Nicholas I Pavlovich
Coronation:
Predecessor:	Alexander I
Successor:	Alexander II
Coronation:
Predecessor:	Alexander I
Successor:	Alexander II
Predecessor:	Alexander I
Successor:	Alexander II
Religion:	Orthodoxy
Birth:
Buried:	Peter and Paul Cathedral
Dynasty:	Romanovs
	Maria Fedorovna
	Charlotte of Prussia (Alexandra Feodorovna)
Monogram:

Biography

Childhood and adolescence

The most important milestones of the reign

Domestic politics

Peasant question

Nicholas and the problem of corruption

Foreign policy

Emperor Engineer

Culture, censorship and writers

Nicknames

Family and personal life

monuments

Nicholas I Pavlovich Unforgettable (June 25 (July 6), 1796, Tsarskoye Selo - February 18 (March 2), 1855, St. Petersburg) - Emperor of All Russia from December 14 (December 26), 1825 to February 18 (March 2), 1855, Tsar of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland . From the imperial house of the Romanovs, Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov dynasty.

Biography

Childhood and adolescence

Nicholas was the third son of Emperor Paul I and Empress Maria Feodorovna. He was born on June 25, 1796 - a few months before the accession of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich to the throne. Thus, he was the last of the grandchildren of Catherine II, born during her lifetime.

The birth of Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich was announced in Tsarskoye Selo by cannon fire and bell ringing, and news was sent to St. Petersburg by courier.

Odes were written for the birth of the Grand Duke, the author of one of them was G. R. Derzhavin. Before him, in the imperial house of the Romanovs, the Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov dynasty, children were not named after Nikolai. Name day - December 6 according to the Julian calendar (Nicholas the Wonderworker).

According to the order established under Empress Catherine, Grand Duke Nikolai from birth entered into the care of the royal grandmother, but the death of the Empress that followed soon cut off her influence on the course of the upbringing of the Grand Duke. His nanny was Scottish Lyon. She was for the first seven years the only leader of Nicholas. The boy, with all the strength of his soul, became attached to his first teacher, and one cannot but agree that during the period of tender childhood, “the heroic, chivalrous, noble, strong and open character of Nanny Lyon” left an imprint on the character of her pupil.

Since November 1800, General M. I. Lamzdorf became the tutor of Nikolai and Mikhail. The choice of General Lamzdorf for the post of educator of the Grand Duke was made by Emperor Paul. Paul I pointed out: “Just don’t make such rake of my sons as German princes” (German. Solche Schlingel wie die deutschen Prinzen). In the highest order of November 23, 1800, it was announced:

"Lieutenant-General Lamzdorf has been appointed to be under His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich." The general stayed with his pupil for 17 years. Obviously, Lamzdorf fully satisfied the pedagogical requirements of Maria Feodorovna. Thus, in a parting letter of 1814, Maria Fedorovna called General Lamzdorf the “second father” of Grand Dukes Nikolai and Mikhail.

The death of his father, Paul I, in March 1801, could not but be imprinted in the memory of the four-year-old Nicholas. He later described what happened in his memoirs:

The events of that sad day are preserved in my memory like a vague dream; I was awakened and saw Countess Lieven before me. When I was dressed, we noticed through the window, on the drawbridge under the church, the guards, which were not there the day before; there was the entire Semyonovsky regiment in an extremely careless form. None of us suspected that we had lost our father; we were taken downstairs to my mother, and soon from there we went with her, sisters, Mikhail and Countess Liven to the Winter Palace. The guard went out into the courtyard of the Mikhailovsky Palace and saluted. My mother immediately silenced him. My mother was lying in the back of the room when Emperor Alexander entered, accompanied by Konstantin and Prince Nikolai Ivanovich Saltykov; he threw himself on his knees before his mother, and I can still hear his sobs. They brought him water, and they took us away. We were happy to see our rooms again and, I must tell you the truth, our wooden horses, which we had forgotten there.

This was the first blow of fate dealt to him during the period of his most tender age, a blow. Since then, concern for his upbringing and education has been concentrated entirely and exclusively in the jurisdiction of the widowed Empress Maria Feodorovna, out of a sense of delicacy towards which Emperor Alexander I refrained from any influence on the upbringing of his younger brothers.

Empress Maria Feodorovna's greatest concern in the education of Nikolai Pavlovich was to try to turn him away from the passion for military exercises, which was found in him from early childhood. The passion for the technical side of military affairs, instilled in Russia by Paul I, took deep and strong roots in the royal family - Alexander I, despite his liberalism, was an ardent supporter of the watch parade and all its subtleties, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich experienced complete happiness only on parade ground, among drilled teams. The younger brothers were not inferior in this passion to the older ones. From early childhood, Nikolai began to show a special passion for military toys and stories about military operations. The best reward for him was permission to go to a parade or a divorce, where he watched everything that happened with special attention, dwelling on even the smallest details.

Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich was educated at home - teachers were assigned to him and his brother Mikhail. But Nikolai did not show much zeal for study. He did not recognize the humanities, but he was well versed in the art of war, was fond of fortification, and was familiar with engineering.

According to V. A. Mukhanov, Nikolai Pavlovich, having completed his education, was himself horrified by his ignorance and after the wedding he tried to fill this gap, but the conditions of a scattered life, the predominance of military occupations and the bright joys of family life distracted him from constant office work. “His mind was not processed, his upbringing was careless,” Queen Victoria wrote about Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich in 1844.

It is known that the future emperor was fond of painting, which he studied in childhood under the guidance of the painter I. A. Akimov and the author of religious and historical compositions, Professor V. K. Shebuev

During the Patriotic War of 1812 and the subsequent military campaigns of the Russian army in Europe, Nicholas was eager to go to war, but met with a decisive refusal from the Empress Mother. In 1813, the 17-year-old Grand Duke was taught strategy. At this time, from his sister Anna Pavlovna, with whom he was very friendly, Nicholas accidentally learned that Alexander I had visited Silesia, where he had seen the family of the Prussian king, that Alexander liked his eldest daughter, Princess Charlotte, and that his intention was that Nicholas somehow met her.

Only at the beginning of 1814 did Emperor Alexander allow his younger brothers to join the army abroad. On February 5 (17), 1814, Nikolai and Mikhail left Petersburg. On this journey they were accompanied by General Lamzdorf, gentlemen: I.F. Savrasov, A.P. Aledinsky and P.I. Arseniev, Colonel Gianotti and Dr. Rühl. After 17 days, they reached Berlin, where the 17-year-old Nicholas saw the 16-year-old daughter of the King of Prussia, Frederick William III, Charlotte.

After spending one day in Berlin, the travelers proceeded through Leipzig, Weimar, where they saw their sister Maria Pavlovna, Frankfurt am Main, Bruchsal, where Empress Elizaveta Alekseevna then lived, Rastatt, Freiburg and Basel. Near Basel, they first heard enemy shots, as the Austrians and Bavarians were besieging the nearby fortress of Güningen. Then through Altkirch they entered France and reached the tail of the army at Vesoul. However, Alexander I ordered the brothers to return to Basel. Only when the news came that Paris had been taken and Napoleon had been banished to the island of Elba, did the grand dukes receive orders to come to Paris.

On November 4, 1815, in Berlin, during an official dinner, the engagement of Princess Charlotte and Tsarevich and Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich was announced.

After the military campaigns of the Russian army in Europe, professors were invited to the Grand Duke, who were supposed to "read the military sciences as fully as possible." For this purpose, the well-known engineering general Karl Opperman and, to help him, colonels Gianotti and Markevich were chosen.

Since 1815, military conversations between Nikolai Pavlovich and General Opperman began.

On his return from his second campaign, beginning in December 1815, Grand Duke Nicholas again began to study with some of his former professors. Balugyansky read "the science of finance", Akhverdov read Russian history (from the reign of Ivan the Terrible to the Time of Troubles). With Markevich, the Grand Duke was engaged in "military translations", and with Gianotti - reading the works of Giraud and Lloyd about various campaigns of the wars of 1814 and 1815, as well as analyzing the project "on the expulsion of the Turks from Europe under certain given conditions."

Youth

In March 1816, three months before his twentieth birthday, fate brought Nicholas together with the Grand Duchy of Finland. At the beginning of 1816, the University of Åbo, following the example of the universities of Sweden, most humbly interceded whether Alexander I would honor him with royal grace to grant him a chancellor in the person of His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich. According to the historian M. M. Borodkin, this “thought belongs entirely to Tengström, the bishop of the Abo diocese, a supporter of Russia. Alexander I granted the request and Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich was appointed chancellor of the university. His task was to maintain the status of the university and the conformity of university life with the spirit and traditions. In memory of this event, the St. Petersburg Mint minted a bronze medal.

Also in 1816 he was appointed chief of the cavalry chasseurs.

In the summer of 1816, Nikolai Pavlovich was to complete his education by taking a trip around Russia to get acquainted with his fatherland in administrative, commercial and industrial terms. Upon returning from this trip, it was also planned to make a trip abroad to get acquainted with England. On this occasion, on behalf of Empress Maria Feodorovna, a special note was drawn up, which summarized the main foundations of the administrative system of provincial Russia, described the areas that the Grand Duke had to pass through, in historical, everyday, industrial and geographical terms, it was indicated what exactly could be the subject of conversations between the Grand Duke and representatives of the provincial authorities, what should be paid attention to, and so on.

Thanks to a trip to some provinces of Russia, Nikolai got a visual idea of ​​the internal state and problems of his country, and in England he got acquainted with the experience of developing one of the most advanced socio-political systems of his time. However, Nicholas's emerging political system of views was distinguished by a pronounced conservative, anti-liberal orientation.

On July 13, 1817, Grand Duke Nicholas married Princess Charlotte of Prussia. The wedding took place on the birthday of the young princess - July 13, 1817 in the church of the Winter Palace. Charlotte of Prussia converted to Orthodoxy and was given a new name - Alexandra Feodorovna. This marriage strengthened the political union of Russia and Prussia.

The question of succession. Interregnum

In 1820, Emperor Alexander I informed his brother Nikolai Pavlovich and his wife that the heir to the throne, their brother Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, intended to renounce his right, so Nikolai would become the heir as the next brother in seniority.

In 1823, Konstantin formally renounced his rights to the throne, as he had no children, was divorced and married in a second morganatic marriage to the Polish Countess Grudzinska. On August 16, 1823, Alexander I signed a secretly drawn up manifesto, which approved the abdication of the Tsesarevich and Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich and approved Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich as the Heir to the Throne. On all packages with the text of the manifesto, Alexander I himself wrote: "Keep until my demand, and in the event of my death, open before any other action."

On November 19, 1825, while in Taganrog, Emperor Alexander I died suddenly. In St. Petersburg, the news of Alexander's death was received only on the morning of November 27 during a prayer service for the emperor's health. Nicholas, the first of those present, swore allegiance to "Emperor Constantine I" and began to swear in the troops. Constantine himself was in Warsaw at that moment, being the de facto governor of the Kingdom of Poland. On the same day, the State Council met, at which the contents of the Manifesto of 1823 were heard. Finding themselves in a dual position, when the Manifesto pointed to one heir, and the oath was taken to another, the members of the Council turned to Nicholas. He refused to recognize the manifesto of Alexander I and refused to proclaim himself emperor until the final expression of the will of his elder brother. Despite the content of the Manifesto handed over to him, Nicholas called on the Council to take an oath to Constantine "for the peace of the State." Following this call, the State Council, the Senate and the Synod took an oath of allegiance to "Konstantin I".

The next day, a decree was issued on the universal oath to the new emperor. On November 30, the nobles of Moscow swore allegiance to Konstantin. In St. Petersburg, the oath was postponed until December 14.

Nevertheless, Konstantin refused to come to St. Petersburg and confirmed his renunciation in private letters to Nikolai Pavlovich, and then sent rescripts to the Chairman of the State Council (December 3 (15), 1825) and the Minister of Justice (December 8 (20), 1825). Constantine did not accept the throne, and at the same time did not want to formally renounce him as emperor, to whom the oath had already been taken. An ambiguous and extremely tense situation of the interregnum was created.

Accession to the throne. Decembrist revolt

Unable to convince his brother to take the throne and having received his final refusal (albeit without a formal act of renunciation), Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich decided to accept the throne in accordance with the will of Alexander I.

On the evening of December 12 (24), M. M. Speransky compiled Manifesto on the accession to the throne of Emperor Nicholas I. Nikolai signed it on December 13 in the morning. Attached to the Manifesto was a letter from Constantine to Alexander I dated January 14, 1822 on the refusal to inherit and the manifesto of Alexander I dated August 16, 1823.

The manifesto on accession to the throne was announced by Nicholas at a meeting of the State Council at about 22:30 on December 13 (25). A separate clause in the Manifesto stipulated that November 19, the day of the death of Alexander I, would be considered the time of accession to the throne, which was an attempt to legally close the gap in the continuity of autocratic power.

A second oath was appointed, or, as they said in the troops, “re-oath”, this time to Nicholas I. The re-oath in St. Petersburg was scheduled for December 14th. On this day, a group of officers - members of a secret society appointed an uprising in order to prevent the troops and the Senate from taking the oath to the new tsar and prevent Nicholas I from taking the throne. The main goal of the rebels was the liberalization of the Russian socio-political system: the establishment of a provisional government, the abolition of serfdom, the equality of all before the law, democratic freedoms (press, confession, labor), the introduction of a jury, the introduction of compulsory military service for all classes, the election of officials, abolishing the poll tax and changing the form of government to a constitutional monarchy or republic.

The rebels decided to block the Senate, send a revolutionary delegation there consisting of Ryleev and Pushchin and present the Senate with a demand not to swear allegiance to Nicholas I, declare the tsarist government deposed and issue a revolutionary manifesto to the Russian people. However, the uprising was brutally suppressed on the same day. Despite the efforts of the Decembrists to stage a coup d'état, troops and government offices were sworn in to the new emperor. Later, the surviving participants in the uprising were exiled, and five leaders were executed.

My dear Konstantin! Your will is done: I am the emperor, but at what cost, my God! At the cost of the blood of my subjects! From a letter to his brother Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, December 14. No one is able to understand the burning pain that I feel and will experience all my life when I remember this day. Letter to the Ambassador of France, Count Le Ferrone No one feels a greater need than I do to be judged with leniency. But let those who judge me consider the extraordinary manner in which I have risen from the post of newly appointed chief of division to the post I currently hold, and under what circumstances. And then I will have to admit that if it were not for the obvious patronage of Divine Providence, it would not only be impossible for me to act properly, but even to cope with what the ordinary circle of my real duties requires of me ... Letter to the Tsarevich.

The highest manifesto, given on January 28, 1826, with reference to the “Institution of the Imperial Family” on April 5, 1797, decreed: “First, as the days of our life are in the hands of God: then in case of OUR death, until the legal age of the Heir, the Grand Duke ALEXANDER NIKOLAEVICH, we determine the Ruler of the State and the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Finland, inseparable from him, OUR FAMILY BROTHER, Grand Duke MIKHAIL PAVLOVICH. »

He was crowned on August 22 (September 3), 1826 in Moscow - instead of June of the same year, as originally planned - due to mourning for the Dowager Empress Elizaveta Alekseevna, who died on May 4 in Belev. The coronation of Nicholas I and Empress Alexandra took place in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.

Archbishop Filaret (Drozdov) of Moscow, who served during the coronation of Metropolitan Seraphim (Glagolevsky) of Novgorod, as is clear from his track record, was the person who presented Nicholas "a description of the opening of the act of Emperor Alexander Pavlovich stored in the Assumption Cathedral."

In 1827, the Coronation Album of Nicholas I was published in Paris.

The most important milestones of the reign

• 1826 - Establishment of the Third Branch of the Imperial Chancellery - a secret police to monitor the state of minds in the state.
• 1826-1828 - War with Persia.
• 1828-1829 - War with Turkey.
• 1828 - Foundation of the Technological Institute in St. Petersburg.
• 1830-1831 - Uprising in Poland.
• 1832 - Approval of the new status of the Kingdom of Poland within the Russian Empire.
• 1834 - The Imperial University of St. Vladimir in Kyiv was founded (the University was founded by decree of Nicholas I on November 8, 1833 as the Kyiv Imperial University of St. Vladimir, on the basis of the Vilna University and the Kremenets Lyceum closed after the Polish uprising of 1830-1831.).
• 1837 - Opening of the first Russian railway St. Petersburg - Tsarskoye Selo.
• 1839-1841 - Eastern crisis, in which Russia acted together with England against the France-Egypt coalition.
• 1849 - Participation of Russian troops in the suppression of the Hungarian uprising.
• 1851 - Completion of the construction of the Nikolaev railway, which connected St. Petersburg with Moscow. Opening of the New Hermitage.
• 1853-1856 - Crimean War. Nikolai does not live to see its end. In winter, he catches a cold and dies in 1855.

Domestic politics

His very first steps after his coronation were very liberal. The poet A. S. Pushkin was returned from exile, and V. A. Zhukovsky, whose liberal views could not be known to the emperor, was appointed the main teacher (“mentor”) of the heir. (However, Zhukovsky wrote about the events of December 14, 1825: “Providence saved Russia. By the will of Providence, this day was the day of purification. Providence was from the side of our fatherland and the throne.”)

The emperor closely followed the process of the participants in the December speech and instructed to draw up a summary of their criticisms of the state administration. Despite the fact that attempts on the life of the king, according to existing laws, were punishable by quartering, he replaced this execution by hanging.

The Ministry of State Property was headed by the hero of 1812, Count P. D. Kiselev, a monarchist by conviction, but an opponent of serfdom. The future Decembrists Pestel, Basargin and Burtsov served under him. The name of Kiselyov was presented to Nikolai in the list of conspirators in connection with the putsch case. But, despite this, Kiselev, known for the impeccability of his moral rules and talent as an organizer, made a successful career under Nicholas as the governor of Moldavia and Wallachia and took an active part in preparing the abolition of serfdom.

Deeply sincere in his convictions, often heroic and great in his devotion to the cause in which he saw the mission entrusted to him by providence, it can be said that Nicholas I was a donquixote of autocracy, a terrible and malicious donquixote, because he possessed omnipotence, which allowed him to subjugate all his fanatical and outdated theory and trample underfoot the most legitimate aspirations and rights of his age. That is why this man, who combined with the soul of a generous and chivalrous character of rare nobility and honesty, a warm and tender heart and an exalted and enlightened mind, although devoid of breadth, that is why this man could be a tyrant and despot for Russia during his 30-year reign who systematically stifled any manifestation of initiative and life in the country he ruled. A. F. Tyutcheva.

At the same time, this opinion of the court lady-in-waiting, which corresponded to the mood of representatives of the highest noble society, contradicts a number of facts indicating that it was in the era of Nicholas I that Russian literature flourished (Pushkin, Lermontov, Nekrasov, Gogol, Belinsky, Turgenev), which never happened before. was not there before, Russian industry developed extraordinarily rapidly, which for the first time began to take shape as a technically advanced and competitive one, serfdom changed its character, ceasing to be serf slavery (see below). These changes were appreciated by the most prominent contemporaries. “No, I’m not a flatterer when I compose free praise to the tsar,” A. S. Pushkin wrote about Nicholas I. Pushkin also wrote: “There is no law in Russia, but a pillar - and a crown on a pillar.” By the end of his reign, N.V. Gogol sharply changed his views on autocracy, which he began to praise, and even in serfdom he almost did not see any evil.

