# Minister of Defence (Soviet Union)

The Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union (Russian: Министр обороны СССР) refers to the head of the Ministry of Defence who was responsible for defence of the socialist/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)

| No. | People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
| 1 | Council | 8 November 1917 | 15 November 1917 | 7 days |
| 2 | Podvoisky, NikolaiNikolai Podvoisky (1880–1948) | 15 November 1917 | 13 March 1918 | 118 days |
| 3 | Trotsky, LeonLeon Trotsky (1879–1940) | 14 March 1918 | 25 January 1925 | 6 years, 317 days |
| 4 | Frunze, MikhailMikhail Frunze (1885–1925) | 25 January 1925 | 31 October 1925 † | 279 days |
| 5 | Voroshilov, KlimentKliment Voroshilov (1881–1969) | 6 November 1925 | 20 June 1934 | 8 years, 232 days |
| People's Commissars for Defence (1934–1946) No. Portrait People's Commissar for DefenceTook officeLeft officeTime in office 1 Voroshilov, KlimentMarshal of the Soviet Union Kliment Voroshilov (1881–1969)20 June 19347 May 19405 years, 322 days 2 Timoshenko, SemyonMarshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Timoshenko (1895–1970)7 May 194019 July 19411 year, 73 days 3 Stalin, JosephMarshal of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin (1878–1953)19 July 194125 February 19464 years, 221 days | People's Commissars for the Navy (1937–1946) No. Portrait People's Commissar of the NavyTook officeLeft officeTime in office 1 Smirnov, PyotrArmy Commissar of 1st rank Pyotr Smirnov (1897–1939)30 December 193730 June 1938182 days 2 Frinovsky, MikhailKomandarm 1st rank Mikhail Frinovsky (1898–1940)8 September 193820 March 1939193 days 3 Kuznetsov, NikolaiVice Admiral Nikolai Kuznetsov (1904–1974)28 April 193925 February 19466 years, 303 days |

## People's Commissar for the Armed Forces (1946)

| No. | Portrait | People's Commissar for the Armed Forces | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
| 1 | | Stalin, JosephMarshal of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin (1878–1953) | 25 February 1946 | 15 March 1946 | 18 days |

## Ministers of the Armed Forces (1946–1950)

| No. | Minister of the Armed Forces | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
| 1 | Stalin, JosephMarshal of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin (1878–1953) | 15 March 1946 | 3 March 1947 | 353 days |
| 2 | Bulganin, NikolaiMarshal of the Soviet Union Nikolai Bulganin (1895–1975) | 3 March 1947 | 24 March 1949 | 2 years, 21 days |
| 3 | Vasilevsky, AleksandrMarshal of the Soviet Union Aleksandr Vasilevsky (1895–1977) | 24 March 1949 | 25 February 1950 | 338 days |
| Minister of War (1950–1953) No. Portrait Minister of WarTook officeLeft officeTime in office 1 Vasilevsky, AleksandrMarshal of the Soviet Union Aleksandr Vasilevsky (1895–1977)25 February 195015 March 19533 years, 18 days | Ministers of the Navy (1950–1953) No. Portrait Minister of the NavyTook officeLeft officeTime in office 1 Yumashev, IvanAdmiral Ivan Yumashev (1895–1972)25 February 195020 July 19511 year, 145 days 2 Kuznetsov, NikolaiAdmiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Nikolai Kuznetsov (1904–1974)20 July 195115 March 19531 year, 238 days |

## Ministers of Defence (1953–1992)

| No. | Minister of Defence | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Leader | Premier |
| 1 | Bulganin, NikolaiMarshal of the Soviet Union Nikolai Bulganin (1895–1975) | 15 March 1953 | 9 February 1955 | 1 year, 331 days | Georgy Malenkov Nikita Khrushchev | Georgy Malenkov |
| 2 | Zhukov, GeorgyMarshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov (1896–1974) | 9 February 1955 | 26 October 1957 | 2 years, 259 days | Nikita Khrushchev | Nikolai Bulganin |
| 3 | Malinovsky, RodionMarshal of the Soviet Union Rodion Malinovsky (1898–1967) | 26 October 1957 | 31 March 1967 † | 9 years, 156 days | Nikita Khrushchev Leonid Brezhnev | Nikolai Bulganin Nikita Khrushchev Alexsei Kosygin |
| 4 | Grechko, AndreiMarshal of the Soviet Union Andrei Grechko (1903–1976) | 12 April 1967 | 26 April 1976 † | 9 years, 14 days | Leonid Brezhnev | Alexsei Kosygin |
| 5 | Ustinov, DmitryMarshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Ustinov (1908–1984) | 30 July 1976 | 20 December 1984 † | 8 years, 143 days | Leonid Brezhnev Yuri Andropov Konstantin Chernenko | Alexsei Kosygin Nikolai Tikhonov |
| 6 | Sokolov, SergeiMarshal of the Soviet Union Sergei Sokolov (1911–2012) | 22 December 1984 | 29 May 1987 | 2 years, 158 days | Konstantin Chernenko Mikhail Gorbachev | Nikolai Tikhonov Nikolai Ryzhkov |
| 7 | Yazov, DmitryMarshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Yazov (1924–2020) | 30 May 1987 | 28 August 1991 | 4 years, 90 days | Mikhail Gorbachev | Nikolai Ryzhkov Valentin Pavlov |
| 8 | Shaposhnikov, YevgenyMarshal of Aviation Yevgeny Shaposhnikov (1942–2020) | 29 August 1991 | 14 February 1992 | 169 days | Mikhail Gorbachev (until Dec. 1991) | Ivan Silayev |