# Commander of the Russian Air Force

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.
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 | | Tkachov, VyacheslavLieutenant colonel Vyacheslav Tkachov (1885–1965) | 9 June 1917 | 19 November 1917 | 5 months |
| 2 | | Ulyanin, SergeyMajor general Sergey Ulyanin (1871–1921) | 19 November 1917 | March 1918 | 3 months |

### Chief of the Air Force of the Red Army

| No. | Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
| 1 | Solovov, MikhailColonel Mikhail Solovov [ru] (1879–1941) | March 1918 | 1 August 1918 | 5 months |
| 2 | Solovov, MikhailColonel Alexander Vorotnikov [ru] (1878–1940) | 1 August 1918 | 13 June 1919 | 10 months |
| 3 | Akashev, KonstantinColonel Konstantin Akashev (1888–1931) | March 1920 | February 1921 | 11 months |
| 4 | Sergeyev, AndreyColonel Andrey Sergeyev (1893–1933) | February 1921 | October 1922 | 1 year, 8 months |
| 5 | Znamensky, AndreyColonel Andrey Znamensky [ru] (1887–1943) | October 1922 | July 1923 | 9 months |
| 6 | Rosengolts, ArkadyColonel Arkady Rosengolts (1889–1938) | July 1923 | December 1924 | 1 year, 5 months |
| 7 | Baranov, PyotrColonel Pyotr Baranov (1892–1933) | December 1924 | June 1931 | 6 years, 6 months |
| 8 | Alksnis, YakovKomandarm 1st rank Yakov Alksnis (1897–1938) | June 1931 | 23 November 1937 | 6 years, 5 months |
| 9 | Loktionov, AlexanderAleksandr Loktionov (1893–1941) | 23 November 1937 | 19 November 1939 | 1 year, 11 months |
| 10 | Smushkevich, YakovLieutenant General Yakov Smushkevich (1902–1941) | 19 November 1939 | August 1940 | 8 months |
| 11 | Rychagov, PavelLieutenant General Pavel Rychagov (1911–1941) | August 1940 | 24 June 1941 | 10 months |
| 12 | Zhigarev, PavelColonel general Pavel Zhigarev (1900–1963) | 24 June 1941 | 11 April 1942 | 9 months |
| 13 | Novikov, AlexanderChief 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. | Commander-in-Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | Vershinin, KonstantinMarshal of the aviation Konstantin Vershinin (1900–1973) | 1946 | September 1949 | 2–3 years | . |
| 2 | Zhigarev, PavelChief marshal of the aviation Pavel Zhigarev (1900–1963) | 1949 | 1957 | 7–8 years | . |
| 3 | Vershinin, KonstantinChief marshal of the aviation Konstantin Vershinin (1900–1973) | 1957 | 1969 | 11–12 years | . |
| 4 | Kutakhov, PavelChief marshal of the aviation Pavel Kutakhov (1914–1984) | March 1969 | 3 December 1984 † | 15 years | . |
| 5 | Yefimov, AlexanderMarshal of the aviation Alexander Yefimov (1923–2012) | 3 December 1984 | July 1990 | 5 years | . |
| 6 | Shaposhnikov, YevgenyColonel 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 | | Deynekin, PyotrColonel general Pyotr Deynekin (1937–2017) | 25 August 1991 | 19 August 1992 | 237 days | |

### Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force

| No. | Commander-in-Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | Deynekin, PyotrArmy general Pyotr Deynekin (1937–2017) | 19 August 1992 | 22 January 1998 | 5 years, 156 days | |
| 2 | Deynekin, PyotrArmy general Anatoly Kornukov (1942–2014) | 22 January 1998 | 21 January 2002 | 3 years, 364 days | |
| 3 | Deynekin, PyotrArmy general Vladimir Sergeyevich Mikhaylov (born 1943) | 21 January 2002 | 9 May 2007 | 5 years, 108 days | . |
| 4 | Zelin, AlexanderColonel general Alexander Zelin (born 1953) | 9 May 2007 | 27 April 2012 | 4 years, 354 days | . |
| 5 | Bondarev, ViktorColonel 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. | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
| 1 | Yudin, AndreiLieutenant general Andrei Yudin (born 1962) | 1 August 2015 | c. July 2019 | 3 years, 11 months |
| 2 | Dronov, SergeyLieutenant general Sergey Dronov (born 1962) | c. July 2019 | 24 July 2024 | ~5 years |
| 3 | Kobylash, SergeyLieutenant general Sergey Kobylash (born 1965) | 24 July 2024 | Incumbent | 7 months |