Vladimir (, , pre-1918 orthography: ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, widespread throughout all Slavic nations in different forms and spellings. The earliest record of a person with the name is

Vladimir of Bulgaria Vladimir-Rasate () was the ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire from 889 to 893. Biography In 853 or 854, the Bulgar Army led by Vladimir, the son of Boris I of Bulgaria, invaded Serbia in an attempt to exact vengeance for the previous defeat of ...

().

Etymology

The

Old East Slavic Old East Slavic (traditionally also Old Russian) was a language (or a group of dialects) used by the East Slavs from the 7th or 8th century to the 13th or 14th century, until it diverged into the Russian language, Russian and Ruthenian language ...

form of the name is Володимѣръ ''Volodiměr'', while the

Old Church Slavonic Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic ( ) is the first Slavic languages, Slavic literary language and the oldest extant written Slavonic language attested in literary sources. It belongs to the South Slavic languages, South Slavic subgroup of the ...

form is ''Vladiměr''. According to

Max Vasmer Max Julius Friedrich Vasmer (; ; 28 February 1886 – 30 November 1962) was a Russian and German linguist. He studied problems of etymology in Indo-European, Finno-Ugric and Turkic languages and worked on the history of Slavic, Baltic, ...

, the name is composed of Slavic владь ''vladĭ'' "to rule" and ''*mēri'' "great", "famous" (related to Gothic element ''mērs'', ''-mir'', cf. Theode''mir'', Vala''mir''). The modern ( pre-1918) Russian forms Владимиръ and Владиміръ are based on the Church Slavonic one, with the replacement of мѣръ by миръ or міръ resulting from a folk etymological association with миръ "peace" or міръ "world".

, ''Etymological Dictionary of Russian Language'' s.v. "Владимир"
starling.rinet.ru
The Bolshevik reform of Russian spelling in 1918 abolished the orthographic distinction between миръ (peace) and міръ (universe, world): both are now spelled as мир, so the name came to be spelled Владимир. Its Germanic relative, Waldemar, almost exactly shares the same meaning with the name

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

History

The earliest known record of this name was the name of Vladimir-Rasate (died 893), ruler of the

First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire (; was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led by Asparuh of Bulgaria, Asparuh, moved south to the northe ...

. Vladimir-Rasate was the second Bulgarian ruler following the Christianization of Bulgaria and the introduction of

as the language of church and state. The name of his pre-Christian dynastic predecessor, khan '' Malamir'' (r. 831–836), sometimes claimed as the first Bulgarian ruler with a Slavic name, already exhibits the (presumably Gothic) ''-mir'' suffix. The name Vladimir also gave rise to an East Slavic adaptation, ''Vladimir'' () or ''Volodimir'' (). Following the

Christianization of Kievan Rus' The Christianization of Kievan Rus' was a long and complicated process that took place in several stages. In 867, Patriarch Photius of Constantinople told other Christian patriarchs that the Rus' people were converting enthusiastically, but his ...

in 988 during the reign of

Vladimir the Great Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych (; Christian name: ''Basil''; 15 July 1015), given the epithet "the Great", was Prince of Novgorod from 970 and Grand Prince of Kiev from 978 until his death in 1015. The Eastern Orthodox ...

, the name Vladimir, along with other pagan names, was gradually replaced with Christian names, although the name Vladimir retained its popularity within the princely family in the following centuries. Three successors of Vladimir the Great shared his given name:

Vladimir II Monomakh Vladimir II Monomakh (; Christian name: ''Vasily''; 26 May 1053 – 19 May 1125) was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1113 to 1125. He is considered a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and is celebrated on May 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics), May 6 ...

(1053–1125), Vladimir III Mstislavich (1132–1173) and Vladimir IV Rurikovich (1187–1239). The town Volodymyr in north-western Ukraine was founded by Vladimir and is named after him. The foundation of another town, Vladimir in Russia, is usually attributed to Vladimir II Monomakh. However, some researchers argue that it was also founded by Vladimir the Great. The veneration of Vladimir the Great as a saint of the

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

gave rise to the replacement of the East Slavic form of his name with the Old Church Slavonic (Old Bulgarian) one . The immense importance of Vladimir the Great as national and religious founder resulted in ''Vladimir'' becoming one of the most frequently-given Russian names.

