Praporshchik () was originally a name of a junior officer position in Strelets New Regiments. The name originates from Slavonic prapor (прапор), meaning flag; the praporshchik was a flag-bearer in Kievan Rus troops. In the New Regiments of the Streltsy and the new army of Peter the Great, praporshchik was ranked as commissioned officer of the lowest grade; this was legalised by the Table of Ranks of 1722. By 1800s the rank was given to senior non-commissioned officers of the Russian army upon their retirement and also reserve/volunteer officers with no previous service; commissioned officers started service with Sub-Poruchik.

Confusingly, podpraporshchik (Sub-Praporshchik) was one of the non-comissioned ranks, originally below the Sergeant and Feldwebel but since 1826 it became the highest non-commissioned rank of the infantry, cavalry and Leib Guard. In 1884, the podpraporshchik rank was renamed зауряд-прапорщик (Ordinary Praporshchik).

In the Soviet Army, the reintroduction of Praporshchik rank in 1972, along with Midshipman rank in the Soviet Navy, marked the attempt to recreate a corps of contract non-commissioned officers similar to Master Sergeants and Chief Petty Officers, the role that was previously reserved to senior drafted personnel. Contrary to Western practice of assigning the senior Sergeant ranks to veteran soldiers, the Soviet ranks of Starshina and Sergeant were routinely assigned to 20 year old soldiers at the end of their 2-year draft. The Praporshchiks were aged volunteers and were expected to have more authority over draftsmen than similarily aged Sergeants; they are placed in a separate category of Master non-commissioned officers (Praporshchiks and Midshipmen). A Senior Praporshchik was introduced in 1982.

The Praporshchik rank continues to be used in the Russian Army and armies of ex-USSR states.