View source for Minister of Defence (Soviet Union)

{{Short description|Soviet government minister}}
{{Infobox official post
| post                     = Minister of Defence 
| body                     = the Soviet Union
| native_name              = {{lang|ru|Министр обороны СССР}}
| insignia                 = 
| insigniasize             = 
| insigniacaption          = 
| flag                     = USSR, Flag commander 1964 minister.svg
| flagsize                 = 
| flagborder               = yes
| flagcaption              = Standard of the Minister of Defence (1964–1991)
| image                    = Kliment Voroshilov.jpg
| imagesize                = 
| alt                      = 
| imagecaption             = '''Longest serving<br>[[Kliment Voroshilov]]'''<br>6 November 1925 – 7 May 1940
| department               = [[Ministry of Defense (Soviet Union)|Ministry of Defense]]
| style                    = 
| type                     = 
| status                   = Abolished
| abbreviation             = 
| member_of                = 
| reports_to               = [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|General Secretary]]<br />[[Premier of the Soviet Union|Premier]]
| residence                = 
| seat                     = 
| nominator                = [[Council of Defence]]
| appointer                = [[Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Politburo]]
| appointer_qualified      = 
| termlength               = 
| termlength_qualified     = 
| constituting_instrument  = 
| precursor                = [[Ministry of War of the Russian Empire|Minister of War<br />{{small|(Russian Empire)}}]]
| formation                = 8 November 1917
| first                    = [[Council of People's Commissars on War and Navy Affairs (Soviet Russia)|Council on War and Navy Affairs]]
| last                     = [[Yevgeny Shaposhnikov]]
| abolished                = 14 February 1992<ref name=C-in-C>[http://cis.minsk.by/reestr/ru/index.html#reestr/view/text?doc=3423 Решение Совета глав государств Содружества Независимых Государств от 14 февраля 1992 года о назначении Главнокомандующего Объединенными Вооруженными Силами Содружества]</ref>
| succession               = Commander-in-Chief of the [[United Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS Armed Forces]] (1992–1993)<br />[[Minister of Defence (Russia)|Minister of Defence<br />{{small|(Russian Federation)}}]]
| unofficial_names         = 
| deputy                   = 
| salary                   = 
| website                  = 
}}

The '''Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union''' ({{langx|ru|Министр обороны СССР}}) refers to the [[Minister (government)|head]] of the [[Ministry of Defense (Soviet Union)|Ministry of Defence]] who was responsible for defence of the [[Socialist state|socialist]]/[[Communist state|communist]] [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic]] from 1917 to 1922 and the [[Soviet Union]] from 1922 to 1992.

== People's Commissars for Military and Naval Affairs (1917–1934) ==
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| image_title        = Portrait
| officeholder_title = People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showref            = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = Первые наркомы 1917.png
| military_rank     =
| officeholder      = [[Council of People's Commissars on War and Navy Affairs (Soviet Russia)|Council]]
| officeholder_sort =
| officeholder_note = {{efn|The committee of the People's Commissars for Military and Naval Affairs consisted of [[Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko]], [[Pavel Dybenko]], and [[Nikolai Krylenko]]. On 10 November 1917 Ovseenko was taken hostage during the Petrograd [[Junker mutiny]] and was released next day with the help of American journalist Williams. Later Ovseenko headed the [[Petersburg Military District (Russian Empire)|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 [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Bolshevik Party]] due to desertion. On 25 November 1917 Krylenko was appointed the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the [[Red Army]].}}
| born_year         = 
| died_year         = 
| term_start        = 8 November 1917
| term_end          = 15 November 1917
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1917|11|08|1917|11|15}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             = Nikolay Ilyich Podvoisky.jpg
| military_rank     =
| officeholder      = [[Nikolai Podvoisky]]
| officeholder_sort = Podvoisky, Nikolai
| born_year         = 1880
| died_year         = 1948
| term_start        = 15 November 1917
| term_end          = 13 March 1918
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1917|11|15|1918|03|13}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 3
| image             = Лев Давидович Троцкий.jpg
| military_rank     =
| officeholder      = [[Leon Trotsky]]
| officeholder_sort = Trotsky, Leon
| born_year         = 1879
| died_year         = 1940
| term_start        = 14 March 1918
| term_end          = 25 January 1925
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1918|03|14|1925|01|25}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 4
| image             = Michaił Frunze.jpg
| military_rank     =
| officeholder      = [[Mikhail Frunze]]
| officeholder_sort = Frunze, Mikhail
| born_year         = 1885
| died_year         = 1925
| died              = y
| term_start        = 25 January 1925
| term_end          = 31 October 1925
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1925|01|25|1925|10|31}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 5
| image             = Kliment Voroshilov.jpg
| military_rank     =
| officeholder      = [[Kliment Voroshilov]]
| officeholder_sort = Voroshilov, Kliment
| born_year         = 1881
| died_year         = 1969
| term_start        = 6 November 1925
| term_end          = 20 June 1934
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1925|10|31|1934|06|20}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

