 August 1929, originally with the 18th a ...

. He was transferred to the army headquarters in February 1935, where he served as assistant chief of the 3rd Section, senior assistant chief of the 1st Section of the 1st (Operations) Department, and chief of the 3rd Section of the Operations Department. Ruchkin returned to the Frunze Military Academy as a general tactics instructor in October 1938, and in April 1941 became an instructor in the Staff Services Department of the academy.

World War II

After the German invasion of the Soviet Union began, Ruchkin remained at the academy. He was appointed chief of the Operations Department of the Operational Group of the Defense Line of the

Oryol Military District The Orel Military District () was a military district of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Soviet Union. Established in 1918 during the Russian Civil War, the district was disbanded after the end of the war in 1922. It was re ...

in October 1941. From February 1942, he served as assistant and senior assistant chief of the Operations Department of the Western Axis, and in May became senior assistant chief of the Operations Department of the Western Front. In June of that year Ruchkin was transferred to the post of deputy chief of the front Operations Department for the auxiliary command post. From September to April 1943, he served as officer for special assignments of the Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Red Army

Georgy Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov ( 189618 June 1974) was a Soviet military leader who served as a top commander during World War II and achieved the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union. During World War II, Zhukov served as deputy commander-in-ch ...

during the destruction of the encircled German troops in the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...

. Serving in this role with the

Voronezh Front The 1st Ukrainian Front (), previously the Voronezh Front (), was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army group. They took part in the capture of Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. Wartime ...

, from January 1943, Ruchkin took part in the preparation and conduct of the Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh offensive, the Voronezh–Kastornoye offensive, and the Kharkov offensive operation. Promoted to major general on 19 January, Ruchkin was appointed general for special assignments of the Red Army General Staff in April, taking part in the preparation and conduct of the

Donbass The Donbas (, ; ) or Donbass ( ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. The majority of the Donbas is occupied by Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War. The word ''Donbas'' is a portmanteau formed fr ...

and Melitopol offensives of the Southern and Southwestern Fronts later in the year. Ruchkin took command of the 31st Guards Rifle Corps of the 46th Army of the

3rd Ukrainian Front The 3rd Ukrainian Front () was a Front of the Soviet Red Army during World War II. It was founded on 20 October 1943, on the basis of a Stavka order of October 16, 1943, by renaming the Southwestern Front. It included 1st Guards Army, 8th Gua ...

on 8 February 1944. He led the corps in the Nikopol–Krivoi Rog offensive, the Bereznegovatoye–Snigirevka offensive, and the

Odessa Offensive The Odessa Offensive Operation (Russian language, Russian: Одесская Наступательная Операция, Odesskaya Nastupatel'naya Operatsiya), known on the German side as the Defensive battle of the 6th Army between Bug and Dni ...

. For his performance in the Nikopol–Krivoi Rog offensive, Ruchkin was awarded the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd class, on 19 March 1944. The recommendation read:

Major General Ruchkin, commanding the corps during the breakthrough of the enemy defenses in the region of Sofiyevka and the subsequent offensive operations, showed himself to be a brave, strong-willed commander, correctly assessing the situation, rapidly and boldly making decisions. Carrying out the objectives assigned by the command, with skillful maneuvers, skillfully using infantry in cooperation with other branches, imposing his will on the enemy, all the time pressing him to the west and inflicting heavy blows. Routing the fascist hordes, the corps from 21 January to 10 February liberated 49 settlements, including the district center of Apostolovo, killed 4,901 soldiers and officers, took 457 men prisoner, destroyed 79 guns of different calibers, 74 tanks, 66 armored vehicles, 1,693 vehicles. During the same period it captured trophies: 1,274 rifles and submachine guns, 166 machine guns, 285 guns of different calibers, twenty motorcycles, ten radios, sixteen tanks, four armored vehicles, 2,318 vehicles, 160 tractors, and 63 different depots. During the entire period of the pursuit of the enemy, driving him to the west, the corps in cooperation with other formations of the 46th Army took by storm on 22 February 1944 the large industrial center of Ukraine - the city of Krivoy Rog. For his skillful conduct of offensive operations, inflicting of great losses in personnel and equipment on the enemy, liberation of the major population center of Apostolovo and industrial center of Ukraine - the city of Krivoy Rog, Major General Ruchkin is deserving of the award of the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd class.

