Burkhard Christoph Graf von Münnich was a German-born army officer who became a field marshal and political figure in the Russian Empire. He carried out major reforms in the Russian Army and founded several elite military formations during the reign of Empress Anna of Russia. As a statesman, he is regarded as the founder of Russian philhellenism. Like his father, Münnich was an engineer and a specialist in hydrotechnology. He had the rank of count of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.