The following facts do not correspond to the ideas about Nicholas I as a "tyrant", which existed in the noble high society and in the liberal press. As historians point out, the execution of 5 Decembrists was the only execution in all 30 years of the reign of Nicholas I, while, for example, under Peter I and Catherine II, executions were in the thousands, and under Alexander II - in the hundreds. The situation was no better in Western Europe: for example, in Paris, 11,000 participants in the Parisian uprising in June 1848 were shot within 3 days.

Torture and beatings of prisoners in prisons, which were widely practiced in the 18th century, became a thing of the past under Nicholas I (in particular, they were not applied to the Decembrists and Petrashevists), and under Alexander II, beatings of prisoners resumed again (the trial of populists).

The most important direction of his domestic policy was the centralization of power. To carry out the tasks of political investigation in July 1826, a permanent body was created - the Third Branch of the Personal Office - a secret service with significant powers, the head of which (since 1827) was also the chief of the gendarmes. The third department was headed by A. Kh. Benkendorf, who became one of the symbols of the era, and after his death (1844) - A. F. Orlov.

On December 8, 1826, the first of the secret committees was created, whose task was, firstly, to consider the papers sealed in the office of Alexander I after his death, and, secondly, to consider the issue of possible transformations of the state apparatus.

On May 12 (24), 1829, in the Senate Hall in the Warsaw Palace, in the presence of senators, nuncios and deputies of the Kingdom, he was crowned as King (Tsar) of Poland. Under Nicholas, the Polish uprising of 1830-1831 was suppressed, during which Nicholas was declared deprived of the throne by the rebels (Decree on the dethronement of Nicholas I). After the suppression of the uprising, the Kingdom of Poland lost its independence, the Sejm and the army and was divided into provinces.

Some authors call Nicholas I the "knight of autocracy": he firmly defended its foundations and stopped attempts to change the existing system - despite the revolutions in Europe. After the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, he launched large-scale measures in the country to eradicate the "revolutionary infection". During the reign of Nicholas I, the persecution of the Old Believers resumed; The Uniates of Belarus and Volhynia were reunited with Orthodoxy (1839).

As for the army, to which the emperor paid much attention, D. A. Milyutin, the future Minister of War in the reign of Alexander II, writes in his notes: “... Even in military affairs, which the emperor was engaged in with such passion, the same concern for order, about discipline, they were chasing not for the essential improvement of the army, not for adapting it to a combat mission, but only for external harmony, for a brilliant view at parades, pedantic observance of countless petty formalities that dull the human mind and kill the true military spirit.

In 1834, Lieutenant General N. N. Muravyov compiled a note “On the causes of escapes and means to correct the shortcomings of the army.” “I drew up a note in which I outlined the sad state in which the troops are morally,” he wrote. - This note showed the reasons for the decline in morale in the army, the escapes, the weakness of people, which consisted mostly in the exorbitant demands of the authorities in frequent reviews, the haste with which they tried to educate young soldiers, and, finally, in the indifference of the closest commanders to the well-being of people, they entrusted. I immediately expressed my opinion on the measures that I would consider necessary to correct this matter, which is ruining the troops year by year. I proposed not to make reviews, by which troops are not formed, not to change commanders often, not to transfer (as is now done) people hourly from one part to another, and to give the troops some peace.

In many ways, these shortcomings were associated with the existence of a recruiting system for the formation of the army, which was inherently inhumane, representing a lifelong compulsory service in the army. At the same time, the facts show that, in general, the accusations of Nicholas I in the inefficient organization of the army are unfounded. Wars with Persia and Turkey in 1826-1829. ended in the rapid defeat of both opponents, although the very duration of these wars puts this thesis into serious doubt. It must also be taken into account that neither Turkey nor Persia were among the first-class military powers in those days. During the Crimean War, the Russian army, which was significantly inferior in terms of the quality of its weapons and technical equipment to the armies of Great Britain and France, showed miracles of courage, high morale and military skills. The Crimean War is one of the rare examples of Russia's participation in the war with a Western European enemy over the past 300-400 years, in which the losses in the Russian army were lower (or at least not higher) than the losses of the enemy. The defeat of Russia in the Crimean War was associated with the political miscalculation of Nicholas I and with the lag in the development of Russia from Western Europe, where the Industrial Revolution had already taken place, but was not associated with the fighting qualities and organization of the Russian army.

Peasant question

In his reign, meetings of commissions were held to alleviate the situation of the serfs; Thus, a ban was introduced to exile peasants to hard labor, to sell them one by one and without land, the peasants received the right to redeem themselves from the estates being sold. A reform of the management of the state village was carried out and a “decree on obligated peasants” was signed, which became the foundation for the abolition of serfdom. However, the complete liberation of the peasants during the life of the emperor did not take place.

At the same time, historians - specialists in the Russian agrarian and peasant issue: N. Rozhkov, the American historian D. Blum and V. O. Klyuchevsky pointed to three significant changes in this area that occurred during the reign of Nicholas I:

1) For the first time there was a sharp decrease in the number of serfs - their share in the population of Russia, according to various estimates, decreased from 57-58% in 1811-1817. up to 35-45% in 1857-1858 and they ceased to make up the majority of the population. Obviously, a significant role was played by the cessation of the practice of "distributing" state peasants to the landlords along with the lands, which flourished under the former tsars, and the spontaneous liberation of the peasants that began.

2) The situation of the state peasants improved greatly, the number of which by the second half of the 1850s. reached about 50% of the population. This improvement was mainly due to the measures taken by Count P. D. Kiselev, who was in charge of managing state property. Thus, all state peasants were allocated their own plots of land and forest plots, and auxiliary cash desks and bread shops were established everywhere, which provided assistance to the peasants with cash loans and grain in case of crop failure. As a result of these measures, the well-being of the state peasants not only increased, but also the treasury income from them increased by 15-20%, tax arrears were halved, and by the mid-1850s there were practically no landless laborers who eked out a beggarly and dependent existence, all received land from the state.

3) The position of the serfs improved significantly. On the one hand, a number of laws were adopted to improve their situation; on the other hand, for the first time the state began to systematically ensure that the rights of the peasants were not violated by the landowners (this was one of the functions of the Third Section), and to punish the landowners for these violations. As a result of the application of punishments in relation to the landlords, by the end of the reign of Nicholas I, about 200 landowners' estates were under arrest, which greatly affected the position of the peasants and the landowner's psychology. As V. Klyuchevsky wrote, two completely new conclusions followed from the laws adopted under Nicholas I: first, that the peasants are not the property of the landowner, but, first of all, subjects of the state, which protects their rights; secondly, that the personality of the peasant is not the private property of the landowner, that they are bound together by their relationship to the landlords' land, from which the peasants cannot be driven away. Thus, according to the conclusions of historians, serfdom under Nicholas changed its character - from the institution of slavery, it turned into an institution that to some extent protected the rights of the peasants.

These changes in the position of the peasants caused discontent on the part of large landowners and nobles, who saw them as a threat to the established order. Particular indignation was caused by the proposals of P. D. Kiselev in relation to the serfs, which boiled down to bringing their status closer to state peasants and strengthening control over the landowners. As the great nobleman Count Nesselrode declared in 1843, Kiselev's plans for the peasants would lead to the death of the nobility, while the peasants themselves would become more impudent and rebel.

For the first time, a program of mass peasant education was launched. The number of peasant schools in the country increased from only 60 schools with 1,500 students in 1838 to 2,551 schools with 111,000 students in 1856. During the same period, many technical schools and universities were opened - in fact, A system of vocational primary and secondary education was created in the country.

Development of industry and transport

The state of affairs in industry at the beginning of the reign of Nicholas I was the worst in the history of the Russian Empire. An industry capable of competing with the West, where the Industrial Revolution was already coming to an end at that time, actually did not exist (for more details, see Industrialization in the Russian Empire). Russia's exports included only raw materials, almost all types of industrial products needed by the country were purchased abroad.

By the end of the reign of Nicholas I, the situation had changed dramatically. For the first time in the history of the Russian Empire, a technically advanced and competitive industry began to form in the country, in particular, textile and sugar, the production of metal products, clothing, wood, glass, porcelain, leather and other products developed, and their own machine tools, tools and even steam locomotives began to be produced. . According to economic historians, this was facilitated by the protectionist policy pursued throughout the reign of Nicholas I. As I. Wallerstein points out, it was precisely as a result of the protectionist industrial policy pursued by Nicholas I that the further development of Russia did not follow the path that the majority of countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, and on a different path - the path of industrial development.

For the first time in the history of Russia, under Nicholas I, intensive construction of paved highways began: the Moscow-Petersburg, Moscow-Irkutsk, Moscow-Warsaw routes were built. Of the 7700 miles of highways built in Russia by 1893, 5300 miles (about 70%) were built in the period 1825-1860. The construction of railways was also begun and about 1,000 versts of railroad tracks were built, which gave impetus to the development of their own mechanical engineering.

The rapid development of industry led to a sharp increase in the urban population and the growth of cities. The share of the urban population during the reign of Nicholas I more than doubled - from 4.5% in 1825 to 9.2% in 1858.

Nicholas and the problem of corruption

In the reign of Nicholas I in Russia, the "era of favoritism" ended - a euphemism often used by historians, which essentially means large-scale corruption, that is, the usurpation of public positions, honors and awards by the favorites of the tsar and his entourage. Examples of "favoritism" and related corruption and plunder of state property on a large scale abound in almost all reigns from the beginning of the 17th century. and up to Alexander I. But in relation to the reign of Nicholas I, there are no such examples - in general, there is not a single example of a large-scale plunder of state property that would be mentioned by historians.

Nicholas I introduced an extremely moderate incentive system for officials (in the form of renting estates / property and cash bonuses), which he himself controlled to a large extent. Unlike previous reigns, historians have not recorded large gifts in the form of palaces or thousands of serfs granted to any nobleman or royal relative. Even V. Nelidova, with whom Nicholas I had a long relationship and who had children from him, he did not give a single truly large gift comparable to what the kings of the previous era gave to their favorites.

To combat corruption in the middle and lower levels of officials, for the first time under Nicholas I, regular audits were introduced at all levels. Previously, such a practice practically did not exist, its introduction was dictated by the need not only to fight corruption, but also to restore elementary order in public affairs. (However, this fact is also known: the patriotic residents of Tula and the Tula province, by subscription, collected a lot of money for those times - 380 thousand rubles to install a monument on the Kulikovo field in honor of the victory over the Tatars, for almost five hundred years have passed, and the monument And they sent this money, collected with such difficulty, to St. Petersburg, to Nicholas I. As a result, A.P. Bryullov in 1847 composed a draft of the monument, iron castings were made in St. Petersburg, transported to the Tula province, and in 1849 This cast-iron pillar was erected on the Kulikovo field, its cost was 60 thousand rubles, and where the other 320 thousand went was unknown.

In general, one can state a sharp reduction in large-scale corruption and the fight against medium and petty corruption has begun. For the first time the problem of corruption was raised to the state level and widely discussed. Gogol's "Inspector General", which flaunted examples of bribery and theft, was shown in theaters (while earlier the discussion of such topics was strictly prohibited). However, critics of the tsar regarded the fight against corruption initiated by him as an increase in corruption itself. In addition, officials came up with new methods of theft, bypassing the measures taken by Nicholas I, as evidenced by the following statement:

Nicholas I himself was critical of the successes in this area, saying that only he and the heir did not steal in his entourage.

Foreign policy

An important aspect of foreign policy was the return to the principles of the Holy Alliance. The role of Russia in the fight against any manifestations of the "spirit of change" in European life has increased. It was during the reign of Nicholas I that Russia received the unflattering nickname of the "gendarme of Europe." So, at the request of the Austrian Empire, Russia took part in the suppression of the Hungarian revolution, sending a 140,000-strong corps to Hungary, which was trying to free itself from oppression by Austria; as a result, the throne of Franz Joseph was saved. The latter circumstance did not prevent the Austrian emperor, who was afraid of an excessive strengthening of Russia's positions in the Balkans, soon taking a position unfriendly to Nicholas during the Crimean War and even threatening her with entering the war on the side of a coalition hostile to Russia, which Nicholas I regarded as ungrateful treachery; Russian-Austrian relations were hopelessly damaged until the end of the existence of both monarchies.

However, the emperor helped the Austrians not just out of charity. “It is very likely that Hungary, having defeated Austria, due to the circumstances, would have been forced to actively assist the plans of the Polish emigration,” wrote the biographer of Field Marshal Paskevich, Prince. Shcherbatov.

A special place in the foreign policy of Nicholas I was occupied by the Eastern Question.

Russia under Nicholas I abandoned plans to divide the Ottoman Empire, which were discussed under previous tsars (Catherine II and Paul I), and began to pursue a completely different policy in the Balkans - the policy of protecting the Orthodox population and ensuring its religious and civil rights, up to political independence . For the first time this policy was applied in the Akkerman treaty with Turkey in 1826. According to this treaty, Moldavia and Wallachia, remaining part of the Ottoman Empire, received political autonomy with the right to elect their own government, which was formed under the control of Russia. After half a century of the existence of such autonomy, the state of Romania was formed on this territory - according to the San Stefano Treaty of 1878. “In exactly the same order,” wrote V. Klyuchevsky, “other tribes of the Balkan Peninsula were liberated: the tribe rebelled against Turkey; the Turks sent their forces to him; at a certain moment, Russia shouted to Turkey: “Stop!”; then Turkey began to prepare for a war with Russia, the war was lost, and by agreement the rebellious tribe received internal independence, remaining under the supreme power of Turkey. With a new clash between Russia and Turkey, vassalage was destroyed. This is how the Serbian Principality was formed under the Adrianople Treaty of 1829, the Greek Kingdom - under the same agreement and under the London Protocol of 1830 ... "

Along with this, Russia sought to ensure its influence in the Balkans and the possibility of unhindered navigation in the straits (Bosphorus and Dardanelles).

During the Russian-Turkish wars of 1806-1812. and 1828-1829, Russia made great strides in implementing this policy. At the request of Russia, which declared itself the patroness of all Christian subjects of the Sultan, the Sultan was forced to recognize the freedom and independence of Greece and the broad autonomy of Serbia (1830); According to the Unkyar-Iskelesik Treaty (1833), which marked the peak of Russian influence in Constantinople, Russia received the right to block the passage of foreign ships to the Black Sea (which it lost in 1841)

The same reasons: the support of the Orthodox Christians of the Ottoman Empire and disagreements on the Eastern Question, pushed Russia to aggravate relations with Turkey in 1853, which resulted in her declaring war on Russia. The beginning of the war with Turkey in 1853 was marked by the brilliant victory of the Russian fleet under the command of Admiral PS Nakhimov, who defeated the enemy in Sinop Bay. It was the last major battle of the sailing fleet.

Russia's military successes caused a negative reaction in the West. The leading world powers were not interested in strengthening Russia at the expense of the decrepit Ottoman Empire. This created the basis for a military alliance between England and France. The miscalculation of Nicholas I in assessing the internal political situation in England, France and Austria led to the fact that the country was in political isolation. In 1854, England and France entered the war on the side of Turkey. Due to the technical backwardness of Russia, it was difficult to resist these European powers. The main hostilities unfolded in the Crimea. In October 1854, the Allies laid siege to Sevastopol. The Russian army suffered a series of defeats and was unable to provide assistance to the besieged fortress city. Despite the heroic defense of the city, after an 11-month siege, in August 1855, the defenders of Sevastopol were forced to surrender the city. At the beginning of 1856, following the results of the Crimean War, the Treaty of Paris was signed. According to its terms, Russia was forbidden to have naval forces, arsenals and fortresses on the Black Sea. Russia became vulnerable from the sea and was deprived of the opportunity to pursue an active foreign policy in this region.

Even more serious were the consequences of the war in the economic field. Immediately after the end of the war, in 1857, a liberal customs tariff was introduced in Russia, which practically abolished duties on Western European industrial imports, which may have been one of the peace conditions imposed on Russia by Great Britain. The result was an industrial crisis: by 1862, iron smelting in the country fell by 1/4, and cotton processing - by 3.5 times. The growth of imports led to the outflow of money from the country, the deterioration of the trade balance and the chronic shortage of money in the treasury.

During the reign of Nicholas I, Russia participated in the wars: the Caucasian War of 1817-1864, the Russian-Persian War of 1826-1828, the Russian-Turkish War of 1828-29, the Crimean War of 1853-56.

Emperor Engineer

Having received a good engineering education in his youth, Nikolai showed considerable knowledge in the field of construction equipment. So, he made sensible proposals regarding the dome of the Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg. In the future, already occupying the highest position in the state, he closely followed the order in urban planning and not a single significant project was approved without his signature. He established a regulation on the height of buildings in the capital, forbidding the construction of civil structures higher than the eaves of the Winter Palace. Thus, the well-known, and until recently, St. Petersburg city panorama was created, thanks to which the city was considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world and was included in the list of cities considered the cultural heritage of mankind.

Knowing the requirements for choosing a suitable place for the construction of an astronomical observatory, Nikolai personally indicated a place for it on the top of Pulkovo Mountain

The first railways appeared in Russia (since 1837).

There is an opinion that Nikolai got acquainted with steam locomotives at the age of 19 during a trip to England in 1816. The locals proudly showed Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich their successes in the field of locomotive building and railway construction. There is a statement that the future emperor became the first Russian stoker - he could not resist asking engineer Stephenson for his railway, climbing onto the platform of a steam locomotive, throwing several shovels of coal into the furnace and riding this miracle.

The far-sighted Nikolai, having studied in detail the technical data of the railways proposed for construction, demanded a broadening of the Russian gauge compared to the European one (1524 mm versus 1435 in Europe), rightly fearing that the enemy would be able to come to Russia by steam locomotive. This, a hundred years later, significantly hampered the supply of the German occupation forces and their maneuver due to the lack of locomotives for the broad gauge. So in the November days of 1941, the troops of the Center group received only 30% of the military supplies necessary for a successful attack on Moscow. The daily supply was only 23 echelons, when 70 were required to develop success. In addition, when the crisis that arose on the African front near Tobruk required the rapid transfer to the south of part of the military contingents withdrawn from the Moscow direction, this transfer was extremely difficult for the same reason.

The high relief of the monument to Nicholas in St. Petersburg depicts an episode that occurred during his inspection trip along the Nikolaev railway, when his train stopped at the Verebinsky railway bridge and could not go further, because the rails were painted white out of loyal zeal.

Under the Marquis de Travers, due to lack of funds, the Russian fleet often operated in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, which was nicknamed the Marquis Puddle. At that time, the naval defense of St. Petersburg relied on a system of wood-and-earth fortifications near Kronstadt, armed with outdated short-range cannons, which allowed the enemy to destroy them from long distances without hindrance. Already in December 1827, at the direction of the Emperor, work began on replacing wooden fortifications with stone ones. Nikolai personally reviewed the designs of the fortifications proposed by the engineers and approved them. And in some cases (for example, during the construction of the fort "Paul the First"), he made specific proposals to reduce the cost and speed up construction.

