Vladimir Viktorovich Sakharov (; 20 May 1853 – August 1920) was a

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 ...

general of the cavalry who served in the

Russian Imperial 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 ...

. In his army career from 1869 to 1917, he served in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, 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 ...

, and

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 ...

Biography

Early life

Sakharov was a descendant of the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

of the

Moscow Governorate The Moscow Governorate was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, and the Russian Empire. It was bordered by Tver Governorate to the north, Vladimir Governorate to the northeast, Ryazan Governorate to the southeast, Tula Gove ...

and was a member 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 ...

. In 1869 he graduated from the Second Moscow Cadet Corps.

Military career

Sakharov entered the Imperial Russian Army on 10 August 1869. He graduated from the 1st Military Pavlovsk School in 1871 and was promoted to ''

podporuchik ''Podporuchik'' ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, потпоручник, potporučnik, , , , , ) is the most junior officer in some Slavic armed forces, and is placed below the rank of lieutenant, typically corresponding to rank of second lieutenant in English ...

'' (

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

) on 11 August 1871. He was seconded to the Life Guards Grenadier Regiment and became

Warrant Officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

of the Guard on 17 August 1872. He was promoted to second lieutenant on 6 December 1874 and to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 30 August 1876. In 1878 he graduated from the Nikolayev Academy of the General Staff in the first category. He was promoted from headquarters

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the Guard to captain of the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

on 6 January 1878 and was seconded to the

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

Training Squadron. Sakharov took part on the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. On 25 April 1878 he became senior

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

to the

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

of the 16th Infantry Division. On 23 December 1879 he became assistant senior adjutant of the headquarters of the army. On 31 January 1879, Sakharov took up duties as the clerk of the educational section of the

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

Infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

Junker Junker (, , , , , , ka, იუნკერი, ) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German , meaning 'young nobleman'Duden; Meaning of Junker, in German/ref> or otherwise 'young lord' (derivation of and ). The term is traditionally ...

School. On 4 November 1880 he became assistant class inspector of the 2nd Military Konstantinovsky School, and he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 12 April 1881. On 23 October 1881 he again was seconded to the Cavalry Training Squadron. On 30 June 1882 he began duty as director of affairs in the educational section of the

Officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

Cavalry School and received a promotion to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

on 8 April 1884. On 4 April 1886 he began duty as the head of the Elisavetgrad Cavalry

Cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

School. On 6 January 1891, Sakharov became

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 ...

of the 14th Cavalry Division and on 18 March 1891 he took up duties as chief of staff of the Kronstadt Fortress. He served as

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

of the 38th

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

Vladimir

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 ...

from 24 May 1893 to 12 November 1897. He was promoted to major general on 12 November 1897 and appointed to the post of chief of staff of the 5th Army Corps. On 30 June 1899 he became chief of staff of the Separate Corps of the

Border Guard A border guard of a country is a national security agency that ensures border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Germany, Italy or Ukraine) and rescue service duties. Name and uniform In diff ...

. Sakharov served in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

in 1900–1901 during the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, was an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, and anti-Christian uprising in North China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious F ...

and its aftermath. He was commander of the forces in northern

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

from 30 June 1900 to 4 September 1900. For military distinction he was awarded the Golden Weapon for Bravery on 18 August 1901. He was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

“for military distinction” on 31 January 1901, and from 16 February to 7 May 1901 was the head of the Zaamur District of the Border Guard. On 7 May 1901 he became commanding officer of the 4th Cavalry Division. On 29 November 1903 he took command of the 1st Siberian Army Corps.

Russo-Japanese War

The

began on 8 February 1904 while Sakharov was in command of the 1st Siberian Army Corps, but it did not see combat before he relinquished command in April 1904. On 5 April 1904, he became had of the field headquarters of the 1st Manchurian Army, participating in the

Battle of Shaho The Battle of Shaho ( (''Saka no kaisen''), ) was the second large-scale land battle of the Russo-Japanese War fought along a front centered at the Shaho River along the Mukden– Port Arthur spur of the China Far East Railway north of Liaoyang ...

in October 1904. On 18 October 1904, he became chief of staff to the commander-in-chief of all land and naval forces operating against

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Aleksey Kuropatkin. He performed those duties until 17 March 1905, and was awarded the Golden Weapon for Bravery with Diamonds on 26 November 1904. He served as a member of the Alexander Committee on the Wounded from 17 March 1905 to 3 January 1906, becoming temporary commander of the 17th Army Corps on 24 September 1905 in the immediate aftermath of the war while continuing to serve on the committee.

Between the wars

From 3 January to 21 April 1906, Sakharov was at the service of the commander-in-chief of all land and naval forces in the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

. On 21 April 1906 he was seconded to the ''

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 ...

'' (

). He took command of the 7th Army Corps on 11 October 1906 and was promoted to general of the cavalry on 13 April 1908. On 4 November 1911 he returned to duty on the Alexander Committee. While remaining on the committee, he simultaneously became the commander of the 11th Army Corps on 13 December 1913.Список Генерального штаба. Исправлен по 1-е июня 1914 года. — Petrograd, 1914, p. 24

The First World War

When 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 ...

entered

on 1 August 1914, Sakharov still was in command of the 11th Army Corps, which was a part of the 3rd Army. His corps consisted of the 11th Infantry Division, 32nd Infantry Division, and 11th Cavalry Division. He commanded the corps during the

Battle of Galicia The Battle of Galicia, also known as the Great Battle of Galicia, was a major battle between Russia and Austria-Hungary during the early stages of World War I in 1914. In the course of the battle, the Austro-Hungarian armies were severely def ...

in August 1914. From 22 August 1915 to 4 September 1915 Sakharov served as the

Military Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' may ...

