The Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School ''" Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR"'' (; abbreviated to MVOKU) is a higher military educational institution 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 ...

. Alumni of the school have served with the

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 ...

and 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, ...

in many local and international deployments. The school's cadets are also known affectionately as the Kremlin Cadets or the Kremlovskie kursanty ().

History

Early decades

The school was formed in December 15, 1917 (O.S., December 28 N.S.), by order of

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

as the ''1st Moscow revolutionary machine gun officers school''. It later became the ''1st Moscow Machine Gunners' Officers Course'' and "WPRA 1st Soviet Higher Military School '' All-Russian Central Executive Committee''". In January 1919 after a year of operations, 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 ...

took over the school administration. The headquarters and campus were then at the

Moscow Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall along with the K ...

. During that period, in 1922

was awarded as the young institution's first honorary cadet; he was later made its only honorary commandant. The Kremlin was its campus until 1935, when the school was moved to Moscow's Lefortovo District. At the Kremlin, the space was used by the

Kremlin Regiment The Kremlin Regiment (), also called the Presidential Regiment (), is a unique military regiment and part of the Russian Federal Protective Service (Russia), Federal Protective Service with the status of a special unit. The regiment ensures the s ...

, now the President of Russia's escort and historical regiment.

Mikhail Frunze Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze (; ; 2 February 1885 – 31 October 1925) was a Soviet revolutionary, politician, army officer and military theory, military theorist. Born to a Bessarabian father and a Russian mother in Russian Turkestan, Frunze at ...

told the cadets during a 1918 visit that the 1st SMHS and its Corps of Cadets "serves as the fighting vanguard and unfading hope of the proletariat revolution in the Russian Republic". In 1938 it received the first of its three order medals, the Order of the Red Banner, as a result of its Corps of Cadets and some alumni of the school who fought the Battle of Khalkhin Gol. 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 ...

, on the Eastern Front, cadets and faculty at the school contributed to the defense of the

Moscow Region Moscow Oblast (, , informally known as , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). With a population of 8,524,665 (Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census) living in an area of , it is one of the most densely populate ...

and the city itself. Many of its cadets and alumni later received state medals and decorations (several were awarded posthumously). In October 1941, the school was granted the honorary title "'' Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR''".

Post-war

In October 1945, five months after the Allied victory in Europe and the command school's participation in the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945, it was moved to Kuzminki District in Moscow. This is its current location. In June 1958 the school was transformed into the Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School. The school had a training period of four years. On May 7, 1965, the school was awarded the

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 ...

. On February 21, 1978, the school was awarded the

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on 31 October 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferred upon individuals or groups for services furthering communis ...

Russian Federation

In 1995, the 4-year training period was lengthened to one of 5 years. In August 2004, the university was renamed as the Higher Professional Education Institution of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (and was retitled the ''Moscow Military Command Training School''). In 2010, the school was integrated into the Combined Arms Academy of the Russian Armed Forces. In 2017, the Military Institute was removed from the Combined Arms Academy and was renamed again as the Moscow Higher Military Command School (Combined Arms). To mark its centennial year in 2017, the MHMCACS 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 ...

. On 6 October 2024, The Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School was set on fire by a drone attack. Local residents reported gunfire and explosions.

Traditions

In honor of its 1917 establishment and status as the oldest officer cadet school in Russia, since 1967 it has been the final school and military unit to mark the end of military parades in Moscow's

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', p=ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ) is one of the oldest and largest town square, squares in Moscow, Russia. It is located in Moscow's historic centre, along the eastern walls of ...

. During the Moscow Victory Day Parade, members of the school also take part in the historical part. It also maintains privilege, granted in the 1920s, to hold graduation and commissioning parades there. From 1924 to 1935, the Corps of Cadets mounted guards of honour (No.1 Sentry) at Lenin's Mausoleum by orders of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. In addition to Lenin, individuals honored as honorary cadets by the school were

Mikhail Kalinin Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin (, ; 3 June 1946) was a Soviet politician and Russian Old Bolshevik revolutionary who served as the first chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (head of state) from 1938 until his resignation in 1946. From ...

