Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School

The General V.F. Margelov Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne twice Red Banner Order of Suvorov Command School (RGVVDKU) is a Russian Ministry of Defense military educational institute. It was first formed as the Ryazan Infantry Courses on 13 November 1918 – thus it is one of the oldest active military academies in modern day Russia. It is the official military academy and advanced training center of the Russian Airborne Troops.

History
On 13 November 1918, the Red Army established the Ryazan infantry courses, the basis of the current academy. On 29 June 1920, the courses were renamed the 30th Soviet infantry courses. The courses were renamed the 15th Infantry Ryazan School on 31 December. The Tambov Infantry School combined with the Ryazan school on 1 October 1924. The Ryazan school was renamed the Ryazan Infantry School on 9 October. On 12 January 1926, the Ryazan Infantry School was granted the honorific "Kliment Voroshilov".

As a result of World War II, the Ryazan Infantry School was transferred to Ivanovo on 25 October 1941. It returned to Ryazan on 15 February 1942. The Ryazan Infantry School began the training of 500 platoon commander for the Berling Army on 1 August 1943. On 20 September, a Berling Army officer cadet school was formed. The Ryazan Infantry School was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on 12 November. On 1 July 1944, the school introduced two-year training courses.

The Ryazan Infantry School reintroduced three-year training courses on 15 September 1946. It was renamed the Ryazan Red Banner School "Marshal K.E. Voroshilov" on 18 March 1954. The school became the Ryazan Red Banner Higher Military Command School on 17 August 1958. The airborne school, formerly located in Alma Ata, merged with the Ryazan Higher Military Command School on 4 March 1959. With the majority of graduates being posted to the Airborne Troops, the school was renamed as the Ryazan Order of the Red Banner Higher Airborne School on 23 March 1964.

With the increased Soviet support for North Vietnam, a special department for the training of People's Army of Vietnam officers and NCOs was established on 1 February 1965. The school was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for a second time on 22 February 1968. On 29 August, the school was renamed the Ryazan Higher Airborne twice Red Banner School named after Lenin Komsomol. In 1969, a special purpose 9th company was formed at the school. On 20 March, work on an airborne forces museum began, and the Airborne Forces Museum was completed on 28 July 1972.

The school converted to five year courses in August 1994. A monument to Vasily Margelov was erected on 13 November 1995 and the school was named after Margelov on 12 November 1996. On 31 October 1998, the school was renamed as the Ryazan Institute of Airborne Troops. On 31 December 2004 it became the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School. On 19 June 2006, the school was awarded a pennant by the Russian Defence Ministry. The Ryazan Military Automobile Institute and Ryazan Higher Military Command School of Communications were created on 17 December 2009. The school was awarded the Order of Suvorov on 14 November 2013.

On 18 February 2018, to mark both the centennial Defenders of the Fatherland Day and the centennial of the modern Russian Armed Forces, as well as the centennial year of the foundation of the school, the Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, acting on behalf of President Vladimir Putin, in his capacity as Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces and in the name of the Government of Russia, granted the school and its Regiment of Cadets a singular privilege among all educational institutions of the Armed Forces as the first ever school to be granted guards unit status, in honor of the sacrifices of the men and women of the academy and its thousands of graduate alumni in service as part of the Airborne Troops of the former Soviet Union and of the current Russian Federation for over six decades.