After the corps' divisions reached the

Dniester The Dniester ( ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Uk ...

at the end of the Odessa Offensive, Ruchkin's troops failed to overcome German resistance at Chebruchi on 14 April. In secondary attacks in late April, the corps was tasked with taking Chebruchi in the army's main attack, but Ruchkin's drive failed as soon as it began. Ruchkin was transferred north, taking command of the 22nd Guards Rifle Corps of the 43rd Army of the

1st Baltic Front The First Baltic Front ( Russian: Пéрвый Прибалтийский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. It was commanded by Army General Andrey Yeryomenko, succeeded by Army General Bagramyan. It ...

on 27 May. Ruchkin led the corps in the Vitebsk–Orsha offensive, the Polotsk offensive, the

Šiauliai offensive The Šiauliai offensive () was an operation of the Soviet forces of the 1st Baltic Front, commanded by General Hovhannes Bagramyan, conducted from 5 July to 29 August 1944, during the Second World War. It was part of the third phase of the Opera ...

, and the Rezhitsa–Dvinsk offensive. In late June, during the Vitebsk–Orsha Offensive, the units of the corps broke through the German defenses northwest of

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, m ...

and advanced 20 to 40 kilometers in two days, reaching the

Western Dvina The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of t ...

. During the subsequent Polotsk offensive, the corps took the rail junction city of

Polotsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a pop ...

by storm. For his performance in these operations, Ruchkin was awarded the

Order of Suvorov The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800). History The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet Union, Soviet award established on ...

, 2nd class on 19 September. The recommendation read:

Guards Major General Ruchkin has commanded the 22nd Guards Rifle Corps since 27 May 1944. In a short period he managed to prepare the units of the corps for offensive battles. Under his command, the corps, including the 51st, 47th, and 90th Guards Rifle Divisions and support units, taking part in the general offensive of the army, on the right flank northwest of Vitebsk, went over to the offensive on 22 June 1944. The units of the corps broke through the fortified, deeply echeloned defense of the enemy and in five days moved up to 25 kilometers in bitter fighting, liberating 131 settlements and the railroad stations of Lovsha and Obol. In bitter fighting it took the four-highway junction of Rovnoye, having important significance in forested and swampy terrain conditions. This cut the rail and highway lines from Vitebsk to Polotsk and the Vitebsk-Lepel highway. The corps inflicted a major defeat on the Polotsk group of the enemy, destroying up to 5,300 soldiers and officers of the enemy, a large amount of equipment and taking up to 200 prisoners. Repeated enemy counterattacks from 24 to 27 June, with the goal of restoring their positions, were successfully beaten back. The corps swiftly pursued the retreating enemy. For skillful command of the corps in the breakthrough of the enemy defensive zone, quick organization of the pursuit, and displaying in this courage and urgency, Guards Major General Ruchkin is deserving of the award of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class.

The corps seized

Zarasai Zarasai () is a city in northeastern Lithuania, surrounded by many lakes and rivers: to the southwest of the city is Lake Zarasas, to the northLake Zarasaitis, to the southeastLake Baltas, and the eastLake Griežtas. Lakes Zarasaitis and Griežtas ...

during the Šiauliai offensive as part of the

6th Guards Army The 6th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought against Nazi Germany during World War II under the command of General Ivan Chistyakov. The Army's chief of staff was General Valentin Antonovich Penkovskii. The 6th Guards Army was ...

and subsequently fought its way to the

Mūša The Mūša (; German: Muhsse) is a river in Northern Lithuania and Southern Latvia (Zemgale region). At its Confluence (geography), confluence with the river Nemunėlis () in Latvia, near the city of Bauska, the river Lielupe, Lielupė is formed. ...

river in the region west of

Biržai Biržai (, also known by several alternative names) is a city in northern Lithuania. Famous for its reconstructed Biržai Castle manor, the whole region is renowned for its many traditional-recipe beer breweries. Name The exact origin of th ...