The emperor carefully selected the performers of the work. So, he patronized the previously little-known lieutenant colonel Zarzhetsky, who became the main builder of the Kronstadt Nikolaev docks. The work was carried out in a timely manner, and by the time the English squadron of Admiral Napier appeared in the Baltic, the defense of the capital, provided by strong fortifications and mine banks, had become so impregnable that the first Lord of the Admiralty, James Graham, pointed out to Napier that any attempt to capture Kronstadt was disastrous. As a result, the St. Petersburg public received a reason for entertainment by going to Oranienbaum and Krasnaya Gorka to observe the evolution of the enemy fleet. Created under Nicholas I for the first time in world practice, the mine and artillery position turned out to be an insurmountable obstacle on the way to the capital of the state.

Nicholas was aware of the need for reforms, but taking into account the experience gained, he considered their implementation a lengthy and cautious matter. Nikolai looked at the state subordinate to him, as an engineer looks at a complex, but deterministic mechanism in its functioning, in which everything is interconnected and the reliability of one part ensures the correct operation of others. The ideal of a social structure was army life fully regulated by charters.

Death

He died "at twelve minutes after one in the afternoon" on February 18 (March 2), 1855 due to pneumonia (he caught a cold while taking the parade in a light uniform, being already sick with the flu).

There is a conspiracy theory, widespread in the society of that time, that Nicholas I accepted the defeat of General Khrulev S.A. near Yevpatoriya during the Crimean War as the final harbinger of defeat in the war, and therefore asked the life physician Mandt to give him poison that would allow him commit suicide without unnecessary suffering and quickly enough, but not suddenly, to prevent personal shame. The emperor forbade the autopsy and embalming of his body.

As eyewitnesses recalled, the emperor passed away in a clear mind, not for a minute losing his presence of mind. He managed to say goodbye to each of the children and grandchildren and, having blessed them, turned to them with a reminder that they should remain friendly with each other.

His son Alexander II ascended the Russian throne.

“I was surprised,” A.E. Zimmerman recalled, “that the death of Nikolai Pavlovich, apparently, did not make a special impression on the defenders of Sevastopol. I noticed in everyone almost indifference to my questions, when and why the Sovereign died, they answered: we don’t know ... ”.

Culture, censorship and writers

Nicholas suppressed the slightest manifestations of freethinking. In 1826, a censorship charter was issued, nicknamed "cast iron" by his contemporaries. It was forbidden to print almost everything that had any political overtones. In 1828, another censorship charter was issued, somewhat softening the previous one. A new increase in censorship was associated with the European revolutions of 1848. It got to the point that in 1836 the censor P. I. Gaevsky, after serving 8 days in the guardhouse, doubted whether it was possible to let news like “such and such a king died” be allowed to go into print. When, in 1837, an article about an attempt on the life of the French King Louis Philippe was published in the St.

In September 1826, Nikolai received Pushkin, who had been released by him from Mikhailov’s exile, and listened to his confession that on December 14 Pushkin would have been with the conspirators, but he treated him kindly: he saved the poet from general censorship (he decided to censor his writings himself), instructed him to prepare a note “On Public Education”, called him after the meeting “the smartest man in Russia” (however, later, after Pushkin’s death, he spoke of him and this meeting very coldly). In 1828, Nikolai dismissed the case against Pushkin about the authorship of the Gavriiliada after a handwritten letter from the poet, which, according to many researchers, was handed over to him personally, bypassing the commission of inquiry, contained, in the opinion of many researchers, recognition of the authorship of the seditious work after long denials. However, the emperor never fully trusted the poet, seeing him as a dangerous "leader of the liberals", the poet was under police surveillance, his letters were censored; Pushkin, having gone through the first euphoria, which was also expressed in poems in honor of the tsar (“Stans”, “To Friends”), by the mid-1830s, he also began to evaluate the sovereign ambiguously. “He has a lot of ensign and a little Peter the Great,” Pushkin wrote about Nikolai in his diary on May 21, 1834; at the same time, the diary also notes "sensible" remarks on the "History of Pugachev" (the sovereign edited it and gave Pushkin 20 thousand rubles in debt), ease of handling and good language of the tsar. In 1834, Pushkin was appointed chamber junker of the imperial court, which weighed heavily on the poet and was also reflected in his diary. Nikolai himself considered such an appointment a gesture of recognition of the poet and was internally upset that Pushkin was cool about the appointment. Pushkin could sometimes afford not to come to the balls to which Nikolai invited him personally. Balam Pushkin preferred communication with writers, while Nikolai showed him his displeasure. The role played by Nikolai in Pushkin's conflict with Dantes is controversially assessed by historians. After the death of Pushkin, Nikolai granted a pension to his widow and children, but he tried in every possible way to limit speeches in memory of him, showing, in particular, thereby dissatisfaction with the violation of his ban on dueling.

Guided by the charter of 1826, the Nikolaev censors reached the point of absurdity in their prohibitive zeal. One of them forbade printing an arithmetic textbook after he saw three dots between the numbers in the text of the problem and suspected the author's malicious intent. Chairman of the censorship committee D.P. Buturlin even proposed to cross out certain passages (for example: "Rejoice, invisible taming of cruel and bestial lords...") from the akathist to the Protection of the Mother of God, because they looked "unreliable."

Nikolai also doomed Polezhaev, who was arrested for free poetry, to years of soldiery, twice ordered Lermontov to be exiled to the Caucasus. By his order, the magazines "European", "Moscow Telegraph", "Telescope" were closed, P. Chaadaev and his publisher were persecuted, F. Schiller was banned from staging in Russia.

I. S. Turgenev was arrested in 1852, and then administratively sent to the village only for writing an obituary dedicated to the memory of Gogol (the obituary itself was not passed by the censors). The censor also suffered when he let Turgenev's Notes of a Hunter go to print, in which, in the opinion of the Moscow Governor-General Count A. A. Zakrevsky, "a decisive direction was expressed towards the destruction of the landowners."

Liberal contemporary writers (primarily A. I. Herzen) were inclined to demonize Nicholas.

There were facts showing his personal participation in the development of the arts: personal censorship of Pushkin (the general censorship of that time was much tougher and more cautious in a number of issues), support for the Alexandrinsky Theater. As I. L. Solonevich wrote in this regard, “Pushkin read “Eugene Onegin” to Nicholas I, and N. Gogol read “Dead Souls”. Nicholas I financed both, was the first to note the talent of L. Tolstoy, and wrote a review about the Hero of Our Time, which would do honor to any professional literary critic ... Nicholas I had both literary taste and civic courage to defend The Inspector General and after the first performance, say: “Everyone got it - and most of all ME.”

In 1850, by order of Nicholas I, the play by N. A. Ostrovsky "Let's Settle Our People" was banned from staging. The Committee of Higher Censorship was dissatisfied with the fact that among the characters drawn by the author there was not "none of those respectable merchants of ours, in whom piety, honesty and directness of mind constitute a typical and inalienable attribute."

Liberals were not the only ones under suspicion. Professor M. P. Pogodin, who published The Moskvityanin, was placed under police supervision in 1852 for a critical article about N. V. Kukolnik's play The Batman (about Peter I), which received praise from the emperor.

A critical review of another play by the Dollmaker - "The Hand of the Most High Fatherland Saved" led to the closure in 1834 of the Moscow Telegraph magazine, published by N. A. Polev. The Minister of Public Education, Count S. S. Uvarov, who initiated the repressions, wrote about the journal: “It is a conductor of the revolution, it has been systematically spreading destructive rules for several years now. He doesn't like Russia."

Censorship did not allow publication of some jingoistic articles and works containing harsh and politically undesirable statements and views, which happened, for example, during the Crimean War with two poems by F.I. Tyutchev. From one (“Prophecy”), Nicholas I with his own hand crossed out a paragraph that dealt with the erection of a cross over Sophia of Constantinople and the “all-Slavic king”; another (“Now you are not up to poetry”) was banned from publication by the minister, apparently due to the “somewhat harsh tone of presentation” noted by the censor.

"He would like," S. M. Solovyov wrote about him, "to cut off all the heads that rose above the general level."

Nicknames

Home nickname is Nix. Official nickname - Unforgettable.

Leo Tolstoy in the story "Nikolai Palkin" gives another nickname for the emperor:

Family and personal life

In 1817, Nicholas married Princess Charlotte of Prussia, the daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, who, after converting to Orthodoxy, received the name Alexandra Feodorovna. The couple were each other's fourth cousins ​​and sisters (they had a common great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother).

In the spring of the following year, their first son Alexander (future Emperor Alexander II) was born. Children:

• Alexander II Nikolaevich (1818-1881)
• Maria Nikolaevna (6.08.1819-9.02.1876)

1st marriage - Maximilian Duke of Leuchtenberg (1817-1852)

2nd marriage (unofficial marriage since 1854) - Stroganov Grigory Alexandrovich, Count

• Olga Nikolaevna (08/30/1822 - 10/18/1892)

husband - Friedrich-Karl-Alexander, King of Württemberg

• Alexandra (06/12/1825 - 07/29/1844)

husband - Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Hesse-Kassel

• Konstantin Nikolaevich (1827-1892)
• Nikolai Nikolaevich (1831-1891)
• Mikhail Nikolaevich (1832-1909)

Had 4 or 7 alleged illegitimate children (see List of illegitimate children of Russian emperors # Nicholas I).

Nikolay was in connection with Varvara Nelidova for 17 years.

Assessing the attitude of Nicholas I towards women in general, Herzen wrote: “I do not believe that he ever passionately loved any woman, like Pavel Lopukhin, like Alexander of all women except his wife; he 'was kind to them', nothing more.

Personality, business and human qualities

“The sense of humor inherent in Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich is clearly visible in his drawings. Friends and relatives, met types, peeped scenes, sketches of camp life - the plots of his youthful drawings. All of them are executed easily, dynamically, quickly, with a simple pencil, on small sheets of paper, often in the manner of a caricature. “He had a talent for caricatures,” Paul Lacroix wrote about the emperor, “and in the most successful way he captured the funny sides of the faces that he wanted to put in some kind of satirical drawing.”

“He was handsome, but his beauty was cold; there is no face that reveals the character of a person so mercilessly as his face. The forehead, quickly running back, the lower jaw, developed at the expense of the skull, expressed an unyielding will and weak thought, more cruelty than sensuality. But the main thing is the eyes, without any warmth, without any mercy, winter eyes.

He led an ascetic and healthy lifestyle; never missed Sunday services. He did not smoke and did not like smokers, did not drink strong drinks, walked a lot, and did drills with weapons. His strict adherence to the daily routine was known: the working day began at 7 o'clock in the morning, at exactly 9 o'clock - the acceptance of reports. He preferred to dress in a simple officer's overcoat, and slept on a hard bed.

He had a good memory and great working capacity; The working day of the king lasted 16 - 18 hours. According to the words of Archbishop Innokenty (Borisov) of Kherson, “he was such a crowned bearer, for whom the royal throne served not as a head to rest, but as an incentive to unceasing work.”

Fraylina A.F. Tyutcheva, writes that he “spent 18 hours a day at work, worked until late at night, got up at dawn, sacrificed nothing for pleasure and everything for the sake of duty, and took on more work and worries than the last day laborer from his subjects. He honestly and sincerely believed that he was able to see everything with his own eyes, hear everything with his ears, regulate everything according to his own understanding, transform everything with his will. But what was the result of such a hobby of the supreme ruler for trifles? As a result, he only piled up a heap of colossal abuses around his uncontrolled power, all the more pernicious because they were covered from the outside by official legality and that neither public opinion nor private initiative had the right to point them out, nor the opportunity to fight them.

The king's love for law, justice, and order was well known. I personally visited military formations, reviews, examined fortifications, educational institutions, office premises, and government agencies. Remarks and "spreading" was always accompanied by specific advice on correcting the situation.

A younger contemporary of Nicholas I, historian S. M. Solovyov, writes: "according to the accession of Nicholas, a military man, like a stick, accustomed not to reason, but to perform and capable of accustoming others to perform without reasoning, was considered the best, most capable boss everywhere; experience in affairs - no attention was paid to this. Soldiers sat down in all government places, and ignorance, arbitrariness, robbery, all kinds of unrest reigned with them.

He had a pronounced ability to attract talented, creatively gifted people to work, “to form a team”. The employees of Nicholas I were the commander Field Marshal His Serene Highness Prince I.F. Paskevich, the Minister of Finance Count E.F. Kankrin, the Minister of State Property Count P.D. Kiselev, the Minister of Public Education Count S.S. Uvarov and others. Talented architect Konstantin

Ton served under him as a state architect. However, this did not stop Nikolai from severely fining him for his sins.

Absolutely not versed in people and their talents. Personnel appointments, with rare exceptions, turned out to be unsuccessful (the most striking example of this is the Crimean War, when, during the life of Nicholas, the two best corps commanders - Generals Leaders and Rediger - were never assigned to the army operating in the Crimea). Even very capable people were often appointed to completely inappropriate positions. “He is the vice director of the trade department,” Zhukovsky wrote to the appointment of the poet and publicist Prince P. A. Vyazemsky to a new post. - Laughter and more! We use people nicely…”

Through the eyes of contemporaries and publicists

In the book of the French writer Marquis de Custine "La Russie en 1839" ("Russia in 1839"), sharply critical of the autocracy of Nicholas and many features of Russian life, Nicholas is described as follows:

It can be seen that the emperor cannot for a moment forget who he is and what attention he attracts; he constantly poses and, consequently, is never natural, even when he speaks with all frankness; his face knows three different expressions, none of which can be called kind. Most often, severity is written on this face. Another expression, rarer, but much more suited to his beautiful features, is solemnity, and, finally, the third is courtesy; the first two expressions evoke cold surprise, slightly softened only by the charm of the emperor, of whom we get some idea, just as he honors us with a kind address. However, one circumstance spoils everything: the fact is that each of these expressions, suddenly leaving the face of the emperor, disappears completely, leaving no traces. Before our eyes, without any preparation, a change of scenery is taking place; it seems as if the autocrat puts on a mask that he can take off at any moment.(...) A hypocrite, or a comedian, are harsh words, especially inappropriate in the mouth of a person who claims respectful and impartial judgments. However, I believe that for intelligent readers - and only to them I am addressing - speeches do not mean anything in themselves, and their content depends on the meaning that is put into them. I do not at all want to say that the face of this monarch lacks honesty - no, I repeat, he lacks only naturalness: thus, one of the main disasters from which Russia suffers, the lack of freedom, is reflected even on the face of its sovereign: he has several masks, but no face. You are looking for a man - and you find only the Emperor. In my opinion, my remark for the emperor is flattering: he conscientiously corrects his craft. This autocrat, towering over other people due to his height, just as his throne rises above other chairs, considers it a weakness for a moment to become an ordinary person and show that he lives, thinks and feels like a mere mortal. He does not seem to know any of our affections; he forever remains commander, judge, general, admiral, finally, monarch - no more and no less. By the end of his life he will be very tired, but the Russian people - and perhaps the peoples of the whole world - will lift him to a great height, for the crowd loves amazing accomplishments and is proud of the efforts made in order to conquer it.

Along with this, Custine wrote in his book that Nicholas I was mired in debauchery and dishonored a huge number of decent girls and women: “If he (the tsar) distinguishes a woman on a walk, in the theater, in the world, he says one word to the adjutant on duty. A person who has attracted the attention of a deity falls under supervision, under supervision. They warn the spouse, if she is married, parents, if she is a girl, about the honor that has fallen to them. There are no examples of this distinction being accepted otherwise than with an expression of respectful gratitude. Similarly, there are no examples yet of dishonored husbands or fathers not profiting from their dishonor. Custine claimed that all this was “put on stream”, that girls dishonored by the emperor were usually given off as one of the court suitors, and none other than the tsar’s wife herself, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, did this. However, historians do not confirm the accusations of debauchery and the existence of a “conveyor of victims” dishonored by Nicholas I contained in Custine’s book, and vice versa, they write that he was monogamous and for many years maintained a long attachment to one woman.

Contemporaries noted the “basilisk look” peculiar to the emperor, unbearable for people of the timid ten.

General B. V. Gerua in his memoirs (Memories of my life. "Tanais", Paris, 1969) gives the following story about Nicholas: “Regarding the guard duty under Nicholas I, I recall the tombstone at the Lazarevsky cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. His father showed me when we went with him to worship the graves of his parents and passed by this unusual monument. It was excellently executed in bronze - probably by a first-class craftsman - the figure of a young and handsome officer of the Semyonovsky Life Guards Regiment, lying as if in a sleeping position. His head rests on a bucket-shaped shako of the Nikolaev reign, its first half. The collar is open. The body is decoratively covered with a thrown-on cloak, which descended to the floor in picturesque, heavy folds.

My father told the story of this monument. The officer lay down on guard duty to rest and unfastened the hooks of his huge stand-up collar, which cut his neck. It was forbidden. Hearing some noise through a dream, he opened his eyes and saw the Sovereign above him! The officer never got up. He died of a broken heart."

N.V. Gogol wrote that Nicholas I, with his arrival in Moscow during the horrors of the cholera epidemic, showed a desire to raise up and encourage the fallen - “a trait that hardly any of the crowned bearers showed”, which caused A. S. Pushkin “these wonderful poems ”(“ A conversation between a bookseller and a poet; Pushkin talks about Napoleon I with a hint of modern events):

In Selected Places from Correspondence with Friends, Gogol enthusiastically writes about Nikolai and claims that Pushkin also allegedly addressed Nikolai, who read out Homer during the ball, with the apologetic poem “You talked to Homer alone for a long time ...”, hiding this dedication for fear of being branded a liar . In Pushkin studies, this attribution is often questioned; it is indicated that the dedication to the translator of Homer N. I. Gnedich is more likely.

An extremely negative assessment of the personality and activities of Nicholas I is associated with the work of A. I. Herzen. Herzen, who from his youth painfully experienced the failure of the Decembrist uprising, attributed cruelty, rudeness, vindictiveness, intolerance to “free thinking” to the personality of the tsar, accused him of following a reactionary course of domestic policy.

I. L. Solonevich wrote that Nicholas I was, like Alexander Nevsky and Ivan III, a true "sovereign master", with a "master's eye and master's calculation"

N. A. Rozhkov believed that Nicholas I was alien to the love of power, the enjoyment of personal power: "Paul I and Alexander I, more than Nicholas, loved power, as such, in itself."

AI Solzhenitsyn admired the courage of Nicholas I, shown by him during the cholera riot. Seeing the helplessness and fear of the officials around him, the tsar himself went into the crowd of rebellious people with cholera, suppressed this rebellion with his own authority, and, leaving the quarantine, he himself took off and burned all his clothes right in the field so as not to infect his retinue.