{| width=100% |
| width=50% valign=top |

== People's Commissars for Defence (1934–1946) ==
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| image_title        = Portrait
| officeholder_title = [[People's Commissariat of Defense of the Soviet Union|People's Commissar for Defence]]
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showref            = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = Kliment Voroshilov.jpg
| military_rank     = [[Marshal of the Soviet Union]]
| officeholder      = [[Kliment Voroshilov]]
| officeholder_sort = Voroshilov, Kliment
| born_year         = 1881
| died_year         = 1969
| term_start        = 20 June 1934
| term_end          = 7 May 1940
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1934|06|20|1940|05|07}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             = Маршал Советского Союза Герой Советского Союза Семён Константинович Тимошенко.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Semyon Timoshenko]]
| officeholder_sort = Timoshenko, Semyon
| born_year         = 1895
| died_year         = 1970
| term_start        = 7 May 1940
| term_end          = 19 July 1941
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1940|05|07|1941|07|19}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 3
| image             = JStalin Secretary general CCCP 1942.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Joseph Stalin]]
| officeholder_sort = Stalin, Joseph
| born_year         = 1878
| died_year         = 1953
| term_start        = 19 July 1941
| term_end          = 25 February 1946
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1941|07|19|1946|02|25}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}
| width=50% valign=top |

== People's Commissars for the Navy (1937–1946) ==
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| image_title        = Portrait
| officeholder_title = [[People's Commissariat of the Navy of the Soviet Union|People's Commissar of the Navy]]
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showref            = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = Smirnov PA.jpg
| military_rank     = [[Army Commissar of 1st rank]]
| officeholder      = [[Pyotr Smirnov]]
| officeholder_sort = Smirnov, Pyotr
| born_year         = 1897
| died_year         = 1939
| term_start        = 30 December 1937
| term_end          = 30 June 1938
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1937|12|30|1938|06|30}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             = MP-Frinovsky.jpg
| military_rank     = [[Komandarm 1st rank]]
| officeholder      = [[Mikhail Frinovsky]]
| officeholder_sort = Frinovsky, Mikhail
| born_year         = 1898
| died_year         = 1940
| term_start        = 8 September 1938
| term_end          = 20 March 1939
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1938|09|08|1939|03|20}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 3
| image             = Nikolai Kuznetsov 3.jpg
| military_rank     = [[Vice Admiral]]
| officeholder      = [[Nikolai Kuznetsov (admiral)|Nikolai Kuznetsov]]
| officeholder_sort = Kuznetsov, Nikolai
| born_year         = 1904
| died_year         = 1974
| term_start        = 28 April 1939
| term_end          = 25 February 1946
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1939|04|28|1946|02|25}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}
|}

== People's Commissar for the Armed Forces (1946) ==
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| image_title        = Portrait
| officeholder_title = People's Commissar for the Armed Forces
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showref            = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = JStalin Secretary general CCCP 1942.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Joseph Stalin]]
| officeholder_sort = Stalin, Joseph
| born_year         = 1878
| died_year         = 1953
| term_start        = 25 February 1946
| term_end          = 15 March 1946
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1946|02|25|1946|03|15}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

