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ДОСААФ (Добровольное Общество Содействия Армии, Авиации и Флоту) | |
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| Formation | 20 August 1951 |
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| Dissolved | December 1991 |
| Type | non-governmental organization |
DOSAAF (Russian: ДОСААФ), full name Volunteer Society for the Assistance to the Army, Aviation, and Navy (Russian: Добровольное общество содействия армии, авиации и флоту, romanized: Dobrovol'noe obshchestvo sodeystviya armii, aviatsii i flotu), was a paramilitary sport organization in the Soviet Union, concerned mainly with weapons, automobiles and aviation. The society was established in 1927 as OSOAVIAKhIM and from 1951 to 1991 carried the name of DOSAAF.
The society was preserved in some post-Soviet Republics, e.g. Russia and Belarus, although these may use a different name. In Ukraine, for example, the counterpart is "Society of Assistance to Defense of Ukraine". In Russia it was reformed in December 1991 as the Russian Defense Sports-Technical Organization (ROSTO; Russian: Российская оборонная спортивно-техническая организация – РОСТО, romanized: Rossiyskaya oboronnaya sportivno-tekhnicheskaya organizatsiya). In December 2009, ROSTO was renamed DOSAAF of Russia.[1] For Belarus, see DOSAAF (Belarus).
The stated goal of the society was "patriotic upbringing of the population and preparation of it to the defense of the Motherland". Among the means to achieve this was the development of paramilitary sports. Initially, an important goal was financial support of the Soviet Armed Forces. At the same time, ordinary sports were supported within the framework of DOSAAF facilities such as sports halls, stadiums, swimming pools, gymnasiums and others.