Commander of the Russian Air Force
Commanding officer of the Russian Air Force
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Commander of the Russian Air Force (Russian: Командующий ВВС, romanized: Komanduyushchiy VVS) is the chief commanding authority of the Russian Air Force. Before 2015, when the former branch became an arm of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the title was Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force (Russian: Главнокомандующий ВВС, romanized: Glavnokomanduyushchiy VVS). The holder of the office is appointed by the President of Russia.
Member ofGeneral Staff of the Armed Forces
AppointerPresident of Russia
FormationJune 9, 1917 (historical)
August 1991 (current form)
August 1991 (current form)
| Commander of Russian Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Командующий ВВС | |
Flag of the Commander of the Russian Air Force | |
 Russian Air Force | |
| Member of | General Staff of the Armed Forces |
| Reports to | Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces |
| Appointer | President of Russia |
| Formation | June 9, 1917 (historical) August 1991 (current form) |
The position dates to the Russian Revolution in 1917.
List of Commanders
Chief of the Air Service of the Russian Republic
| No. | Portrait | Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lieutenant Colonel Vyacheslav Tkachov (1885–1965) | 9 June 1917 | 19 November 1917 | 5 months | |
| 2 | Major General Sergey Ulyanin (1871–1921) | 19 November 1917 | March 1918 | 3 months |
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Chief of the Air Force of the Red Army
| No. | Portrait | Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colonel Mikhail Solovov (1879–1941) | March 1918 | 1 August 1918 | 5 months | |
| 2 | Colonel Alexander Vorotnikov (1878–1940) | 1 August 1918 | 13 June 1919 | 10 months | |
| 3 | Colonel Konstantin Akashev (1888–1931) | March 1920 | February 1921 | 11 months | |
| 4 | Colonel Andrey Sergeyev (1893–1933) | February 1921 | October 1922 | 1 year, 8 months | |
| 5 | Colonel Andrey Znamensky (1887–1943) | October 1922 | July 1923 | 9 months | |
| 6 | Colonel Arkady Rosengolts (1889–1938) | July 1923 | December 1924 | 1 year, 5 months | |
| 7 | Colonel Pyotr Baranov (1892–1933) | December 1924 | June 1931 | 6 years, 6 months | |
| 8 | Komandarm 1st rank Yakov Alksnis (1897–1938) | June 1931 | 23 November 1937 | 6 years, 5 months | |
| 9 | Aleksandr Loktionov (1893–1941) | 23 November 1937 | 19 November 1939 | 1 year, 11 months | |
| 10 | Lieutenant General Yakov Smushkevich (1902–1941) | 19 November 1939 | August 1940 | 8 months | |
| 11 | Lieutenant General Pavel Rychagov (1911–1941) | August 1940 | 24 June 1941 | 10 months | |
| 12 | Colonel General Pavel Zhigarev (1900–1963) | 24 June 1941 | 11 April 1942 | 9 months | |
| 13 | Chief marshal of the aviation Alexander Novikov (1900–1976) | 11 April 1942 | 22 April 1946 | 4 years |
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Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Air Force
| No. | Portrait | Commander-in-Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marshal of the aviation Konstantin Vershinin (1900–1973) | 1946 | September 1949 | 2–3 years | . | |
| 2 | Chief marshal of the aviation Pavel Zhigarev (1900–1963) | 1949 | 1957 | 7–8 years | . | |
| 3 | Chief marshal of the aviation Konstantin Vershinin (1900–1973) | 1957 | 1969 | 11–12 years | . | |
| 4 | Chief marshal of the aviation Pavel Kutakhov (1914–1984) | March 1969 | 3 December 1984 † | 15 years | . | |
| 5 | Marshal of the aviation Alexander Yefimov (1923–2012) | 3 December 1984 | July 1990 | 5 years | . | |
| 6 | Colonel general Yevgeny Shaposhnikov (1942–2020) | July 1990 | August 1991 | 1 year | [1] |
Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth of Independent States' Air Force
| No. | Portrait | Commander-in-Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colonel general Pyotr Deynekin (1937–2017) | 25 August 1991 | 19 August 1992 | 237 days | [2] |
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Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force
| No. | Portrait | Commander-in-Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Army general Pyotr Deynekin (1937–2017) | 19 August 1992 | 22 January 1998 | 5 years, 156 days | [2] | |
| 2 | Army general Anatoly Kornukov (1942–2014) | 22 January 1998 | 21 January 2002 | 3 years, 364 days | [3] | |
| 3 | Army general Vladimir Sergeyevich Mikhaylov (born 1943) | 21 January 2002 | 9 May 2007 | 5 years, 108 days | . | |
| 4 | Colonel general Alexander Zelin (born 1953) | 9 May 2007 | 27 April 2012 | 4 years, 354 days | . | |
| 5 | Colonel general Viktor Bondarev (born 1959) | 6 May 2012 | 1 August 2015 | 3 years, 87 days | [4] |
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Commander of the Air Force – Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces
| No. | Portrait | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lieutenant general Andrei Yudin (born 1962) | 1 August 2015 | c. July 2019[a] | 3 years, 11 months | [8] | |
| 2 | Lieutenant general Sergey Dronov (born 1962) | c. July 2019[a] | 24 July 2024 | ~5 years | [9][10] | |
| 3 | Lieutenant general Sergey Kobylash (born 1965) | 24 July 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 9 months | [11] |
