Kiev Military District

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= Kiev Military District


caption=
dates= 1921 - November 1, 1992
country= Soviet Union
allegiance=
branch=
type=
role=
size= 150,000(1990)
command_structure=South-Western Strategic Direction
garrison=Kiev
garrison_label=HQ
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
colors_label=
march=
mascot=
equipment=1,500
1,500
700
100
equipment_label=Tanks
APCs
Artillery
Helicopters
battles=World War II
anniversaries=
decorations=
battle_honours=The Kiev Military District (KMD) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, active from around 1939 to the 1990s.

History

First Formation

The District was formed after the Russian Revolution and active by 1921. [ [http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1921/military/ch34.htm Leon Trotsky: 1921-1923 - How The Revolution Armed/Volume IV (The Case of Red Army Man Kozlov) ] ] In 1935 the eastern half of the Ukrainian Military District became the new Kharkov Military District, and at that point the Kiev MD was probably reformed as well.

When the German Operation Barbarossa began on June 22, 1941, the then Kiev Special Military District became the Soviet Southwestern Front.

econd Formation

The District was formed again on October 25, 1943, with the Headquarters in Kiev. [Kiev RedStar. M., 1974 pg431] In June 1946, 7 oblasts of the disbanded Kharkov Military District were added to the KMD. The District now included: Kyiv Oblast, Cherkasy Oblast, Uman Oblast, Voroshilovgrad Oblast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Poltava Oblast, Stalin Oblast, Sumy Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast and Chernihiv Oblast.

Units stationed in the District were 1st Guards Army and 6th Guards Tank Army. 69th Air Army was active from the early 1950s to at least 1964 in the district.(See ) In 1959 the 17th Air Army was relocated to the District from Mongolia to provide air support. The 60th Corps of the 8th Air Defense Army provided air defense for the District. [Feskov et al, The Soviet Army during the period of the Cold War, Tomsk University, Tomsk, 2004 pg 8]

Disbanded

In 1991, Colonel General Viktor S. Chechevatov [ [http://www.nupi.no/cgi-win/Russland/personer.exe?848 Persons - NUPI ] ] was dismissed as District commander for refusing to take an oath of loyalty to Ukraine.The District was disbanded after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, by November 1, 1992 [ [http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/cgi-bin/laws/main.cgi?nreg=497%2F92 Про розформування Київського військового округу| вiд 16.10.1992 № 497/92 ] ] , and its structure utilized as the basis for the new Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and General Staff [ [http://www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/1997/099704.shtml ANALYSIS: Ukraine adopts program for military reform (03/02/97) ] ] .

Order of Battle

1920

In the early 1920s the District included the following divisions: [Lenskii 2001]
*3rd Crimea Rifle Division
*7th Chernigov Rifle Division
*15th Sivashsk Division
*24th Samaro-Simbirsk Iron Rifle Division
*25th Chapaev Rifle Division
*30th Irkutsk Rifle Division
*44th Kiev Mountain Rifle Division
*45th Volhynia Rifle Division
*51st Perekop Rifle Division

1943-1991

*6th Guards Tank Army - Dnipropetrovsk
*1st Guards Army -Chernihiv
*17th Air Army
*8th Air Defense Army
**60th Corps

Commanders

* Colonel General Andrei Grechko - July 09, 1945 - May 25, 1953 [Feskov et al, The Soviet Army during the period of the Cold War, Tomsk University, Tomsk, 2004 pg 16]
* Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasily Chuikov - May 26, 1953 - April 1960
* General of the Army Pyotr Koshevoy - April 1960 - January 1965
* General of the Army Ivan Yakubovsky - January 1965 - April 1967
* General-Polkovnik Viktor Kulikov - April 1967 - 1969
* General-Polkovnik G. Salmanov - April 1969 - 1975
* General-Polkovnik I. Gerasimov - 1975 - 1984
* General-Polkovnik V. Osipov - 1984 - 1989
* General-Polkovnik Boris Gromov - 1989 - January 1990
* General-Polkovnik Viktor Chechevatov - January 1990 - 1991

References