And here is what N.E. Wrangel writes in his "Memoirs (from serfdom to the Bolsheviks)": Now, after the harm caused by the lack of will of Nicholas II, Nicholas I is again in vogue, and I will be reproached, perhaps that I this, “adored by all his contemporaries,” the Monarch did not treat with due respect. The fascination with the late Sovereign Nikolai Pavlovich by his current admirers, in any case, is both more understandable and sincere than the adoration of his deceased contemporaries. Nikolai Pavlovich, like his grandmother Ekaterina, managed to acquire an innumerable number of admirers and praisers, to form a halo around him. Catherine succeeded in this by bribing encyclopedists and various French and German greedy brethren with flattery, gifts and money, and her Russian close associates with ranks, orders, endowing peasants and land. Nikolai also succeeded, and even in a less unprofitable way - by fear. By bribery and fear, everything is always and everywhere achieved, everything, even immortality. Nikolai Pavlovich's contemporaries did not "worship" him, as it was customary to say during his reign, but they were afraid. Ignorance, non-worship would probably be recognized as a state crime. And gradually this custom-made feeling, a necessary guarantee of personal security, entered the flesh and blood of contemporaries and then was instilled in their children and grandchildren. The late Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich10 used to go to Dr. Dreherin for treatment in Dresden. To my surprise, I saw that this seventy-year-old man kept kneeling down during the service.

How does he do it? - I asked his son Nikolai Mikhailovich, a well-known historian of the first quarter of the 19th century.

Most likely, he is still afraid of his "unforgettable" father. He managed to instill in them such fear that they will not forget him until their death.

But I heard that the Grand Duke, your father, adored his father.

Yes, and, oddly enough, quite sincerely.

Why is it strange? He was adored by many at the time.

Do not make me laugh. (...)

Once I asked Adjutant General Chikhachev, the former Minister of Marine, whether it was true that all his contemporaries idolized the Sovereign.

Still would! I was even flogged for this time and it was very painful.

Tell!

I was only four years old when, as an orphan, I was placed in the juvenile orphanage section of the building. There were no educators, but there were ladies-educators. Once mine asked me if I love the Sovereign. I heard about the Sovereign for the first time and answered that I did not know. Well, they beat me up. That's all.

And did it help? Loved?

That is how! Directly - began to idolize. Satisfied with the first spanking.

What if they didn't worship?

Of course, they wouldn't pat on the head. It was mandatory, for everyone, both upstairs and downstairs.

So it was necessary to pretend?

At that time, they did not go into such psychological subtleties. We were ordered - we loved. Then they said - only geese think, not people.

monuments

In honor of Emperor Nicholas I in the Russian Empire, about a dozen monuments were erected, mainly various columns and obelisks, in memory of his visit to one place or another. Almost all sculptural monuments to the Emperor (with the exception of the equestrian monument in St. Petersburg) were destroyed during the years of Soviet power.

Currently, there are the following monuments to the Emperor:

• St. Petersburg. Equestrian monument on St. Isaac's Square. Opened June 26, 1859, sculptor P. K. Klodt. The monument has been preserved in its original form. The fence surrounding it was dismantled in the 1930s, recreated again in 1992.

• St. Petersburg. Bronze bust of the Emperor on a high granite pedestal. It was opened on July 12, 2001 in front of the facade of the building of the former psychiatric department of the Nikolaev military hospital, founded in 1840 by decree of the Emperor (now the St. Petersburg District Military Clinical Hospital), 63 Suvorovsky pr. a bust on a granite pedestal, was opened in front of the main facade of this hospital on August 15, 1890. The monument was destroyed shortly after 1917.

• St. Petersburg. Gypsum bust on a high granite pedestal. Opened on May 19, 2003 on the front staircase of the Vitebsk railway station (Zagorodny pr., 52), sculptors V. S. and S. V. Ivanov, architect T. L. Torich.

This monument on St. Isaac's Square is so good that it survived all the disasters of the past era. The emperor in the uniform of an officer of the guard sits on a horse, which can be said to be dancing, standing up on its hind legs and having no other support. It is not clear what makes her soar in the air. We note that this unshakable instability does not bother the rider at all - he is cold-blooded and solemn. As Bryusov wrote,

Keeping strict calm

Intoxicated with strength and majesty,

Governs the lope of a restrained horse.

This made ridiculous the Bolsheviks' project to replace the crowned bearer with the "hero of the revolution" Budyonny. In general, the monument gave them a lot of trouble. On the one hand, hatred for Nicholas the First forced the question of the overthrow of his equestrian statue in the center of Petrograd-Leningrad every now and then. On the other hand, the ingenious creation of Peter Klodt could not be touched without being known as vandals.

I am inclined to be very critical of the reign of Tsar Nicholas I, which can hardly be called happy. It began with the revolt of the Decembrists and ended with the defeat of Russia in the Crimean War. Entire libraries are written about the dominance of the bureaucracy, gauntlets, embezzlement during this reign. Much of this is true. The half-German-half-Russian system, created by Peter the Great, had already worn out under Nicholas, but Nicholas was brought up by it. In his soul, not recognizing it, the king was forced to fight with himself all his life and, it seemed, was defeated.

Is it so?

hurrah!", - wrote L. Kopelev, - some knelt down, women cried ... "Our angel ... God save you!" " Among others, this shocked Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, who noticed that readiness, risking life, to be with his people - "a trait that hardly any of the crowned bearers showed." In July of the following year, cholera reached extreme force already in St. Petersburg, where up to five hundred people died a day. Rumors began to circulate that doctors were to blame for the contamination of bread and water. There were riots and several doctors were killed. One day a huge crowd gathered on Sennaya Square. Having learned about this, the sovereign, accompanied by several people, rushed there. Entering the middle of the crowd, he, thanks to his height, visible from everywhere, called people to conscience and ended his speech with a thunderous roar: On knees! Ask the Almighty for forgiveness! Thousands of citizens, as one, knelt down. Almost a quarter of an hour ago, these people were choking with rage, but suddenly everything was quiet, the words of a prayer sounded. On the way back, the king took off his outer clothing and burned it in the field so as not to infect his family and retinue. “Why are you telling fables!” - the reader will exclaim, having managed to read a lot about the abuses of officials in the era of Nikolai Pavlovich. Alas, it was. abuse In the mornings, the king prayed for a long time, kneeling, and never missed Sunday services. He slept on a narrow camp bed, on which a thin mattress was placed, and covered himself with an old officer's overcoat. The level of his personal consumption was slightly higher than that of Gogol's Akaki Akakievich. Immediately after the coronation, the cost of food for the royal family was reduced from 1,500 rubles a day to 25. Cutlets with mashed potatoes, cabbage soup, porridge, usually buckwheat - this is his traditional diet. More than three dishes were not allowed. One day, the maitre d' couldn't resist and placed the most tender trout dish in front of the king. “What is this - the fourth dish? Eat it yourself,” the sovereign frowned. He rarely ate dinner - he limited himself to tea. But embezzlement under Nicholas I did not decrease at all; many even seemed to have increased. This is all the more striking that the sovereign waged a thirty-year cruel war with this disaster. It should be noted the energy of the provincial prosecutors: trials of embezzlers and bribe-takers have become commonplace. So, in 1853, 2540 officials were on trial. It couldn't be otherwise. The fight against the coming revolution forced to tighten the rules of the internal life of the empire. However, the more zealously they fought corruption, the more it spread. Later, the famous monarchist Ivan Solonevich tried to explain this phenomenon in relation to the Stalin era: “The more theft, the stronger the control apparatus should be. But the larger the control apparatus, the more theft: controllers also love herring.” The Marquis de Custine wrote well about these "herring lovers". He was an enemy of Russia and understood little about it, but he nevertheless made one diagnosis correctly: “Russia is ruled by a class of officials ... and often governs in defiance of the will of the monarch ... From the depths of their offices, these invisible despots, these pygmy tyrants oppress with impunity country. And, paradoxically, the All-Russian autocrat often remarks that his power has a limit. This limit is set for him by the bureaucracy - a terrible force, because the abuse of it is called love of order. Only the inspiration of the people is capable of saving the Fatherland in difficult moments, but the inspiration is sober and responsible. Otherwise, it degenerates into unrest and rebellion, puts the country on the brink of death. The uprising of the Decembrists poisoned the reign of Nikolai Pavlovich - a man who, by nature, is alien to any kind of rigidity. He is considered some kind of manic adherent of order. But order was for the king a means, not an end. At the same time, his lack of managerial talent had serious consequences. Maid of honor Anna Fedorovna Tyutcheva testified that the emperor “spent 18 hours a day at work, worked until late at night, got up at dawn ... did not sacrifice anything for pleasure and everything for the sake of duty and took on more work and worries than the last day laborer from his subjects. He sincerely believed that he was able to see everything with his own eyes, to regulate everything according to his own understanding, to transform everything with his will. As a result, “he only piled around his uncontrolled power a heap of colossal abuses, all the more pernicious because they were covered from the outside by official legality, and neither public opinion nor private initiative had the right to point them out, nor the opportunity to fight them.” Officials remarkably learned to imitate activity, deceived the sovereign at every step. As a smart person, he understood that something was wrong, but he could not change anything, he only laughed bitterly at the futility of many of his efforts. Once on the road, the emperor's carriage turned over. Nikolai Pavlovich, having broken his collarbone and left arm, walked seventeen miles on foot to Chembar, one of the towns of the Penza province. As soon as he recovered, he went to look at the local officials. They dressed in a new uniform and lined up in order of seniority in a line, with swords, and holding triangular hats in their hands outstretched at the seams. Nikolay, not without surprise, examined them and said to the governor: I have not only seen them all, but I even know them very well! He was amazed: Excuse me, Your Majesty, but where could you see them? In a very funny comedy called "The Examiner". In fairness, let's say that in the United States of that era, embezzlement and bribery were no less widespread. But if in Russia this evil was more or less shortened at the end of the 19th century, then in America it flourished for several more decades. The difference was that American officials had no such influence on the life of the country. The first after God From this bleak picture, one can imagine that the economic life of the country was completely stagnant under Nikolai Pavlovich. But no - it was during his reign that the industrial revolution took place, the number of enterprises and workers doubled, and the efficiency of their labor tripled. Serf labor in industry was banned. The volume of machine-building production from 1830 to 1860 increased 33 times. The first thousand miles of the railway was laid, for the first time in the history of Russia, the construction of a paved highway began. "God punishes the proud" After forty years, health began to change more and more to the emperor. His legs hurt and swelled, and in the spring of 1847 severe dizziness began. At the same time, it seemed that the illnesses of the sovereign were in some inexplicable way transmitted to the whole country. Two catastrophes overshadowed the last years of the reign of Nikolai Pavlovich. The first of them - the defeat in the Crimean War - was not long in coming. What was the source of the disaster? The fact is that the sovereign, following his elder brother Alexander Pavlovich, perceived Russia as part of the European community of states, moreover, the strongest militarily and the most mature ideologically. The idea was that only an unbreakable alliance of monarchies could resist the revolution in Europe. The emperor was ready at any moment to intervene in European affairs. Of course, this caused general irritation, and they began to look at Russia as a medicine more dangerous than the disease itself. It cannot be said that Nikolai Pavlovich exaggerated the danger of revolutionary sentiment in Europe. It was like a cauldron, where the steam pressure was constantly increasing. But instead of learning how to regulate it, Russia energetically plugged all the holes. This couldn't go on indefinitely. On February 21, 1848, on Maslenitsa, a dispatch was received in St. Petersburg stating that a revolution had begun in France. After reading it, the shocked sovereign appeared at a ball in the Anichkov Palace. In the midst of the fun, he entered the hall with a quick step, with papers in his hands, "uttering exclamations incomprehensible to the audience about the coup in France and the flight of the king." Most of all, the king feared that the example of the French would be followed in Germany. The idea was born to send a 300,000-strong army to the Rhine to eradicate the revolutionary infection. It was not without difficulty that the king was dissuaded from this. On March 14, the Manifesto followed, where fear was expressed of “rebellion and anarchy spilling everywhere with impudence” and “impudence, threatening Russia in its madness.” Readiness was expressed to defend the honor of the Russian name and the inviolability of Russia's borders. It was the most important document of that era. Russia challenged the world revolution, theomachism and nihilism. The best people of the country greeted the Manifesto enthusiastically, and the people started talking about the upcoming struggle against the Antichrist. Here is how F. I. Tyutchev responded to this event: “For a long time in Europe there have been only two real forces, two true powers: the Revolution and Russia. They now came face to face, and tomorrow, maybe they will clash. Between the one and the other there can be neither contracts nor deals. What is life for one is death for another. On the outcome of the struggle that ensued between them, the greatest struggle ever seen by the world, the entire political and religious future of mankind depends for many centuries. All the more tragic, which overshadowed the position of the Russian Empire, were the false steps that followed the Manifesto. We are talking about the Hungarian events. For decades, the Hungarians dreamed of getting rid of the rule of Austria, having suffered a lot from it. In 1848 they revolted - 190 thousand people took up arms. By the spring of 1849, the Hungarians had learned to beat the Austrians, the collapse of the Habsburg empire became inevitable. But at that moment, Russian troops came to the aid of Austria. The invasion of the Russian army was not only a military blow for the Hungarians, but also a moral one. After all, they dreamed that it was the Russians who would free them, and they had every reason to hope so. The Hungarians knew better than anyone how Austria felt about its great eastern neighbor. Their commander, György Klapka, once exclaimed in a conversation with a Russian parliamentarian: “Emperor Nikolai killed us, but why? Do you really believe in the gratitude of Austria? You saved her from perfect destruction, they will pay you for it; believe me, we know them and are unable to believe a single word they say...” These were the bitter words of a man who knew perfectly well what he was saying. The Russian army saved Austria many times, but the country, which called itself the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, had colossal ambitions, fueled by papal Rome. The help of the Orthodox offended her all the more because Austria could not do without it. And, of course, at the first opportunity, Austria went over to the side of our enemies. This happened in 1854, after the attack of England and France on Russia. Instead of helping the savior, the Austrians began to threaten her with war. As a result, many Russian units had to be left behind for a barrier on the Danube. These were the troops that were so lacking in the Crimea ... The suppression of the Hungarian uprising has become one of the saddest pages in our history. In Europe, the opinion about Russia as a country-police has finally been established. The Russian Field Marshal Osten-Saken, in despair, uttered bitter words: “The sovereign was very proud. "What I did with Hungary awaits all of Europe," he told me. I am sure that this campaign will destroy him... You will see that this will not be in vain. God punishes the proud." But it doesn't seem to be a matter of pride. Metropolitan Platon of Kyiv, mourning the Russian intervention in the Hungarian events (“because without it there would have been no Crimean War”), added that only the sovereign’s honesty was to blame. He did not know how to break these promises, even to such an addressee as Austria, whose ingratitude was well known. In any case, we defeated ourselves in Hungary. Emperor's death The misfortune for Emperor Nicholas was that he found the time of the collapse of his hopes. This was the cause of his death, which can hardly be called natural. Rather, it was death. He fell along with his sailors and soldiers, Kornilov and Nakhimov, because the tsar's heart in the last year of his life was in Sevastopol, and not in St. Petersburg. There were many formal reasons for the war. England feared that Russia might enter the expanses of the Mediterranean, France hoped to return to the ranks of the great powers with the help of the war. As a result, the British, French and Turkish armies landed in the Crimea as "vanguards of civilization." Among the reasons that led us to defeat was terrible corruption: even regimental commanders sometimes did not hesitate to rob soldiers - what to say about the rest ... The appointment of Prince Menshikov as commander was extremely unsuccessful. When Saint Innocent of Kherson with the image of the Kasperovskaya Mother of God arrived at the location of our army, retreating to Sevastopol, he said, referring to Menshikov: “Behold the Queen of Heaven is coming to liberate and defend Sevastopol.” “You needlessly bothered the Queen of Heaven, we can manage without Her,” the unlucky commander replied. How could he achieve victory without having the slightest spiritual connection with the army? Meanwhile, he was a man invested with the confidence of the sovereign. To complete the picture, let's say that St. Innocent was under particular suspicion. Officials called him a democrat because, like a sovereign, he defended the need for the liberation of the peasants. Once they asked: “They say, Your Grace, do you preach communism?” Vladyka calmly replied to this: "I never preached 'take', but I always preached 'give'." The English fleet appeared near Kronstadt. The emperor looked at him for a long time through the chimney from the window of his palace in Alexandria. Changes in his appearance began to appear in the fall of 1854. He lost sleep and lost weight. At night he walked through the halls, waiting for news from the Crimea. The news was bad: on some days, several thousand of our soldiers died ... Upon learning of another defeat, the sovereign locked himself in his office and cried like a child. During morning prayers, he sometimes fell asleep on his knees in front of the images. At some point, the emperor caught the flu. The disease was not too dangerous, but he did not seem to want to recover. In a thirty-degree frost, despite a cough, in a light raincoat he went to reviews of regiments. “In the evenings,” writes one of the biographers of Nikolai Pavlovich, “many saw his two-meter figure wandering alone along Nevsky Prospekt. It became clear to everyone around: the tsar, unable to endure the shame, decided to torment himself in this way ... The result was not long in coming: about a month after the onset of the illness, Nikolai was already in full swing managing his funeral, writing a will, listening to the funeral, until last minute holding the hand of his son. "Sashka, I'm giving you a command in a bad order!" - Nikolai Pavlovich said to his son on his deathbed and, addressing all his sons, said: “Serve Russia. I wanted to take on everything difficult, leaving the kingdom peaceful, settled, happy. Providence judged otherwise. Now I'm going to pray for Russia and for you..." He died, according to A.F. Tyutcheva, in a small office on the first floor of the Winter Palace, “lying across the room on a very simple iron bed ... His head rested on a green leather pillow, and instead of a blanket, a soldier's overcoat lay on it. It seemed that death overtook him among the hardships of a military camp, and not in the luxury of a palace. As Ensign of the Izmailovsky Regiment Efim Sukhonin wrote, the sad news caught the guards on the campaign: “The memorial service was solemn. Officers and soldiers prayed on their knees and wept loudly." Epilogue The rider on St. Isaac's Square leans on a powerful pedestal with four female figures, personifying Strength, Wisdom, Justice and Faith. The liberation of the peasants, the amazing judicial reform, all the good deeds of Alexander the Liberator were the embodiment of his father's plans. Bound hand and foot by past and present, by the absence of comrades-in-arms, Nikolai Pavlovich did what he had to, in the hope that something would happen. He was the flesh of the flesh of a country where, besides fools and bad roads, there are innumerable other misfortunes. Therefore, it is wrong to evaluate it by comparing it with some mental ideal. The one walking in front, especially if he is a warrior, and not a confessor, is almost always the most exhausted person of all, his own and other people's blood dries on his uniform. The question is, is he driven by love for the Fatherland or ambition, does he lead the people in the name of God - or in his own name? Once - it was in 1845 - the tsar suddenly said, turning to a friend: “It's almost twenty years since I've been sitting in this beautiful place. There are often such days that I, looking at the sky, say: why am I not there? I'm so tired..." No, in his name, Nikolai Pavlovich, it seems, did not lift a finger - his service for a century and a half inspires us with respect. Even the inscription on the monument under the state emblem was never knocked down: "To Nicholas I - Emperor of All Russia." Very simple inscription - like everything connected with it.

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It will not be superfluous to represent what their purpose is. This is necessary at least in order not to get into trouble by incorrectly naming them in a conversation.

What is the division of the armed forces?

They were formed depending on where the fighting takes place: at sea or on land, in the sky or in space. In this regard, the types of troops of the Russian Federation are distinguished. Their list is as follows: land and air forces, and the navy. Each of them is a complex structure formed from special branches of the military, which have a different purpose. All these types of troops differ in the type of weapons. The training of military personnel in each of them has its own specifics.

