Chief of the General Staff (Russia)

The Chief of the General Staff (Russian: Начальник Генерального штаба) is the head of the General Staff and the highest ranking officer of the Russian Armed Forces or is also the senior-most uniformed military officer. He is appointed by the President of Russia, who is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The position dates to the period of the Russian Empire. The current Chief of the General Staff is Army General Valery Gerasimov.

Chief of the General Staff
Начальник Генерального штаба (Russian)
Emblem of the general staff
Flag of the Chief of the General Staff
since 9 November 2012
General Staff of the Armed Forces
TypeChief of staff
Member of
Reports toMinister of Defence of Russia
President of Russia (sometimes)
SeatGeneral Staff Building, Znamenka 14/1, Moscow
AppointerPresident of Russia
Formation9 August 1812 (historical)
10 June 1992 (current)
First holderGeneral-Adjutant Pavel Gavrilovich Gagarin [ru]
DeputyFirst Deputy Chief of the General Staff
Websitewww.mil.ru

List of chiefs of the general staff

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† denotes people who died in office.

Imperial Russian Army (1812–1917)

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Chief of the Main Staff

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No. Portrait Chief of the Main Staff Took office Left office Time in office Defence branch
1van Heiden, Fyodor LogginovichLieutenant General
Fyodor Logginovich van Heiden
(1821–1900)
1 January 186622 May 188115 years, 141 days  Imperial Russian Army
2Obruchev, NikolaiLieutenant General
General of the Infantry
Nikolai Obruchev
(1830–1904)
10 June 188131 December 189716 years, 204 days  Imperial Russian Army
3Sakharov, ViktorLieutenant General
Viktor Sakharov
(1848–1905)
20 January 189811 March 19046 years, 51 days  Imperial Russian Army
4Frolov, PyotrLieutenant General
Pyotr A. Frolov [ru]
(1852–?)
11 March 190428 June 19051 year, 109 days  Imperial Russian Army

Chief of the General Directorate of the General Staff

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No. Portrait Chief of the General Directorate of the General Staff Took office Left office Time in office Defence branch
1Palitsyn, FyodorGeneral of the Cavalry
Fyodor Palitsyn
(1851–1923)
28 June 19052 December 1908157 days  Imperial Russian Army
2Sukhomlinov, VladimirGeneral of the Cavalry
Vladimir Sukhomlinov
(1848–1926)
2 December 190811 March 190999 days  Imperial Russian Army
3Myshlayevsky, AlexanderGeneral of the Infantry
Alexander Myshlayevsky
(1856–1920)
11 March 1909September 19095 months  Imperial Russian Army
4Gerngross, EvgenyLieutenant General
Evgeny Gerngross [ru]
(1855–1912)
September 190922 February 19111 year, 5 months  Imperial Russian Army
5Zhilinskiy, YakovGeneral of the Cavalry
Yakov Zhilinsky
(1853–1918)
22 February 19114 March 19143 years, 10 days  Imperial Russian Army
6Yanushkevich, NikolaiMajor General
Nikolai Yanushkevich
(1868–1918)
5 March 19141 August 1914149 days  Imperial Russian Army
7Belyaev, MikhailMajor General
Mikhail Belyaev
(1863–1918)
1 August 191410 August 19162 years, 9 days  Imperial Russian Army
8Averyanov, PyotrLieutenant General
Pyotr Averyanov [ru]
(1867–1937)
10 August 191615 May 1917278 days  Imperial Russian Army
9Romanovsky, IvanLieutenant General
Ivan Romanovsky
(1877–1920)
18 July 191726 September 1917134 daysRussian Army (1917)
10Marushevsky, VladimirMajor General
Vladimir Marushevsky
(1874–1952)
26 September 191723 November 191758 daysRussian Army (1917)

Council of People's Commissars on War and Navy Affairs (1917–1918)

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No. Portrait Chief of the General Staff Took office Left office Time in office Defence branch
1Potapov, NikolayMajor General
Nikolay Potapov
(1871–1946)
23 November 19178 May 1918166 days  Red Army

Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic (1918–1921)

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No. Portrait Chief of the All-Russian Main Staff Took office Left office Time in office Defence branch
1Stogov, NikolaiLieutenant General
Nikolai Stogov
(1873–1959)
8 May 19182 August 19191 year, 86 days  Red Army
2Svechin, AlexanderMajor General
Alexander Svechin
(1878–1938)
2 August 191922 October 191981 days  Red Army
3Rattel, NikolayMajor General
Nikolay Rattel
(1875–1939)
22 October 191910 February 19211 year, 111 days  Red Army
No. Portrait Chief of the Field Staff Took office Left office Time in office Defence branch
1Rattel, NikolayMajor General
Nikolay Rattel
(1875–1939)
6 September 191821 October 191845 days  Red Army
2Kostyayev, FyodorMajor General
Fyodor Kostyayev
(1878–1925)
21 October 191818 June 1919240 days  Red Army
3Bonch-Bruyevich, MikhailMajor General
Mikhail Bonch-Bruyevich
(1870–1956)
18 June 191922 July 191934 days  Red Army
4Lebedev, PavelMajor General
Pavel Lebedev
(1872–1933)
22 July 191910 February 19211 year, 203 days  Red Army

Red Army (1921–1946)

