The ''Stavka'' (
Russian and
Ukrainian:
Ставка, ) is a name of the high command of the armed forces used formerly in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
and
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
and currently in
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
.
In
Imperial Russia
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* ...
''Stavka'' referred to the
administrative staff, and to the General Headquarters in the late 19th-century
Imperial Russian armed forces and subsequently in the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. In Western literature it is sometimes written in uppercase (''STAVKA''), although it is not an acronym. ''Stavka'' may refer to its members, as well as to the headquarters location (its original meaning from the old Russian word ''
ставка'', 'tent').
Stavka of the Supreme Commander during World War I

The commander-in-chief of the
Russian army at the beginning 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 ...
was
Grand Duke
Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. The title is used in some current and former independent monarchies in Europe, particularly:
* in ...
Nicholas Nicholaievitch, a grandson of
Tsar
Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
Nicholas I. Appointed at the last minute in August 1914, he played no part in formulating the military plans in use at the beginning of the war.
Nikolai Yanushkevich was his
chief of staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
. In the summer of 1915 the Tsar himself took personal command, with
Mikhail Alekseyev as his chief of staff. In the years 1915–1917 Stavka was based in
Mogilev
Mogilev (; , ), also transliterated as Mahilyow (, ), is a city in eastern Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, about from the Belarus–Russia border, border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from Bryansk Oblast. As of 2024, ...
and the Tsar, Nicholas II, spent long periods there as Commander-in-Chief.
The Stavka was divided into several departments:
* Department of General-Quartermaster (Operations department)
* Department of General on Duty (Organisation of troops, supplies, promotions, staff matters)
* Department of military transportations
* Naval department
* Diplomatic chancery (liaison with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
The Stavka was first established in
Baranovichi. In August 1915, after the German advance, the Stavka re-located to
Mogilev
Mogilev (; , ), also transliterated as Mahilyow (, ), is a city in eastern Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, about from the Belarus–Russia border, border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from Bryansk Oblast. As of 2024, ...
.
Chiefs of staff

* 19 July 1914 – 18 August 1915: Lieutenant-General (from 22 October 1914, General of Infantry)
Nikolai Yanushkevich
* 18 September 1915 – 1 April 1917: General of Infantry (from 1916 adjutant General)
Mikhail Alekseyev
* 10 November 1916 – 17 February 1917: General of Cavalry
Vasily Gurko
* 11 March 1917 – 5 April 1917: General of Infantry
Vladislav Klembovsky
* 5 April 1917 – 31 May 1917: Lieutenant-General
Anton Denikin
* 2 June 1917 – 30 August 1917: Lieutenant-General
Alexander Lukomsky
* 30 August 1917 – 9 September 1917: General of Infantry
Mikhail Alekseyev
* 10 October 1917 – 3 November 1917: Lieutenant-General
Nikolay Dukhonin
* 3 November 1917 – 7 November 1917: Major General
Mikhail Dieterichs
* 7 November 1917 – February 1918: Major General
Mikhail Bonch-Bruevich
Stavka of the Red Army during World War II
The Stavka of the Soviet
Armed Forces
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...
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 ...
, or the headquarters of the "Main Command of the Armed Forces of the USSR" (''Stavka Glavnogo Komandovaniya'') (), was established on 23 June 1941 by a top-secret decree signed by
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
in his capacities both as the head of government and as the leader of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...
. According to this decree, Stavka was composed of the defence minister Marshal
Semyon Timoshenko (as its president), the head of General Staff
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 ...
,
Stalin,
Vyacheslav Molotov, Marshal
Kliment Voroshilov, Marshal
Semyon Budyonny
Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny ( rus, Семён Миха́йлович Будённый, Semyon Mikháylovich Budyonnyy, p=sʲɪˈmʲɵn mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ bʊˈdʲɵnːɨj, a=ru-Simeon Budyonniy.ogg; – 26 October 1973) was a Russian and ...
and the People's
Commissar
Commissar (or sometimes ''Kommissar'') is an English transliteration of the Russian (''komissar''), which means ' commissary'. In English, the transliteration ''commissar'' often refers specifically to the political commissars of Soviet and ...
(
Narkom
A People's Commissariat (; Narkomat) was a structure in the Soviet state (in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, in other union and autonomous republics, in the Soviet Union) from 1917–1946 which functioned as the central executive ...
) of the
Navy
A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov.
The same decree organized at Stavka "the institution of permanent counsellors of Stavka": Marshal
Kulik, Marshal
Shaposhnikov,
Kirill Meretskov, head of the Air force
Zhigarev,
Nikolay Vatutin, head of Air Defence
Voronov,
Mikoyan,
Kaganovich,
Lavrenty Beria,
Voznesensky,
Zhdanov,
Malenkov,
Mekhlis.
Very soon afterwards, the deputy defence minister of the army,
Kirill Meretskov, was arrested following false charges made by Beria and
Merkulov. Meretskov was subsequently released from jail on the same day, at the end of the first week of September 1941, which was called for by Stalin.
Stavka's Main Command was reorganized into the Stavka of the Supreme Command (''Stavka Verkhovnogo Komandovaniya'') on 10 July 1941. This action occurred after Stalin was named Supreme Commander, and replaced Timoshenko as head of Stavka. On 8 August 1941 it was again reorganized into Stavka of the Supreme Main Command (''Stavka Verkhovnogo Glavnokomandovaniya'').
On the same day
Strategic Directions commands were instituted.
A 17 February 1945 decree set out the membership of Stavka as Stalin (President), Zhukov,
Aleksandr Vasilevsky,
Aleksei Antonov,
Nikolai Bulganin and Kuznetsov.
Stavka of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The Stavka of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief () is the highest command and control body for the troops and individual
branch
A branch, also called a ramus in botany, is a stem that grows off from another stem, or when structures like veins in leaves are divided into smaller veins.
History and etymology
In Old English, there are numerous words for branch, includ ...
es of the
Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as law enforcement services and agencies of Ukraine, which are part of the Armed Forces, formed by decree of the President of Ukraine No. 72/2022 dated February 24, 2022 in response to the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
on that day.
See also
*
General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
*
General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
References
{{reflist
Military of Russia
Military of the Soviet Union
Staff (military)