Western Military District

For the Soviet counterpart, see Belorussian Military District. For the Swedish one, see Western Military District (Sweden).
Western Military District
Западный военный округ
Emblem of the Western Military District
Active20 October 2010–26 February 2024
Country Russia
Branch Russian Armed Forces
Part ofMinistry of Defence
HeadquartersGeneral Staff Building, Saint Petersburg
DecorationsOrder of Lenin Order of Lenin
WebsiteOfficial website
Commanders
Final CommanderColonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov
Insignia
Flag
  The Western Military District, on a map of the five Russian military districts
Russian Armed Forces
Staff
Services (vid)
Independent troops (rod)
Special operations force (sof)
Other troops
Military districts
History of the Russian military
Western Military District HQ at the Saint Petersburg General Staff Building

The Western Military District (Russian: Западный военный округ, romanized: Zapadnyy voyennyy okrug) was a military district of Russia, in existence from 2010 until its abolishment as a unitary military command on February 26, 2024, succeeded by the newly reconstituted Moscow Military District and Leningrad Military District.[1]

It was one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction primarily within the western central region of European Russia. The Western Military District was created as part of the 2008 military reforms, and founded by Presidential Decree №1144 signed on 20 September 2010, as an amalgamation of the Moscow Military District, Leningrad Military District and Kaliningrad Special Region.[2] The district began operation on 20 October 2010, under the command of Colonel-General Valery Gerasimov. General Lieutenant Roman Berdnikov took over command on 3 October 2022,[3] but two further command changes would take place by the end of the year, under the pressure of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Western Military District was the second smallest military district in Russia by geographic size. The district contained 26 federal subjects of Russia: Belgorod Oblast, Bryansk Oblast, Ivanovo Oblast, Kaliningrad Oblast, Kaluga Oblast, Karelia, Kostroma Oblast, Kursk Oblast, Leningrad Oblast, Lipetsk Oblast, Moscow, Moscow Oblast, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Novgorod Oblast, Oryol Oblast, Pskov Oblast, Ryazan Oblast, Saint Petersburg, Smolensk Oblast, Tambov Oblast, Tver Oblast, Tula Oblast, Vladimir Oblast, Vologda Oblast, Voronezh Oblast, Yaroslavl Oblast. On 1 December 2014, the Arctic Joint Strategic Command was split off from the Western Military District, removing Arkhangelsk Oblast, Murmansk Oblast, Komi Republic, and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, as well as the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet and Northern Fleet, from the district's command.[4][5]

The Western Military District was headquartered in the General Staff Building in Saint Petersburg.

The Western Military District, until its abolishment in February 2024, was led by Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov, who was previously Chief of Staff of the Eastern Military District.[6]

Military units 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 (Russia) and other ministries and departments of the Russian Federation performing tasks on the territory of the district are under its operational subordination.[7]

  1. ^ Путин подписал указ о новом составе военных округов. ria.ru (in Russian). 2024-02-26. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  2. ^ "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 20 сентября 2010 года № 1144 "О военно-административном делении Российской Федерации"". Archived from the original on 2012-03-31. Retrieved 2014-11-29.
  3. ^ "Russia sacks commander of Western military district - reports". 2022-10-03.
  4. ^ "В России создано новое стратегическое командование". Российская газета (in Russian). 2014-12-01. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  5. ^ "Северный флот возьмет Арктику под постоянный контроль". Российская газета (in Russian). 2017-05-31. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  6. ^ Zubkova, Dasha (26 December 2022). "Russia Appoints New Commander Of Troops Of Western Military District - Defense Intelligence". Ukrainian News Agency. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Западный военный округ". Archived from the original on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2011-07-27.