Variants

The Slavic name survives in two traditions, the

one using the vocalism ''Vladi-'' and the

one in the vocalism ''Volodi-''. The Old Church Slavonic form ''Vladimir'' (Владимир) is used in

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

, Bulgarian, Serbian, and Macedonian, borrowed into Slovenian, Croatian ''Vladimir'',

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

and Slovak ''Vladimír''. The '' polnoglasie'' "-olo-" of Old East Slavic form ''Vladimir'' (Владимиръ) (probably pronounced as ''Volodymyr'') persists in the Ukrainian form '' Volodymyr'' (Володимир), borrowed into Slovak ''Volodymýr''. Historical diminutive forms include: Vladimirko (Russian), Volodymyrko (Ukrainian). In Belarusian the name is spelled Uladzimir (Uładzimir, Уладзімір)'' or ''Uladzimier (Uładzimier, Уладзімер)''. In Polish, the name is spelled '' Włodzimierz.'' In Russian, shortened and endeared versions of the name are Volodya (and variants with diminutive suffixes: Volod'ka, Volodyen'ka, Volodechka etc.), Vova (and diminutives: Vovka, Vovochka, etc.), Vovchik, Vovan. In West and South Slavic countries, other short versions are used: e.g., Vlade, Vlado, Vlada, Vladica, Vladko, Vlatko, Vlajko, Vladan, Władek, Wlodik and Włodek. The Germanic form, Waldemar or Woldemar, is sometimes traced to

Valdemar I of Denmark Valdemar I Knudsen (14 January 1131 – 12 May 1182), also known as Valdemar the Great (), was King of Denmark from 1154 until his death in 1182. The reign of King Valdemar I saw the rise of Denmark, which reached its medieval zenith under his s ...

(1131–1182) named after his Russian maternal grandfather,

.Ф.Б. Успенский
"ИМЯ И ВЛАСТЬ (Выбор имени как инструмент династической борьбы в средневековой Скандинавии)"
In: ''Фольклор и постфольклор: структура, типология, семиотика''

The Germanic name is reflected in Latvian Voldemārs and Finnic ( Finnish and

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

) '' Voldemar''. The Greek form is ''Vladimiros'' (Βλαδίμηρος). The name is most common in

Northern Greece Northern Greece () is used to refer to the northern parts of Greece, and can have various definitions. Administrative term The term "Northern Greece" is widely used to refer mainly to the two northern regions of Macedonia and (Western) Thra ...

especially among the

Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia Slavic speakers are a minority population in the Geographic regions of Greece, northern Greek region of Macedonia, Greece, Macedonia, who are mostly concentrated in certain parts of the Peripheries of Greece, peripheries of West Macedonia, West ...

. Diminutives of the name among these Slavic speakers are ''Vlade'' and ''Mire''. Wladimir for an alternative spelling of the name.

People with the name

Royalty

:''Ordered chronologically'' *

(),

Knyaz A , also , ''knjaz'' or (), is a historical Slavs, Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times. It is usually translated into English language, English as 'prince', 'king' or 'duke', depending on specific historical c ...

(king) of

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

(c. 958–1015), prince of

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

, grand Prince of

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, and ruler of

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...

* Vladimir of Novgorod (1020–1052), Prince of Novgorod *

(1053–1125),

Grand Prince Grand prince or great prince (feminine: grand princess or great princess) (; ; ; ; ) is a hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. Grand duke is the usual and established, though not litera ...

, prince of Kiev; also ruled in Rostov and Suzdal * Vladimir II Mstislavich (1132–1173), Prince of Dorogobuzh, Vladimir, and Volyn, Slutsk, Tripolye and Grand Prince of Kiev * Vladimir III Rurikovich (1187–1239), Prince of Pereyaslavl, Smolensk and Grand Prince of Kiev *

Vladimir the Bold Vladimir Andreyevich the Bold (; July 15, 1353 – 1410) was the most famous prince of Serpukhov. His moniker alludes to his many military exploits in the wars waged by his cousin, Dmitri Donskoi of Moscow. He was son of Andrei Ivanovich (1327– ...

(1353–1410), prince of

Serpukhov Serpukhov ( rus, Серпухов, p=ˈsʲerpʊxəf) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Oka River, Oka and the Nara (Oka), Nara Rivers, 99 kilometers (62 miles) south fro ...

