The Commander of the Russian Air Force (Russian: Командующий ВВС, romanized: Komanduyushchiy VVS) is the chief commanding authority of the Russian Air Force. Before 2015, when the former branch became an arm of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the title was Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force (Russian: Главнокомандующий ВВС, romanized: Glavnokomanduyushchiy VVS). The holder of the office is appointed by the President of Russia.
| Commander of Russian Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Командующий ВВС | |
Flag of the Commander of the Russian Air Force | |
Incumbent since 24 July 2024Lieutenant General Sergey Kobylash | |
| Russian Air Force | |
| Member of | General Staff of the Armed Forces |
| Reports to | Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces |
| Appointer | President of Russia |
| Formation | June 9, 1917 (historical) August 1991 (current form) |
The position dates to the Russian Revolution in 1917.
List of Commanders
Chief of the Air Service of the Russian Republic
| No. | Portrait | Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lieutenant Colonel Vyacheslav Tkachov (1885–1965) | 9 June 1917 | 19 November 1917 | 5 months | |
| 2 | Major General Sergey Ulyanin (1871–1921) | 19 November 1917 | March 1918 | 3 months |
Chief of the Air Force of the Red Army
| No. | Portrait | Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colonel Mikhail Solovov (1879–1941) | March 1918 | 1 August 1918 | 5 months | |
| 2 | Colonel Alexander Vorotnikov (1878–1940) | 1 August 1918 | 13 June 1919 | 10 months | |
| 3 | Colonel Konstantin Akashev (1888–1931) | March 1920 | February 1921 | 11 months | |
| 4 | Colonel Andrey Sergeyev (1893–1933) | February 1921 | October 1922 | 1 year, 8 months | |
| 5 | Colonel Andrey Znamensky (1887–1943) | October 1922 | July 1923 | 9 months | |
| 6 | Colonel Arkady Rosengolts (1889–1938) | July 1923 | December 1924 | 1 year, 5 months | |
| 7 | Colonel Pyotr Baranov (1892–1933) | December 1924 | June 1931 | 6 years, 6 months | |
| 8 | Komandarm 1st rank Yakov Alksnis (1897–1938) | June 1931 | 23 November 1937 | 6 years, 5 months | |
| 9 | Aleksandr Loktionov (1893–1941) | 23 November 1937 | 19 November 1939 | 1 year, 11 months | |
| 10 | Lieutenant General Yakov Smushkevich (1902–1941) | 19 November 1939 | August 1940 | 8 months | |
| 11 | Lieutenant General Pavel Rychagov (1911–1941) | August 1940 | 24 June 1941 | 10 months | |
| 12 | Colonel General Pavel Zhigarev (1900–1963) | 24 June 1941 | 11 April 1942 | 9 months | |
| 13 | Chief marshal of the aviation Alexander Novikov (1900–1976) | 11 April 1942 | 22 April 1946 | 4 years |
Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Air Force
| No. | Portrait | Commander-in-Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marshal of the aviation Konstantin Vershinin (1900–1973) | 1946 | September 1949 | 2–3 years | . | |
| 2 | Chief marshal of the aviation Pavel Zhigarev (1900–1963) | 1949 | 1957 | 7–8 years | . | |
| 3 | Chief marshal of the aviation Konstantin Vershinin (1900–1973) | 1957 | 1969 | 11–12 years | . | |
| 4 | Chief marshal of the aviation Pavel Kutakhov (1914–1984) | March 1969 | 3 December 1984 † | 15 years | . | |
| 5 | Marshal of the aviation Alexander Yefimov (1923–2012) | 3 December 1984 | July 1990 | 5 years | . | |
| 6 | Colonel general Yevgeny Shaposhnikov (1942–2020) | July 1990 | August 1991 | 1 year |
Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth of Independent States' Air Force
| No. | Portrait | Commander-in-Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colonel general Pyotr Deynekin (1937–2017) | 25 August 1991 | 19 August 1992 | 237 days |
Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force
| No. | Portrait | Commander-in-Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Army general Pyotr Deynekin (1937–2017) | 19 August 1992 | 22 January 1998 | 5 years, 156 days | ||
| 2 | Army general Anatoly Kornukov (1942–2014) | 22 January 1998 | 21 January 2002 | 3 years, 364 days | ||
| 3 | Army general Vladimir Sergeyevich Mikhaylov (born 1943) | 21 January 2002 | 9 May 2007 | 5 years, 108 days | . | |
| 4 | Colonel general Alexander Zelin (born 1953) | 9 May 2007 | 27 April 2012 | 4 years, 354 days | . | |
| 5 | Colonel general Viktor Bondarev (born 1959) | 6 May 2012 | 1 August 2015 | 3 years, 87 days |
Commander of the Air Force – Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces
| No. | Portrait | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lieutenant general Andrei Yudin (born 1962) | 1 August 2015 | c. July 2019 | 3 years, 11 months | ||
| 2 | Lieutenant general Sergey Dronov (born 1962) | c. July 2019 | 24 July 2024 | ~5 years | ||
| 3 | Lieutenant general Sergey Kobylash (born 1965) | 24 July 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 4 months |
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