First type: ground forces

It forms the base of the army and is the most numerous. Its purpose is to conduct combat operations on land, hence the name. No other types of troops of the Russian Federation can compare with this, since it is distinguished by its versatile composition. It is distinguished by the great power of the strike. Land - these are the types of troops of the Russian Federation (the photo is presented in the article), which have excellent maneuverability and independence. In addition, they can act both separately and together with others. Their purpose is to repel the enemy invasion, to gain a foothold in positions, to attack enemy formations.

To date, there are such types of ground forces of the Russian Federation:

• mobile motorized rifle, tank and lightning missile troops, artillery and air defense, military command and control bodies;
• special troops, such as intelligence and communications, technical support and engineering units, units for protection against radiation, chemical and biological attack, rear services.

What are motorized rifle and tank troops intended for?

These are the types of Russian troops that can perform various combat missions. From breaking through the enemy defenses and offensive to long-term and strong consolidation on the captured lines. A special place in these matters is allocated to tanks. Since their actions in the main areas of defense and offensive are characterized by maneuverability and speed in achieving the goal.

Motorized rifle units are distinguished by the fact that they can operate both independently and with the support of other RF Armed Forces. The types of troops that are now being considered are capable of withstanding weapons with any degree of damage, up to nuclear attacks.

But that's not all. The considered types and types of troops of the armed forces of the Russian Federation are equipped with weapons capable of inflicting significant damage to the enemy. For example, they have at their disposal automatic guns, artillery and anti-aircraft systems. They have combat vehicles and armored personnel carriers that allow them to move into the thick of the battle.

What are the missile and air defense forces intended for?

The former exist in order to carry out nuclear and fire strikes on enemy positions. With the help of missiles and artillery, you can hit the enemy in combined arms combat, as well as inflict damage in corps and front-line operations.

An important role in these matters is played by artillery, which is widely represented in anti-tank units using mortars, cannons and howitzers.

The types and types of troops of the Russian Federation associated with air defense bear the main burden in the matter of destroying the enemy in the air. The purpose of these units is to shoot down enemy planes and drones. Their structure includes parts that use anti-aircraft missiles and anti-aircraft artillery. Not the last place is occupied by the divisions of radio engineering, which provide proper communication. The air defense forces perform an important function of covering the ground forces from possible enemy air attacks. This is expressed in the fight against the enemy landing on its route and at the time of their landing. And before that, they are obliged to conduct reconnaissance by radar in order to timely notify of a possible attack.

The role of the Airborne Forces and engineering troops

A special place is given to them. They combine all the best that the previously mentioned types of the RF Armed Forces can give. The branches of the Airborne Forces are equipped with artillery and anti-aircraft missiles. They have airborne combat vehicles and armored personnel carriers at their disposal. Moreover, a special technique has been created that allows using parachutes to land various cargoes in any weather on an arbitrary terrain. In this case, the time of day and the altitude of the aircraft do not play a role.

The tasks of the Airborne Forces are most often actions behind enemy lines aimed at disturbing his balance. With their help, the destruction of the enemy's nuclear weapons, the capture of strategically important points and facilities, as well as government agencies. They perform tasks to introduce an imbalance in the work of the rear of the enemy.

Engineering - these are the types and types of troops of the Russian Federation that carry out reconnaissance of the area. Their tasks include the construction of barriers, and, if necessary, their destruction. They clear mine areas and prepare the terrain for maneuvers. Crossings are established, with the help of which water barriers are overcome. The forces of the engineering troops organize water supply points.

Second type: Navy

These types and types of troops of the armed forces of the Russian Federation are designed to conduct combat operations and protect the country's territorial interests on the water surface. also has the ability to deliver nuclear strikes against strategically important enemy targets. Its tasks also include the destruction of enemy forces on the high seas and at coastal bases. The Navy is designed to disrupt enemy communications in wartime and protect its own transportation. The fleet is able to provide serious support to ground forces during joint operations.

The Russian Navy today includes such Baltic, Black Sea, Pacific and Caspian. Each of them includes the following types of troops: submarine and surface forces, naval aviation and infantry, coastal missile and artillery units and service and material support units.

The purpose of each branch of the Navy

Those located on land are designed to defend the coast and objects located on the coast and of great importance. And without timely and full service, the naval bases will not be able to exist for a long time.

Surface forces are formed from ships and boats, which have a different focus from missile and anti-submarine to torpedo and landing. Their purpose is to search for and destroy enemy submarines and their ships. With their help, amphibious landings are carried out, as well as the detection and neutralization of sea mines.

Subdivisions with submarines, in addition to detecting enemy submarines, hit enemy ground targets. Moreover, they can act both independently and in combination with other troops of the Russian Federation.

The aviation of the navy consists of vehicles that can perform a missile-carrying or anti-submarine function. In addition, aviation performs reconnaissance missions. Aircraft of the naval forces serve to destroy the enemy surface fleet both in the open spaces of the ocean and at bases. It is also of considerable importance for covering the Russian fleet during combat operations.

Third type: Air Force

These are the most mobile and maneuverable types and types of troops of the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Their main task is to ensure the security and protection of the country's territorial interests in the air. In addition, they are called upon to protect the administrative, industrial and economic centers of Russia. Their purpose is to protect other troops and ensure the success of operations. With their help, aerial reconnaissance, landing and defeat of enemy positions are carried out.

The Air Force is armed with combat and combat training aircraft, helicopters, transport and special equipment. In addition, they have at their disposal anti-aircraft guns and military equipment for special purposes.

There are such types of aviation: long-range and versatile front-line, transport and army. In addition to them, there are two more types of anti-aircraft troops: anti-aircraft and radio engineering.

What is the purpose of each of the branches of the Air Force?

The purpose of military transport aviation is to deliver cargo and troops to the landing site. Moreover, food with medicines, and military equipment can act as cargo.

Long-range aviation is the main strike force of the Air Force. Because it is capable of hitting any target with great efficiency.

Frontal aviation is divided into bomber and attack, reconnaissance and fighter. The first two provide air support to ground forces during any combat operations - from defense to attack. The third type of aviation carries out reconnaissance that meets the interests of Russia. The latter exists to destroy enemy aircraft in the air.

Fourth Type: Strategic Rocket Forces

Formed specifically to conduct operations in a nuclear war. They have automated missile systems at their disposal, which have high accuracy. And this is despite the huge flight range possible between the two continents. Today, the types and types of troops of the Russian Federation are very mobile and complementary. And some of them are changing. For example, the rocket and space forces were formed from the rocket troops. They became the basis for a new type of troops - space.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011 01:12 am + to quote pad

GENERAL COMPOSITION AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE ARMED FORCES In preventing wars and armed conflicts, the Russian Federation gives preference to political, diplomatic, economic and other non-military means. However, the national interests of the Russian Federation require the presence of sufficient military power for its defense. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (RF Armed Forces) play a major role in ensuring the military security of the Russian Federation. The federal law "On Defense" defines their general composition as follows: "The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation consist of central bodies of military administration, associations, formations, military units and organizations that are part of the types and types of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, to the Logistics of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and to troops that are not part of the types and types of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Control bodies are designed to lead troops (forces) in both peacetime and wartime. These include commands, headquarters, departments, departments and other permanently and temporarily created structures. In 2004, in accordance with the Decree of the President of Russia "Issues of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation", the structure of the Ministry of Defense was reformed. New services have been created - the Service for the Arrangement and Quartering of Troops, the Service for Economics and Finance, and the Service for Personnel and Educational Work. Associations are military formations that include several formations or associations of a smaller scale, as well as units and institutions (for example, an operational association - an army, a flotilla, a territorial combined arms association - a military district). Formations are military formations consisting of several units or formations of a smaller composition, usually various types of troops (forces), special troops (services), as well as units (subdivisions) of support and maintenance. Formations include corps, divisions, brigades and other equivalent military formations. A military unit is an organizationally independent combat and administrative unit in all branches of the Russian Armed Forces. Military units include all regiments, ships of 1st, 2nd and 3rd ranks, separate battalions (divisions, squadrons), as well as separate companies that are not part of battalions and regiments. Regiments, separate battalions, separate divisions and separate air squadrons are awarded the Battle Banner, and the ships of the Navy - the Naval Flag. The institutions of the Ministry of Defense include such structures for ensuring the vital activity of the Armed Forces, such as military medical institutions, military departments, editorial offices of military publications, Houses of Officers, military museums, theaters, etc. At present, the Armed Forces structurally consist of three types: - Ground Forces; - Air force; - Navy; three types of troops: - Strategic Rocket Forces; - Space Forces; - Airborne troops; as well as troops that are not included in the types and types of troops of the Armed Forces, Logistics of the Armed Forces, organizations and military units for the construction and quartering of troops. In the future, until 2010, measures will be taken to improve their structure. The structure of the Armed Forces is presented in the diagram above. Each type and type of troops has its own specific organization, weapons, training system. The published materials will cover all types of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and types of troops. The most complete coverage will be given to the Ground Forces, as the most numerous service of the Armed Forces, diverse in armament and methods of combat operations.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011 01:16 am + to quote pad

GROUND TROOPS
The Ground Forces (SV) is one of the main types of armed forces, which is assigned a decisive role in the final defeat of the enemy in the continental theater of operations and in capturing important land areas.
In peacetime, the Ground Forces are entrusted with the tasks of comprehensively preparing command and control bodies and troops for combat operations, maintaining stocks of weapons, military equipment and materiel, assisting border troops in protecting the state border and assisting military formations of other ministries and departments in the fight against terrorism. and illegal armed groups. They can also take part in peacekeeping operations in accordance with the international obligations of the Russian Federation, in the aftermath of accidents, catastrophes and natural disasters.
With the outbreak of war, the main burden falls on the Ground Forces to repel enemy aggression with combat-ready groupings of troops in peacetime, to ensure the strategic deployment of the Armed Forces and to conduct operations to defeat the aggressor in cooperation with other branches of the Russian Armed Forces. In addition, in wartime, the Ground Forces must solve the problems of territorial defense, the formation, training and dispatch of strategic reserves for their intended purpose and replenishment of troop losses.
In Russia, the SVs trace their history from princely cavalry squads, as well as foot and cavalry militias.
In the 17th-18th centuries The SV received a structured permanent organization, which included platoons, companies (squadrons), battalions, regiments, brigades, divisions, and at the beginning of the 19th century. and army corps.
During the Great Patriotic War, being the most powerful and diverse service of the Armed Forces in terms of composition and methods of combat operations, the Ground Forces played the main role in the defeat of the fascist army.
Until the end of the 50s, the SV was considered the main branch of the Armed Forces of the USSR. After the creation of the Strategic Missile Forces, their role changed: they lost their leading position to a new type - the Strategic Missile Forces. But their importance in defeating the enemy did not diminish at all.
At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, a rethinking of the role and significance of the Ground Forces took place. Now their development is given the closest attention.
Ground forces include motorized rifle, tank troops, missile troops and artillery, air defense troops, which are military branches, and special troops (reconnaissance formations and units, communications, electronic warfare, engineering, NBC protection, nuclear technical, technical support, automobile and rear guards) , as well as military educational institutions, military units and rear services. (The structure of the Army is clearly presented on the published poster, which is included in the set "Armed Forces-Defenders of the Fatherland", published by the "Armpress" publishing house).
Organizationally, the Ground Forces consist of combined arms armies, army corps, motorized rifle (tank), artillery, machine gun and artillery divisions, motorized rifle and air assault brigades, weapons and equipment storage bases (BKhVT), military property storage bases (BHI) , district training centers (OTC), fortified areas, individual military units, institutions, enterprises and organizations. In addition, the Ground Forces include military bases stationed outside the Russian Federation.
The aforementioned associations, formations, units and institutions are consolidated into six military districts: the Leningrad Military District (LVO), the Moscow Military District (MVO), the North Caucasian Military District (SV O), the Volga-Ural Military District (PUrVO), the Siberian military district (SibVO), Far Eastern military district (FER).
Let us briefly consider the types of troops and individual special troops included in the SV.
Motorized troops. Designed to conduct combat operations independently and jointly with other branches of the military and special forces. They are capable of operating under conditions of use of both conventional weapons and nuclear weapons. Possessing powerful fire, high mobility, maneuverability and resistance to the impact of weapons of mass destruction, motorized rifle troops can break through prepared and hastily taken enemy defenses, develop an offensive at high rates and to great depths, destroy the enemy together with other branches of the military, consolidate and hold the occupied terrain . Motorized rifle formations and units have the ability to quickly make marches over long distances, conduct maneuverable combat operations at any time of the year and day, in any weather and on different terrain, independently force water barriers, capture important lines and objects, as well as in create a stable defense in a short time. They can be used as air and sea landings.
For the convenience of conducting combat operations, as well as command and control of troops, motorized rifle subunits, units and formations are created.
Subunits are organized organizationally in such a way as to ensure high mobility on the battlefield and rapid deployment into battle formation, ease of control, the ability to conduct a stubborn and prolonged battle in any situation, the ability to independently conduct combat operations and deliver a powerful fire strike from long and short ranges. Motorized rifle units include squad, platoon, company and battalion.
The ancestor of the current motorized rifle troops is the infantry. She appeared on the battlefield from the moment of the outbreak of wars and for a long time remained the most numerous branch of the army.
After the Great Patriotic War, the infantry received armored personnel carriers and new types of weapons, which increased its striking power, firepower and maneuverability, and gave it new combat qualities. In 1956-1957. instead of rifle and mechanized units and formations, motorized rifle units began to be created. The name "motorized rifle troops" as a kind of troops was introduced in 1963.
Tank forces. They constitute the main strike force of the Ground Forces. They are designed to conduct combat operations independently and in cooperation with other branches of the military and special forces. They are used mainly in the main directions for inflicting powerful and deep blows on the enemy. Possessing great firepower, reliable protection, high mobility and maneuverability, tank troops are able to make the most complete use of the results of nuclear and fire strikes and achieve the final goals of a battle and operation in a short time.
On the offensive, tank troops resolutely attack the enemy, destroying his tanks, manpower, weapons and combat equipment. They rapidly develop the offensive into the depth of defense, hold the captured lines and objects, repel counterattacks, force water barriers, pursue the retreating enemy, conduct reconnaissance, and also perform a number of other tasks.
In defense, tanks with well-aimed fire from the spot and sudden counterattacks destroy advancing enemy tanks and infantry and firmly hold their positions. The great firepower of tanks, their maneuverability and ability to withstand missile, artillery and air strikes make it possible to create a stable and active defense.
For the convenience of conducting combat operations, tanks are reduced to platoons, companies and battalions. The primary unit is the tank.
The idea of ​​creating a tank was born at the beginning of the 20th century and was caused by the need to pave the way for the infantry where it could not be done with the help of artillery.
Tanks first appeared in the battle on the Somme on September 15, 1916. They were heavy, clumsy, slow-moving British tanks. However, despite the design flaws of the first tanks, their appearance showed that these weapons are of exceptional importance for combat.
The first Soviet tank was built at the Sormovo plant. In total, in 1920, 15 light tanks were produced according to the design of engineer Maksimov.
Tank building received a special scope during the pre-war five-year plans. Then tanks of classic models were created - T-34 and KV, which were highly effective combat vehicles. During the war years, Soviet designers Kotin, Dukhov, Morozov continued to work on improving our tanks. A new heavy IS tank was created, more powerful than the KV tank. The T-34 tank has been improved. By the end of the war, Soviet troops had fifteen times more tanks than at the beginning of it.
Rocket Forces and Artillery (RV&A). They are the main firepower of the Ground Forces. They are designed to inflict effective fire damage on the enemy.
In the course of hostilities, RV&A can perform very diverse fire missions: suppress or destroy enemy manpower, fire weapons, artillery, rocket launchers, tanks, self-propelled artillery mounts and other types of enemy military equipment; destroy various defensive structures; forbid the enemy to maneuver, carry out defensive work or restore destroyed objects.
The primary firing units in the MFA are a gun, a mortar, a rocket artillery combat vehicle, a launcher, capable of performing individual fire missions.
The guns and mortars of each battery have a permanent serial number. A tractor is assigned to each implement. An artillery tractor and a gun attached to it are usually called a train. In combat, the gun operates, as a rule, as part of a firing platoon, BM, PU - as part of a battery.
One of the first known in history references to the use of guns in Russia dates back to 1382. For several days (August 23-26), the heroic defenders of Moscow, repelling the assault on the troops of Khan Tokhtamysh, used, as the Nikon chronicle says, not only bows and crossbows, but they also fired from mattresses and cannons. This is the first date of the use of artillery pieces that has come down to us. From it, the history of the military branch is counted.
During the Great Patriotic War, artillery was a formidable and powerful force both in the offensive and in defense.
A complete surprise for the Nazis was the appearance in the arsenal of our army of rocket artillery - the legendary Katyushas. For the first time, the installation of rocket launchers was used by the battery of Captain I. Flerov on July 14, 1941 near Orsha. Their fire then made a stunning impression on the enemy.
Now the RV&A consist of formations, units and subdivisions. The missile troops include brigades of tactical missiles and large-caliber multiple launch rocket systems, and artillery - formations, units and subunits of howitzer, cannon, rocket, anti-tank artillery, mortars, anti-tank systems and artillery reconnaissance.
Structurally, the formations of the RV&A are reduced to the reserve of the Supreme High Command, district, army (corps) sets and sets of artillery of combined arms formations, units, subunits - divisional, brigade, regimental, battalion and company.
The Air Defense Troops of the Ground Forces (Air Defense of the SV) are designed to cover groupings of troops and their rear facilities from enemy air strikes. They are capable of independently and in cooperation with the Air Force forces and means to destroy aircraft and unmanned aerial attack vehicles, to combat enemy airborne assaults on flight routes and during their release, as well as to conduct radar reconnaissance and notify troops of an air enemy.
The appearance in the ground forces of special artillery units to fight enemy aircraft dates back to the period of the 1st World War. In the Russian army, the first special gun for combating enemy aircraft was a three-inch automobile anti-aircraft gun of the 1915 model from the Putilov factory. A lot of bright pages in the national military history were written by the Air Defense Forces of the SV during the Great Patriotic War. Suffice it to say that during the Battle of Stalingrad alone, our anti-aircraft artillery destroyed over 270 enemy aircraft, or 37 percent of all German aviation participating in these battles. In total, during the years of World War II, anti-aircraft gunners of air defense units and formations of the fronts shot down more than 21,000 enemy aircraft, destroyed hundreds of tanks and guns, and a huge number of Nazis. 182 air defense units became guards, 250 were awarded orders, and 55 anti-aircraft gunners were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
On August 16, 1958, by order of the Minister of Defense, all military air defense facilities were merged into the Air Defense Forces of the SV. So a new kind of troops appeared.
Troops of radiation, chemical and biological protection (RCB protection). The modern system of NBC protection can be divided into several interrelated subsystems: identification and assessment of the NBC situation; ensuring the protection of troops (forces) and the survivability of command and control bodies from the effects of damaging factors of weapons of mass destruction (WMD); reducing the visibility of troops and objects from the means of reconnaissance and guidance of enemy weapons.
At the present stage, the threat of the use of chemical and biological agents, as well as radioactive substances, by international terrorists is significantly increasing.
In order to prevent the threats of extremists from becoming a reality, the specialists of the NBC protection troops, together with a number of ministries and departments, in particular the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Security Service and the Ministry of Health, are carrying out a set of measures aimed at preventing and timely localization of possible lesions.
To solve the tasks ahead, the troops of the RChB protection include formations, units, universities, research institutions, bases for the production, repair and storage of weapons and equipment of the RCBZ.
Of particular relevance today is the development of remote reconnaissance equipment, which significantly increases its efficiency. This eliminates the contact of personnel with contaminated atmosphere and terrain. At the same time, the problem of centralized acquisition of intelligence data in real time in various units of the troops is being solved.
Currently, the process of improving personal protective equipment is actively underway: the physiological load on the soldier is reduced, the protective properties are optimized from various damaging factors that disable a person. A good example of this approach is the program for equipping a soldier of the 21st century. It involves the creation of a dynamic protection system that can provide an increase or decrease in the protective and operational properties of the kit, depending on the current situation.
The task of reducing the effectiveness of optical-visual, photographic, television, laser, infrared reconnaissance of the enemy, and the use of high-precision weapons is extremely urgent. In this regard, the role of the use of camouflage and visibility reduction means based on aerosols, foams and special materials is growing. The basis of aerosol products is traditionally made up of smoke grenades, containers and cars, checkers, shells, bombs, generators, as well as smoke control systems.
The date of formation of the troops of radiation, chemical and biological protection is the day of signing the order of the Revolutionary Military Council on November 13, 1918 on the creation of a chemical service. However, military chemists appeared in the Russian army during the First World War. Chemical troops were especially developed during the Great Patriotic War. It was reliably known that Nazi Germany was preparing to use chemical weapons. Rapid adequate measures were required that would contribute, on the one hand, to the effective solution of the tasks of identifying and neutralizing the forces and means of a chemical attack by the enemy, and, on the other hand, to increasing the survivability of our subunits and units. Then, in a relatively short time, universal separate chemical protection battalions were deployed, which, with minor changes in the staffing structure, have survived to the present day ...
The Chernobyl disaster became a severe test for the RCB protection troops. The experience of eliminating the consequences of this catastrophe was not easy for the chemical troops. At the same time, he largely influenced the government's decision on their development. As part of the troops, mobile formations and units equipped with special equipment were formed, allowing them to perform the most complex work to eliminate emergencies at military and industrial facilities. In August 1992, the chemical troops were renamed the troops of radiation, chemical and biological protection.
Engineering Troops. Designed to support combat operations of all types of aircraft and combat arms. They must ensure high rates of attack, including the destruction of strong enemy strongholds covered by mine-explosive barriers, create insurmountable defensive lines in a short time, and help protect people and equipment from all types of destruction. In peacetime, they perform a number of specific tasks, which, in terms of their significance and complexity, are equated to combat ones. This is, first of all, demining areas in areas of former military operations, 4VTs neutralization of explosive objects in "hot spots". Military engineers are involved in the protection of bridges and other hydraulic structures from glaciers and floods, solve problems of eliminating the consequences of accidents and disasters of a natural and man-made nature.
By decree of Tsar Peter I dated January 21, 1701, the first engineering school was established, in which the training of a corps of military engineers for the Russian army began. This day is considered the Day of the formation of the engineering troops.
Today, the basis of the engineering troops is made up of engineer-sapper, pontoon-bridge, positional, barriers and barriers, camouflage formations, units and subunits. They also include bases for the storage and repair of engineering weapons, universities.
Formations and units of other special troops of the ground forces - communications, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, nuclear-technical, technical support, automobile and rear protection - perform tasks as intended.
Victor SHATOKHIN