, one of the principal commanders of Lithuanian–Muscovite War (1368–1372) and

Battle of Kulikovo The Battle of Kulikovo () was fought between the forces of Mamai, a powerful Mongol military commander of the Golden Horde, and Russian forces led by Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, Dmitry of Moscow. The battle took place on 8 September 1380, at Ku ...

Vladimir of Staritsa Vladimir Andreyevich (; 9 July 1535 – 9 October 1569) was the last appanage Russian prince. His complicated relationship with his cousin, Ivan the Terrible, was dramatized in Sergei Eisenstein's 1945 film ''Ivan the Terrible (1945 film), ...

(1533–1569), Appanage Prince of Russia, cousin to Tsar Ivan the Terrible * Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia (1847–1909) * Vladimir Kirillovich, Grand Duke of Russia (1917–1992)

Presidents and prime ministers

Vladimir Ivashko Vladimir Antonovich Ivashko (; , ''Volodymyr Antonovych Ivashko''; 28 October 1932 – 13 November 1994) was a Soviet Ukrainian politician, briefly acting as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the perio ...

(1932-1994), Soviet Ukrainian politician,

General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. was the Party leader, leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). From 1924 until the dissolution of the Soviet Union, country's dissoluti ...

and Chairman of the

Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR (; ) was the Supreme Soviet, supreme soviet (main Legislature, legislative institution) and the highest organ of state power of Ukraine when it was known as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukra ...

Vladimir Kokovtsov Count Vladimir Nikolayevich Kokovtsov (; – 29 January 1943) was a Russian politician who served as the fourth prime minister of Russia from 1911 to 1914, during the reign of Emperor Nicholas II. Early life He was born in Borovichi, Borov ...

(1853–1943), Russian politician,

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

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 ...

from 1911 to 1914 *

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 ...

(1870–1924), Russian revolutionary, head of the

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

, founder and first leader of 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 ...

* Vladimír Mečiar (born 1942), Slovak politician who served as the

prime minister of Slovakia The prime minister of Slovakia, officially the chairman of the government of the Slovak Republic (Slovak language, Slovak: ''Predseda vlády Slovenskej republiky''), commonly referred to in Slovakia as ''Predseda vlády'' or informally as ''Prem ...

three times, from 1990 to 1991, from 1992 to 1994 and from 1994 to 1998 * Vladimir Pashkov (born 1961), Prime Minister of the

Donetsk People's Republic The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR; , ) is Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, occupied territory in Ukraine that the Russian Federation has claimed to annex and declared as a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia, comprising parts o ...

(DPR). *

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 ...

(born 1952), current

president of Russia The president of Russia, officially the president of the Russian Federation (), is the executive head of state of Russia. The president is the chair of the State Council (Russia), Federal State Council and the President of Russia#Commander-in-ch ...

and former

. * Vladimir Špidla (born 1951), Czech politician who served as the

prime minister of the Czech Republic The prime minister of the Czech Republic ( Czech: ''Předseda vlády České republiky'') is the head of the government of the Czech Republic and the '' de facto'' leader and most powerful member of the executive branch. The Constitution provid ...

* Vladimir Vasilyev (politician) (born 1949), Russian politician and Head of the Republic of Dagestan *

Vladimir Voronin Vladimir Voronin (; born Vladimir Bujeniță, 25 May 1941) is a Moldovan politician. He was the third President of Moldova#Republic of Moldova (1991–present), President of Moldova from 2001 until 2009 and has been the leader of the Party of ...

(born 1941), former

president of Moldova The president of the Republic of Moldova () is the head of state of Moldova. The current president is Maia Sandu, who assumed office on 24 December 2020. Duties and functions The president "represents the State" and is "…the guarantor of n ...

Religious figures

Metropolitan Vladimir (disambiguation) Metropolitan Vladimir may refer to: * Volodymyr Sabodan (1935–2014), head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) * Vladimir Bogoyavlensky (1848–1918), Metropolitan of Moscow {{Hndis, Vladimir, Metropolitan ...

* Vladimir Bogoyavlensky (1848–1918), bishop of the

, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna between 1898 and 1912, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga between 1912 and 1915, and Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich between 1915 and 1918 * Vladimir Gundyayev (born 1946), known as Patriarch Kirill of Moscowm

Russian Orthodox The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

bishop,

Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' The Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus (), also known as the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, is the title of the Primate (bishop), primate of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). It is often preceded by the honorific "His Holiness". As the Ordinar ...

and

Primate Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers a ...

of the

Military leaders

Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko Vladimir Alexandrovich Antonov-Ovseenko (; ; 9 March 1883 – 10 February 1938), real surname Ovseenko, party aliases 'Bayonet' () and 'Nikita' (), literary pseudonym A. Galsky (), was a prominent Bolshevik leader, Soviet statesman, mili ...

