Suvorov Military School

The Suvorov Military Schools are a type of Russian school for boys of 14-17. Education in such a school focuses on military related subjects.

A unique kind of Russian military schools for teenagers is the Nakhimov Naval School in St. Petersburg.

This type of schools was created in the USSR during the Great Patriotic War in December, 1943 to give male children of school age with secondary education specializing in military (Army, Navy, Intelligence, etc.) subjects and training.A number of Suvorov/Nakhimov Military Schools still exist in the CIS countries (including the Republic of Belarus). The Suvorov schools are now subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces.

Carey Schofield, a British journalist with close links to the Soviet Armed Forces, wrote in 1990-91 that '..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.' [Carey Schofield, Inside the Soviet Army, Headline Book Publishing, 1991, p.41] She noted that at that time, several of the original schools had closed, leaving eight Suvarov schools and a single Nakhimov school across the whole of the Soviet Union.

Scott and Scott, in the "Russian Military Directory 2004", listed Suvarov schools active at the time in Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Moscow, St.Petersburg, Vladikavkaz, Tver, Ulyanovsk, and Ussuriysk. Several Cadet Corps, a number of them recently formed, were also listed, each affiliated to a specific service branch such as the Space Troops, the Chief of Construction and Billeting, and the Signals Troops.

References

*Harriet F. Scott and William F. Scott, Russian Military Directory 2004, p.207-208
* [http://www.svu.ru Association of Suvorov Military Schools]