After the end of the Russian Civil War, Solyankin graduated from the 65th Yevpatoriya Commanders Course in 1921 and continued training at the supplemental department of the 63rd Simferopol Infantry Course. After completing training at the latter in September 1922 he was appointed to the 40th Rifle Regiment of the
14th Rifle Division of the Moscow Military District at Moscow. Solyankin spent the next seven years with the regiment, successively serving as a squad leader, assistant platoon commander, platoon commander, acting company commander, and company
politruk. During this period he received further training at the Commanders Refresher Course in Moscow between October 1924 and August 1925 and entered the Moscow Military-Political Course in October 1928. Solyankin graduated from the latter in August 1929 and in November of that year transferred to the
Ryazan Infantry School to serve as a course commander. He was sent to the
Vystrel course in February 1931 and upon completion of the course returned to the 14th Rifle Division as an assistant battalion commander in its 42nd Rifle Regiment. He simultaneously served as military commandant of
Shuya from October of that year. Solyankin was seconded to the Leningrad Armored Commanders Improvement Course in December for training as an officer in the emerging Red Army tank forces, and upon graduation in May 1932 returned to the 14th Rifle Division to serve as chief of staff of the training battalion at
Vladimir. A month later, he was transferred to the Separate Training Tank Regiment at Moscow, serving as assistant commander of a training tank battalion, acting assistant commander for training units of the regiment, and as a battalion commander. Solyankin commanded the tank battalion of the
1st Kazan Rifle Division from January 1934 and in June 1937 became commander of the
2nd Reserve Tank Brigade of the
Leningrad Military District. After commanding the 9th Mechanized Brigade of the
7th Mechanized Corps from August 1938, then-
Kombrig Solyankin was appointed commander of the
18th Light Tank Brigade in December 1939, when it was stationed in Estonia at
Uuemõisa as a result of the
Soviet–Estonian Mutual Assistance Treaty, and participated in the
Soviet annexation of Estonia in June 1940. During the annexation, the brigade advanced into
Tallinn. On 4 June 1940, he was promoted to
Major General. He then served as deputy commander of the
1st Mechanized Corps from August 1940. Solyankin became commander of the
2nd Tank Division, part of the
3rd Mechanized Corps, on 9 December. The division was stationed in the area of
Ukmergė, northeast of
Kaunas. In the early summer of 1941 he arranged for the evacuation of the families of officers, although this was not officially permitted. == World War II ==