(1883–1938), Ukrainian Bolshevik leader and diplomat, one of the principal commanders of

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 ...

, Ukraine Offensive (1919) and

Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War The Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War consisted of a series of multi-national military expeditions that began in 1918. The initial impetus behind the interventions was to secure munitions and supply depots from falling into the German ...

* Vladimir Arshba (1958-2018), Abkhaz soldier and politician who served as the first Minister of Defence of the Republic of Abkhazia, an unrecognised state, from 1992 until 1993, one of the principal commanders of War in Abkhazia (1992-1993) * Vladimir Baer (1853-1905), Russian captain of the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

* Vladimir Boldyrev (born 1949), 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, ...

, one of the principal commanders of

Second Chechen War Names The Second Chechen War is also known as the Second Chechen Campaign () or the Second Russian Invasion of Chechnya from the Chechens, Chechen insurgents' point of view.Федеральный закон № 5-ФЗ от 12 января 19 ...

, Russo–Georgian War and

Insurgency in the North Caucasus History and background In late 1999, Russia's Premier, Vladimir Putin, ordered military, police and security forces to enter the breakaway region of Chechnya. By early 2000, these forces occupied most of the region. High levels of fight ...

* Vladimir Chirkin (born 1955), Russian military officer and a former commander of Russian Ground Forces, one of the principal commanders of

* Vladimir Constantinescu (1895–1965), Romanian general in

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 ...

, one of the principal commanders of

Battle of the Caucasus The Battle of the Caucasus was a series of Axis and Soviet operations in the Caucasus as part of the Eastern Front of World War II. On 25 July 1942, German troops captured Rostov-on-Don, opening the Caucasus region of the southern Soviet ...

* Vladimir Cukavac (1884-1965), Serbian general holding the title of army general in the

Royal Yugoslav Army The Yugoslav Army ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Jugoslovenska vojska, JV, Југословенска војска, ЈВ), commonly the Royal Yugoslav Army, was the principal Army, ground force of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It existed from the establishment of ...

, one of the principal commanders of

Invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a Nazi Germany, German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was put fo ...

Vladimir Dobrovolsky Vladimir Mikhailovich Dobrovolsky (; – ) was a Russian major general who was most notable for his service in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). Biography Vladimir Dobrovolsky was born on and was educated in the Pavlovsk Cadet Corps, from ...

(1834-1877), Russian general of the

Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) The Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) was a conflict between the Ottoman Empire and a coalition led by the Russian Empire which included United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, Romania, Principality of Serbia, Serbia, and Principality of ...

* Vladimir Gelfand, Soviet soldier in World War II who became known for his published war time diaries * Vladimir Gittis (1881–1938), Soviet military commander and komkor, one of the principal commanders of Battle for the Donbas (1919) and

Latvian War of Independence The Latvian War of Independence (), sometimes called Latvia's freedom battles () or the Latvian War of Liberation (), was a series of military conflicts in Latvia between 5 December 1918, after the newly proclaimed Republic of Latvia was invade ...

* Vladimir Kondić (1863-1940), Serbian general of World War I * Vladimir Kotlinsky (1894–1915), Russian Second Lieutenant of World War I * Vladimir Lazarević (born 1949), Serbian general and convicted war criminal, one of the principal commanders of

Kosovo War The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...

Vladimir Lobov Vladimir Nikolayevich Lobov ( Russian: Влади́мир Никола́евич Ло́бов; born 22 July 1935) is a former Soviet and Russian military commander, who was Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces in 1991, Genera ...

(born 1935), former Soviet and Russian military commander, Chief of the General Staff of 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 ...

in 1991,

General of the Army 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 ...

and People's Deputy of the USSR * Vladimir Marushevsky (1874-1951), Imperial Russian general, last chief of staff of the Russian Republic *

Vladimir May-Mayevsky Vladimir Zenonovich May-Mayevsky KCMG (; – 30 November 1920) was a Russian military leader who was a general in the Imperial Russian Army and one of the leaders of the counterrevolutionary White movement during the Russian Civil War. Bio ...

