This article lists

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 ...

formations and units in 1914 prior to the mobilisation for the Russian invasion of Prussia and the offensive into the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. The prewar

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. Military chain of command In a military context, the chain of command is the line of authority and responsibility along which orders ...

was:

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 ...

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

(or ''Army corps''), then to division,

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

, and then the regiment's

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

s. After mobilisation in the event of war the chain of command of the

ran from

Stavka The ''Stavka'' ( Russian and Ukrainian: Ставка, ) is a name of the high command of the armed forces used formerly in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union and currently in Ukraine. In Imperial Russia ''Stavka'' referred to the administrat ...

, the Russian general headquarters, which was created during mobilization, to

Front Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * '' The Front'', 1976 film Music * The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and ...

-level (

Army group An army group is a military organization consisting of several field army, field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area. An army group is the largest field organizatio ...

) also created during mobilization, to the Army level. Army headquarters were created during mobilization by transformation of the military district headquarters. Below Army level the chain was the same as in peace-time; corps (or ''Army corps'' (terms used interchangeably), division, brigade, and regiment. ;Abbreviations used: *ACorps =

Army Corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

(ak = armeysky korpus) *MD =

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 ...

(VO = voenny okrug) *GrenCorps = Grenadier Corps (Gren. k = Grenadersky korpus) *LGrd =

Lifeguard A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and Cardiopulmonary ...

(l.-gv. = leyb-gvardi) *SibCorps = Siberian Corps (Sib. k = Sibirsky korpus) *TurkCorps = Turkestan Corps (Turk. k = Turkestansky korpus)

Fronts

Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-c ...

(until August 1915) ** Northern Front (from August 1915) ** Western Front (from August 1915) * Southwestern Front *

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' ...

* Caucasus Front

Armies

see

List of Russian armies in World War I Russian army formations in World War I include: * 1st Army * 2nd Army * 3rd Army * 4th Army * 5th Army * 6th Army * 7th Army * 8th Army * 9th Army * 10th Army * 11th Army * 12th Army * 13th Army * Caucasus Army * Dobruja Army * ...

The Guards

1st Guards Corps

Located in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

and surroundings —

Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is conside ...

Petergof Petergof (), known as Petrodvorets () from 1944 to 1997, is a administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg, municipal town in Petrodvortsovy District of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, located ...

and

Gatchina Gatchina (, ) is a town and the administrative center of Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-south-west of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which links Saint Petersburg and Pskov. Population: It was pr ...

, excepted the 3rd Infantry Division (3 ID) and the Independent Cavalry Brigade (ICavBr), located in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

and subordinated to the XXIII AC

Fortresses

* Brest-Litovsk Fortress *

Warsaw Fortress Warsaw Fortress (, ) was a system of fortifications built in Warsaw, Poland during the 19th century when the city was part of the Russian Empire. The fortress belonged to a Western Russian fortresses, chain of fortresses built in Congress Poland an ...

* Ivangorod Fortress *

Zegrze Fortress The Zegrze Fortress () is a military structure located in Zegrze, Poland, on a high escarpment over the Narew River. Built in late 19th century by the Russian Empire, it was to guard a river crossing across the Narew. Modernised between 1902 and 1 ...

Łomża Łomża () is a city in north-eastern Poland, approximately to the north-east of Warsaw and west of Białystok. It is situated alongside the Narew river as part of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the capital of Łomża County and has been the se ...

* Novogeorgievsk Fortress *

Osowiec Fortress Osowiec Fortress (; ) is a 19th-century fortress built by the Russian Empire, located in what is now north-eastern Poland. It saw heavy fighting during World War I when it was defended for several months by its Russian garrison against Germa ...

* Ostrolenka *

Pułtusk Pułtusk () is a town in Poland, by the river Narew. Located north of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship, it has a population of 19,224 as of 2023. Known for its historic architecture and Europe's longest paved marketplace ( in length), it is a po ...

* Rozhany *

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

* Dvinsk Fortress * Kovno Fortress * Libava * Olita * Ust-Dvinsk *

Alexandropol Gyumri (, ) is an urban municipal community and the List of cities and towns in Armenia, second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th centur ...

Kars Kars ( or ; ; ) is a city in northeast Turkey. It is the seat of Kars Province and Kars District.� ...

*Mikhaylovsk (St. Michael's) fortress (

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...

) *

Vyborg Vyborg (; , ; , ; , ) is a town and the administrative center of Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of Vyborg Bay, northwest of St. Petersburg, east of the Finnish capital H ...