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Wednesday, June 22, 2011 01:20 am + to quote pad

AIR FORCE
The modern Air Force was created as a result of the transformation in 1998 of the Air Force and the Air Defense Forces. They are entrusted with a strategic task of state importance - the reliable protection of administrative-political, military-industrial centers, communication centers, forces and means of the highest military and state administration, facilities of the Unified Energy System and other important elements of the national economic infrastructure of Russia from attacks by an aggressor from aerospace .
The role of the Air Force in ensuring the national security of the country in the military sphere is constantly growing. Versatility, speed, range, high maneuverability are the distinguishing operational and strategic properties of the Air Force. They manifest themselves in the ability to conduct effective combat operations day and night in simple and difficult weather conditions, in various physical spheres: on land, at sea and in aerospace; in readiness to strike with the use of high-precision weapons from short, medium and long ranges against various ground and sea surface objects (targets); use conventional and nuclear weapons; conduct aerial reconnaissance in the interests of all types of aircraft; carry out landing, transportation of troops and military equipment, solve a number of other tasks throughout the entire depth of the operational formation of enemy troops and in the deep rear. No other branch of the Armed Forces possesses such operational properties.
In a large-scale war, the Air Force is capable of solving a complex of operational-strategic tasks. In particular, this may be the defeat of enemy aviation, anti-aircraft and nuclear missile groups;
air support for the Ground Forces; weakening the military-economic potential of the enemy; defeat of its operational and strategic reserves in the areas of their concentration and on the routes of advance.
Attempts to theoretically substantiate the possibility of flying on an aircraft heavier than air were first made by the Italian scientist Leonardo da Vinci at the beginning of the 16th century. In 1754, the Russian scientist M. Lomonosov proved the possibility of flying such an apparatus by building a model of a helicopter type driven by a spring. In 1881, in Russia, naval officer A. Mozhaisky received a "privilege" (patent) for an aircraft with a steam engine, which was built in 1882 with flaws in the power plant. After completion during takeoff in 1885, he crashed.
The leading role in creating the scientific foundations of aerodynamics was played by Professor N. Zhukovsky, his student Academician S. Chaplygin and other Russian scientists.
The First World War accelerated the development of aviation.
The combat use of aviation caused the appearance of means of combating an air enemy. In the Russian army, the first battery of 75-mm naval guns adapted for firing at aircraft was formed in October 1914. In 1915, the production of the first anti-aircraft guns began and the world's first RBVZ-S-16 fighter aircraft was built.
Subsequently, military aviation and air defense systems developed in parallel.
In May 1954, the post of Commander-in-Chief of the country's Air Defense Forces was established.
Until March 1998, the Air Force and Air Defense of the country existed as independent branches of the Armed Forces. Now they are combined into one view.
The organizationally unified Air Forces consist of the Special Purpose Command, the air army of the Supreme High Command (strategic purpose) - VA VGK (SP), the air army of the Supreme High Command (military transport aviation) - VA VGK (VTA), the air army, and the armies of the Air Force and air defense.
These associations (combinations) are directly subordinate to the Air Force Commander-in-Chief. Thus, in the structure of the new Russian Air Force, the principle of centralized control of aviation formations by the Air Force Command remained unshakable.
SPECIAL PURPOSE COMMAND. Created in September 2002 on the basis of the Moscow Air Force and Air Defense District. Parts of the Command will become the basis for creating the head section of the country's aerospace defense. The SSN works closely with the Space Forces, which include a separate space-rocket defense army.
LONG-TERM AVIATION (VA VGK (SN) - an integral part of the strategic nuclear forces (ASYaS), the main strike force of the Air Force, capable of effectively hitting important objects of aviation groups (air bases, aircraft carriers) in a conventional war , carrier ships of SLCMs, energy facilities, facilities of the highest military and state administration, ammunition production plants, large fuel storage facilities, railway, road, sea (ocean) communications, maritime (ocean) transportation infrastructure, etc.
MILITARY TRANSPORT AVIATION (VA VGK (VTA), - the main means of landing troops and military equipment in the interests of operations in the continental and oceanic theaters of war; it is the most mobile means of delivering materiel, military equipment, food, units (subdivisions) to specified areas different branches of the Armed Forces.
Structurally, the Air Force consists of aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, radio engineering troops, which are branches of the Air Force, special troops, as well as units and institutions of the rear (The structure of the Air Force is presented on the poster, which is included in the set "Armed Forces - Defenders of the Fatherland", published by "Armpress" publishing house).
Air Force aviation has to solve a variety of tasks. As a result, it is highly heterogeneous. Types of aviation: bomber, assault, fighter aviation, air defense, reconnaissance, transport, special and army.
Bomber aviation is armed with long-range (strategic) and front-line (tactical) bombers of various types. It is designed to defeat groupings of troops, destroy important military, energy facilities and communications centers mainly in the strategic and operational depth of the enemy’s defense.
Assault aviation is intended for aviation support of troops, destruction of manpower and objects mainly on the front line, in the tactical and immediate operational depth of the enemy, as well as for combating enemy aircraft in the air.
Air defense fighter aviation is the main maneuvering force of the air defense system and is designed to cover the most important directions and objects from enemy air attacks. It is capable of destroying the enemy at maximum ranges from the defended objects.
Reconnaissance aviation is designed to conduct aerial reconnaissance of the enemy, terrain and weather, and can destroy enemy hidden objects.
Reconnaissance flights can also be carried out by bomber, fighter-bomber, attack and fighter aircraft.
Reconnaissance aviation is subdivided into tactical, operational and strategic reconnaissance aviation.
Transport aviation is designed to transport troops, military equipment, weapons, ammunition, fuel, food, airborne landings, evacuation of the wounded, sick, etc.
Special aviation is designed for long-range radar detection and guidance, refueling aircraft in the air, conducting electronic warfare, radiation, chemical and biological protection, providing control and communications, meteorological and technical support, rescuing crews in distress, evacuating the wounded and sick.
Army aviation. Its main purpose is to support the Ground Forces on the battlefield. It is entrusted with fire tasks, tasks of combat and logistic support.
Anti-Aircraft Missile Forces (ZRV) represent the main air defense firepower in the Air Force. The ZRV is entrusted with the task of directly covering troops and facilities from attacks by modern and advanced enemy air attack weapons. At the same time, unlike fighter aviation, which strikes an air enemy at distant approaches, ZRV groupings are intended mainly to repel attacks by enemy air attack weapons on troops and objects. Subdivisions, units and formations of air defense missiles have a higher fire output and have a significantly shorter reaction time than fighters. ZRV are less "sensitive" to weather and climatic conditions, do not require the creation of a complex and expensive infrastructure for support.
The Radio Engineering Troops (RTV) perform the following main tasks:
detect enemy air attack means in the air, identify them and carry out continuous tracking; determine the coordinates, composition, direction of movement and the nature of the actions of an air enemy, provide information about him to the command, troops and civil defense bodies; exercise control over the flights of their aviation. Radar information issued by the RTV is used for target designation of anti-aircraft missile systems and guidance of fighters on air targets, as well as for controlling the combat operations of units and formations.

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Wednesday, June 22, 2011 01:23 am + to quote pad

NAVY The NAVY is designed to maintain strategic stability, ensure Russia's national interests in the World Ocean and the country's reliable security in the maritime and ocean areas. The Navy is the main component and basis of the maritime potential of the Russian state. It is designed to maintain strategic stability, ensure Russia's national interests in the World Ocean and the country's reliable security in the maritime and ocean areas. The list of tasks of the Navy is quite large. For example, its forces in peacetime solve such tasks as combat patrols and duty of strategic missile submarines (RPLSN); ensuring the reliability and safety of the functioning of the NSNF; combat service in operationally important areas of the seas and oceans; maintaining a favorable operational regime in adjacent and inland seas; protection of the state border in the underwater environment, assistance to the marine units of the border troops in solving the tasks assigned to them for the protection of the state border and the sea economic regions of the Russian Federation, and others. The most important combat tasks of the Navy are: strategic nuclear deterrence (by creating a threat to destroy administrative, economic and military facilities on enemy territory); ensuring the combat stability of the RPLSN; assistance to the troops of the fronts (armies) in the conduct of operations and combat operations in coastal areas; defeat of enemy ship groups; creating and maintaining a favorable operational regime, gaining and maintaining dominance in the adjacent seas and operationally important areas (zones) of the ocean; violation of maritime and oceanic military and economic transportation of the enemy, etc. The creation of the Russian fleet is inextricably linked with the personality of Tsar Peter I. On October 20, 1696, at his insistence, the Boyar Duma made a historic decision: "There will be sea vessels!" From this moment begins the history of the development of the domestic navy, which has already more than 300 years. In 1699, on the Russian flag, which later became the Russian Naval flag, on the initiative of Peter the Great, an oblique St. Andrew's Cross appeared. Navy sailors covered themselves with unfading glory during the Great Patriotic War. The Navy sank about 1,400 enemy transport ships, more than 1,300 warships and auxiliary ships of various classes, landed more than 100 operational and tactical naval assault forces, transported over 100 million tons of military and economic cargo, 10 million people - military personnel and evacuees population. For outstanding military service, more than 350,000 sailors were awarded orders and medals, over 600 were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and seven were awarded twice. The modern Navy includes naval strategic nuclear forces (NSNF) and general-purpose naval forces (MSN). The Navy consists of the following branches of forces: submarine forces, surface forces, air force and air defense, ground and coastal forces. It also includes ships and vessels, special-purpose units, rear units and subunits (The structure of the Navy is presented on the poster, which is included in the set "Armed Forces - Defenders of the Fatherland", published by the "Armpress" publishing house). Organizationally, all the forces of the Navy are part of four fleets (Northern, Pacific, Baltic, Black Sea) and the Caspian flotilla, where they are combined into the corresponding formations and formations - flotillas, squadrons, naval bases, divisions, brigades and regiments. The program for the construction and development of the Navy involves a balanced, phased renewal of the ship's composition, weapons and military equipment of all generic components of the fleet, as well as all types of their support, taking into account the predicted financial support. At the same time, it is planned to transfer personnel to contract service and improve the entire organizational and staffing structure of the fleet. In quantitative terms, the Russian fleet being created will be significantly smaller than the Soviet Navy, but focused on the use of high technologies, as well as a more developed infrastructure and support system. In military terms, the focus will shift from building up strike power to greater use of command and control information systems and target designation in order to increase the likelihood of successful use of weapons. The solution of tasks by naval strategic nuclear forces will be provided by strategic missile submarines, the number of which should be determined based on the need to ensure the reliability of the missile system and the implementation of existing strategic arms treaties, taking into account the total number of submarines in the fleet. To ensure the combat activity of submarine missile carriers, it will also be necessary to maintain nuclear multi-purpose submarines, surface multi-purpose ships and naval aviation. Research carried out in recent years shows that the most effective means of solving these problems are multi-purpose submarines and surface ships of the frigate class, which is new for the Navy. In addition, the Russian Navy has also begun construction of a new project of a corvette-type surface ship, which is designed to successfully replace small anti-submarine ships. Let us briefly dwell on the characteristics of the combat arms of the Navy. Submarine forces are the striking force of the fleet, capable of controlling the expanses of the World Ocean, covertly and quickly deploying in the right directions and delivering unexpected powerful strikes from the depths of the ocean against sea and continental targets. Depending on the main armament, submarines are divided into missile and torpedo, and according to the type of power plant, nuclear and diesel-electric. The main strike force of the Navy is nuclear submarines armed with ballistic and cruise missiles with nuclear warheads. These ships are constantly in various areas of the World Ocean, ready for the immediate use of their strategic weapons. Nuclear-powered submarines armed with ship-to-ship cruise missiles are mainly aimed at fighting large enemy surface ships. Nuclear torpedo submarines are used to disrupt enemy submarine and surface communications and in the defense system against underwater threats, as well as to escort missile submarines and surface ships. The use of diesel submarines (missile and torpedo) is associated mainly with the solution of typical tasks for them in limited areas of the sea. Today, third-generation submarines form the basis of the grouping of multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Navy. Along with torpedoes and rocket-torpedoes, all of them can be carriers of cruise missiles. The third-generation multi-purpose nuclear submarines have better basic characteristics compared to US nuclear submarines of the Vov Apselev type. Such, for example, as shock potential, diving depth, underwater speed and maneuverability. Our nuclear submarines embody the most modern achievements of science, engineering and technology; this project opened a new stage in domestic submarine shipbuilding. The main achievement implemented in the third generation of multi-purpose nuclear submarines is high acoustic stealth. For the first time, nuclear submarines of Russia and major maritime powers have an equal chance of success in a duel situation. The high combat qualities of our submarines allow them to effectively carry out combat service. At the same time, the Navy began to create the latest fourth-generation multi-purpose nuclear submarines designed to operate in the ocean zone together with existing third-generation nuclear submarines and those under construction. Initially, three specialized projects of fourth-generation multi-purpose nuclear submarines were developed for general-purpose naval forces: for solving anti-submarine missions, combating aircraft carrier formations, and for destroying surface ships and transport ships. But in the end, a single project was chosen - a universal multi-purpose nuclear submarine. New geopolitical realities and economic factors forced us to abandon the multi-type and narrow specialization. The Navy settled on a single project of the boat, which combined the capabilities of solving anti-submarine and anti-aircraft tasks. It is capable of striking convoys and coastal targets with long-range cruise missiles. In the future, these submarines, armed with high-precision weapons, can play the role of strategic non-nuclear deterrence forces. Their secrecy is rated very highly, at a level that is not inferior to the latest US submarines. Such submarines will form the core of the new Russian Navy in the future. Surface forces in modern conditions remain the most important part of the Navy. They are designed to search for and destroy submarines, to fight against surface ships, to land amphibious assault forces on the coast of the enemy, to detect and neutralize sea mines, and to perform a number of other tasks. The combat stability of surface ship groupings depends on the effectiveness of their anti-aircraft and anti-submarine defenses. Surface ships and boats, depending on their purpose, are divided into classes: missile, anti-submarine, artillery and torpedo, anti-mine, landing, etc. Rocket ships (boats) are armed with cruise missiles and are capable of destroying enemy surface ships and transports at sea. Anti-submarine ships are designed to search for and destroy enemy submarines in coastal and remote areas of the sea. They are armed with anti-submarine helicopters, missiles and torpedoes, depth charges. Artillery and torpedo ships (cruisers, destroyers, etc.) are used mainly as security forces in convoys and landing detachments, as well as to cover the latter at sea crossings, to provide fire support for landings during landing, and to perform other tasks. Anti-mine ships are used to detect and neutralize enemy mines in the navigation areas of their own submarines, surface ships and transports. They are equipped with radio-electronic means capable of detecting bottom and anchor mines, and various trawls for clearing mines. Landing ships are used to transport by sea and land on the coast occupied by the enemy, units and units of the marines and ground forces acting as amphibious assault forces. Air Force and Air Defense. Naval aviation dates back to July 17, 1916, when an air battle took place over the Baltic Sea. In it, four M-9 seaplanes from the Orlitsa aircraft carrier fought with four enemy aircraft. The battle ended with the victory of the Russian pilots. Two German planes were shot down, the other two hurried to flee. Modern Air Force and Air Defense of the Navy have the following types of aviation: naval missile-carrying, anti-submarine, naval assault, fighter, reconnaissance, transport and special purposes. The tasks of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Navy are as follows: the destruction of ship groups, convoys, enemy landings at sea and in bases, the search and destruction of enemy submarines, the violation of surveillance and control systems in maritime theaters, the cover of groupings of their ships, reconnaissance, the issuance of target designations in the interests of use of weapons by naval forces. Missile-carrying aviation includes aircraft with a considerable range and speed of flight and equipped with search aids and various missiles. Anti-submarine aviation consists of aircraft and helicopters equipped with means to search for and destroy submarines. The air defense systems in service with the Air Force and Air Defense of the Navy make it possible to effectively fire at aircraft, helicopters and missiles. Ground and coastal troops. They consist of coastal missile and artillery troops and marines. Their purpose is to defend the coast of the country and important objects of the fleet (front) on the coast, coastal communications from attacks by the forces of the enemy fleet. The marines can also operate as part of amphibious assaults together with ground forces and independently. It has special weapons and various floating equipment. Auxiliary forces. Their main task is to ensure the basing and combat activities of the submarine and surface forces of the fleet. Grigory MIKHAILOV, retired colonel

The backbone of any country's defense is its people. The course and outcome of most wars and armed conflicts depended on their patriotism, dedication and dedication.

