Former commander of the Southern Military District, Hero of the Russian Federation Alexander Dvornikov was elected the new chairman of the organization on February 3, 2024
TASS-DOSSIER. On February 3, 2024, the former commander of the Southern Military District, Hero of the Russian Federation Alexander Dvornikov was elected the new chairman of the DOSAAF of Russia. TASS has prepared a material about this organization.
Basic information
DOSAAF of Russia (full name - All-Russian public and state organization "Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Aviation and Navy of Russia") is a mass patriotic defense and sports organization. Among its main goals are to promote the country's defense capability, organize patriotic and physical education of young people, teach citizens basic knowledge in the field of defense and train them in military accounting specialties.
DOSAAF History
The first mass defense organization in Soviet Russia was the Military Scientific Society, formed in 1920. His tasks included spreading military knowledge among the workers, as well as helping to strengthen the country's defense. In 1926, the organization received a new name - the Society for the Promotion of the Defense of the USSR. In March 1923, the Society of Friends of the Air Fleet (ODVF) was established, and in May 1924 - the Volunteer Society of Friends of Chemical Defense and Industry (Dobrohim) of the USSR, which in May 1925 merged into Aviakhim. On January 23, 1927, Dobrohim, the ODVF and the Defense Assistance Society were merged into the Society for the Promotion of Defense, Aviation and Chemical Construction in the USSR (Osoaviakhim). It is from this date that the modern DOSAAF of Russia counts its history. The first head of Osoaviakhim was Alexey Rykov, who then held the post of chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR.
In 1948, Osoaviakhim was divided into three independent societies: The Voluntary Society for the Assistance of the Army (DOSARM), the Voluntary Society for the Assistance of Aviation (DOSAV) and the Voluntary Society for the Assistance of the Fleet (DOSFLOT), which were again merged into DOSAAF by the decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on August 20, 1951.
Any citizen of the USSR who reached the age of 14 could be a member of DOSAAF. The society was built on a territorial and industrial basis, engaged in military-patriotic and international education of workers and students, training specialists for the Armed Forces and personnel of mass technical professions (drivers of various vehicles, motorists, radio operators, electricians and others) for the national economy, the development of technical and applied sports.
From 1953 to 1991, about 20 million people received technical specialties and improved their qualifications at DOSAAF. The organization had 172 children's and youth sports and technical schools, among their students there were over 480 international-class sports masters who set more than 500 world records in technical and applied sports. Artificial Earth satellites RS-10, RS-11, RS-12 and RS-13, created by amateur radio designers of DOSAAF, were launched into space orbit.
In 1991, a conference of representatives of republican, regional and regional DOSAAF organizations operating in the territory of the RSFSR adopted a resolution on the formation of the Russian Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Aviation and Navy, later renamed the Russian Defense Sports and Technical Organization (ROSTO). On October 15, 2003, at the 4th Congress of ROSTO, it was decided to add the former, historically significant DOSAAF to the abbreviation of ROSTO. On November 28, 2009, at the congress of the society, the new status of DOSAAF as a public-state organization was approved, and the abbreviation ROSTO was deleted from the name.
Current status
In 2024, the DOSAAF structure includes 35 organizations of central subordination and 83 regional branches, within which, in turn, 1,131 local branches and 9,391 primary branches operate, as well as 1,257 organizations and institutions, including 961 educational (driving schools, etc.), 107 aviation, 124 shooting facilities, 11 courses and 96 others. The management is carried out by the chairman and the central council (which includes the presidium and bureau of the presidium), while the central control and audit commission, which has its own presidium, reports to the chairman. The Congress of the organization appoints the chairman of DOSAAF, candidates for this post are submitted by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in coordination with the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation.
Citizens of the Russian Federation aged 18 years and older, as well as legal entities - public associations participating in the activities of the organization according to its charter, can join the DOSAAF of Russia. Members of the society pay entrance and membership fees, in return receiving the opportunity to study in educational institutions, engage in clubs, sections, courses and circles of DOSAAF Russia on a priority basis, as well as receive various benefits established by the regional branches of the society and more.
On December 2, 2016, the first meeting of the DOSAAF Board of Trustees, established by DOSAAF Chairman Alexander Kolmakov in coordination with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, took place in Moscow. The Council is headed by businessman Arkady Rotenberg. The DOSAAF Supervisory Board includes representatives of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, the government apparatus of the Russian Federation, the Security Council of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, as well as public figures, industry workers.
In April 2020, the government commission for improving the sustainability of the Russian economy on special conditions included DOSAAF of Russia in the list of system-forming organizations. On November 18 of the same year, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu instructed at a meeting of the DOSAAF Supervisory Board to improve the personnel and business activities of the organization and revive its aviation.
In total, by the end of 2023, more than 33 thousand people were trained in DOSAAF educational organizations of Russia, of which almost 24 thousand specialists for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 11 military accounting specialties. In addition, almost 4 thousand specialists of unmanned aircraft systems were trained by DOSAAF schools as part of the preparation of citizens for a special military operation.
Also in 2023, 1,082 clubs joined the Association of Military-patriotic Clubs of DOSAAF of Russia (in 2022 - 1,020), with the number of members of the yunarmey movement of 32.5 thousand people. DOSAAF of Russia unites 141 search teams. In 2023, the organization's detachments discovered and reburied the remains of 1,187 Soviet soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War, 38 names were identified.
The heads of ROSTO (DOSAAF) and DOSAAF of Russia:
- Colonel-General Alexey Anokhin (1991-2004);
- Lieutenant General Anatoly Starodubets (2004-2007);
- Major General Yuri Kamyshanov (2007-2009);
- Colonel-General Sergey Mayev (2009-2014);
- Colonel-General Alexander Kolmakov (2014-2024).
DOSAAF official website - https://www.dosaaf.ru .