Kronstadt Kronstadt (, ) is a Russian administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg, port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Saint Petersburg, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg, near the head ...

Peter and Paul Fortress The Peter and Paul Fortress () is the original citadel of Saint Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740 as a star fortress. Between the first half of the 1700s and early ...

(St. Petersburg)

Army Corps

1st Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 1st Army Corps () was a formation in the Imperial Russian Army that was formed in 1810 as the 1st Infantry Corps. It took part in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, and later, in August 1914, the 1st Army Corps fought as part of the Second A ...

2nd Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 2nd Army Corps () was a formation in the Imperial Russian Army that was active during World War I. It was headquartered in Grodno prior to the outbreak of the war, and took part in the Battle of Tannenberg in August 1914.3rd Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 3rd Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army formed on 19 February 1877. Its headquarters were in Vilnius. Composition The Army Corps composition as of 18 July 1914, at the outbreak of the First World War, was: * 25th Inf ...

4th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 4th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Composition * 30th Infantry Division * 40th Infantry Division Commanders *1879-1882: Mikhail Skobelev Mikhail Dmitriyevich Skobelev (; 29 September 1843 – 7 July 1882), a ...

5th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 5th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Composition *7th Infantry Division (Russian Empire), 7th Infantry Division *10th Infantry Division (Russian Empire), 10th Infantry Division Part of *5th Army (Russian Empire), 5 ...

6th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 6th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Composition * 4th Infantry Division * 16th Infantry Division * 4th Cavalry Division Part of * 2nd Army: 1914 * 10th Army: 1914 *1st Army: 1914 *2nd Army: 1915 * 11th Army: 1917 Com ...

* 7th Army Corps (Russian Empire) *

8th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 8th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Composition * 14th Infantry Division * 15th Infantry Division * 8th Cavalry Division Part of * 8th Army: 1914-1916 * 11th Army: 1916 * 9th Army: 1916 * 4th Army: 1916-1917 Command ...

9th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 9th Army Corps was an Army corps in 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 militi ...

10th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 10th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Composition The 10th Army Corps was composed of the 9th Infantry Division, 31st Infantry Division and the 10th Cavalry Division. Part of * 3rd Army: 1914-1916 * 4th Army: 19 ...

11th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 11th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army Before the war the unit was stationed with the Kiev Military District. Composition (1914) * 11th Infantry Division (Lutsk) * 32nd Infantry Division ( Rovno) * 11th Cavalry Di ...

12th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 12th Army Corps () was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. The corps was established on 1 November 1876. The corps was a part of the Kiev Military District and the 7th Army (Russian Empire), 7th Army of the Southwestern Front (Russian ...

13th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 13th Army Corps was a corps of the Imperial Russian Army, formed in the 1870s. The corps fought in the Russo-Turkish War and World War I, and was disbanded with the collapse of the Imperial Russian Army after the Russian Revolution. During pea ...

* 14th Army Corps (Russian Empire) *

15th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 15th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Composition * 6th Infantry Division * 8th Infantry Division * 6th Cavalry Division * 15th Cavalry Division Part of * 2nd Army: 1914 * 10th Army: 1915 * 12th Army: 1915 * 3rd Army: ...

* 16th Army Corps (Russian Empire) *

17th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 17th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Composition * 3rd Infantry Division * 35th Infantry Division Part of * 5th Army: 1914 * 4th Army: 1914 * 9th Army: 1914 - 1915 * 8th Army: 1915 - 1916 * 11th Army: 1916 - 1917 *5th ...

18th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 18th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Its headquarters were located at Saint Petersburg. Composition * 23rd Infantry Division * 37th Infantry Division * 50th Infantry Division Part of * 9th Army: 1914–1915 * 11th Ar ...

19th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 19th Army Corps was an Army corps in 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 mili ...

20th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The Twentieth Army Corps () was a formation of the Imperial Russian Army that was first raised in 1899, and most famous for fighting on the Eastern Front in World War I, most notably during the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes. Before World War ...

* 21st Army Corps (Russian Empire) * 22nd Army Corps (Russian Empire) *

23rd Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 23rd Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Composition *3rd Guards Infantry Division * 2nd Infantry Division Part of * 2nd Army: 1914 * 5th Army: 1914 – 1915 * 8th Army: 1915 *1st Army: 1915 *13th Army: 1915 * 3rd Army: 1 ...

24th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 24th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Composition * 48th Infantry Division * 49th Infantry Division Part of * 8th Army: 1914 - 1915 * 3rd Army: 1915 *8th Army: 1915 - 1916 * 4th Army: 1916 * 10th Army: 1916 * 9th Army ...