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 ...

Nikolai Podvoisky Nikolai Ilyich Podvoisky (; ; 16 February Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>O.S. 4 February1880 – 28 July 1948) was a Russian Bolsheviks">Bolshevik revolutionary, Soviet Union">Soviet statesman and the first People's Co ...

, Sergey Kamenev, Avel Yenukidze, Georgy Chicherin, David Petrovsky, and

Iona Yakir Iona Emmanuilovich Yakir (; 3 August 1896 – 12 June 1937) was a Red Army commander and one of the world's major military reformers between World War I and World War II. He was an early and major military victim of the Great Purge, alongsid ...

. The MVOKU

Military Band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

is the premier musical unit of the academy. It is part of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia under the Ministry of Defense. It performs at military ceremonies, the unveiling of monuments, and the annual Moscow Victory Day Parade.

Notable graduates

Soviet leaders

* Pyotr Koshevoy, a

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 ...

who took part in the Crimean Offensive and the capture of

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

. * Sergey Biryuzov, Chief of the General Staff from 1963 to 1964. * Dmitry Yazov, the last

to be appointed.

Russian leaders

* Vladimir Boldyrev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces (2008–2010) * Mikhail Barsukov, head of the

Federal Security Service The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation �СБ, ФСБ России (FSB) is the principal security agency of Russia and the main successor agency to the Soviet Union's KGB; its immediate predecessor was the Federal Counterin ...

(FSB) in mid-1990s.

Post-Soviet space

* Ruslan Khomchak, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (2019–2021) * Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (2024–) * Valery Sakhashchyk, Member of the United Transitional Cabinet for Defence and Security *Colonel Ashot Hakobyan, Commander of the Honour Guard Company of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia from 1993–2005.{{Cite web , last=Number , date=2020-06-17 , title=Красавцы, как на подбор: Армянские военнослужащие прибыли в Москву для участия в Параде Победы , url=http://dalma.news/ru/krasavcy-kak-na-podbor-armyanskie-voennosluzhashchie-pribyli-v-moskvu-dlya-uchastiya-v-parade-pobedy/ , access-date=2021-07-09 , website=Dalma News , language=ru-RU

Other countries

* Kadri Hazbiu, Minister of People's Defence of

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

in 1982.

Gallery

File:MVVKU 05.jpg, The school during a parade on Red Square File:Medal 100 Years of the Moscow Higher Military Command School.jpg, A commemorative medal celebrating 100 Years of the Moscow Higher Military Command School. File:MVVKU 03.jpg File:MVVKU 01.jpg File:Дмитрий Язов в 1941 году.jpg, A photo of Marshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Yazov when he was a cadet in the school. File:MVVKU 04.jpg File:Нагрудный знак выпускника МВВКУ.jpg, The breastplate of the MVOKU. File:Armenia in parade 2015.jpg, Colonel Ashot Hakobyan leading the contingent from the Armenian Armed Forces during the

2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade The 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade was a parade that took place in Red Square in Moscow on 9 May 2015 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. The annual parade marks the Allies of World War II, Allied ...

. Being a graduate at the school, he participated in Soviet-era parades on the square. File:2020 Moscow Victory Day Parade 023.jpg, Historical color guards from the school.

In popular culture

* A Story by Konstantin Vorobyov "''Killed near Moscow''" (1963), which tells about the participation of a company of Kremlin cadets in the defense of Moscow in the fall of 1941. * ''Exam for Immortality'' (1983), Soviet feature film based on the stories of Vorobyov's "Killed near Moscow" and "Scream". * ''Kremlin cadets'' (2009) is a Russian television series that describes the fictional life story of cadets of the Moscow Higher Military Command School. * An episode in

Nikita Mikhalkov Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov (; born 21 October 1945) is a Russian filmmaker and actor. He made his directorial debut with the Red Western film ''At Home Among Strangers'' (1974) after appearing in a series of films, including the romantic com ...

's film '' Burnt by the Sun 2'' (2010)

References

Educational institutions established in 1917 Education and training establishments of the Soviet Army Military command schools 1917 establishments in Russia