Podporuchik

Podporuchik (Russian: подпору́чик, lit. 'sub-poruchik', Czech: podporučík, Slovak: podporučík), podporuchnik (Polish: podporucznik) or potporuchnik (Serbo-Croatian: потпоручник, potporučnik, Macedonian: потпоручник) is the most junior officer rank in some Slavic armed forces, and is placed below the rank of lieutenant, typically corresponding to rank of second lieutenant in English-speaking countries.

The rank was introduced first by Peter the Great in 1703 as an officer rank of the so-called ober-officer rank group. It belonged to rank class XIII (infantry), class XII (artillery, and engineer troops), and class X (guards) until 1884. In line with the military reforms in 1884, podpraporshik became in peace time. However, in the guards and the cossacks armed forces Cornet and Chorąży remained the lowest officer rank.^{[citation needed]}

The equivalent to podpraporshik was Michman in the Imperial Russian Navy, and governmental secretary (Russian: губернский секретарь, romanized: gubernsky sekretar) in the civil administration.^{[citation needed]}

The rank of potporučnik was adopted by the Revolutionary Serbian Army at the end of the First Serbian Uprising (1804–13), alongside poručnik and others.

It was the second lowest commissioned officer rank in the Royal Serbian Army (1882–1918).

It is today the lowest commissioned officer rank in the Serbian Armed Forces.

In Poland, the rank of Podporucznik (lit. 'sub-lieutenant'; abbreviated "ppor.") is the lowest officer rank used within the Polish Army. It is roughly equivalent to the military rank of the Second lieutenant in the armed forces of English-speaking countries.

Graduates of military schools are awarded the rank of podporucznik by the office of the President of Poland upon the request of the Ministry of National Defence (Poland). The rank may also awarded by the way of a promotion provided certain conditions.^{[citation needed]}