== Ministers of the Armed Forces (1946–1950) ==
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| image_title        = Portrait
| officeholder_title = Minister of the Armed Forces
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showref            = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = JStalin Secretary general CCCP 1942.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Joseph Stalin]]
| officeholder_sort = Stalin, Joseph
| born_year         = 1878
| died_year         = 1953
| term_start        = 15 March 1946
| term_end          = 3 March 1947
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1946|03|15|1947|03|03}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             = Nikolai Bulganin.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Nikolai Bulganin]]
| officeholder_sort = Bulganin, Nikolai
| born_year         = 1895
| died_year         = 1975
| term_start        = 3 March 1947
| term_end          = 24 March 1949
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1947|03|03|1949|03|24}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 3
| image             = Aleksandr Vasilevsky 4.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Aleksandr Vasilevsky]]
| officeholder_sort = Vasilevsky, Aleksandr
| born_year         = 1895
| died_year         = 1977
| term_start        = 24 March 1949
| term_end          = 25 February 1950
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1949|03|24|1950|02|25}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

{| width=100% |
| width=50% valign=top |

== Minister of War (1950–1953) ==
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| image_title        = Portrait
| officeholder_title = Minister of War
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showref            = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = Aleksandr Vasilevsky 4.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Aleksandr Vasilevsky]]
| officeholder_sort = Vasilevsky, Aleksandr
| born_year         = 1895
| died_year         = 1977
| term_start        = 25 February 1950
| term_end          = 15 March 1953
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1950|02|25|1953|03|15}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}
| width=50% valign=top |

== Ministers of the Navy (1950–1953) ==
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| image_title        = Portrait
| officeholder_title = Minister of the Navy
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showref            = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = Адмирал Иван Степанович Юмашев.jpg
| military_rank     = [[Admiral]]
| officeholder      = [[Ivan Yumashev]]
| officeholder_sort = Yumashev, Ivan
| born_year         = 1895
| died_year         = 1972
| term_start        = 25 February 1950
| term_end          = 20 July 1951
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1950|02|25|1951|07|20}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             = Nikolai Kuznetsov 3.jpg
| military_rank     = [[Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union]]
| officeholder      = [[Nikolai Kuznetsov (admiral)|Nikolai Kuznetsov]]
| officeholder_sort = Kuznetsov, Nikolai
| born_year         = 1904
| died_year         = 1974
| term_start        = 20 July 1951
| term_end          = 15 March 1953
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1951|07|20|1953|03|15}} 
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}
|}