(1867-1920), general in the Imperial Russian Army, one of the principal commanders of Battle for the Donbas (1919) * Vladimir Mikhaylov (1943), Russian general, former commander-in-chief of the

Russian Air Force The Russian Air Force () is a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the latter being formed on 1 August 2015 with the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the reb ...

* Vladimir Miklukha (1853–1905), Russian captain of the

* Vladimir Shamanov (born 1957), retired Russian

colonel general Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically General officer#Old European system, general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, ...

, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Airborne Troops, one of the principal commanders of 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 ...

First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nag ...

and Russo–Georgian War, the leading perpetrator of Alkhan-Yurt massacre * Vladimir Stoychev (1892–1990), Bulgarian general in 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 ...

* Vladimir Sukhomlinov (1848–1926) Russian general of the Imperial Russian Army, Chief of the General Staff and Minister of War * Vladimir Triandafillov (1894-1931), Soviet military commander and theoretician considered by many to be the "father of Soviet

operational art In the field of military theory, the operational level of war (also called operational art, as derived from , or operational warfare) represents the level of command that connects the details of tactics with the goals of strategy. In U.S. J ...

" *

Vladimir Tributs Vladimir Filippovich Tributs (; – August 30, 1977) was a Soviet naval commander and admiral. Life and career Born in 1900 in Saint Petersburg, Tributs joined the Navy in 1918 and during the Russian Civil War participated in combat action ...

(1900-1977), Soviet admiral * Vladimir Vazov (1868–1945), Bulgarian general in the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

and the

First World War 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 ...

* Vladimir Vol'skii (1877–1937), Russian revolutionary, one of the principal commanders of

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

* Vladimir Zaimov (1888–1942), Bulgarian general and Soviet spy * Vladimir Zhoga (1993–2022), Russian-Ukrainian separatist who commanded the Sparta Battalion, a pro-Russian separatist force

Intelligence officers

* Vladimir Dekanozov (1898–1953), Soviet senior state security operative and diplomat, deputy chief of GUGB * Vladimir Kolokoltsev (born 1961), Russian politician and police officer, General of the police, Moscow Police Commissioner and Russian Minister of Internal Affairs * Vladimir Kvachkov, Russian former

Spetsnaz SpetsnazThe term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or () are special forces in many post-Soviet states. Historically, this term referred to the Soviet Union's Spet ...

colonel and military intelligence officer, known for being arrested and charged for the attempted assassination * Vladimir Pozner Sr. (1908-1975), Russian-Jewish émigré to the United States who spied for Soviet intelligence while employed by the US government *

Vladimir Semichastny Vladimir Yefimovich Semichastny (; ; 15 January 1924 – 12 January 2001) was a Soviet politician, who served as Chairman of the KGB from November 1961 to May 1967. A protégé of Alexander Shelepin, he rose through the ranks of the Communist ...

(1924–2001), Soviet politician, who served as chairman of the

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

Cosmonauts

* Vladimir Aksyonov (1935–2024), former Soviet cosmonaut * Vladimir Dezhurov (born 1962), Russian former cosmonaut * Vladimir Dzhanibekov (born 1942), former cosmonaut *

Vladimir Komarov Vladimir Mikhaylovich Komarov (, ; 16 March 1927 – 24 April 1967) was a Soviet test pilot, aerospace engineer, and cosmonaut. In October 1964, he commanded Voskhod 1, the first spaceflight to carry more than one crew member. He became the f ...

(1927–1967), Soviet test pilot, aerospace engineer, cosmonaut and the first person to die in a space flight *

Vladimir Kovalyonok Vladimir Vasiliyevich Kovalyonok (; ; born 3 March 1942) is a retired Soviet Union, Soviet cosmonaut. He entered the Soviet space programme on July 5, 1967, and was commander of three missions. Together with Aleksandr Ivanchenkov he flew the lo ...

(born 1942), Soviet retired cosmonaut * Vladimir Lyakhov (1941–2018), Ukrainian Soviet cosmonaut * Vladimír Remek (born 1948), Czech politician and diplomat and former cosmonaut and military pilot * Vladimir Shatalov (1927–2021), Soviet cosmonaut * Vladimir Solovyov (cosmonaut) (born 1946), former Soviet cosmonaut * Vladimir Titov (cosmonaut) (born 1947), retired Russian Air Force colonel and former cosmonaut * Vladimir Vasyutin (1952–2002), Soviet cosmonaut

Musicians

Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (, ''Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazi''; born 6 July 1937) is a Soviet-born Icelandic pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. Ashkenazy has collaborated with well-known orchestras and soloists. In addition, ...

