History of the institute

Military training of students at Kyiv University was initiated in1933.

The first Military Department had only 23 instructors and was tasked to train artillery platoon commanders, observer-pilots and nurses. Military training of civilians at the University was discontinued in 1937, and the Military Department embarked on training small unit leaders in sniper, light and heavy machine-gunner, fire-fighting and chemical protection instructor specialties.

Shortly after the Great Patriotic War broke out the Military Department of the University was disbanded and instructors and students of conscription age joined the front-line troops.

The University initiated military training for students of Physics and Radio-Physics Faculties with the specialization in “radar station operator” in 1949 that brought to life a new military training unit for radar experts. That year also marked the beginning of military training for students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and led to the formation of a military training unit for military interpreters and translators. Concurrently, the third military training unit for artillery personnel was established. Military training of female students of humanitarian faculties with the specialization in “hospital nurse” originated in 1960, and military training for the students of the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics began in 1962 with the creation of a new military training unit of automated control systems.

In May, 1943, when the Kyiv University was in evacuation in Kysyl-Orda town and together with Kharkiv University formed the Joint Ukrainian University, the Department of Military and Physical Training was created to carry out initial military training of students. Military training of students at Kyiv University was renewed in 1944.

Military training for students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages was reestablished in 1963.

The 1965 witnessed the introduction of specialty “mechanized infantry platoon commander” for students of 10 faculties (Philology, Philosophy, History, Geography, Geology, Economics, Law, Chemistry, Biology and Journalism) that resulted in the creation of a new military training unit of tactics. Students of the Faculty of Cybernetics joined military training unit of automated control systems in 1969, and students of the Faculty of Foreign Affairs and International Law entered the military training unit for military interpreters and translators in 1971.

Due to versatility of specialties taught to reserve officers, the Military Department was reorganized in 1983 into the Joint Military Department. At that time it integrated 7 military training units: automated control systems, radar equipment, all-arms military training, military translation and interpretation, tactical training, firing instruction, military-technical training as well as civil defence and medical training units.

In 1991 the Joint Military Department was recognized into the Department of Military Training of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University in order to enhance military training of students. It was composed of two faculties: the Faculty of Military-Technical Training and the Faculty of Military-Humanitarian Training (later knows as the Faculty of Military-Financial Training), each faculty had corresponding departments. In addition, there was the Department of Tactics and Operational Art and the Department of Automobile Training.

On January 18, 1992 all officers of the Department of Military Training swore allegiance to the Ukrainian people.

The important event for the Department was the Order of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine and the Minister of Education of Ukraine No. 39/1 as of June 16, 1993 on the conduct of staff officers’ trainig for the Armed Forces at the Department in four specialties: military cartographer, military lawyer, military translator, specialist of military-financial service, military psychologist (since 1997), political science specialist as well as officer students’ training for financial service experts (since 2000). The 3-year program of officer students’ training for the legal service began in 1995.

According to the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 64 as of January 21, 1998, the Department of Military Training of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University was restructured into the Military Institute of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University to improve further the training system of military experts for the Armed Forces and other military formations.

The glorious history of the Institute was made by its people. At different times it was headed by:

1933-1936 – Brigade Commander Borysenko Leonid Illich;
1936-1937 – Major Brykin Mykola Yevstratovych;
1937-1941 – Colonel Tochynskyi Mykola Olexandrovych;
1941-1943 – Solodkyi Anatolii Ivanovych;
1943-1944 – Colonel Eliseev Ivan Antonovych;
1944-1948 – Colonel Belichenko Pavlo Iakovych;
1948-1950 – Major General Vahrameiev Ivan Mykchailovych;
1950-1952 – Major-General Kudriavtsev Mukola Mykolaiovych;
1952-1954 – Major-General Morozov Pavlo Ivanovych;
1954-1956 – Major General Losev Anatolii Ivanovych;
1956-1958 – Colonel Skyba Gregorii Petrovych;
1958-1961 – Colonel Kucherov Iakiv Olexandrovych;
1961-1970 – Colonel Emelianov Ivan Mykchailovych;
1970-1987 – Colonel Papushyn Pavlo Andriiovych;
1987-2004 – Lieutenant-General Zhukov Sergii Anatoliiovych;
Since January, 2005 – Major General Balabin Viktor Volodymyrovych.

