Soviet Military Administration in Germany

The Soviet Military Administration in Germany (Russian: Советская военная администрация в Германии, СВАГ; Sovyetskaya Voyennaya Administratsiya v Germanii, SVAG; German: Sowjetische Militäradministration in Deutschland, SMAD) was the Soviet military government, headquartered in Berlin-Karlshorst, that directly ruled the Soviet occupation zone in Germany from the German surrender in May 1945 until after the establishment of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in October 1949. According to the Potsdam Agreement in 1945, the SMAD was assigned the eastern portion of present-day Germany, consisting mostly of central Prussia.

Source: Wikipedia — Soviet Military Administration in Germany (CC BY-SA 4.0)