Minister of Defence (Soviet Union)

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The Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union refers to the defence minister who was responsible for defence of the communist Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1917 to 1922 and the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1991.

List of defence ministers

People's Commissars for Military and Naval Affairs (1917–1934)

# Name Image Born–Died Rank Start End Note
1 Council Первые наркомы 1917.png 8 November 1917 15 November 1917 Collective body[nb 1]
2 Nikolai Podvoisky Podvoisky 1903.jpg 1880–1948 15 November 1917 13 March 1918
3 Leon Trotsky Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R15068, Leo Dawidowitsch Trotzki.jpg 1879–1940 13 March 1918 15 January 1925
4 Mikhail Frunze Frunze-mikhail.jpg 1885–1925 15 January 1925 31 October 1925 Died in office
5 Kliment Voroshilov Klim voroshilov.JPG 1881–1969 6 November 1925 20 June 1934

Note:

  1. The committee of the People's Commissars for Military and Naval Affairs consisted of Vladimir Antonov-Ovseyenko, Pavel Dybenko, and Nikolai Krylenko. On 10 November 1917 Ovseyenko was taken hostage during the Petrograd Junker mutiny and was released next day with the help of American journalist Williams. Later Ovseyenko headed the Petrograd Military District until December when he was dispatched to Ukraine. Dybenko continued to supervise the naval affairs as the Supreme Navy College that was formed sometime in late November. He stayed in charge until 16 March 1918 when he was stripped of all posts and revoked membership in the Bolshevik Party due to desertion. On 25 November 1917 Krylenko was appointed the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Red Army.

People's Commissars for Defence (1934–1946)

# Name Image Born–Died Rank Start End Note
1 Kliment Voroshilov Klim voroshilov.JPG 1881–1969 Marshal of the Soviet Union 20 June 1934 7 May 1940
2 Semyon Timoshenko Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko (1895-1970), Soviet military commander.jpg 1895–1970 Marshal of the Soviet Union 7 May 1940 19 July 1941
3 Joseph Stalin Stalin lg zlx1.jpg 1878–1953 Generalissimus of the Soviet Union 19 July 1941 25 February 1946

People's Commissars for the Navy (1937–1946)

# Name Image Born–Died Rank Start End Note
1 Pyotr Smirnov No image.png 1897–1939 1st Commissar 30 December 1937 30 June 1938
2 Mikhail Frinovsky MP-Frinovsky.jpg 1898–1940 1st Army Commander 8 September 1938 20 March 1939
3 Nikolay Kuznetsov Памятник адмиралу Кузнецову.jpg 1904–1974 Vice-Admiral 28 April 1939 25 February 1946

People's Commissar for the Armed Forces (1946)

# Name Image Born–Died Rank Start End Note
1 Joseph Stalin Stalin lg zlx1.jpg 1878–1953 Generalissimus of the Soviet Union 25 February 1946 15 March 1946

Ministers of the Armed Forces (1946–1950)

# Name Image Born–Died Rank Start End Note
1 Joseph Stalin Stalin lg zlx1.jpg 1878–1953 Generalissimus of the Soviet Union 15 March 1946 3 March 1947
2 Nikolai Bulganin Bundesarchiv Bild 183-29921-0001, Bulganin, Nikolai Alexandrowitsch.jpg 1895–1975 Marshal of the Soviet Union 3 March 1947 24 March 1949
3 Aleksandr Vasilevsky Marshal of the USSR 1980 CPA 5117.jpg 1895–1977 Marshal of the Soviet Union 24 March 1949 25 February 1950

Minister of War (1950–1953)

# Name Image Born–Died Rank Start End Note
1 Aleksandr Vasilevsky Marshal of the USSR 1980 CPA 5117.jpg 1895–1977 Marshal of the Soviet Union 25 February 1950 15 March 1953

Ministers of the Navy (1950–1953)

# Name Image Born–Died Rank Start End Note
1 Ivan Yumashev IS-Yumashev.jpg 1895–1972 Admiral 25 February 1950 20 July 1951
2 Nikolay Kuznetsov Памятник адмиралу Кузнецову.jpg 1904–1974 Admiral of the Fleet 20 July 1951 15 March 1953

Ministers of Defence (1953–1991)

# Name Image Born–Died Rank Start End Note
1 Nikolai Bulganin Bundesarchiv Bild 183-29921-0001, Bulganin, Nikolai Alexandrowitsch.jpg 1895–1975 Marshal of the Soviet Union 15 March 1953 9 February 1955
2 Georgy Zhukov RIAN archive 2410 Marshal Zhukov speaking.jpg 1896–1974 Marshal of the Soviet Union 9 February 1955 26 October 1957 Dismissed by Nikita Khrushchev in the aftermath of the Anti-Party Group affair
3 Rodion Malinovsky 1973 CPA 4285.jpg 1898–1967 Marshal of the Soviet Union 26 October 1957 31 March 1967 Died in office
4 Andrei Grechko Alej hrdinov Andrej Antonovic Grečko.jpg 1903–1976 Marshal of the Soviet Union 12 April 1967 26 April 1976 Died in office
5 Dmitriy Ustinov 1988 CPA 6001.jpg 1908–1984 Marshal of the Soviet Union 30 July 1976 20 December 1984 Died in office
6 Sergei Sokolov Sergey Sokolov.jpg 1911–2012 Marshal of the Soviet Union 22 December 1984 30 May 1987 Dismissed by Mikhail Gorbachev as a result of the Mathias Rust affair
7 Dmitry Yazov Dmitriy Yazov.jpg 1924– Marshal of the Soviet Union 30 May 1987 23 August 1991 Dismissed by Mikhail Gorbachev for being a member of the State Committee on the State of Emergency during the 1991 coup d'état attempt
8 Yevgeny Shaposhnikov No image.png 1942– Marshal of Aviation 23 August 1991 21 December 1991

See also