Stavka is an abbreviation for Shtab vierhovnogo komandovania, or "General Headquarters" of armed forces in late Imperial Russia and in the Soviet Union. In western literature it is sometimes written capitalized : STAVKA. The term may be applied to staff, as well as to location.

Russian Stavka during WWI

The commander-in-chief of the Russian army was Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholaievitch, a grandson of Tsar Nicholas I. He was appointed at the last minute in August, 1914, and had no part in formulating the military plans in use at the beginning of the war. He was competent, if not brilliant. Rasputin manipulated the ousting of the Grand Duke in the summer of 1915 and the czar took personal command. He was totally incompetent.

The Stavka camp was first established in Baranovichi (Baranavichy), a Belarusian (then Polish) town. In 1915 after the German advance Stavka was moved to Mogilev (Mahilyow).

Soviet Stavka during WWII

Stavka of the Soviet Armed Forces during World War II (The Great Patriotic War), or the headquarters of the "Main Command of the Armed Forces of the Union of SSR", was established on June 23, 1941 by the top secret decree signed by Joseph Stalin in his both top capacities as the head of state and as the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. According to this decree STAVKA comprised of the defence minister Marshal Semyon Timoshenko (as its president), the head of General Staff Georgy Zhukov, Stalin, Vyacheslav Molotov, Marshal Kliment Voroshilov, Marshal Budionniy and the Secretary of the Navy admiral Kuznetsov.

The same decree organized at Stavka "the institution of permanent counsellors of Stavka comprising of comrades Marshal Kulik , Marshal Shaposhnikov , Kirill Meretskov, head of the Air Force Zhigarev , Nikolay Vatutin , head of Air Defence Voronov , Mikoyan, Kaganovich, Lavrenty Beria, Voznesenskiy , Zhdanov, Malenkov, Mekhlis ".

Very soon afterwards the deputy defence minister army Meretskov was arrested following the false charges by Beria and Merkulov . Meretskov was subsequently released from the jail and on the same day at the end of the first week of September 1941 was called for by Stalin.

STAVKA of the Main Command was reorganised into the STAVKA of the Supreme Command on July 10, 1941. On August 8, 1941 it was again reorganised into STAVKA of the Supreme Chief Command.