== Ministers of Defence (1953–1992) ==
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| image_title        = Portrait
| officeholder_title = Minister of Defence
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showaltofficeholder = y
| alt_officeholder_title = Leader
| showcabinet        = y
| cabinet_title      = Premier
| showref            = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = Nikolai Bulganin.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Nikolai Bulganin]]
| officeholder_sort = Bulganin, Nikolai
| born_year         = 1895
| died_year         = 1975
| term_start        = 15 March 1953
| term_end          = 9 February 1955
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1953|03|15|1955|02|09}} 
| alt_officeholder  = [[Georgy Malenkov]]<br>[[Nikita Khrushchev]]
| cabinet           = Georgy Malenkov
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             = Zhukov-LIFE-1944-1945 cropped.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Georgy Zhukov]]
| officeholder_sort = Zhukov, Georgy
| officeholder_note = {{efn|Dismissed by [[Nikita Khrushchev]] in the aftermath of the [[Anti-Party Group]] affair.}}
| born_year         = 1896
| died_year         = 1974
| term_start        = 9 February 1955
| term_end          = 26 October 1957
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1955|02|09|1957|10|26}} 
| alt_officeholder  = [[Nikita Khrushchev]]
| cabinet           = Nikolai Bulganin
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 3
| image             = Rodion Malinovsky 1.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Rodion Malinovsky]]
| officeholder_sort = Malinovsky, Rodion
| born_year         = 1898
| died_year         = 1967
| died              = y
| term_start        = 26 October 1957
| term_end          = 31 March 1967
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1957|10|26|1967|03|31}} 
| alt_officeholder  = [[Nikita Khrushchev]]<br>[[Leonid Brezhnev]]
| cabinet           = Nikolai Bulganin<br>Nikita Khrushchev<br>[[Alexsei Kosygin]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 4
| image             = Andrei Grechko 3 (cropped.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Andrei Grechko]]
| officeholder_sort = Grechko, Andrei
| born_year         = 1903
| died_year         = 1976
| died              = y
| term_start        = 12 April 1967
| term_end          = 26 April 1976
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1967|04|12|1976|04|26}}
| alt_officeholder  = [[Leonid Brezhnev]] 
| cabinet           = [[Alexsei Kosygin]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 5
| image             = Dmitry Ustinov colorized full cropped (b).jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Dmitry Ustinov]]
| officeholder_sort = Ustinov, Dmitry
| born_year         = 1908
| died_year         = 1984
| died              = y
| term_start        = 30 July 1976
| term_end          = 20 December 1984
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1976|07|30|1984|12|20}} 
| alt_officeholder  = [[Leonid Brezhnev]]<br>[[Yuri Andropov]]<br>[[Konstantin Chernenko]]
| cabinet           = [[Alexsei Kosygin]]<br>[[Nikolai Tikhonov]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 6
| image             = Sergey Leonidovich Sokolov.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Sergei Sokolov (marshal)|Sergei Sokolov]]
| officeholder_sort = Sokolov, Sergei
| officeholder_note = {{efn|Dismissed by [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] as a result of the [[Mathias Rust]] affair.}}
| born_year         = 1911
| died_year         = 2012
| term_start        = 22 December 1984
| term_end          = 29 May 1987
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1984|12|22|1987|05|29}} 
| alt_officeholder  = [[Konstantin Chernenko]]<br>[[Mikhail Gorbachev]]
| cabinet           = [[Nikolai Tikhonov]]<br>[[Nikolai Ryzhkov]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 7
| image             = Marshal Dmitry Yazov.jpg
| military_rank     = Marshal of the Soviet Union
| officeholder      = [[Dmitry Yazov]]
| officeholder_sort = Yazov, Dmitry
| officeholder_note = {{efn|Dismissed by [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] for being a member of the [[State Committee on the State of Emergency|GKChP]] during the [[1991 Soviet coup attempt|1991 coup attempt]].}}
| born_year         = 1924
| died_year         = 2020
| term_start        = 30 May 1987
| term_end          = 28 August 1991
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1987|05|30|1991|08|28}} 
| alt_officeholder  = [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]
| cabinet           = [[Nikolai Ryzhkov]]<br>[[Valentin Pavlov]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 8
| image             = Shaposhnikov170.png
| military_rank     = [[Marshal of the branch|Marshal of Aviation]]
| officeholder      = [[Yevgeny Shaposhnikov]]
| officeholder_sort = Shaposhnikov, Yevgeny
| officeholder_note = {{efn|On 14 February 1992, by the decision of the Council of [[Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS]] Heads of State, Marshal Yevgeny Shaposhnikov was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the [[United Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States|United Armed Forces of the CIS]].}}
| born_year         = 1942
| died_year         = 2020
| term_start        = 29 August 1991<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160305043001/http://bazazakonov.ru/doc/?ID=1898262 Постановление Верховного Совета СССР от 29 августа 1991 г. N 2370-I «О членах Кабинета Министров СССР»]</ref>
| term_end          = 14 February 1992<ref name=C-in-C />
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1991|08|29|1992|02|14}} 
| alt_officeholder  = [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]<br>{{small|(until Dec. 1991)}}
| cabinet           = [[Ivan Silayev]]
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

== See also ==
* [[College of War]]
* [[Ministry of War of the Russian Empire]]
* [[List of heads of the military of Imperial Russia]]
* [[Ministry of Defense (Soviet Union)]]
* [[Ministry of Defense Industry (Soviet Union)]]
* [[Ministry of Defence (Russia)]]
* [[General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation]]
** [[Chief of the General Staff (Russia)]]
* [[Cheget]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Soviet Defence Ministers}}

[[Category:Ministers of defence of the Soviet Union| ]]
[[Category:Lists of government ministers|Defence of Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Lists of government ministers of Russia]]
[[Category:Ministry of Defense (Soviet Union)]]