The Marshal of the Soviet Union K. K. Rokossovsky Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School, also known by its abbreviation DVOKU (), is a military academy of the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...

. Established on 11 February 1940 as the Vladivostok Infantry School, the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School is one of the oldest military educational establishments in Russia. Opening shortly before the

Axis invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis powers, Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet ...

, it went on to train infantry company and platoon commanders during the

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

. Graduates saw action in many of the military theatres during the war, many of them receiving awards and honours for their service. The school continued to train officers after the war, relocating from

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

Blagoveshchensk Blagoveshchensk ( rus, Благовещенск, p=bləɡɐˈvʲeɕːɪnsk, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. It is located at the confluence of the Amur River, Amur and the ...

in 1949, and undergoing several changes of name in the following years. It received several awards from the Soviet and later Russian governments, and has trained some 26,000 graduates who have served in many warzones across the world, have received honours including the titles

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

and

Hero of the Russian Federation Hero of the Russian Federation ( rus, Герой Российской Федерации, p=ɡʲɪˈroj rɐˈsʲijskəj fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨɪ), also unofficially called Hero of Russia ( rus, Герой России, p=ɡʲɪˈroj rɐˈsʲiɪ), is ...

, and attained high military ranks. Today the school trains officers for service with the Armed Forces' motor rifle units, and with the

Naval Infantry Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

. It has particular specialisations in mountain and arctic warfare, and is the only military university in Russia to offer these.

History

The school is one of the oldest military educational institutions in the country, dating from 11 February 1940 with its founding as the Vladivostok Infantry School under the orders of Peoples' Commissar of Defence

Kliment Voroshilov Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov ( ; ), popularly known as Klim Voroshilov (; 4 February 1881 – 2 December 1969), was a prominent Soviet Military of the Soviet Union, military officer and politician during the Stalinism, Stalin era (1924–195 ...

. Its first head was Colonel

Ivan Chistyakov Ivan Mikhailovich Chistyakov (; – 7 March 1979) was a Soviet Army colonel general and a Hero of the Soviet Union. Chistyakov joined the Red Army during the Russian Civil War and rose from ordinary soldier to junior commander. He served in Dage ...

, then assistant commander of the 39th Rifle Corps. The first class of 790 students graduated on 16 June 1941, a month before the

. To meet the demands of the war, on 16 December 1941 the school initiated its two-month advanced training courses for infantry company and platoon commanders. The school's students and graduates went on to take part in a number of the battles during the

, with around 2,000 graduates serving at the defence of Moscow and the subsequent counterattacks. In 1942 two cadet rifle brigades (the 248th and 250th) were formed from officers, cadets and soldiers of the school, and were deployed to the

Steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...

and

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 ...

s. After sustaining heavy losses during fighting in 1943, the brigades were reorganized into rifle divisions and served throughout the war. In total the school trained 6,615 officers, 2,889 in 1942 alone. 23 officer graduates of the school received the title of

during the war, with several thousand receiving some form of order or decoration. On 11 February 1944 the school was awarded the

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 ...

and the diploma of the

Presidium of the Supreme Soviet The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet () was the standing body of the highest organ of state power, highest body of state authority in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).The Presidium of the Soviet Union is, in short, the legislativ ...

. The school continued in existence after the war, and in September 1949 was relocated from Vladivostok to Blagoveshchensk, becoming the Blagoveshchensk Infantry School. It was again renamed on 1 August 1958, becoming the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School. On 16 January 1965 it was awarded a parade banner by the Military Council of the

Far Eastern Military District The Far Eastern Military District () was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Pacific Fleet and part of the Siberian Military District to form the new Eastern Military District. Histo ...

. As part of the 1967 celebrations of the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

, the school was awarded the Memorial Banner of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. On 13 January 1969 the school was named after

Marshal of the Soviet Union Marshal of the Soviet Union (, ) was the second-highest military rank of the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin wore the uniform and insignia of Marshal after World War II. The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in ...

Konstantin Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky ( 1896 – 3 August 1968) was a Soviet and Polish general who served as a top commander in the Red Army during World War II and achieved the ranks of Marshal of the Soviet Union and Marshal of Poland. He a ...

. In April 1970, the school was awarded the

Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" The Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" () was a state commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on November 5, 1969 to commemo ...

