# Ministry of Defence (Transnistria)

The Ministry of Defense of Transnistria (Russian: Министерство обороны Приднестровской Молдавской Республики) is a government agency of the partially recognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. It is the executive body in implementing defense policies in of the Armed Forces of Transnistria. The current Minister of Defense is Major General Oleg Obruchkov.

## Tasks

* To implement state policy on defense and military development
* To coordinate the activities of state bodies and local self-government bodies from the preparation of the state for defense
* To ensure the combat readiness, and capability of the armed forces to perform their functions and tasks
* To interact with state bodies, public organizations and citizens, international organizations to provide training and education in the military

## History

On September 6, 1991, a year after the formation of the PMR, the Supreme Soviet adopted a decree "On measures to protect the sovereignty and independence of the republic", which determined the creation of the Republican Guard. On September 3, 1992, the Supreme Council approved a concept by the military agencies and organizations. By the end of 1992, all the main structures within the defence ministry were formed, including departments, units and subunits. On March 14, 1993, the entire staff of the defense ministry took an oath of allegiance to the country. The professional holiday of the ministry is on 6 September, days after the Republic Day celebrations.

## Leadership
### Minister of Defense

The minister of defense is the executive minister responsible for the management of the ministry as well as the armed forces.
The following is a list of ministers of defence of Transnistria from 1991 – present:
* Major General Stefan Kitzac (September 1991 – September 1992)
* Colonel General Stanislav Hazheev (September 1992 – January 24, 2012)
* Major General Alexander Lukyanenko (January 24, 2012 – December 30, 2015)
* Major General Oleg Gomenyuk (December 30, 2015 – August 18, 2016)
* Major General Ruslan Paulesko (August 18, 2016 – December 26, 2016)
* Major General Oleg Obruchkov (December 26, 2016 – Present)
| No. | Minister of Defense | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | Kitzac, StefanMajor general Stefan Kitzac | January 24, 2012 | September 1992 | 1 year | - |
| 2 | Hazheev, StanislavColonel General Stanislav Hazheev (born 1941) | September 1992 | January 24, 2012 | 19 years, 4 months | |
| 3 | Lukyanenko, AlexanderMajor General Alexander Lukyanenko (born 1961) | January 24, 2012 | December 30, 2015 | 3 years, 11 months | - |
| 4 | Gomenyuk, OlegMajor General Oleg Gomenyuk | December 30, 2015 | August 18, 2016 | 8 months | - |
| 5 | Paulesko, RuslanMajor General Ruslan Paulesko | August 18, 2016 | December 26, 2016 | 3 months | - |
| 6 | Obruchkov, OlegMajor general Oleg Obruchkov | December 26, 2016 | Incumbent | 8 years, 1 month |

### Chief of Staff
## List of Commanders

| No. | Chief of the General Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | Prosovetskiy, VladimirMajor general Vladimir Evgenievich Prosovetskiy | 22 January 1993 | 14 August 1998 | 5 years, 6 months | - |
| 2 | Lepikhov, NikolayMajor general Nikolay Ivanovich Lepikhov [ru] (1947–2006) | August 1998 | 13 May 2006 † | 7 years, 8 months | - |
| 3 | Atamanyuk, VladimirMajor general Vladimir Ivanovich Atamanyuk [ru] (born 1943) | 10 June 2006 | 17 January 2012 | 5 years, 7 months | |
| 4 | Orzhekhovsky, ValeryColonel Valery Antonovich Orzhekhovsky | 17 January 2012 | July 2013 | 1 year, 5 months | |
| 5 | Gomenyuk, OlegMajor general Oleg Vladimirovich Gomenyuk [ru] (born 1960) | July 2013 | 30 December 2015 | 2 years, 5 months | |
| 6 | Paulesko, RuslanMajor general Ruslan Vasilyevich Paulesko | 19 January 2016 | 18 August 2016 | 6 months | |
| 7 | Gerasyutenko, SergeyColonel Sergey Gerasyutenko [ru] (born 1960) | 6 September 2016 | 7 September 2020 | 4 years | |
| 7 | Mikhailov, PavelMajor General Pavel Vladimirovich Mikhailov [ru] (born 1963) | September 2020 | Incumbent | 4 years, 4 months |