Orenburg Orenburg (, ), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies in Eastern Europe, along the banks of the Ural River, being approximately southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is close to the ...

, where he was chief of the prison and commanded the troops of the Orenburg Cossacks. However, during this 14-day period — the shortest term of office of any Orenburg governor — he never set foot in Orenburg, and he continued to direct the operations of the 11th Army Corps. On 4 September 1915, Sakharov officially returned to the command of the 11th Army Corps, and on the same day simultaneously returned to duty as a member of the Alexander Committee on the Wounded. General Sakharov VV

On 25 October 1915, Sakharov became the commander of the 11th Army, which operated under the command of the Southwestern Front. Under his command, the 11th Army participated in the Brusilov Offensive in 1916. On 19 October 1916 he took command of the Danube Army, which the Imperial Russian Army had created to provide assistance to

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

during the Romanian Campaign. After the Imperial Russian Army created the

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' ...

based on the Danube Army and the remnants of the

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces () is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. Since 2007, full professionalization and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Land Forces. The Romanian Land Forc ...

, Sakharov was appointed assistant to the commander-in-chief of the Romanian Army,

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Ferdinand I of Romania Ferdinand I (Ferdinand Viktor Albert Meinrad; 24 August 1865 – 20 July 1927), nicknamed ''Întregitorul'' ("the Unifier"), was King of Romania from 10 October 1914 until his death in 1927. Ferdinand was the second son of Leopold, Prince of Hoh ...

, on 12 December 1916.

Revolution and Russian Civil War

After the

February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...

overthrew

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 II and resulted in the creation of the

Russian Republic The Russian Republic,. referred to as the Russian Democratic Federative Republic in the 1918 Constitution, was a short-lived state which controlled, ''de jure'', the territory of the former Russian Empire after its proclamation by the Rus ...

under the

Russian Provisional Government The Russian Provisional Government was a provisional government of the Russian Empire and Russian Republic, announced two days before and established immediately after the abdication of Nicholas II on 2 March, O.S. New_Style.html" ;"title="5 ...

, Sakharov was removed from command of the Romanian Front on 2 April 1917. He remained in active duty in the new

Russian Army 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, ...

, continuing only as a member of the Alexander Committee on the Wounded, on which he had served since September 1915. After the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

seized power in the

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 ...

on 7 November 1917 and the

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 ...

broke out, Sakharov was dismissed from the army. He lived in Romania, and then in the

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

. According to an account by P. V. Makarov, adjutant to General

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 ...

of the

White Army The White Army, also known as the White Guard, the White Guardsmen, or simply the Whites, was a common collective name for the armed formations of the White movement and Anti-Sovietism, anti-Bolshevik governments during the Russian Civil War. T ...

, Sakharov was traveling in a group of three

carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

s headed toward the Crimean village of Shabuldy — not realizing that forces of 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 ...

and Green Army had occupied the village — in 1920, when he and his companions were captured by a regiment of Green Army partisans hostile to the White Army after mistaking them for a friendly force resting by the roadside. Sakharov was among five men in the carriages that the partisans shot near Karasubazar in the Crimea, the remainder of the occupants of the carriages having agreed to join the partisans.Rumyantzev, Vyacheslav. "Сахаров, Владимир Викторович" ("Sakharov, Vladimir Viktorovich"). ''ХРОНОС – Всемирная История в Интернете'' (''HRONOS - World History on the Internet''). http://www.hrono.info/biograf/bio_s/saharov_vv.html. Retrieved 20 May 2009.

Personal life

Sakharov had a son, Dmitry Vladimirovich Sakharov, who was born in 1893. Sakharov's older brother,

Viktor Sakharov Viktor Viktorovich Sakharov (; 20 July 1848 in Moscow – 22 November 1905 in Saratov) was a Russian lieutenant general and Imperial Minister of War (1904–1905). Biography Sakharov was a graduate of the Nicholas Academy of the General Staff ...

(1848–1905), also pursued a military career, and reached the rank of

Decorations

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...

Third Class (1879) *

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

Third Class (1880) * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of Saint Anna Second Class (1888) *

Order of Saint Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir () was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine the Great, Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev, Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of ...

Fourth Class (1892) * Order of Saint Vladimir Third Class (1900) * RUS Order of Saint George 4th class ribbon 2000

Golden Weapon for Bravery (1901) * RUS Order of Saint George 4th class ribbon 2000

Golden Weapon for Bravery with diamonds (1904) * Order of Saint Stanislaus First Class with Swords (1904) * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of Saint Anna First Class (6 December 1911) * RUS Order of Saint George 4th class ribbon 2000

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George () is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. It was originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) as the highest military decoration of the Russian Empire for commiss ...

Fourth Class (27 September 1914) "For distinction in action against the enemy" * RUS Order of Saint George 4th class ribbon 2000

Order of St. George Third Class (27 October 1915) "For the successful action in August and September 1915 in the area Gayvoronki and Sokolusa, including the taking of some 17,000 prisoners"

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

Биография Сахарова В. В. на сайте «Хронос»

сайт «История Оренбуржья». Авторский проект Раковского Сергея
* * ''В. Г. Семенов, В. П. Семенова''. Губернаторы Оренбургского края. Оренбургское книжное издательство. — 1999. * Zalessky K. A. Who Was Who in the First World War. - M .: AST; Astrel, 2003 .-- 896 p. - 5,000 copies. - (ACT); (Astrel).

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sakharov, Vladimir Viktorovich 1853 births 1920 deaths People from Moscow Governorate Imperial Russian Army generals Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Russian military personnel of World War I Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree Recipients of the Gold Sword for Bravery