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Chief of the Staff

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No. Portrait Chief of the Staff Took office Left office Time in office Defence branch
1Lebedev, PavelMajor General
Pavel Lebedev
(1872–1933)
10 February 1921April 19243 years, 1 month  Red Army
2Frunze, MikhailMajor General
Mikhail Frunze
(1885–1925)
April 1924January 19259 months  Red Army
3Kamenev, SergeyKomandarm 1st rank
Sergey Kamenev
(1881–1936)
January 1925November 192510 months  Red Army
4Tukhachevsky, MikhailMarshal of the Soviet Union
Mikhail Tukhachevsky
(1893–1937)
November 1925May 19282 years, 6 months  Red Army
5Shaposhnikov, BorisKomandarm 1st rank
Boris Shaposhnikov
(1882–1945)
May 1928April 19312 years, 11 months  Red Army
6Triandafillov, VladimirGeneral
Vladimir Triandafillov
(1894–1931)
[a]
May 193112 July 1931 †2 months  Red Army
7Yegorov, AlexanderMarshal of the Soviet Union
Alexander Yegorov
(1883–1939)
July 1931September 19354 years, 2 months  Red Army

Chief of the General Staff

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No. Portrait Chief of the General Staff Took office Left office Time in office Defence branch
1Yegorov, AlexanderMarshal of the Soviet Union
Alexander Yegorov
(1883–1939)
September 193510 May 19371 year, 8 months  Red Army
2Shaposhnikov, BorisMarshal of the Soviet Union
Boris Shaposhnikov
(1882–1945)
10 May 1937August 19403 years, 2 months  Red Army
3Shaposhnikov, BorisArmy General
Kirill Meretskov
(1897–1968)
August 1940January 19415 months  Red Army
4Zhukov, GeorgyArmy General
Georgy Zhukov
(1896–1974)
February 194129 July 19415 months  Red Army
(2)Shaposhnikov, BorisMarshal of the Soviet Union
Boris Shaposhnikov
(1882–1945)
29 July 194111 May 1942286 days  Red Army
5Vasilevsky, AleksandrMarshal of the Soviet Union
Aleksandr Vasilevsky
(1895–1977)
26 June 1942February 19452 years, 7 months  Red Army
6Antonov, AlekseiArmy General
Aleksei Antonov
(1896–1962)
February 194522 March 19461 year, 1 month  Red Army

Soviet Armed Forces (1946–1991)

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No. Portrait Chief of the General Staff Took office Left office Time in office Defence branch
1Vasilevsky, AleksandrMarshal of the Soviet Union
Aleksandr Vasilevsky
(1895–1977)
22 March 1946November 19482 years, 7 months  Soviet Army
2Shtemenko, SergeiArmy General
Sergei Shtemenko
(1907–1976)
November 1948June 19523 years, 7 months  Soviet Army
3Sokolovsky, VasilyMarshal of the Soviet Union
Vasily Sokolovsky
(1897–1968)
June 1952April 19607 years, 10 months  Soviet Army
4Zakharov, MatveiMarshal of the Soviet Union
Matvei Zakharov
(1898–1972)
April 1960March 19632 years, 11 months  Soviet Army
5Biryuzov, SergeyMarshal of the Soviet Union
Sergey Biryuzov
(1904–1964)
[a]
March 196319 October 1964 †1 year, 7 months  Soviet Army
(4)Zakharov, MatveiMarshal of the Soviet Union
Matvei Zakharov
(1898–1972)
November 1964September 19716 years, 9 months  Soviet Army
6Kulikov, ViktorMarshal of the Soviet Union
Viktor Kulikov
(1921–2013)
September 19717 January 19775 years, 4 months  Soviet Army
7Ogarkov, NikolaiMarshal of the Soviet Union
Nikolai Ogarkov
(1917–1994)
[1]
7 January 19776 September 19847 years, 238 days  Soviet Army
8Akhromeyev, SergeyMarshal of the Soviet Union
Sergey Akhromeyev
(1923–1991)
[1]
6 September 19842 November 19884 years, 62 days  Soviet Army
9Moiseyev, MikhailColonel General
Army General
Mikhail Moiseyev
(1939–2022)
December 198823 August 19912 years, 8 months  Soviet Army
10Lobov, VladimirArmy General
Vladimir Lobov
(born 1935)
25 August 199125 December 1991122 days  Soviet Army

Russian Armed Forces (1992–present)

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No. Portrait Chief of the General Staff Took office Left office Time in office Defence branch
1Dubynin, ViktorArmy General
Viktor Dubynin
(1943–1992)
10 June 199222 November 1992 †165 days  Russian Ground Forces
2Kolesnikov, MikhailArmy General
Mikhail Kolesnikov
(1939–2007)
22 November 199218 October 19963 years, 331 days  Russian Ground Forces
3Samsonov, ViktorArmy General
Viktor Samsonov
(1941–2024)
18 October 199622 May 1997216 days  Russian Ground Forces
4Kvashnin, AnatolyArmy General
Anatoly Kvashnin
(1946–2022)
22 May 199719 July 20047 years, 58 days  Russian Ground Forces
5Baluyevsky, YuriArmy General
Yuri Baluyevsky
(born 1947)
19 July 20043 June 20083 years, 320 days  Russian Ground Forces
6Makarov, NikolaiArmy General
Nikolai Makarov
(born 1949)
3 June 20089 November 20124 years, 159 days  Russian Ground Forces
7Gerasimov, ValeryArmy General
Valery Gerasimov
(born 1955)
9 November 2012Incumbent12 years, 44 days  Russian Ground Forces

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Died in a plane crash.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Garthoff, Raymond L. (1994). The Great Transition: American-Soviet Relations and the End of the Cold War. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution. p. 186. ISBN 0-8157-3060-8. The decision was taken at the regular Politburo meeting [on 6 September] and appeared to have been sudden

Further reading

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  • V.I. Feskov, K.A. Kalashnikov, V.I. Golikov, The Soviet Army in the Years of the Cold War 1945–91, Tomsk University Publishing House, Tomsk, 2004 (for Soviet era list of CGSs).
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