Over a number of years, the following veterans of war, who are now enjoying their well-earned rest, have contributed and still contributing to the development of military and military-patriotic education of young people: Retired Colonel Zatylkov Viacheslav Fedorovych (Hero of the Soviet Union), retired Colonel Redkovskyi Mykola Ivanovych (Hero of the Soviet Union), retired Colonel Papushyn Pavlo Andriiovych (former chief of the Military Department), retired Major General Juravel Alexander Fedorovych, retired Colonel Novikov Valentin Ivanovych, retired Colonel Popov Lev Mykolaiovych, retired Colonel Romanov Yurii Mykhailovych, retired Colonel Lyubchenko Olexii Grygorovych, retired Colonel Pleshko Olexander Ivanovych, retired Colonel Gladun Ivan Petrovych, professor Palkin Yurii Ivanovych and many others.

These are the biographies of those people who made a great contribution to establishment and development of the Institute.

Zatylkov Viacheslav Fedorovych, Hero of the Soviet Union, was born in September 27, 1924 in Vitino rural area, Pestiakivsky District of Ivanovo Region (Russian Federation). In 1939 he entered the Department of Technologies at the Red Army Dzerzhinsky Chemical Academy. He was a second-year student when the war broke out. In August 1942 he received a diploma, and at the beginning of September joined the Red Army, High Command reserve. Having passed the military training he was awarded with junior lieutenant rank and appointed as an anti-tank rifle squad commander. He saw actions at Leningrad, Baltic States, Poland and Germany, finishing his own glorious operational record in Berlin when he was awarded with a Title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the occupation of the city. During the war he was wounded three times and awarded with many decorations. Till February, 1946 he remained in Germany, and stayed at Kharkiv Military District from February to June. Upon the disestablishment of Military District he was sent to train in Leningrad. From February 1948 to 1949 he again served in the East Germany. Upon graduation from Volodymyr Lenin Political-Military Academy, he was appointed as a regiment commander on the territory of GDR. Since 1967 to 1969 he headed the party secretariat in Cherkassy. From 1969 to 1976 V.F. Zatylkov taught the art of war and political work of the Military Department of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv State University. Having dismissed, he spent another twelve years working as an Inspector of Department for Vocational Education in the city of Kyiv. He retired in 1988, when it was restructured.

Redkovskyi Mykola Ivanovych (Hero of the Soviet Union), was born in May 20, 1921 in the Berykul rural area of Izhmorskyi district, Kemerovskyi region. Till 1929 his family lived in Berykul and later moved to Mariinsk city of the same region.

He went to school in Berykul, then in Mariinsk, when he moved there with his family. Starting from the 5th form he studied at the boarding school in Buryatiia.

In 1939 he graduated secondary school and entered the Geological and Exploring Faculty of Mining Institute in Tomsk. However, having not finished even a term, he was mobilized into the army, the Artillery School in Tomsk.

Upon graduation from a college in 1941 he was assigned to the military unit in Vilnius. At the beginning of the war at Smolensk he got wounded. Having undergone a course of treatment he was appointed as a regiment battery commander of the 4th cavalry corps, which started the envelopment of Stalingrad grouping of Hitler forces.

He was a commander of the artillery regiment battery of the 7th guards cavalry corps till January 1945. When forcing Odra he got wounded.

After the war he graduated the Dzerzhinsky Artillery Academy in 1953. Having completed the education he served at the military unit in Chuguev, Reserve-Officer Training Department of Kyiv Taras Shevchenko University, as a senior officer of the General Staff of Strategic Missile Forces, the Chief of Training Corps for missile officers of strategic direction in Kyiv. In October 1963 he transferred to the reserve.

He worked as an engineer of the State Committee of the USSR Cabinet for the Coordination of Scientific and Research Works, head of the Systems Management Department and the Computing Center for the USSR Derzhzbut, deputy head of the State Planning Department of Ukraine.

For his military service he was awarded with the Order of Lenin and by the “Gold Star” Medal of Hero of the Soviet Union, the Order of the Red Banner, two “Red Star” Orders, “Bogdan Khmelnitsky” Order, 20 medals, among them are Medals for Battle Merit.

For seventeen years the Military Department was headed by an experienced officer, top-ranked specialist and teacher, combatant of the WWII Colonel Pavlo Papushyn. He was born in August 27, 1927 in the Shahalovo rural area of Kochenevskyi district, Novosibirsk region. In 1944, being seventeen years old, he started his military service as a common soldier of the separate sniper company in Krasnoiarsk. Shortly after that, he served in Ukraine. Since April, 1945 he served as a squad leader in Kharkiv Military Aviation Regiment of navigators. The desire to become a professional servicemen has led him to the Acceptance Board of Kharkiv Air Force Academy of Communications, which he entered in 1946. In 1949 he started his service from a radio officer to the platoon commander and finally to the deputy of chief engineer of radio-technical troops of the air defense forces of the country – that is the military history sheet of Colonel Papushyn P.A. He witnessed and took an active part in the establishment and development of this branch of the Armed Forces, to which he devoted almost his entire life.

