TheMilitary Commandant of Moscow (Russian:военный комендант Москвы) is an administration unit of theMilitary Police under theMinistry of Defence in theRussian capital ofMoscow. The current Commandant of Moscow is Lieutenant General Yevgeny Seleznev. The Office of the Commandant supervises all work regarding to military activities in the federal capital city, and is the lead organizer of all national ceremonial activities within the capital's vicinity and its metropolitan region involving the Armed Forces as a whole.
The first official mention in historical documents of the position of the military commandant of the city of Moscow dates back to the beginning of the 18th century. In 1707. Prince Matvey Gagarin was appointed as the first military commandant of the city of Moscow. For the first time, the responsibilities of the commandant were officially defined in 1716, in a document signed by TsarPeter the Great entitled: “The charter of the military post of generals-field marshals and all generals and other officials who should be with the army, and about other military affairs and behaviors that everyone should fix ". With the formation of theMinistry of War of the Russian Empire in 1802, the functions of city commandants were limited exclusively to specific duties. Following thePatriotic War of 1812, the Charter "On Service in the Garrison", introduced by TsarAlexander I in 1816, reduced some of the powers of military commandants, freeing them of the need to personally delve into all the issues of city life.[1][2]
On 23 July 1918, the Moscow Commandant Directorate was formed. Since the late 1940s. it has been deployed in house #16 on Novaya Basmannaya Street. DuringWorld War II, the Office of the Commandant was entrusted with enormous responsibility for organizing law and order on the territory of Moscow and suburban areas, being directly involved in the defense of the city, The commandant was subordinate to theNarodnoe Opolcheniye of Moscow, as well as the 2nd Separate Special Division of theNKVD.[1]
In the post-war period, not a single major event in the capital would take place without the participation of the office. The organization of military honors at thestate funerals of party leaders and prominent statesmen, the preparation ofmilitary parades of troops onRed Square, and other solemn events, were among its duties.[1] It also responsible for the provision ofstate visits byheads of foreign states and many high-ranking foreign political figures. In 1979, the Office of the Commandant of the City of Moscow received a new official name: the Military Commandant's Office of the City of Moscow.[1] In 1988, thePresidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR awarded the Military Commandant's Office with a certificate of honor "For services in maintaining the statutory order and organization on the territory of the Moscow garrison".[1] Many officers of the commandant's office in the 1980s distinguished themselves by serving during theSoviet–Afghan War as well as in theUkrainian SSR following theChernobyl disaster.[1] During theAugust coup in 1991, the personnel of the Military Commandant's office were responsible for restoring order to the city.[1] GeneralNikolai Kalinin (the commander of theMoscow Military District), was appointed by coup leaderGennady Yanayev as military commandant of Moscow, declaring acurfew in Moscow from 23:00 to 5:00, effective from 20 August.[3][4][5] General Smirnov, thede jure military commandant of Moscow, took part, together with members of theSupreme Soviet of the RSFSR, in the negotiations of the commanders of the2nd Taman Division, which was loyal to theState Committee on the State of Emergency.[6]
In November 1994, PresidentBoris Yeltsin delivered his gratitude for the office's "great contribution to the preparation and conduct of the official visit to Russia of QueenElizabeth II of Great Britain".[1] In 2011, the Military Commandant's Office was removed from the order of battle of theRussian Ground Forces and became part of themilitary police of the Ministry of Defense.[1] Currently, personnel of the commandant's office serve on active military duty inSyria as part ofRussia's involvement in the Syrian Civil War.[1]
In terms of policing, it ensures law and order and military discipline on the territory of the Moscow Territorial Garrison, carrying out measures for servicemen evading military service, and counteracting illegal drug trafficking.[7]
The commandant is the chief organizer of the annualMoscow Victory Day Parade on9 May.[8][9] The first of these parades was the parade of theRed Army on 25 May 1919. It was timed to coincide with the first anniversary of general military training.[10] The military commandant also organized and supervised the preparation of the1941 October Revolution Parade and theMoscow Victory Parade of 1945.[11]
In its duties, it often works with the154th Preobrazhensky Independent Commandant's Regiment, which is the officialhonor guard regiment of theRussian Armed Forces. Among themilitary funerals it organizes atNovodevichy Cemetery are those of high ranking generals. It also does the same for national leaders, having first organized thestate funeral of Joseph Stalin in March 1953.[12] Events at theTomb of the Unknown Soldier take place with the organization of the commandant. In 2018, in honor of the centenary of the military commandant's office, the 1967 lighting of theTomb of the Unknown Soldier was recreated in theAlexander Garden of Moscow.[13][14]
The following have served as military commandants:[2]
The Council of Veterans the true mentors of the personnel in preserving and enhancing traditions. The veteran's organization was founded by Lieutenant General Vladimir Serykh. It has been led since 2004 by Colonel Sergey Khmelidze. In addition to constant communication with the personnel, a veterans act as historians of the commandant's office. They are responsible for maintaining the Museum of the Military Commandant's Office.[20] The museum was created by the Russian Military Historical Society by order ofMinister of CultureVladimir Medinsky, and opened on 21 February 2019, as part of the celebrations of theanniversary of the Russian Army.[21][22][23]
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