Ilia Garkavyi

Born July 19 (31), 1888; died July 1, 1937. Soviet military commander; corps commander (1935). Member of the Communist Party from February 1918. Born in the village of Mukhenkovo, Ekaterino-slav Province, into the family of a peasant; he was a teacher.

Gar’kavyi fought in World War I, graduated from the Odessa Military School in 1916, and became a lieutenant. In 1917 he was a member of a regimental committee and then chairman of the Kishenev soviet. In 1918 he was commandant of the Special Army region of the Odessa Military District, served as an assistant military instructor of the Voronezh Province Military Commissariat, and worked on the Ninth Army staff. In April 1919, Gar’kavyi became chief of staff and commander of the 45th Rifle Division. From April 1921 he was chief of the general staff of the armed forces of the Ukraine and the Crimea; from July 1921 he was chief of staff of a division. He was a division commander from 1922 to 1923. He graduated from advanced military academy courses in 1924. During the years 1924-28 and 1930-31, Gar’kavyi was a corps commander, and from 1928 to 1930 he was chief of the Command Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. From 1931 to 1935 he was assistant and then deputy commander of the Leningrad Military District. From 1935, Gar’kavyi was commander of the Ural Military District and a member of the Military Council of the People’s Commissariat of Defense of the USSR.