. Ruchkin was promoted to the rank of

on 13 September. He was moved up to acting deputy commander of the

4th Shock Army The 4th Shock Army was a combined arms army of the Soviet Armed Forces during World War II. The Army was formed from the 27th Army on 25 December 1941 (1st formation) within the Northwestern Front. On 1 October 1942 it included the 249th, 332 ...

of the front in December 1944, taking part in the preparation and conduct of offensive battles on the Venta river and near Memel. Ruchkin returned to command the 22nd Guards Rifle Corps, by then part of the 10th Guards Army of the

2nd Baltic Front The 2nd Baltic Front () was a Front (military formation), major formation of the Red Army during the World War II, Second World War. History The 2nd Baltic Front was formed on October 20, 1943 as a result of the renaming of the Baltic Front, it ...

, in February 1945. The corps was shifted to the 6th Guards Army of the

Leningrad Front The Leningrad Front () was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941. History The Leningrad Front was immediately ...

in April. In this position Ruchkin took part in the operations against the

Courland Pocket The Courland Pocket was a Pocket (military), pocket located on the Courland Peninsula in Latvia on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 9 October 1944 to 10 May 1945. Army Group North of the ''Wehrmacht'' were ...

until the end of the war.

Postwar

After the end of the war, Ruchkin continued to command the 22nd Guards Rifle Corps until October 1945, then was appointed deputy commander of the

Baltic Military District The Baltic Military District () was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Baltic states, formed shortly before the German invasion during World War II. After the end of the war the Kaliningrad Oblast was added to the District's co ...

for military training institutions. He was placed in command of the

2nd Guards Rifle Corps The 2nd Guards Rifle Corps () was a rifle corps of the Red Army during World War II. World War II The 2nd Guards Rifle Corps headquarters was formed by a Stavka order of 31 December 1941. The corps headquarters was formed in the area of Nakhab ...

of the district in December 1946. Completing the Higher Academic Courses at the Voroshilov Higher Military Academy between June 1950 and August 1951, Ruchkin was appointed assistant commander-in-chief of the

Central Group of Forces The Central Group of Forces (Russian: Центральная группа войск) was a formation of the Soviet Armed Forces used to incorporate Soviet troops in Central Europe on two occasions: in Austria and Hungary from 1945 to 1955 and tr ...

upon graduation. He served as general-inspector of combined arms formations of the Main Inspectorate of the

Soviet Ministry of Defense The Ministry of Defense (Minoboron; ) was a government ministry in the Soviet Union, which supervised the Soviet Armed Forces. The first Minister of Defense was Nikolai Bulganin, starting 1953. History The Ministry of Defence was renamed a num ...

from June 1954, and from April 1955 was deputy general-inspector of the Ground Forces Inspectorate. From June 1956, Ruchkin served as senior military advisor to the commander of a military district of the East German

National People's Army The National People's Army (, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (DDR) from 1956 until 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) and the (Bord ...

. Ruchkin returned to the Soviet Union in March 1959 to serve as a senior instructor in the operational art department of the Military Academy of the General Staff, his last post before being retired in January 1961. He died in Moscow on 8 November 1979.

Awards

Ruchkin was a recipient of the following awards: *

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

(3) *

, 2nd class (2) * Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd class

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruchkin, Arkhip 1898 births 1979 deaths People from Balashovsky Uyezd Soviet lieutenant generals Frunze Military Academy alumni Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Soviet military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky (Soviet Union), 2nd class Russian military personnel of World War I Academic staff of the Frunze Military Academy