Pulkownik
 in the Russian Army |
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| Rank insignia | Armed Forces of the Russian Federation |
| Introduction | 1935 to the Soviet Army |
| Rank group | Stab-ofizer |
| Army / Air Force | Polkovnik |
| Navy | Kapitan 1st rank |
| NATO equivalent |
OF-5 |
Polkovnik (literally "regimentary") is a military rank in Slavic countries mostly which corresponds to a colonel in English-speaking states, and oberst in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries. The term originates from an ancient Slavic word for a group of soldiers and folk. However, in Cossack Hetmanate (Hetmanshchyna) and Slobozhanshchyna, polkovnyk was an administrative rank similar to a governor. Usually this word is translated as colonel, however the transliteration is also in common usage, for the sake of the historical and social context. Polkovnik began as a commander of a distinct group of troops (polk), arranged for battle.
The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different languages, but all descendant from the Old Slavonic word polk (literally: regiment sized unit), and include the following in alphabetical order:
Although Latvia and Lithuania are not Slavic countries linguistically, they have been influenced by Polish and Russian terminology due to having been part of both the Polish Commonwealth and the Russian Empire at various times in their history, whereas Georgia - another country on the list that is not Slavic - has been heavily influenced by Russia. The rank of polkovnik was also used in the Estonian army until 1924.
In the 17th century, polkovnik became the position of a regimental commander of the streltsy; this position also made it into New Regiments of the streltsy and later into the new army of Peter the Great. The rank was legalized by Table of Ranks that placed it in the 6th grade as the second-top field officer, right under the brigadier. A promotion to the rank of polkovnik gave a privilege of hereditary nobility.
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Wikipedia