25th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 25th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Composition * 3rd Grenadier Division * 46th Infantry Division Part of * 5th Army: 1914 * 9th Army: 1914 - 1915 * 4th Army: 1915 * 3rd Army: 1915 - 1916 *4th Army: 1916 * 2nd Army ...

26th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 26th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Part of *1st Army (Russian Empire), 1st Army: 1914 *8th Army (Russian Empire), 8th Army: 1914 - 1915 *Russian Special Army (World War I), Russian Special Army: 1915 *9th Army (Rus ...

27th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 27th Army Corps was an Army corps in 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 milit ...

* 28th Army Corps (Russian Empire) *

29th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 29th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Part of * 11th Army: 1914 - 1915 * 3rd Army: 1915 *13th Army Thirteenth Army or 13th Army may refer to: * Thirteenth Army (Japan) * Japanese Thirteenth Area Army * 13th Army (Russ ...

* 30th Army Corps (Russian Empire) *

31st Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 31st Army Corps was an Army corps in 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 mili ...

* 32nd Army Corps (Russian Empire) *

33rd Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 33rd Army Corps was an Army corps in 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 mil ...

34th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 34th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Part of * 10th Army: 1915 * 2nd Army: 1915 *1st Army First Army may refer to: China * New 1st Army, Republic of China * First Field Army, a Chinese Communist Party unit in the ...

35th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 35th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Composition * 55th Infantry Division * 67th Infantry Division Part of * 2nd Army: 1915 * 4th Army: 1915 –1916 *2nd Army: 1916 *4th Army: 1916 *2nd Army: 1917 * 10th Army: 1917 ...

36th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 36th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Part of * 2nd Army: 1915 *1st Army First Army may refer to: China * New 1st Army, Republic of China * First Field Army, a Chinese Communist Party unit in the Chinese Civil War * ...

* 37th Army Corps (Russian Empire) *

38th Army Corps (Russian Empire) The 38th Army Corps was an Army corps in the Imperial Russian Army. Part of The corps was part of the following units during its existence: *13th Army (from 24 July 1915) *1st Army (12 August1 September 1915) * 10th Army (18 September 1915December ...

* 39th Army Corps (Russian Empire) * 40th Army Corps (Russian Empire) * 41st Army Corps (Russian Empire) * 42nd Army Corps (Russian Empire) * 43rd Army Corps (Russian Empire) * 44th Army Corps (Russian Empire) * 45th Army Corps (Russian Empire) * 46th Army Corps (Russian Empire) * 47th Army Corps (Russian Empire) * 48th Army Corps (Russian Empire) * 49th Army Corps (Russian Empire) * 50th Army Corps (Russian Empire)

Cavalry Corps

* 1st Cavalry Corps (Russian Empire) * 2nd Cavalry Corps (Russian Empire) * 3rd Cavalry Corps (Russian Empire) * 4th Cavalry Corps (Russian Empire) * 5th Cavalry Corps (Russian Empire) * 6th Cavalry Corps (Russian Empire) * 7th Cavalry Corps (Russian Empire) * 1st Caucasian Cavalry Corps (Russian Empire) * 2nd Caucasian Cavalry Corps (Russian Empire)

Cavalry Divisions

* 1st Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 2nd Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 3rd Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 4th Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 5th Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 6th Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 7th Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 8th Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 9th Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 10th Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 11th Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 12th Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 13th Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 14th Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 15th Cavalry Division (Russian Empire) * 16th Cavalry division (Russian Empire) * Caucasian Cavalry division (Russian Empire)

Cossack Divisions

* 1st Caucasus Cossack Division (Russian Empire) * 2nd Caucasus Cossack Division (Russian Empire) * 3rd Caucasus Cossack Division (Russian Empire) * 4th Caucasus Cossack Division (Russian Empire) * 5th Caucasus Cossack Division (Russian Empire) * 1st Don Cossack Division (Russian Empire) * 2nd Combined Cossack Division (Russian Empire) * 3rd Don Cossack Division (Russian Empire) * 4th Don Cossack division (Russian Empire) * 5th Don Cossack division (Russian Empire) * 9th Don Cossack division (Russian Empire) * 14th Don Cossack division (Russian Empire) * 1st Transbaikal Cossack division (Russian Empire) * 1st Turkestan Cossack division (Russian Empire) * Transcaspian Cossack brigade (Russian Empire) * Caucasian Native Cavalry Division

Bibliography

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