Initially, the Soviet river fleet was controlled by the People's Commissariat of the River Fleet, and immediately after the Great Patriotic War by the Ministry of River Fleet of the USSR. Under the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 31, 1956 "On abolition of the All-Union Ministry of River Fleet", the river fleet operations were downgraded from the national to the local level of importance. Each republic controlled its own river traffic, with the large RSFSR River Fleet Ministry providing much common service for the smaller republics which have analogous smaller river fleet organizations.