DOSAAF DOSAAF ( ) , full name " Volunteer Society for Cooperation with the Army , Aviation , and Fleet " ( ) , was a paramilitary sport organization in the Soviet Union , concerned mainly with weapons , automobiles and aviation . The society was established in 1927 as OSOAVIAKhIM and from 1951 to 1991 carried the name of DOSAAF . The society was preserved in some post - Soviet Republics , e . g . Russia and Belarus , although these may use a different name . In Ukraine , for example , the counterpart is " Society of Assistance to Defense of Ukraine " . In Russia it was reformed in December 1991 as the Russian Defence Sports - Technical Organization ROSTO ( " russian : Российская оборонная спортивно - техническая организация " - " РОСТО ) " . In December 2009 RОSТО was renamed DOSAAF Russia . The stated goal of the society was " " patriotic upbringing of the population and preparation of it to the defense of the Motherland " " . Among the means to achieve this was the development of paramilitary sports . Initially , an important goal was financial support of the Soviet military ( by membership fees , subscriptions , lotteries and donations ) . At the same time , ordinary sports were supported within the framework of DOSAAF facilities : sports halls , stadiums , swimming pools . History . OSOAVIAKhIM . The precursor of DOSAAF was the OSOAVIAKhIM ( ОСОАВИАХИМ , Союз обществ содействия обороне и авиационно - химическому строительству СССР , " Union of Societies of Assistance to Defence and Aviation - Chemical Construction of the USSR " ) created on 27 January 1927 by merging the " Society of Assistance to Defence " ( Общество Содействия Обороне ( ОСО ) ) , " Society of Friends of the Air Force " ( Общество друзей Воздушного флота ( ОДВФ ) ) and " Society of Friends of the Chemical Defense and Chemical Industry " ( Общество друзей химической обороны и химической промышленности ( Доброхим СССР ) ) . The goal of the society was preparation of reserves for armed forces . It soon became a powerful militarised organisation with its own airfields , radio clubs , parachuting towers and firing ranges . It became prestigious and romantic among the youth to earn badges such as " Voroshilov Sharpshooter " ( Ворошиловский стрелок ) , " Voroshilov Horse Rider " ( Ворошиловский всадник ) and " Distinguished Parachute Jumper " . Gradually , OSOAVIAKhIM developed into a back - up military training organization . Its courses included advanced disciplines like tactics , topography and armament . In contrast to the usual draft , a person could join OSOAVIAKhIM as early as 14 . By 1941 , its membership was estimated at 13 million . OSOAVIAKhIM supported a number of professional research and development programs for airplanes , glider , airships and stratospheric balloons , some of which were later taken over by the Soviet Air Forces . In the 1930s , Sergey Korolev ' s rocket research organisation ( the GIRD ) and Oleg Antonov ' s glider project , among other efforts , were part of the OSOAVIAKhIM . Post - World War II . In March 1948 OSOAVIAKhIM was reorganised into three societies : " The Voluntary Society of Assistance to the Army " ( Добровольное общество содействия армии ( ДОСАРМ ) ) , " The Voluntary Society of Assistance to the Air Force " ( Добровольное общество содействия авиации ( ДОСАВ ) ) and " The Voluntary Society of Assistance to the Navy " ( Добровольное общество содействия флоту ( ДОСФЛОТ ) ) . In August 1951 they were re - merged as a single society , DOSAAF . Late Soviet Union . As was common in the late Soviet Union , " voluntary " actually meant " partially obligatory " . For example , every member of the Komsomol had to be member of DOSAAF ( and most Soviet youth had to be in the Komsomol e . g . if they wanted higher education ) . Membership was cheap ( 10 kopek in the 1960s - 1970s ) .