On January 28, 1918, the decree of Council of People's Commissars formed the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (WPRA). The history of its creation and development is presented on the website of the Ministry of Defence of the PMR.
WPRA was created as a military force for the protection of the Soviet power established in Russia in November 1917. It had to struggle both with external enemies, first of all, Germany and Austria-Hungary, and with anti-Soviet military formations within the country.
By the spring of 1918, nearly 200 thousand people were registered in the ranks of the Red Army. On July 29, 1918, according to the decree of Council of People's Commissars, in the country the military appeal which allowed to bring to the middle of September the number of the Red Army almost to half a million people, and to the end of Civil war (1918 – 22) – to 5 million fighters was entered.
Failures at the first stages of Civil war revealed weak personnel preparation of WPRA. For the solution of this problem, the Soviet government organized an appeal of officers and generals of the former imperial army who did not adjoin one of the fractions. The Red Army called them military experts. A total number of military experts in WPRA during the Civil war was 50 thousand people.
Military schools and courses of the accelerated training of red commanders from among soldiers, workers and peasants became another effective measure of strengthening of an average command link.
These measures in total with mistakes and miscalculations of White Guard armies allowed the Soviet government to break the course of Civil war.
With coming to power in Germany of Nazis in 1933 in WPRA started the program of rearmament. It became possible due to the policy of the forced industrialization which was carried out to short terms and cost greate expenses and victims. But due to its armoured troops and military aircraft literally were from scratch created, the artillery was modernized, the infantry was transferred to a motorized rifle format. By 1941, however, this program was complete only partially.
Before the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet tankmen and pilots could get invaluable experience in local wars – the civil war in Spain (1936 – 1939), battles with Japan in the Far East (1938 and 1939).
By June 22, 1941, the number of the Red Army grew almost three times (to 5.5 million people), and possibilities of mobilization were estimated at 9 million people. The mobilization resource and well developed heavy industry allowed WPRA to be restored in short terms after catastrophic defeats of summer of 1941. In total during the Second World War in armed forces, more than 34 million people were conscripted, and their irrevocable losses were 11.9 million people.
After the victory in the Second World War WPRA was considered the strongest army of the world. On February 25, 1946, the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army was transformed to Armed forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (AF USSR). Its soldiers not only guarded the world and safety of the country but also fulfilled the military duty outside the state. They participated in the military conflicts in the territory of Afghanistan, Syria, Angola, Algeria, Vietnam, Kambozhdi and other countries.
With the crash of the Soviet Union disintegration of AF USSR began. Military resources were divided between the former federal republics where there were national armies. However military traditions of AF USSR remained. In particular, in armies of Russia, Belarus and Pridnestrovie.
In the PMR Armed forces were created from scratch and passed away from separate divisions to the centralized professional military organization. On September 6, 1991, the Supreme Council of the PMR adopted the Resolution «About Measures for Protection of Sovereignty and Independence of the Republic». The Republican guard became the first created formation.
On September 3, 1992, the Concept of construction of Armed forces of Pridnestrovie according to which by the end of 1992 the main structures of the Ministry of Defence were created. New organizational and regular structure, connections, parts and divisions were created, the plan of combat and mobilization readiness was developed.
On March 14, 1993, the staff of Armed forces took Military oath of allegiance to the people of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.