He started his service in Lviv and then continued in Central Asia, Far East and finally – in Moscow. From time to time he used to perform important state tasks outside the country, particularly in Afghanistan and China. For this activity Pavlo Andriiovych was awarded with the Medal for Battle Merit.

Having such a vast service experience, high qualifications and store of knowledge, Colonel Papushyn P.A. was appointed as the Chief of the Joint Military Department of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in November 1970. He faced a lot of new tasks and responsibilities, unfamiliar till that time, and had to solve them being on his new position. Among the main tasks were: the improvement and optimization of the educational process, development of educational and material resources, solution of social and domestic problems of instructors and employees of the Military Department. However these were not the only tasks of the head of the Department. Thanks to close cooperation and mutual understanding with the University Directorate and its Rector, he has managed to solve the question of new educational building construction, designated specially for the military training. In 1982 the institution accepted students for the first time. While serving at the Military Department Colonel Papushyn P.A. has received two more national awards. He was awarded with the order “Of Service to the Fatherland” of the III degree and “The Order of the People’s Friendship” for the active educational and teaching work.

Finishing his service in 1987, Pavlo Andriiovych continued to work at Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University for more than three years, heading the Postgraduate Education Department.

Currently, while being on the well-earned rest, reserve Colonel Papushyn P.A. is maintaining close ties with the Military Institute. He can often be seen among officers and cadets of the Institute. Cadets bear in mind the stories Pavlo Andriiovych used to tell about the air defense service, places where he used to serve and about the history of military training at the Institute.

Active participation of reserve colonel Papushyn P.A. and other veterans of the Institute in the military-patriotic work facilitates the formation of certain qualities among cadets, needed for the future officers. Among the main of them are the love of country, respect of friends, love of military service, responsibility, honesty and decency.

Lieutenant-General Sergii Anatoliiovych Zhukov, Doctor of Engineering Science, Honorary Worker of National Science of Ukraine, Professor, was born in the family of a serviceman in November 25,1947. Since 1965 till 1970 he studied at the Higher Engineering Air Defense Radiotechnical College in Kyiv.

After graduation he served at Ciscarpathian and Kyiv Military Districts. Moreover, he went on a special duty assignment to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and stayed there from 1976 to 1978 at the Air Forces group of the Soviet military experts. After the special duty assignment he served on various positions at the Air Defence Forces from 1978 to 1982. Since 1982 till 1987 he worked as a teacher at the Military Department of Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University. In September 1987 he was appointed as a head of the Department, and later – the Chief of Military Training Department (of Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University). Since July 1998 till June 2004 – he was the Chief of the Military Institute of Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University.

During the military service he was awarded with the order “For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR” of the third degree, seven medals of the former USSR and seven rewards of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, including the nominal firearms. He had more than one hundred and twenty publications. He headed the world-class school of sciences “Theoretical and Methodological Problems of Construction, Use, Management and Information Processing of Surveillance Systems Over Aerial and Ground Facilities.” The results of scientific investigations, conducted on the topics of school of sciences, are used in the field and educational process that significantly increases the level of experts training of corresponding specialties. He was awarded with many other orders and medals and besides, he was the author of numerous scientific publications and inventions.

He worked at the Military Institute of Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University since January 1982. Starting as a teacher of the Military Department, he became the Chief of the Military Institute (since September, 1987).

In June 1986, in the presence of the Board of Academics of Kyiv Air Defense HIRTC he has defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Engineering Science.

In December, 1989 he was entitled with a readership. In May, 1999 he defended his doctoral dissertation. In December, 1999 he became a Professor.

He was one of the most active organizers and participants of international scientific conferences. He had an honored authority with other scholars in the field of radio engineering and education both at the territory of Ukraine and abroad.

He was a chairman of Expert Council of Higher Attestation Commission on defense, national security and defense industry complex problems, the director of educational programs at the Atlantic Council of Ukraine and head of the established world-class scientific school of “Theoretical and Methodological Problems of Construction, Use, Management and Information Processing of Surveillance Systems Over Aerial and Ground Facilities”.