Of course, in terms of preventing aggression, Russia will give preference to political, diplomatic, economic and other non-military means. However, the national interests of Russia require the presence of sufficient military power for its defense. We are constantly reminded of this by the history of Russia - the history of its wars and armed conflicts. At all times, Russia has fought for its independence, defended its national interests with arms in hand, and defended the peoples of other countries.

And today Russia cannot do without the Armed Forces. They are needed to defend national interests in the international arena, to contain and neutralize military threats and dangers, which, based on the trend in the development of the current military-political situation, are more than real.

Composition and organizational structure of the Russian armed forces

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation formed by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 7, 1992. They are a state military organization that constitutes the defense of the country.

According to the Law of the Russian Federation "On Defense", the Armed Forces are designed to repel aggression and defeat the aggressor, as well as to perform tasks in accordance with the international obligations of the Russian Federation.

Russian Armed Forces consist of central bodies of military control, associations, formations, units, subunits and organizations that are included in the branches and arms of the Armed Forces, in the rear of the Armed Forces and in troops that are not included in the branches and arms of the Armed Forces.

To the central authorities include the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, as well as a number of departments that are in charge of certain functions and are subordinate to certain deputy defense ministers or directly to the minister of defense. In addition, the High Commands of the branches of the Armed Forces are part of the central control bodies.

Type of Armed Forces- this is their component, distinguished by special weapons and designed to perform the assigned tasks, as a rule, in any environment (on land, in water, in the air). This is the Ground Forces. Air Force, Navy.

Each branch of the Armed Forces consists of branches of service (forces), special troops and rear services.

Under the line of troops is understood as a part of the type of the Armed Forces, which is distinguished by the main armament, technical equipment, organizational structure, the nature of training and the ability to perform specific combat missions. In addition, there are independent types of troops. In the Armed Forces of Russia, these are the Strategic Missile Forces, the Space Forces and the Airborne Forces.

Military art in Russia, as well as throughout the world, is divided into three levels:
- Tactics (the art of combat). Squad, platoon, company, battalion, regiment solve tactical tasks, that is, they are fighting.
- Operational art (the art of conducting battles, battles). A division, a corps, an army solve operational tasks, that is, they conduct a battle.
- Strategy (the art of commanding war in general). The front solves both operational and strategic tasks, i.e., it wages major battles, as a result of which the strategic situation changes and the outcome of the war can be decided.

Branch- the smallest military formation in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - branch. The squad is commanded by a junior sergeant or sergeant. Usually in a motorized rifle department there are 9-13 people. In the departments of other branches of the armed forces, the number of personnel of the department is from 3 to 15 people. Typically, a squad is part of a platoon, but may also exist outside of a platoon.

Platoon- Several squads make up a platoon. Usually there are 2 to 4 squads in a platoon, but more are possible. A platoon is led by a commander with an officer's rank - junior lieutenant, lieutenant or senior lieutenant. On average, the number of personnel in a platoon ranges from 9 to 45 people. Usually in all branches of the military the name is the same - a platoon. Usually a platoon is part of a company, but it can also exist independently.

Company- several platoons make up a company. In addition, a company may include several independent squads that are not included in any of the platoons. For example, in a motorized rifle company there are three motorized rifle platoons, a machine-gun squad, and an anti-tank squad. Usually a company consists of 2-4 platoons, sometimes even more platoons. A company is the smallest formation of tactical importance, i.e. a formation capable of independently performing small tactical tasks on the battlefield. Company commander Capt. On average, the size of a company can be from 18 to 200 people. Motorized rifle companies are usually about 130-150 people, tank companies 30-35 people. Usually the company is part of the battalion, but often the existence of companies as independent formations. In artillery, this type of formation is called a battery; in cavalry, a squadron.

Battalion consists of several companies (usually 2-4) and several platoons that are not included in any of the companies. The battalion is one of the main tactical formations. A battalion, like a company, platoon, squad, is named according to its type of troops (tank, motorized rifle, engineer-sapper, communications). But the battalion already includes formations of other types of weapons. For example, in a motorized rifle battalion, in addition to motorized rifle companies, there is a mortar battery, a material support platoon, and a communications platoon. Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel. The battalion already has its headquarters. Usually, on average, a battalion, depending on the type of troops, can number from 250 to 950 people. However, there are battalions of about 100 people. In artillery, this type of formation is called a division.

Regiment- this is the main tactical formation and a completely autonomous formation in the economic sense. The regiment is commanded by a colonel. Although the regiments are named according to the branches of service (tank, motorized rifle, communications, pontoon-bridge, etc.), but in fact this is a formation consisting of units of many branches of the military, and the name is given according to the predominant branch of service. For example, in a motorized rifle regiment there are two or three motorized rifle battalions, one tank battalion, one artillery battalion (read battalion), one anti-aircraft missile battalion, a reconnaissance company, an engineer company, a communications company, an anti-tank battery, a chemical defense platoon , repair company, material support company, orchestra, medical center. The number of personnel of the regiment is from 900 to 2000 people.

brigade- as well as the regiment, the brigade is the main tactical formation. Actually, the brigade occupies an intermediate position between the regiment and the division. The structure of the brigade is most often the same as that of the regiment, but there are much more battalions and other units in the brigade. So in a motorized rifle brigade there are one and a half to two times more motorized rifle and tank battalions than in a regiment. A brigade may also consist of two regiments, plus auxiliary battalions and companies. On average, there are from 2,000 to 8,000 people in a brigade. The brigade commander, as well as in the regiment, is a colonel.

Division- the main operational-tactical formation. As well as the regiment is named after the type of troops prevailing in it. However, the predominance of one or another type of troops is much less than in the regiment. A motorized rifle division and a tank division are identical in structure, with the only difference being that in a motorized rifle division there are two or three motorized rifle regiments and one tank regiment, while in a tank division, on the contrary, there are two or three tank regiments, and one motorized rifle regiment. In addition to these main regiments, the division has one or two artillery regiments, one anti-aircraft missile regiment, a rocket battalion, a missile battalion, a helicopter squadron, an engineer battalion, a communications battalion, an automobile battalion, a reconnaissance battalion, an electronic warfare battalion, a material support battalion, a repair - a recovery battalion, a medical battalion, a chemical protection company and several different support companies and platoons. Divisions can be tank, motorized rifle, artillery, airborne, missile and aviation. In other military branches, as a rule, the highest formation is a regiment or brigade. On average, there are 12-24 thousand people in a division. Division Commander Major General.

Frame- just as a brigade is an intermediate formation between a regiment and a division, so a corps is an intermediate formation between a division and an army. The corps is a combined-arms formation, that is, it usually lacks the sign of one type of troops, although there may also be tank or artillery corps, that is, corps with a complete predominance of tank or artillery divisions in them. The combined arms corps is usually referred to as the "army corps". There is no single corps structure. Each time the corps is formed on the basis of a specific military or military-political situation, and may consist of two or three divisions and a different number of formations of other military branches. Usually a corps is created where it is impractical to create an army. It is impossible to talk about the structure and size of the corps, because how many corps exist or existed, so many of their structures existed. Corps Commander Lieutenant General.

Army- This is a large military formation of operational purpose. The army includes divisions, regiments, battalions of all types of troops. Usually, armies are no longer subdivided according to the types of troops, although there may be tank armies, where tank divisions predominate. An army may also include one or more corps. It is impossible to talk about the structure and size of the army, because how many armies exist or have existed, so many structures existed. The soldier at the head of the army is no longer called "commander", but "commander of the army." Usually the staff rank of the army commander is Colonel General. In peacetime, armies are rarely organized as military formations. Usually divisions, regiments, battalions are directly part of the district.

Front (district)- This is the highest military formation of a strategic type. Larger formations do not exist. The name "front" is used only in wartime for a formation conducting combat operations. For such formations in peacetime, or those located in the rear, the name "district" (military district) is used. The front includes several armies, corps, divisions, regiments, battalions of all types of troops. The composition and strength of the front may be different. Fronts are never subdivided according to the types of troops (i.e., there cannot be a tank front, an artillery front, etc.). At the head of the front (district) is the commander of the front (district) with the rank of army general.

Associations- these are military formations, including several smaller formations or formations, as well as units and institutions. The formations include the army, the flotilla, as well as the military district - a territorial combined arms association and the fleet - a naval association.

Military district is a territorial combined-arms association of military units, formations, educational institutions, military institutions of various types and branches of the Armed Forces. The military district covers the territory of several subjects of the Russian Federation.

Fleet is the highest operational formation of the Navy. Commanders of districts and fleets direct their troops (forces) through headquarters subordinate to them.

connections are military formations consisting of several units or formations of a smaller composition, usually various types of troops (forces), special troops (services), as well as units (subdivisions) of support and maintenance. Formations include corps, divisions, brigades and other equivalent military formations. The word "connection" means - to connect the parts. The division headquarters has the status of a unit. Other units (regiments) are subordinate to this unit (headquarters). Together, this is the division. However, in some cases, the brigade can also have the status of a connection. This happens if the brigade includes separate battalions and companies, each of which in itself has the status of a unit. The brigade headquarters in this case, like the division headquarters, has the status of a unit, and battalions and companies, as independent units, are subordinate to the brigade headquarters.

Part- is an organizationally independent combat and administrative-economic unit in all types of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The concept of "part" most often means a regiment and a brigade. In addition to the regiment and brigade, division headquarters, corps headquarters, army headquarters, district headquarters, as well as other military organizations (military department, army hospital, garrison clinic, district food depot, district song and dance ensemble, garrison house of officers, garrison household complex service, central school of junior specialists, military institute, military school, etc.). Parts can be ships of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ranks, separate battalions (divisions, squadrons), as well as separate companies that are not part of battalions and regiments. Regiments, separate battalions, divisions and squadrons are awarded the Battle Banner, and the ships of the Navy - the Naval Flag.

Subdivision- all military formations that are part of the unit. Squad, platoon, company, battalion - they are all combined in one word "unit". The word comes from the concept of "division", "divide" - the part is divided into divisions.

To organizations include such structures for ensuring the vital activity of the Armed Forces, such as military medical institutions, officers' houses, military museums, editorial offices of military publications, sanatoriums, rest houses, camp sites, etc.

Rear of the Armed Forces is designed to provide the Armed Forces with all types of materiel and maintenance of their stocks, prepare and operate communications, ensure military transportation, repair weapons and military equipment, provide medical care to the wounded and sick, carry out sanitary and hygienic and veterinary measures and perform a number of other logistics tasks security. The rear of the Armed Forces includes arsenals, bases, warehouses with stocks of materiel. It has special troops (automobile, railway, road, pipeline, engineering and airfield and others), as well as repair, medical, rear guards and other units and subunits.

Quartering and arrangement of troops- the activities of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in the creation and engineering support of military infrastructure facilities, quartering troops, creating conditions for the strategic deployment of the Armed Forces and the conduct of hostilities.

To troops not included in the types and types of troops of the Armed Forces, include the Border Troops, the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the Civil Defense Troops.

Border troops designed to protect the state border, the territorial sea, the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation, as well as to solve the problems of protecting the biological resources of the territorial sea, the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation and exercising state control in this area. Organizationally, the Border Troops are part of the FSB of Russia.

Their tasks follow from the purpose of the Border Troops. This is the protection of the state border, the territorial sea, the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation; protection of marine biological resources; protection of the state borders of the states - members of the Commonwealth of Independent States on the basis of bilateral treaties (agreements); organizing the passage of persons, vehicles, cargo, goods and animals across the state border of the Russian Federation; intelligence, counterintelligence and operational-search activities in the interests of protecting the state border, the territorial sea, the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation and protecting marine biological resources, as well as the state borders of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia designed to ensure the security of the individual, society and the state, to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens from criminal and other unlawful encroachments.

The main tasks of the Internal Troops are: prevention and suppression of armed conflicts, actions directed against the integrity of the state; disarmament of illegal formations; compliance with the state of emergency; strengthening the protection of public order, where necessary; ensuring the normal functioning of all state structures, legally elected authorities; protection of important government facilities, special cargo, etc.

One of the most important tasks of the Internal Troops is to participate, together with the Armed Forces, in accordance with a single concept and plan, in the country's territorial defense system.

Civil Defense Troops- these are military formations that own special equipment, weapons and property, designed to protect the population, material and cultural values ​​on the territory of the Russian Federation from the dangers arising from the conduct of hostilities or as a result of these actions. Organizationally, the Civil Defense Troops are part of the Russian Emergencies Ministry.

In peacetime, the main tasks of the Civil Defense Troops are: participation in activities aimed at preventing emergency situations (ES); training the population in ways to protect themselves from the dangers arising from emergencies and as a result of military operations; carrying out work to localize and eliminate the threats of emergencies that have already arisen; evacuation of the population, material and cultural values ​​from dangerous zones to safe areas; delivery and ensuring the safety of goods transported to the emergency zone as humanitarian aid, including to foreign countries; providing medical assistance to the affected population, providing it with food, water and basic necessities; fighting fires resulting from emergencies.

In wartime, the Civil Defense troops solve tasks related to the implementation of measures for the protection and survival of the civilian population: the construction of shelters; carrying out activities for light and other types of camouflage; ensuring the entry of civil defense forces into the centers of destruction, zones of infection and pollution, catastrophic flooding; fighting fires arising during the conduct of hostilities or as a result of these actions; detection and designation of areas subjected to radiation, chemical, biological and other contamination; maintenance of order in areas affected by the conduct of military operations or as a result of these operations; participation in the urgent restoration of the functioning of the necessary communal facilities and other elements of the system for providing the population, rear infrastructure - airfields, roads, crossings, etc.

http://www.grandars.ru/shkola/bezopasnost-zhiznedeyatelnosti/vooruzhennye-sily.html

Military-administrative division of the Russian Federation

The main military administrative unit of the Russian Federation is the military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Since December 1, 2010 in Russia in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 21, 2010 "On the military-administrative division of the Russian Federation"

Four military districts were formed:
Central Military District;
Southern Military District;
Western military district;
Eastern military district.

Western military district

Western Military District (ZVO) It was formed in September 2010 in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 20, 2010 on the basis of two military districts - Moscow and Leningrad. The ZVO also included the Northern and Baltic Fleets and the 1st Air Force and Air Defense Command.

The history of the Leningrad Military District (LenVO) began on March 20, 1918, when the Petrograd Military District was formed. In 1924, it was renamed into Leningradsky. In 1922, the troops of the district took part in the defeat of the White Finnish detachments that invaded Karelia, and in 1939-1940. - in the Soviet-Finnish war. Moreover, at the first stage (before the creation of the North-Western Front), the leadership of military operations in the war was carried out by the headquarters of the LenVO.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the administration of the LenVO was transformed into the field administration of the Northern Front, which on August 23, 1941 was divided into the Karelian and Leningrad fronts. The field administrations of the Northern and then the Leningrad fronts simultaneously continued to perform the functions of a military district administration. The troops of the fronts fought bloody battles with the German troops, defended Leningrad and participated in lifting its blockade.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the LenVO was re-formed. The field administration of the Leningrad Front participated in the formation of its administration. The troops were quickly transferred to peacetime states, after which they began systematic combat training. In 1968, for his great contribution to strengthening the power of the state and its armed defense, for success in combat training and in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Armed Forces of the USSR, the LenVO was awarded the Order of Lenin. Since May 1992, the troops of the LenVO became part of the established Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (RF Armed Forces).

The Moscow Military District (MVO) was formed on May 4, 1918. During the Civil War and military intervention in Russia (1917–1922), he trained personnel for all fronts, supplied the Red Army with various types of weapons and materiel. A large number of military academies, colleges, courses and schools operated on the territory of the Moscow Military District, which only in 1918-1919. trained and sent to the fronts about 11 thousand commanders.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, on the basis of the Moscow Military District, the field administration of the Southern Front was formed, which was headed by the commander of the district troops, General of the Army I.V. Tyulenev. By order of the Headquarters of the Supreme Command of July 18, 1941, the headquarters of the Moscow Military District simultaneously became the headquarters of the front of the Mozhaisk defense line being created. Along with this, a lot of work was carried out in the Moscow Military District to form and prepare reserve formations and units for active fronts. Also in Moscow, 16 divisions of the people's militia were formed, which included 160 thousand volunteers. After the defeat of the German troops near Moscow, the Moscow Military District continued the formation and resupplying of formations and military units of all branches of the armed forces, supplying the army with weapons, military equipment and other materiel.

In total, during the years of the Great Patriotic War, 3 front-line, 23 army and 11 corps directorates, 128 divisions, 197 brigades were formed in the Moscow Military District and 4190 marching units with a total number of about 4.5 million people were sent to the active troops.

In the post-war years, elite military formations were deployed on the territory of the Moscow Military District, most of which bore the honorary titles of guards. The district retained its importance as the most important source of mobilization resources and was a major training base for military command personnel. In 1968, the district was awarded the Order of Lenin for its great contribution to strengthening the defense power of the state and success in combat training. After the collapse of the USSR, the Moscow Military District became part of the formed RF Armed Forces. At present, the troops and forces of the Western Military District are deployed within the administrative boundaries of three federal districts (North-Western, Central and part of the Volga) on the territory of 29 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The headquarters of the district is located in St. Petersburg, in the historical complex of the General Staff on Palace Square. The Western Military District is the very first district formed in the new system of military-administrative division of the Russian Federation.

The ZVO troops include more than 2.5 thousand formations and military units with a total number of more than 400 thousand military personnel, which is about 40% of the total number of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The Commander of the Western Military District subordinates all military formations of the types and branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation deployed on the territory of the district, with the exception of the Strategic Missile Forces and the Aerospace Defense Forces. In addition, military formations of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Border Troops of the FSB, as well as units of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other ministries and departments of the Russian Federation performing tasks on the territory of the district are under its operational subordination.

Southern Military District

Southern Military District (SMD) It was formed on October 4, 2010 in accordance with the decree of the President of the Russian Federation (RF) of September 20, 2010 "On the military-administrative division of the Russian Federation" on the basis of the North Caucasus Military District (SKVO). It also included the Black Sea Fleet, the Caspian Flotilla and the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Command.

The North Caucasus Military District was established by a decree of the Council of People's Commissars dated May 4, 1918 in the territories of the Stavropol, Black Sea, Dagestan provinces, the regions of the Don, Kuban and Terek troops. By order of the Revolutionary Military Council (RVS) of the Southern Front dated October 3, 1918, the Red Army of the North Caucasus was renamed the 11th Army. In November 1919, on the basis of the cavalry corps, the 1st Cavalry Army was created under the command of S.M. Budyonny.

