Far Eastern Military District

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The Far Eastern Military District (Russian: Дальневосточный военный округ) is a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which traces its history originally to the East Siberian Military District originally formed in 1918, during the Russian Civil War. Its headquarters are now at Khabarovsk. General Yuriy Yakubov, former Commander of Troops of the District, was replaced by General Vladimir Bulgakov in early September 2006.

Following the Soviet victory in the Civil War the Soviet forces in the area became the Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army (OKDVA) of the Far Eastern Republic. The District was first briefly formed in 1935 from those forces, but then reverted to the title Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army, under Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasily Blyukher, while still functioning as a military district. The Army became the Soviet Far East Front in June 1938,[1] after Blyukher's torture and death at the hands of the NKVD during the Great Purge. Operation August Storm was launched against the Japanese held region of Manchukuo from the Soviet Far East by the Far Eastern Direction, with the two Far East Fronts under its command, under Marshal Vasilevsky in the last days of the Second World War.

On September 10, 1945, the 1st Far East Front was disbanded by being redesignated the Primorskoe (Maritime) Military District, controlling the Primorye Territory, and the 2nd Far East Front was redesignated the Far East Military District controlling Kamchatka, Sakhalin and the Kurile Islands. In 1947 the Khabarovsk territory and the Amur area were added to the Far East Military District. Six years later on April 23, 1953, the two districts were reunified as the Far East Military District, with its headquarters staff in Khabarovsk, the staff being drawn from the former Commander-in-chief of Forces of the Far East's staff.

There were originally a corps headquarters and three divisions of the VDV, the Soviet Airborne Forces, active in the district after the war. 37th Guards Airborne Corps had the 13th, 98th, and 99th Guards Airborne Divisions, but the 13th was disbanded in 1959 and the other divisions disbanded by the end of the 1970s, leaving air assault brigades as the only Airborne Forces presence.

Toward the end of the 1980s the District included the 5th Army (HQ Ussuriysk, seven divisions), the 15th Army (HQ Khabarovsk, four divisions), the 35th Army (HQ Belogorsk, six divisions), and the 51st Army (HQ Yuzho-Sakhalinsk, including 25th Army Corps with the 87th and 99th MRDs, and four other divisions).[2]

The District gained the vast Sakha Republic from the disbanding Transbaikal Military District following reorganisation in the late 1990s, which also saw the disbandment of the 15th and 51st Armies. Forces within the District now include the 14th Separate Brigade of Special Designation (Spetsnaz) at Ussuriysk, the 5th Army, the 35th Army, HQ 68th Corps (the former 51st Army), four Motor Rifle Divisions, and four Machine-Gun/Artillery Divisions. The structure of the 83rd Airborne Brigade at Ussuriysk is unclear; it has incorporated a tank battalion is in the past. With the brigade for certain at present are the 635/654 or 954/598 Separate Airborne Battalions (опдб), a Guards artillery battalion, and support units.[3] Ten units in the DVVO are now manned by contract servicemen.[4]

Under naval command is the North Eastern Group of Troops and Forces (Ru: Группировки войск и сил на Северо-Востоке России (ВССВ)), formed in 1998 and incorporating troops of the former 25th Army Corps. The North-Eastern Group was established in Kamchatka in 1998 "primarily because of the remoteness of the zone of responsibility in the North-East from the controlling structures, the Far East Military District, and the Pacific Fleet".[5] It includes the 40th Motor Rifle Brigade on the Kamchatka peninsula, which appears to be at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and includes the 59th Separate Tank Battalion and 385th Separate Motor Rifle Battalion. In August 2007 the 40th Brigade become a Naval Infantry brigade.[6]

[edit] Commanders Since World War II

  • Army General Maksim Purkayev (09 1945-01 1947),
  • Colonel General Nikolay Ivanovich Krylov (01 1947-04 1953),
  • Marshal of the Soviet Union Rodion Malinovsky (04 1953-03 1956),
  • Army General V.A. Penkovskiy (03/1956-07/1961),
  • Army General Ya. G. Kreyzer (08/1961-12/1963),
  • General Colonel I.G. Pavlovskiy (12/1963-04/1967),
  • General Colonel О.А. Losik (04 05 1967-05 1969),
  • Army General V.F. Тolubko (05 1969-04 1972),
  • Army General V.I. Petrov (04 1972-05 1976),
  • Army General I.M. Tretyak (06/1976-07/1984),
  • Army General Dmitry Yazov (07/1984-01/1987),
  • Colonel General M.A. Мoiseev (01 1987-12 1988),
  • Colonel General V.I. Novozhilov (с 01 1989)
  • Colonel General Viktor S. Chechevatov [7]

[edit] Current Order of Battle

  • 5th Army
    • 81st Krasnograd Order of the Red Banner Guards Order of Suvorov Motor Rifle Division (Bikin)(81 Guards Rifle Division was ex 422nd Rifle Division March 1943). Fought at Krasnograd, Iasi, and Pressburg. With 53rd Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front 5.45. Became 81st Guards Motor Rifle Division in 1957 or 1965.
    • 121st Order of Red Banner Motor Rifle Division (originally 10th Mechanised Corps)
    • 127th Roslavl Machine-Gun Artillery Division (ex 277 MRD, originally 66th Rifle Division)
    • 129th Machine-Gun Arty Division
    • 130th Machine-Gun Arty Division (Lesozavodsk)

[edit] Sources and Further Reading

  1. ^ See the Russian language order on the subject at http://rkka.ru/handbook/doc/okdva-280638.htm
  2. ^ Feskov et al 2004
  3. ^ brinkster.com, Far East Military District page, mid 2007
  4. ^ AVN Military New Agency 5 April 2007 (see talk page)
  5. ^ Keir Giles, 'Russian Regional Commands', Conflict Studies Research Centre, April 2006
  6. ^ Архив новостей
  7. ^ Persons - NUPI
  8. ^ http://www8.brinkster.com/vad777/russia/grand_force/grand_force_chasti.htm