The Suvorov Military Schools () are a type of

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

in the former

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 in modern

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

for boys of 10–17. Education in these schools focuses on military related subjects. The schools are named after

Alexander Suvorov Count Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov-Rymniksky, Prince of Italy () was a Russian general and military theorist in the service of the Russian Empire. Born in Moscow, he studied military history as a young boy and joined the Imperial Russian ...

, a well-known 18th century Russian general. Their naval counterparts among Russian military schools are the Nakhimov Naval Schools. They are named after Pavel Nakhimov, the 19th century

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 ...

History

The Suvorov and Nakhimov school models were created 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 ...

in December 1943 to provide boys of school age, particularly those from families of military personnel, with a

secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

specializing in military (army, navy, intelligence, etc.) subjects and training.

Boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

aspect was particularly important at the time because many students were war orphans, who were either without parents or with only a surviving mother, unable to support them. A number still exist in

and the

former Soviet Union The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...

. Other schools have existed in other Soviet republics. The former Kiev Suvorov Military School 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 ...

was reorganized in 1992 and named after

Ivan Bohun Ivan Bohun () (died 1664) was a Zaporozhian Cossack colonel. A close associate and friend of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, he opposed both the pacts with the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (Treaty of Hadiach of 1658) and with the Tsardom of Russia (Pere ...

in 1998. In July 1991, the Cabinet of Ministers of the USSR signed an order making the Bishkek Suvorov Military School and the

Ulyanovsk Ulyanovsk,, , known as Simbirsk until 1924, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River east of Moscow. Ulyanovsk has been the only Russian UNESCO Ci ...

Guards Suvorov Military School. Although the school in Ulyanovsk was created, the Bishkek branch was not created due to the collapse of the USSR. Carey Schofield, a British journalist with close links to the

Soviet Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

, wrote in 1990–91, 'it is still generally accepted that the best way for an officer to start his career is to attend one of the very smart Suvorov or Nakhimov schools, the military boarding schools.'

Republican Special Boarding Schools

Republican Special Boarding Schools () are military schools that were created in the early 1980s on the basis of the Suvorov Military Schools. They were subordinate to the Ministry of Education of the USSR. After the collapse of the USSR, the military lyceums/high schools in the newly formed countries in the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization, regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an ar ...

were nationalized and came under the auspices of the local defense ministries.

Role

The Suvorov schools in Russia are now subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief 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, ...

, with schools operating in cities such as

Tambov Tambov ( , ; rus, Тамбов, p=tɐmˈbof) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Central Federal District, central Russia, at the confluence of the Tsna River (Moksha basin), Tsna ...

Ekaterinburg Yekaterinburg (, ; ), alternatively Romanization of Russian, romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( ; 1924–1991), is a city and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ural Federal District, Russia. The ci ...

, and

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

Traditions

Corps of Drums

The Moscow Military Music College, which is a spin-off of the Suvorov Military School whose mission is to train future Russian military musicians, is known for its Corps of Drums. It is the oldest of these schools, opened 1937 and granted affiliation in 1944. Today, all Suvorov military schools' corps of drums have the traditional honor of opening all Victory Day Parades in their local city. Each of the Corps of Drums of the Suvorov Schools is modeled after this formation and wears identical uniforms.

Suvorovite military culture

The Military Lyceum of the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz State National Military Lyceum are often referred to as the "Suvorov School". In 2020, during the first Turkmen Victory Parade at the Halk Hakydasy Memorial Complex, the students of Berdimuhamed Annayev 1st Specialized Military School wore the traditional full dress uniforms of the Suvorov Military Schools.

Active schools in Russia

Under MoD

Under the MVD

Active schools outside of Russia

Outside of the Russian Federation, there are two Suvorov Schools operating as of 2020: one each in

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

(

), and

Tiraspol Tiraspol (, ; also /; , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Transnistria, a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the third-largest city. The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River. Tiraspol is a regional hub of cul ...

(

Transnistria Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie, is a Landlocked country, landlocked Transnistria conflict#International recognition of Transnistria, breakaway state internationally recogn ...

). The Minsk Suvorov Military School was established in the former building of the United Belarusian Military School on 21 May 1952. The Tiraspol Suvorov Military School is located in the partially recognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, being established on 1 September 2017.

Former Soviet era schools

* Voronezh Suvorov Military School * Kuibyshev Suvorov Military School * Kiev Suvorov Military School * Saratov Suvorov Military school * Stavropol Suvorov Military School * Stalingrad Suvorov Military School * Tambov Suvorov Military School * Leningrad Suvorov Military School (under the MVD) * Tashkent Suvorov Military School (under the MVD)

External sources

*Harriet F. Scott and William F. Scott, Russian Military Directory 2004, pp. 207–208
Association of Suvorov Military Schools

References

{{authority control Military education and training in Russia Military education and training in the Soviet Union Military high schools Boarding schools in Russia Alexander Suvorov Military education and training in Belarus Schools in Belarus