He was awarded with the Presidential Award “The Defender of the Fatherland,” by a reward of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine “For Valor and Honor”, a decoration of respect from the Mayor of Kyiv, two orders and nine medals.

Under the direction of an experienced person and skilled leader, the Institute has undergone great restructuring, significant expansion of the stuff and tasks, assigned to it.

Sergiy Anatoliiovych died in September 30, 2004.

In order to pay tribute to Lieutenant General Zhukov S.A., according to the decision of the Board of Academics of the Military Institute, a memorial plaque was established. Besides, the scholarship was introduced for students of the Institute.

Major General Viktor BALABIN, PhD in Philology, Professor is the Commandant of the Military Institute of National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv.

He was born in December 26th, 1960 in Perevalsk city of Luhansk region.

In August 1981 he entered the snap military translator courses at the Military Institute of the USSR Ministry of Defense and after the graduation he served for two years in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan as an interpreter. From 1984 till 1988 he was the student of the Faculty of Western Languages at the Military Institute of the USSR Ministry of Defense and after graduation he got the “Military Interpreter Consultant in English and Persian Languages” specialty with excellence.

From September, 1989 till October, 1991 he was in a foreign trip to India, where he worked as an interpreter for the group of Soviet military experts.

From 1992 till 1997 he studied by correspondence at the Law Department of Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University and graduated with a specialization in “Legal Science”.

From 1993 to 1997 he studied at the Language Institute of the U.S. Armed Forces, where he received a diploma with the specialization in “English Language Teacher” and “Language Programs Manager”.

In September, 2002 he defended his doctoral dissertation on “The Modern American Military Slang as a Problem of Translation.” In June 2003 he was awarded with an academic title of the Associate Professor.

He has an excellent professional education and freely uses all types of translation skills while working with English and Persian languages. Moreover he is a qualified educator, who is constantly contributing to the educational process by means of introducing new methods of organization and conduction of classes with students, cadets and officers. Nowadays he is diligently passing his experience of a serviceman and a proficient teacher to future experts. In 2002 he won the international rating “Golden Fortune” in the area of educational activities and was awarded with the Order “For Labor Achievements” of the fourth degree.

At the present moment he is taking an active part in the organization and conduction of scientific work at the Military Institute and the Armed Forces of Ukraine in general.

Major General Viktor BALABIN was awarded with the title of honor of the “Honorary Worker of Education of Ukraine” for significant advances in the development of science and education, perseverance and devotion, directed towards the strengthening of defence capability and security in Ukraine, for high professionalism, exemplary official duty performance, for personal achievements in the process of stiffening a scientific and educational process at the Institute and on the occasion of the Constitution Day of Ukraine.

He is studying at the National Defense Academy of Ukraine on the externship. Now he is working on his dissertation. Besides, he is an author of the following textbooks: “Military Translation Basis” and “Fundamentals of Military Geography”. In addition to the abovementioned, he has 29 scientific and methodological works.

Viktor BALABIN is a highly qualified scientist and instructor, and an experienced organizer. His professional activity is characterized by high efficiency and contributes the authority of the Military Institute he is heading.

Today the Military Institute of National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv is a modern interdepartmental, multidisciplinary, integrated Military Training Department of higher educational institution which is providing the training of experts with complete higher education for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations.

Future officers undergo basic training at the corresponding departments of the National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv Institutes.

Academic and teaching staff provides military and special training at the Military Institute. Among them are: 14 Doctors, 12 Professors and 53 PhDs and 21 Associate Professors, who work at 12 Departments affiliated into 3 Faculties.

The Military Institute is the only Ukraine’s Military Training Department of the Higher Educational Institution, which provides training for specialist of all military formations with a specialization in International Relations, International Information, Translation, Finance, Psychology, Political Science, Advertising and Public Relations, Geographic Information Systems and Technologies. Moreover, Graduate Military Course is functioning at the Institute, providing education in 8 scientific specialties.

References, received from the Armed Forces, bear evidence of a high competence of the Military Institute graduates, their ability to perform their service duties qualitatively, the potential of constant self-improvement and professional growth.

Interuniversity communications of the Institute are developing in the framework of National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv and the Ministry of Defence agreements with the universities of the USA, France, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Spain, China, Egypt, Iran and Turkey. Cadets of the Military Institute take an active part in the events of “Partnership for Peace” Program.

During the years of Ukraine’s independence, the Military Institute has trained 3,097 tactical level officers and 386 operational-tactical level officers. 120 were awarded with a gold medal and 399 received a diploma with excellence.