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Taxonomy of the genus <i>Cordulegaster</i> Leach in Brewster, 1815 in the Eastern part of the Western Palaearctic is poorly resolved. A two-step approach was applied: sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA fragments were used to sort specimens; poorly known or new taxa with their phenotypic variation were described. The existence of two traditional groups (<i>boltonii</i>- and <i>bidentata</i>-group) was confirmed. <i>Cordulegaster coronata</i> Morton, 1916, however, belongs to a different group. Molecular-analysis supported three known and one new species (<i>C. heros</i> Theischinger, 1979, <i>C. picta</i> Selys, 1854, <i>C. vanbrinkae</i> Lohmann, 1993, and <i>C. kalkmani</i> sp. nov.) in the <i>boltonii-</i>group. In the <i>bidentata</i>-group, all specimens from West-Turkey belonged to <i>C. insignis</i> Schneider, 1845, all specimens further east to a complex of four closely related species, which we name <i>charpentieri</i>-complex (<i>C. amasina</i> Morton, 1916, stat. rev., <i>C. mzymtae</i> Bartenev, 1929 <i>C. charpentieri</i> (Kolenati, 1846), stat. rev. and <i>C. cilicia</i> sp. nov.). The following taxa: <i>C. insignis nobilis</i> Morton, 1916, syn. nov., <i>C. nachitschevanica</i> Skvortsov and Snegovaya, 2015, syn. nov. <i>C. plagionyx</i> Skvortsov and Snegovaya, 2015, syn. nov. and the Caucasian subspecies <i>C. insignis</i> <i>lagodechica</i> Bartenev, 1930, syn. nov., were synonymized with <i>C. charpentieri</i>. Finally, we provide a key for all Western Palaearctic <i>Cordulegaster</i>.