Mike, you are absolutely right in your statement concerning the Guards. Because of this difference, Guard officers were promoted direct from captain to colonel. Another privilege of Guard officers was that, if they were transferred to a Line unit, they were given a rank above that held while in the Guard.
The officer ranks can get a bit involved, as you suggested in your remarks. The rank table which I am using was that in effect at the beginning of the Great War (World War I). The western equivalent ranks are those used by the British Army during the same period (1914).
OFFICER RANKS
General Feldmarshal (Field Marshal)
Polni General (General)
General-Leitnant (Lieutenant-General)
General-Maior (Major-General)
Polkovnik (Colonel)
Pod-polkovnik (Lieutenant-Colonel)
Voiskovoi Starshina (Lieutenant-Colonel [Cossacks])
Kapitan (Major of Infantry, Artillery, Engineers [the
specific rank of "Major" evidently did not exist during
this period])
Rotmistr (Major of regular cavalry)
Yesaul (Major of Cossacks)
Shtabs-Kapitan (Captain of Infantry, Artillery, Engineers)
Shtabs-Rotmistr (Captain of Cavalry)
Pod-Yesaul (Captain of Cossacks)
Poruchik (Lieutenant)
Sotnik (Lieutenant of Cossacks)
Pod-Poruchik (Sub-Lieutenant (2LT) of Infantry, Artillery,
Engineers)
Kornet (Sub-Lieutenant of Cavalry)
Khorunji (Cornet of Cossacks)
Praporshchik (Ensign [Reserve only])
The enlisted ranks I gave in my initial submission were rather basic to say the least. The following should be a more comprehensive treatment:
NCOs
Pod-praporshchik (Sub-Ensign of Infantry, Artillery,
Engineers)
Estandart-Yunker (Sub-Cornet of Cavalry)
Pod-Khorunji (Sub-Cornet of Cossacks)
Zauryad-praporshchik (Acting Ensign [Sergeant-Major or Under-Officer]. Abolished in 1912, but
retained for a short time for those who held the rank
at the time it was abolished)
Feldvebel (Sergeant-Major of Infantry, Artillery,
Engineers)
Vakhmistr (Sergeant-Major of Cavalry and Cossacks)
Starshi-Unterofitser (Senior Under-Officer [equivalent
to Sergeant in British Army] of Infantry, Cavalry,
Engineers)
Starshi-Feierverker (Senior Sergeant of Artillery)
Uryadnik (Under-Officer of Cossacks)
Mladshi Unterofitser (Junior Under-Officer [between
Sergeant and Corporal in British Army] of Infantry,
Cavalry, Engineers)
Mladshi Feierverker (Junior Sergeant of Artillery)
Polkovoi-Barabanshchik (Regimental Sergeant-Drummer
[Drum Major]) (Sergeant-Drummer was official in the
British Army until the early 20s when it
became "Drum Major." However, the rank was
always unofficially "Drum Major")
Polkovoi Hornist (Regimental Sergeant Bugler [Bugle- Major in British Rifle and Light Infantry regiments])
Batalionni-Barabanshchik (Battalion Drummer)
Batalionni Hornist (Battalion Bugler)
Shtab-Trubach (Regimental Trumpeter [Cavalry])
OTHER RANKS
Yefreitor (Lance-Corporal of Infantry, Artillery, Engineers)
Bombardir Navodchik (Bombardier Layer of Artillery)
Bombardir (Bombardier of Artillery [equivalent to Corporal])
Prikazni (Lance-Corporal of Cossacks)
Barabanshchik (Drummer)
Hornist (Bugler)
Trubach (Trumpeter)
Muzikant (Bandsman)
Ryadovoi (Private of Infantry, Cavalry, Engineers)
Kanonir (Gunner of Artillery)
Kazak (Cossack)
When a private addressed an NCO, he would prefix the rank with "gospodin" (Mr.), e.g., "gospodin feldvebel."
I hope that I have covered the ranks thoroughly, but given the complexity of the Russian Army, nothing is final. I invite those who are more knowledgeable to add or detract from the above. The ranks were taken from the sixth edition of "Handbook of the Russian Army" published by the British General Staff, War Office, 1914. It was reprinted by the Imperial War Museum in 1996 (The Battery Press, Nashville, TN, in USA). One might still obtain a copy by searching book dealers on the worldwide web.
Regards,
Coldstream (AKA W. McCaughey)