Soviet Military Administration in Germany
The Soviet Military Administration in Germany (; "Sovyetskaya Voyennaya Administratsiya v Germanii", SVAG; , SMAD) was the Soviet military government, headquartered in Berlin-Karlshorst, that directly ruled the Soviet occupation zone of Germany from the German surrender in May 1945 until after the establishment of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in October 1949.