(born 1937), pianist, chamber music performer and conductor * Vladimir Djambazov (born 1954), Bulgarian composer and horn player * Vladimir Feltsman (born 1952), Russian musician *

Vladimir Horowitz Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz (November 5, 1989) was a Russian and American pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time, he was known for his virtuoso technique, timbre, and the public excitement engendered by his playing. Life ...

(1903–1989), Russian-American classical pianist and composer * Vladimir Andreyevich Komarov (born 1976), Russian musician, singer, songwriter, sound producer, DJ, and journalist * Vladimir Kranjčević (1936–2020), Croatian musician, conductor, pianist, and pedagogue * Vladimir de Pachmann, Russian-German pianist * Vladimir Presnyakov Jr. (born 1968), Soviet and Russian singer, musician, keyboardist, composer, arranger, and actor * Vladimir Rosing (1890–1963), Russian-born American and English operatic tenor and stage director * Vladimír Válek (1935–2025), Czech conductor and educator * Vladimir Vysotsky (1938–1980), Soviet singer-songwriter, poet, and actor

Actors and TV hosts

* Vladimir Duthiers (born 1969), American journalist and TV host at CBS * Vladimir Fogel, Russian actor of the

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

era *

Vladimir Kozlov Oleg Aleksandrovich Prudius (born April 27, 1969) better known by his ring name Vladimir Kozlov, is a Ukrainian-American actor and Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he won the WWE Raw Ta ...

(born 1972), Ukrainian actor and professional wrestler * Vladimir Mashkov (born 1963), Russian actor and film director * Vladimir Solovyov (TV presenter) (born 1963), Russian journalist, television presenter, writer and propagandist *

Vladimir Yeryomin (actor) Vladimir Arkadyevich Yeryomin (; born September 6, 1950) is a Soviet and Russian stage, film and voice actor, screenwriter, producer and television presenter. He was awarded the Merited Artist of the Russian Federation in 2006. Biography Yery ...

, Soviet and Russian actor, screenwriter and producer * Vladimir Karamazov (born 1979), Bulgarian actor, producer and photographer

Politicians

* Vladimir Chirskov (born 1935), Soviet politician * Vladimir Dedijer, Yugoslav partisan fighter during World War II who became known as a politician, human rights activist, and historian, representative of

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

* Vladimír Hučín (born 1952), Czech political celebrity and dissident of both communist and post-communist era * Vladimir Kara-Murza (born 1981), Russian opposition politician, journalist, author, and filmmaker *

Vladimir Konstantinov (politician) Vladimir Andreyevich Konstantinov (, ; born 19 November 1956) is a Crimean and Russian politician who has served as the Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea since 17 March 2014. He served as Chairman of the Supreme Counci ...

, Crimean and Russian politician, Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea, one of the principal commanders of the

annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation In February and March 2014, Russia invaded the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, part of Ukraine, and then annexed it. This took place in the relative power vacuum immediately following the Revolution of Dignity. It marked the beginning of the Russ ...

* Vladimir Korolenko, Ukrainian-born Russian writer, journalist, human rights activist and humanitarian * Vladimir Makei, Belarusian politician who has served as the minister of foreign affairs of Belarus since 2012 * Vladimir Medinsky (born 1970), Russian political figure, academic and publicist who served as the Minister of Culture of Russia * Vladimir Milov (born 1972),

Russian opposition Opposition to the government of President Vladimir Putin in Russia, commonly referred to as the Russian opposition, can be divided between the parliamentary opposition parties in the State Duma and the various Non-system opposition, non-systemi ...

, economist, associate of

Alexei Navalny Alexei Anatolyevich Navalny (, ; 4 June 197616 February 2024) was a Russian Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia, opposition leader, anti-corruption in Russia, corruption activist and political prisoner. He founded the Anti-Corruption Found ...

* Vladimir D. Nabokov (1870–1922), Russian criminologist, journalist, and progressive statesman *

Vladimir Plahotniuc Vladimir Plahotniuc (born 1 January 1966), commonly referred to as Vlad Plahotniuc, is a Moldovan politician and oligarch and the vice president of the parliament of Moldova in 2010-2013. He was the chairman of the Democratic Party of Moldova ( ...