, and in December 1972 the . On 16 September 1998 the school was named the Far Eastern Military Institute by order No. 417 of the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

of the Russian Federation, though on 9 July 2004 it was again renamed, this time to the K. K. Rokossovsky Far Eastern Higher Military Command School (Military Institute). On 24 December 2008 it became part of the All-Russian Research Centre for the Military Aviation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, though it was again separated on 28 April 2015 and placed under the direct control of the Ministry of Defence. On 5 May 2014, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, Oleg Salyukov, presented the school with a new

battle standard A war ensign, also known as a military flag, battle flag, or standard, is a variant of a national flag for use by a country's military forces when on land. The nautical equivalent is a naval ensign. Under the strictest sense of the term, few co ...

. On 22 October 2019 the school was awarded the

Order of Zhukov The Order of Zhukov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation. The order is named in honour of Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov (1896–1974). History The Order of Zhukov was established by Presidential Decree 930 of May ...

by President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

. On 11 February 2020 the school will mark its 80th anniversary.

Work

The school trains officers for service with the Armed Forces' motor rifle units, and with the

. Specialisations offered by the school include mountain warfare training, to provide officers for the mountain brigades. In 2013 the school introduced an Arctic warfare specialisation, and since 2010 it has provided secondary vocational education for

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

s. In 2016 there were 11 doctors of sciences, 73 candidates of sciences, and 78 associate professors working at the school. Cadets and staff of the naval infantry training units have taken part in long-distance voyages aboard Russian warships in European, South Korean and Middle Eastern waters. Those training with Arctic specialisations have deployed with the 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade and the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade, part of the

Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command The Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command (), was a Military districts of Russia, military district of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction primarily within the northern region of European Russia and the Arctic Ocean. The Northern F ...

. Arctic training has also taken part alongside the exercises of the

Northern Fleet The Northern Fleet (, ''Severnyy flot'') is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Arctic. According to the Russian ministry of defence: "The Northern Fleet dates its history back to a squadron created in 1733 to protect the terri ...

. Mountain warfare officers undertake training at facilities in Russia's mountain regions, and also carry out visits to similar regions in India, Germany and Switzerland. The school is the only military university in Russia that trains officers in the specialty "commanders of motorized rifle platoons (arctic)."

Facilities

The school has extensive training and educational facilities, including gyms, libraries, collections of specialised military equipment, simulators and assault courses. There is a field training base, special ice training courses, canteens, classrooms and lecture theatres, and a recreation club. The Amur Military Patriotic Park "Patriot" is located on the grounds of the school's training facilities. The school also houses a museum of military history, founded in 1976. It consists of four exhibition halls detailing the development of the school and its graduates.

Teaching structure

The school originated as a centre for training command personnel in a short period of time, achieved by reducing the number of subjects taught, and lengthening the teaching day from ten hours to twelve. With the demands of the Second World War, from 16 December 1941 the school offered advanced two-month training courses for company commanders and platoon commanders. In 1956 the school switched to solely training rifle platoon commanders. From the beginning of the 1968–1969 academic year the school began teaching higher engineering classes, and since 1994 it has taught a five-year "multipurpose tracked and wheeled vehicles" speciality. From 2002 onwards the school teaches four-year command management courses with the specialisations "Application of motorized infantry units", "Application of marine infantry units", and "Application of motorized infantry units (mountain)". Students graduate with the rank of lieutenant. Since 2010 the school has also taught vocational education courses with secondary military special training to civilians in either "The use of motorized rifle (tank) units" or the "Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles". Foreign military specialists also attend the school for instruction in the specialties "The use of motorized rifle units", "The use of tank units", and "The use of military intelligence units." It has also carried out the professional retraining of demobilised servicemen.

Band

The Band of the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School dates back to 1940 when it was created in

. The band provides music for garrison

military parades A military parade is a formation of military personnels whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the world. Mass ...

, swearing-in ceremonies, graduation ceremonies, evening roll call, wreath-laying ceremonies, and burial ceremonies. Its repertoire includes the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

s at most 25 countries and is platoon-sized. Many musicians were sent to the front during the

Second World War 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 ...

and received awards as a result. Musicians served with different units that spanned from those

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

to the troops of the

1st Far Eastern Front The Far Eastern Front ( Russian: Дальневосточный фронт) was a front — a level of military formation that is equivalent to army group — of the Red Army during the Second World War. Early war service Тhe Far Eastern Front w ...

. In later years, musicians from this band were also recognized for their service in the Soviet-Afghan War and the

First Chechen War The First Chechen War, also referred to as the First Russo-Chechen War, was a struggle for independence waged by the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria against the invading Russia, Russian Federation from 1994 to 1996. After a mutually agreed on treaty ...