After the Civil War, in accordance with the order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic of May 4, 1921, the Caucasian Front was disbanded and the administration of the North Caucasian Military District was recreated with headquarters in Rostov-on-Don. During the years of the military reform (1924–1928), a network of military educational institutions was created in the district to train military personnel. The troops received new models of weapons and equipment, on the development of which the personnel worked. In the prewar years, the North Caucasus Military District was one of the most advanced military districts.

From the first days of the Great Patriotic War, the soldiers of the 19th Army, formed in May-June 1941 from the military personnel of the North Caucasus Military District, fought courageously and staunchly against the Nazis. In late June - early July, the 50th Kuban and 53rd Stavropol cavalry divisions were formed in a matter of days. In the second half of July, these formations became part of the Western Front. The North Caucasus Military District became a forge of military personnel.

From October 1941, the North Caucasian Military District was stationed in Armavir, and from July 1942 - in Ordzhonikidze (now Vladikavkaz) and prepared marching reinforcements for the active fronts. In early August of the same year, the management of the North Caucasus Military District, together with the newly formed formations and units, was redeployed to the territory of Georgia in Dusheti and subordinated to the commander of the Transcaucasian Front. On August 20, 1942, the North Caucasus Military District was abolished, and its administration was transformed into the administration for the formation and staffing of the Transcaucasian Front.

The main events of the second half of 1942 and the first half of 1943 on the Soviet-German front unfolded within the territory of the North Caucasian Military District. Two great battles took place here: Stalingrad (July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943) and for the Caucasus (July 25, 1942 - October 9, 1943).

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, when the army was transferred to a peaceful position, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense of July 9, 1945, 3 military districts were created on the territory of the North Caucasus: Don, Stavropol and Kuban. In Rostov-on-Don, the headquarters of the Don Military District was located, which in 1946 received its former name - the North Caucasus. Work has begun on the reorganization, arrangement of formations and military units and the restoration of the destroyed infrastructure of the district. In 1968, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for his great contribution to strengthening the defense power of the state and success in combat training.

The troops of the North Caucasus Military District played a decisive role in the defeat of illegal armed formations during the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus. For the courage and heroism shown at the same time, 43 servicemen of the North Caucasus Military District became Heroes of the Russian Federation. In recognition of the merits of the military personnel of the district, by order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation of August 17, 2001 No. 367, heraldic signs were established for the North Caucasus Military District: the standard of the commander of the North Caucasus Military District, the emblem of the North Caucasus Military District and the insignia of the military personnel "For Service in the Caucasus".

In August 2008, the troops of the North Caucasian Military District took a direct part in the 5-day operation to force Georgia to peace, defeated the aggressor in a short time and saved the people of South Ossetia from genocide. For the courage and heroism shown during this operation, the title of Hero of the Russian Federation was awarded to: Major Vetchinov Denis Vasilyevich (posthumously), Lieutenant Colonel Konstantin Anatolyevich Timerman, Captain Yakovlev Yuri Pavlovich, Sergeant Mylnikov Sergey Andreevich. The commander of the North Caucasian Military District, Colonel-General Sergei Makarov, was awarded the Order of St. George of the 4th degree, and many of his subordinates were awarded the Order of Courage, insignia - St. George's Crosses of the 4th degree and medals "For courage."

On February 1, 2009, Russian military bases were formed in the territories of the Republic of South Ossetia and the Republic of Abkhazia, which became part of the district.

Currently, the troops and forces of the Southern Military District are deployed within the administrative boundaries of two federal districts (Southern and North Caucasian) on the territory of 12 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. In addition, in accordance with international treaties, 4 military bases of the district are located outside the Russian Federation: in South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Armenia and Ukraine (Sevastopol). The district headquarters is located in Rostov-on-Don.

The commander of the Southern Military District subordinates all military formations of the types and branches of the RF Armed Forces stationed in the district, with the exception of the Strategic Missile Forces and the Aerospace Defense Forces. Under its operational subordination are also military formations of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Border Troops of the FSB, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other ministries and departments of the Russian Federation, performing tasks on the territory of the district. The main task of the troops and forces of the Southern Military District is to ensure the military security of the southern borders of Russia.

Central Military District

Central Military District (TsVO) It was formed on December 1, 2010 in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 20, 2010 "On the military-administrative division of the Russian Federation" on the basis of the Volga-Ural and part of the troops of the Siberian Military District. It also included the 2nd Air Force and Air Defense Command.

The history of the Russian army in the Volga region and the Urals goes back to the mists of time, to the time of the annexation of the Kazan Khanate to Russia in 1552. In the 18th century, the first regiments and battalions of the regular Russian army appeared in the border fortresses of the Orenburg region and large cities of the Volga region, the Urals and Western Siberia.

However, the creation in Russia of the military district system as an integral part of the military administration dates back to a later time - to the second half of the 19th century. During the military reform of 1855-1881. The territory of Russia was divided into 15 military districts, in which artillery, engineering, quartermaster and military medical departments were created.

During the Civil War and military intervention (1918–1922), on March 31, 1918, the Supreme Military Council of the Russian Republic decided to change the military-administrative division of the country. In May 1918, 6 military districts were created, including the Volga and Ural military districts (PriVO, UrVO). The Siberian Military District (SibVO) was formed on December 3, 1919 (in accordance with the order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation of November 26, 1993, the historical date of its formation was restored - August 6, 1865).

After the end of the Civil War, the troops of the PriVO took part in the elimination of banditry in the Astrakhan, Samara, Saratov, Tsaritsyn provinces and in other regions of the country, and also fought against the Basmachi formations in Central Asia.

The formation of the PriVO, Ural Military District and Siberian Military District in the prewar years took place in the conditions of technical re-equipment and organizational restructuring of the Red Army. The main efforts were concentrated on organizing the development of new weapons and equipment, training specialists, and improving the efficiency and quality of combat training. At the same time, the experience of hostilities near the lake was taken into account. Hassan, on the river. Khalkhin Gol and the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939–1940 A little later - in 1940-1941. a lot of work was done to deploy, prepare and send military formations to the border military districts.

The Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) occupies a special place in the history of the Volga, Ural and Siberian military districts. In those years, more than 200 military educational institutions were stationed in the territories of the districts, which trained more than 30% of the total number of command personnel of the army in the field. Here, more than 3 thousand associations, formations and military units were formed, trained and sent to the front, which took part in hostilities on almost all fronts and in all battles of the Great Patriotic and World War II: in the defense of Moscow, Leningrad, Stalingrad, in battles near Kursk, in the liberation of Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states, getting rid of fascism of the peoples of Eastern Europe, the capture of Berlin, as well as in the defeat of the Kwantung Army of militaristic Japan.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the military districts carried out a large amount of measures to receive troops returning from the front, carry out demobilization and transfer formations, units and institutions to peacetime states. Planned combat training was carried out in the troops, and the training and material base was improved. Much attention was paid to the study and generalization of the experience of the war, its introduction into the practice of combat training. In 1974, for their great contribution to strengthening the defense power of the state, the PriVO, Ural Military District and Siberian Military District were awarded the Orders of the Red Banner.

On September 1, 1989, the PriVO and UrVO were merged into the Volga-Ural Military District (PURVO) with headquarters in Samara. In Yekaterinburg, on the basis of the former headquarters of the Ural Military District, the headquarters of the combined arms army was created. In December 1992, the PUrVO was again divided into PriVO and UrVO, but in 2001 they were merged again.

Currently, the troops of the Central Military District are deployed within the administrative boundaries of three federal districts (Volga, Ural and Siberian) on the territory of 29 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. It also includes the 201st military base located in the Republic of Tajikistan. The headquarters of the Central Military District is located in Yekaterinburg.

The Commander of the Central Military District subordinates all the military formations of the types and branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation stationed in the district, with the exception of the Strategic Missile Forces and the Aerospace Defense Forces. Also in the operational subordination of the commander of the troops of the Central Military District are military formations of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Border Troops of the FSB, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other ministries and departments of the Russian Federation, performing tasks on the territory of the district.

Eastern Military District

Eastern Military District It was formed on December 1, 2010 in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 20, 2010 "On the military-administrative division of the Russian Federation" on the basis of the Far Eastern Military District (FER) and part of the troops of the Siberian Military District (SibVO). It also included the Pacific Fleet and the 3rd Air Force and Air Defense Command.

Until the middle of the 19th century, the Far East and Transbaikalia were part of the East Siberian Governor General. In 1884, the Amur Governor-Generalship was created (with the center in Khabarovsk), within whose borders the Amur Military District (VO) was located until 1918.

On February 16, 1918, the regional commissariat of the Red Army was created in the city of Khabarovsk - the first central body for managing the armed forces of the Far East. After the start of an open military intervention against Russia in the Far East and the Far North, in accordance with the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars (SNK) of May 4, 1918, within the borders of the Amur, Primorsky, Kamchatka regions and about. Sakhalin, the East Siberian Military District was established (with administration in Khabarovsk).

From September 1918 to March 1920, the armed struggle against the American-Japanese interventionists was carried out mainly in the form of guerrilla warfare. In February 1920, by decision of the Central Committee of the RCP(b) and the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, a buffer state was created - the Far Eastern Republic (FER) and its People's Revolutionary Army (NRA) was organized on the model of the Red Army.

On November 14, 1922, after the liberation of Khabarovsk and Vladivostok, the Far Eastern Region was dissolved and the Far Eastern Region was formed. In this regard, the NRA was renamed the 5th Red Banner Army (with headquarters in Chita), and then (in June 1924) was abolished. All troops and military institutions located in the Far East, by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, became part of the Siberian Military District.

In January 1926, the Far Eastern Territory was formed instead of the Far Eastern Region. In July-August 1929, Chinese troops attacked the CER, armed provocations began on the state border, attacks on Soviet border outposts. On August 6, 1929, a Special Far Eastern Army (ODVA) was created by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR to ensure the defense of the Primorsky, Khabarovsk Territories and Transbaikalia. For the successful completion of combat missions, the valor and courage shown by the fighters and commanders in the defense of the Soviet Far Eastern borders, in January 1930, the ODVA was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and became known as the Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army (OKDVA).

In 1931, the Primorsky Group was created from the troops stationed in Primorye. In the spring of 1932, the Transbaikal group was organized. In mid-May 1935, the Trans-Baikal Military District (ZabVO) was formed on the basis of the administration of the Trans-Baikal Group of Forces OKDVA. On February 22, 1937, the Air Force of the Far East was organizationally formalized.

In connection with the increased threat of an attack by Japan, OKDVA on July 1, 1938 was transformed into the Far Eastern Front (DVF). In July-August 1938 there was a military conflict near Lake Khasan. Formations and units of the 39th Rifle Corps took part in the fighting.

After the events at the lake Khasan, the Far Eastern Fleet administration was disbanded in August 1938 and the directly subordinate NCOs of the USSR were created: the 1st Separate Red Banner Army (OKA) (with headquarters in Ussuriysk) and the 2nd Separate Red Banner Army (with headquarters in Khabarovsk), as well as the Northern Army Group . The 57th Special Rifle Corps was stationed on the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic (MPR).

In May-August 1939, the troops of the Far East took part in the battles near the Khalkhin-Gol River. In June 1940, a field department of the Far East Fleet was created. At the end of June 1941, the troops of the front were put on high alert and began to create a deep, multi-echeloned defense in the border zone. By October 1, 1941, in the main areas accessible to the enemy, the construction of field defenses was completed to the full operational depth.

In 1941-1942, during the period of the greatest threat of attack from Japan, formations and units of the first echelon of the front occupied their defense areas. At night, 50% of the personnel were on duty.

On April 5, 1945, the Soviet government denounced the neutrality pact with Japan. On July 28, 1945, the US, British and Chinese ultimatum to surrender was rejected by the Japanese government. By this time, the deployment of three fronts in the Far East was completed: the 1st and 2nd Far Eastern and Transbaikal. The forces of the Pacific Fleet, the Red Banner Amur Flotilla, the Border Troops and the Air Defense Forces (Air Defense) were involved in the operation.

On August 8, 1945, the Soviet government issued a statement declaring a state of war with Japan effective August 9. On the night of August 9, Soviet troops went on the offensive. At 17:00 on August 17, the command of the Kwantung Army of Japan ordered its troops to surrender. On the morning of August 19, the mass surrender of Japanese military personnel began.

In September-October 1945, 3 military districts were formed on the territory of the Far East: on the basis of the Trans-Baikal Front - the Trans-Baikal-Amur Military District, on the basis of the 1st Far Eastern Fleet - the Primorsky Military District (PrimVO), on the basis of the 2nd Far East Fleet - the Far East military district (DVO).

In May 1947, on the basis of the Directorate of the Trans-Baikal-Amur Military District, the Directorate of the High Command of the Far East was formed with the subordination of the Far Eastern Military District, the Primal Military District, the ZabVO (transformed from the Trans-Baikal-Amur Military District), the Pacific Fleet and the Amur military flotilla.

On April 23, 1953, the Far Eastern Military District was reorganized, a new district administration was formed on the basis of the administration of the Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Forces in the Far East (with headquarters in Khabarovsk).

On June 17, 1967, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a resolution on the transfer of the Far Eastern Military District through the succession of the Order of the Red Banner of the former OKDVA. On August 10, 1967, in Khabarovsk, the order was attached to the Battle Banner of the district.

At present, the troops and forces of the Eastern Military District (VVO) are deployed within the administrative boundaries of two federal districts (the Far Eastern and part of the Siberian) and the territories of 12 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The district headquarters is located in Khabarovsk.

All military formations of the types and branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation deployed in the territory of the district, with the exception of the Strategic Missile Forces and the Aerospace Defense Forces, are subordinate to the Commander of the Air Defense Forces. Under its operational subordination are also military formations of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Border Troops of the FSB, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other ministries and departments of the Russian Federation, performing tasks on the territory of the district. The main task of the troops and forces of the Air Defense Forces is to ensure the military security of the Far Eastern borders of Russia.

Tasks of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

The changed foreign policy situation in recent years, new priorities in the field of national security have set completely different tasks for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (RF Armed Forces), which can be structured in four main areas:

Deterrence of military and military-political threats to security or encroachments on the interests of the Russian Federation;

Protection of the economic and political interests of the Russian Federation;

Implementation of military operations in peacetime;

Use of military force.

The peculiarities of the development of the military-political situation in the world make it possible for one task to grow into another, since the most problematic military-political situations are complex and multifaceted.

The containment of military and military-political threats to the security of the Russian Federation (encroachments on the interests of the Russian Federation) means the following actions of the RF Armed Forces:

Timely detection of a threatening development of the military-political situation or preparation of an armed attack on the Russian Federation and (or) its allies;

Maintaining the state of combat and mobilization readiness of the country, strategic nuclear forces, forces and means ensuring their functioning and use, as well as control systems in order to, if necessary, inflict the specified damage on the aggressor;

Maintaining the combat potential and mobilization readiness of groupings of general-purpose troops (forces) at a level that ensures the repulsion of local-scale aggression;

Maintain readiness for strategic deployment when transferring the country to wartime conditions;

Organization of territorial defense.

Ensuring the economic and political interests of the Russian Federation includes the following components:

Maintaining safe living conditions for Russian citizens in areas of armed conflict and political or other instability;

Creation of conditions for the security of the economic activity of Russia or the economic structures representing it;

Protection of national interests in territorial waters, on the continental shelf and in the exclusive economic zone of Russia, as well as in the World Ocean;

Carrying out, by decision of the President of the Russian Federation, operations using the forces and means of the Armed Forces in regions that are a sphere of vital economic and political interests of the Russian Federation;

Organization and conduct of information confrontation.

Power operations of the RF Armed Forces in peacetime are possible in the following cases:

Fulfillment by Russia of allied obligations in accordance with international treaties or other interstate agreements;

Combating international terrorism, political extremism and separatism, as well as preventing sabotage and terrorist acts;

Partial or full strategic deployment, maintenance of readiness for use and use of nuclear deterrence capabilities;

Conducting peacekeeping operations as part of coalitions created within the framework of international organizations, where Russia is a member or has joined on a temporary basis;

Ensuring the state of war (emergency) in one or more constituent entities of the Russian Federation in accordance with the decisions of the highest bodies of state power;

Protection of the state border of the Russian Federation in the airspace and underwater environment;

Enforcement of the regime of international sanctions imposed on the basis of a decision of the UN Security Council;

Prevention of ecological disasters and other emergencies, as well as elimination of their consequences.

Military force is used directly to ensure the security of the country in the following cases:

Armed conflict;

Local war;

regional war;

Large scale war.

Armed conflict- one of the forms of resolving political, national-ethnic, religious, territorial and other contradictions with the use of means of armed struggle. At the same time, the conduct of such hostilities does not imply the transition of relations between the state (states) into a special state called war. In an armed conflict, the parties, as a rule, pursue private military-political goals. An armed conflict can be the result of a proliferation of an armed incident, a border conflict and other limited-scale clashes in which weapons are used to resolve contradictions. An armed conflict may be of an international character (with the participation of two or more states) or an internal character (with the conduct of armed confrontation within the territory of one state).

Local war is a war between two or more states, limited by political goals. Military operations are conducted, as a rule, within the borders of the opposing states, and affect mainly the interests of only these states (territorial, economic, political, and others). A local war can be waged by groupings of troops (forces) deployed in the conflict area, with their possible strengthening due to the transfer of additional forces and means from other directions and the partial strategic deployment of the armed forces. Under certain conditions, local wars can develop into a regional or large-scale war.

regional war is a war involving two or more states (groups of states) of the region. It is conducted by national or coalition armed forces using both conventional and nuclear weapons. In the course of hostilities, the parties pursue important military-political goals. Regional wars take place on the territory limited by the boundaries of one region, as well as in the waters, airspace and space adjacent to it. The conduct of a regional war requires the full deployment of the armed forces and the economy, the high tension of all the forces of the participating states. If nuclear-weapon states or their allies participate in this war, there may be a threat of the use of nuclear weapons.

large scale war- this is a war between coalitions of states or the largest states of the world community. It can be the result of the expansion of an armed conflict, local or regional war by involving a significant number of states in them. In a large-scale war, the parties will pursue radical military-political goals. It will require the mobilization of all available material resources and spiritual forces of the participating states.

Modern Russian military planning of the activities of the Armed Forces is based on a realistic understanding of the available resources and capabilities of Russia.

In peacetime and in emergency situations, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, together with other troops, must be ready to repel an attack and defeat an aggressor, to conduct both defensive and offensive active operations in any variant of unleashing and waging wars (armed conflicts). The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation must be able to successfully solve tasks simultaneously in two armed conflicts without carrying out additional mobilization measures. In addition, the RF Armed Forces must carry out peacekeeping operations - independently and as part of multinational contingents.

In the event of an aggravation of the military-political and military-strategic situation, the RF Armed Forces must ensure the strategic deployment of troops and contain the aggravation of the situation at the expense of strategic deterrence forces and forces of constant readiness.

Tasks of the Armed Forces in wartime- to repel an enemy aerospace attack with available forces, and after a full-scale strategic deployment, solve problems simultaneously in two local wars.