(born 1966), Moldovan politician, businessman and philanthropist, chairman of the

Democratic Party of Moldova The European Social Democratic Party (, PSDE) is a centre-left, populist Social democracy, social democratic political party in Moldova. Established in 1997, the party holds pro-European views, and is an associate member of the Party of European ...

* Vladimir Terebilov (1916–2004), Soviet judge and politician * Vladimir Tsyganko (1886/1887–1938), Bessarabian and Soviet politician * Vladimir Veselica, Croatian politician and economist * Vladimir Vladimirov (politician), Russian politician, Governor of Stavropol Krai * Vladimir Yakovlev (politician) (born 1944), Russian politician and former governor of

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 ...

* Vladimir Yakushev (born 1968), Russian politician serving as the Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the

Ural Federal District Ural Federal District ( rus, Уральский федеральный округ, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪj fʲɪdʲɪˈralʲnɨj ˈokrʊk) is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. Its population was 12,080,523 (79.9% urban) according to the ...

* Vladimir Yelagin (born 1955), Russian politician

Writers

* Vladimir Cavarnali (1910–1966), Romanian poet and editor * Vladimir Duthiers (born 1969), American journalist *

Vladimir Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky ( – 14 April 1930) was a Russian poet, playwright, artist, and actor. During his early, Russian Revolution, pre-Revolution period leading into 1917, Mayakovsky became renowned as a prominent figure of the Ru ...

(1893–1930), Soviet poet, playwright, artist, and actor * Vladimir Menshov (1939-2021), Soviet and Russian actor and filmmaker *

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov ( ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian and American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Born in Imperial Russia in 1899, Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Rus ...

(1899–1977), Russian and American novelist, poet, translator and entomologist *

Vladimir Nazor Vladimir Nazor (30 May 1876 – 19 June 1949) was a Croatian poet and politician. During and after World War II in Yugoslavia, he served as the first President of the Presidency of the Croatian Parliament (Croatian head of state), and first ...

(1876-1949), Croatian poet * Vladimir Oravsky (born 1947), Czechoslovakian-born Swedish author and film director *

Vladimir Sorokin Vladimir Georgiyevich Sorokin (; born 7 August 1955) is a postmodern Russian writer of novels, short stories, and plays. He has been described as one of the leading and most popular writers in contemporary Russian literature. Sorokin became k ...

(born 1955), Russian writer and dramatist * Vladimir Vidrić (1875-1909), Croatian poet

Scientists and engineers

* Vladimir Hachinski, Canadian clinical neuroscientist and researcher *

Vladimir Leontyevich Komarov Vladimir Leontyevich Komarov (; – 5 December 1945) was a Russian and Soviet botanist. Biography Komarov was born in 1869. He was a graduate of Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg University where he received a degree in bo ...

(1869–1945), Russian botanist * Vladimir Kostitsyn (born 1945), Russian geophysicist * Vladimir Kovalevsky, Russian statesman, scientist and entrepreneur * Vladimir Shkodrov (1930–2010), Bulgarian astronomer *

Vladimir Vernadsky Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky (), also spelt Volodymyr Ivanovych Vernadsky (; – 6 January 1945), was a Russian, Ukrainian, and Soviet mineralogist and geochemist who is considered one of the founders of geochemistry, biogeochemistry, and radio ...

(1863–1945), Russian mineralogist and geochemist * Vladimir K. Zworykin, Russian-American inventor, engineer, and pioneer of television technology

Artists

* Vladimir Becić (1886–1954), Croatian painter and photographer * Vladimir Dimitrov (1882–1960), Bulgarian painter, draughtsman and teacher *

Vladimír Havlík Vladimír Havlík (born February 7, 1959) is a Czech action artist, painter and pedagogue.Research Centre of the Academy of Fine Arts in PragueVladimír Havlík Education Havlík was educated at Palacký University (1978–1983) under the tutela ...