. In May 2003, the band became the laureate of the First Regional Festival of amateur art among soldiers of the Russian Far East. It has also taken part in events such as

The Amur Waves International Military Bands Festival The Amur Waves International Military Bands Festival is an annual military music event and military tattoo held in Khabarovsk on Komsomolskaya Square, Glory square, Erofey arena etc.. Participating in the festival are Russian and foreign military ...

Graduates

Since the Second World War graduates of the school have served during the

Sino-Soviet border conflict The Sino-Soviet border conflict, also known as the Sino-Soviet crisis, was a seven-month undeclared military conflict between the Soviet Union and China in 1969, following the Sino-Soviet split. The most serious border clash, which brought th ...

and

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic o ...

and in Vietnam, Egypt, Syria, Laos, Cuba, the North Caucasus region, and South Ossetia. 37 graduates have been awarded the titles of

and

. Notable graduates include Major General Yuri Viktorovich Kuznetsov, awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union for his service in Afghanistan, who returned to become head of the school from March 1993 to November 2002. Over a hundred graduates have gone on to hold senior military ranks, including

Army Generals Army general or General of the army is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System. Army general is normally the highest rank used in peacetime. In countries that adopt the general officer fou ...

Viktor Samsonov General of the Army Viktor Nikolayevich Samsonov (; 10 November 1941 – 17 November 2024) was a Russian and Soviet military officer. He was the last Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1991 to 1992 and was in command of ...

, and

Vladimir Bakin Vladimir Yuryevich Bakin (; born 25 November 1953) is a Russian military general who served among others as Commander of the Moscow Military District (2005–2009). Biography Born on November 25, 1953, in the village of Cheremkhovo, Ivanovsky D ...

, and Colonel Generals and Valery Belyaev. From 1940 to 2016 26,437 officers graduated from the school in 104 graduations. Since its first award in 1961 279 graduates have been awarded the school's gold medal. The school sends teams to compete in many of the all-Russian competitions, and in 2016 teams from the school won the "Suvorov Onslaught", "Sniper Frontier" and "Baltic Derby" competitions. In 2013 the school was recognized as the best military educational institution of the

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...

, and was awarded the challenge cup of the

Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces (Russian: Главнокомандующий Сухопутными войсками России) is the chief commanding authority of the Russian Ground Forces. He is appointed by the Preside ...

. In 2014 and 2015 the school took second place. Staff and students are also involved in many of the military exercises carried out by the armed forces, and have participated in the "Zapad 2013" and Vostok 2014" exercises, as well as the joint Russian-Chinese "Peace Mission 2014", the Russian-Mongolian "Selenga 2015" and the Russian-Indian "Indra 2015". The school also liaises with local and regional government bodies in the area, particularly those of Amur Oblast and the city of Blagoveshchensk. Staff and students worked on relief efforts after the

2013 China–Russia floods During mid-August 2013 parts of eastern Russia and northeastern China were stricken by heavy flooding. At least 85 people died from the floods and more than 105 others were left missing as of August 19. More than 60,000 homes were destroyed and 8 ...

in the region.

Leadership

Former heads

*Colonel

(1940-1941) *Regimental Commissar Andrey Kryuchkov (1941-1944) *Colonel Sergey Voroshilov (1944-1947) *Major General Dmitry Tomilov (1947-1950) *Major General Aleksey Pavlov (1950-1953) *Major General Aleksandr Malchevsky (1953-1954) *Major General Panteleimon Shioshvili (1954-1957) *Major General Afanasy Bondarenko (1957-1959) *Major General Sergey Savitsky (1959-1962) *Major General Aleksey Chetverov (1962-1967) *Major General Nikolai Baranov (1967-1976) *Major General Efim Leonov (1976-1984) *Major General Viktor Labushev (1984-1993) *Major General Yuri Kuznetsov (1993-2002) * Major General Vladimir Gryzlov (since 2002)

Deputies

*Colonel Sergei Galushka – First Deputy Head *Colonel Vladimir Rukosluev – Deputy Head for educational and scientific work *Colonel Fedor Burkov – Deputy Head for military-political work *Colonel Igor Agafonov – Deputy Head for logistical support

Notes

References

{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1940 Military units and formations established in 1940 Military command schools Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner Education and training establishments of the Soviet Army 1940 establishments in the Soviet Union