Alexander Suvorov (1729-1800) is the spiritual father of the Russian military. Recruited into the army as a non-noble during the time of Catherine the Great in the late 1700s, he went on to transform the institution. His brilliance in battle was such that the most famous Russian military college today, the Suvorov Military School, is named after him.
Today, future army officers in Russia can apply to one of a number of branches of the Suvorov Military School. A military boarding establishment, the Suvorov Schools give priority to the children of army personal and war orphans. Current locations are in Moscow, St.Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Vladikavkaz, Tver, Ulyanovsk, and Ussuriysk.
Created in 1944, the Nakhimov Naval School is named after Admiral P.S. Nakhimov (1802-1855). Located in St. Petersburg, the school was initially established to provide military training for orphans of World War II. Recruits are subject to a rigorous program of physical training and the study of military strategy. The top commanders in the Russian Navy often received their early training at the Nakhimov School.