Lieutenant (Eastern Europe)
Military rank in Eastern Europe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The rank of poruchik (Russian: поручик; Czech: poručík; Slovak: poručík) or poruchnik (Serbo-Croatian: поручник, poručnik; Polish: porucznik; Slovene: poročnik; Ukrainian: поручник, poručnyk), translated to lieutenant, is used in Slavophone armed forces, depending on the country being either the lowest or second lowest officer rank.
Etymology
The rank designation poruchik might be derived from Russian: поpученец, lit. 'a person tasked by a special mission'; Russian: поручение, lit. 'assignment', 'commission' or Russian: поручить, lit. 'task to look after', 'charge with something'. Normally the poruchik received military orders in written form and was responsible to meet the particular goals and objectives anticipated.
Russia
The Imperial Russian Army introduced this rank first in middle of the 17th century, by the Strelets so-called New Order Regiments [clarification needed], reflected in the Table of Ranks. A poruchik was normally assigned to assistant commanding officer of a company, later platoon. In 1798 this particular rank designation was replaced by lieutenant beginning with the Russian Guards, followed by other military units, and legalised by the Table of Ranks.
Serbia
The rank of poručnik was adopted by the Revolutionary Serbian Army at the end of the First Serbian Uprising (1804–13), alongside potporučnik and others.[1]
It was the third lowest commissioned officer rank in the Royal Serbian Army (1882–1918).[2]
It is today the second lowest commissioned officer rank in the Serbian Armed Forces.