(born 1959), Czech action artist * Vladimir Kush (born 1965), Russian-born American painter, jewelry designer, and sculptor * Vladimir Makovsky (1846–1920), Russian painter, art collector, and teacher

Sportsmen

* Vladimir Arabadzhiev (born 1984), Bulgarian racing driver * Vladimír Coufal (born 1992), Czech footballer * Vladimir Dubov, Bulgarian freestyle wrestler * Vladimir Gadzhev (born 1987), Bulgarian footballer * Vladimir González (born 1978), Colombian road cyclist *

Vladimir Guerrero Vladimir Guerrero Alvino (born February 9, 1975), nicknamed "Vlad the Impaler", is a People of the Dominican Republic, Dominican former professional baseball player who spent 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right fielder and des ...

(born 1975), Dominican baseball player * Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (born 1999), Canadian-Dominican baseball player * Vladimir Iliev (born 1987), Bulgarian biathlete *

Vladimir Konstantinov Vladimir Nikolaevich Konstantinov (; born March 19, 1967) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player who played his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career, from 1991 to 1997 with the Detroit Red Wings. Previously, he had played for So ...

(born 1967), Russian-American ice hockey player *

(born 1979), Ukrainian-American producer and wrestler * Vladimir Latocha (born 1973), a French breaststroke swimmer * Vladimir Lutchenko, retired ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League * Vladimir Moragrega (born 1998), Mexican footballer * Vladimir Nikolov (volleyball) (born 1977), Bulgarian volleyball player * Vladimir Nunez (born 1975), Cuban baseball pitcher * Vladimir Obuchov (1935–2020), Soviet basketball coach * Vladimir Orlando Cardoso de Araújo Filho (born 1989), Brazilian footballer * Vladimir Parfyonov (born 1970), an Uzbekistani javelin thrower * Vladimir Popov (weightlifter) (born 1977), Moldovan weightlifter * Vladimir Portnoi (1931–1984), Soviet gymnast * Vladimir Proskurin (1945–2020), Russian footballer * Vladimir Salkov (1937–2020), Russian footballer * Vladimir Sotnikov (born 2004), Russian Paralympic swimmer * Vladimir Stojković, Serbian professional footballer * Vladimir Tarasenko (born 1991), Russian ice hockey player * Vladimir Timoshinin (born 1970), Russian diver * Vladimir Vujović (footballer, born 1982) Montenegrin footballer * Vladimir Zagorodniy (born 1983), Ukrainian road bicycle racer

Others

* Vladimir Derevenko, Russian Empire and Soviet medical doctor and surgeon who served at the court of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia * Vladimír Hrinčár, co-developer of Beat Saber *

Vladimir Kramnik Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik (; born 25 June 1975) is a Russian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. He was the World Chess Champion#Split title (1993–2006), Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the 14th undisputed World Ch ...

(born 1975), Russian chess grandmaster * Vladimir Petkov (born 1971), Bulgarian chess grandmaster *

Vladimir Potanin Vladimir Olegovich Potanin (; born 3 January 1961) is a Russian oligarch. He acquired his wealth notably through the controversial loans-for-shares program in Russia in the early to mid-1990s. As of May 7, 2025, Forbes ranked 81st richest in ...

(born 1961), Russian business oligarch *

Vladimir Socor Vladimir Socor (born 3 August 1945 in BucharestVladimir Socor - Curriculum Vitae

(born 1945), Romanian-American political analyst of East European affairs for the

Jamestown Foundation The Jamestown Foundation is a Washington, D.C.–based non-partisan defense policy think tank. Founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet defectors, its stated mission is to inform and educate policy makers about events and trends, which ...

and its ''Eurasia Daily Monitor'' * Vladimir Tenev (born 1987), Bulgarian-American entrepreneur and billionaire

Fictional characters

Vladimir (Waiting for Godot) Vladimir is one of the two main characters from Samuel Beckett's ''Waiting for Godot''. In the play, the other main character, Estragon, calls him Didi, while a boy calls him Mister Albert. Vladimir, like Estragon, is a tramp. Personality Th ...

, also known as Vladimir "Albert" and "Didi", a character in Samuel Beckett's ''Waiting for Godot'' * Vladimir, a character from '' My Life as a Teenage Robot'' * Vladimir "Uncle Vlad" Glebov, character from ''

GTA IV ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's ''Grand Theft Auto: San And ...

'' * Vladimir Makarov, character from ''

Call of Duty ''Call of Duty'' is a first-person shooter military video game series and media franchise published by Activision, starting in 2003. The games were first developed by Infinity Ward, then by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. Several spin-of ...

'' * Vladimir DeMordrey, character from ''

Sacred Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

'' * Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, character from ''Dune''

References

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