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Russian Ground Forces

February 15, 2023

"Russian Army" redirects here. For other uses, see Russian Army (disambiguation).

The Russian Ground Forces (Russian: Сухопутные войска [СВ], romanized: Sukhoputnyye voyska [SV]), also known as the Russian Army (Russian: Армия России, romanized: Armiya Rossii, lit. 'Army of Russia'), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces.

Ground Forces of the Russian Federation
Сухопутные войска Российской Федерации
Emblem of the Russian Ground Forces
Founded1550[1]
1992 (current form)
Country Russia
TypeArmy
Size360,000 active duty[2]
Part of Russian Armed Forces
HeadquartersFrunzenskaya Embankment 20-22, Moscow
PatronSaint Alexander Nevsky[3]
Colors  Red
  Black
  Grey
  Green
MarchForward, infantry! Вперёд, пехота!
Anniversaries1 October
Engagements
Websitestructure.mil.ru/structure/forces/ground.htm
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief Army General Oleg Salyukov[5]
First Deputy Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Aleksandr Lapin
Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General Aleksandr Matovnikov
Insignia
Flag
Patch
Middle emblem
Insignia

The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, and the defeat of enemy troops. The President of Russia is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces is the chief commanding authority of the Russian Ground Forces. He is appointed by the President of Russia. The Main Command of the Ground Forces is based in Moscow.

Mission

The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, the security of occupied territories, and the defeat of enemy troops. The Ground Forces must be able to achieve these goals both in nuclear war and non-nuclear war, especially without the use of weapons of mass destruction. Furthermore, they must be capable of protecting the national interests of Russia within the framework of its international obligations.

The Main Command of the Ground Forces is officially tasked with the following objectives:[6]

  • the training of troops for combat, on the basis of tasks determined by the Armed Forces' General Staff
  • the improvement of troops' structure and composition, and the optimization of their numbers, including for special troops
  • the development of military theory and practice
  • the development and introduction of training field manuals, tactics, and methodology
  • the improvement of operational and combat training of the Ground Forces

History

Further information: Military history of the Soviet Union

As the Soviet Union dissolved, efforts were made to keep the Soviet Armed Forces as a single military structure for the new Commonwealth of Independent States. The last Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union, Marshal Yevgeny Shaposhnikov, was appointed supreme commander of the CIS Armed Forces in December 1991.[7] Among the numerous treaties signed by the former republics, in order to direct the transition period, was a temporary agreement on general purpose forces, signed in Minsk on 14 February 1992. However, once it became clear that Ukraine (and potentially the other republics) was determined to undermine the concept of joint general purpose forces and form their own armed forces, the new Russian government moved to form its own armed forces.[7]

Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree forming the Russian Ministry of Defence on 7 May 1992, establishing the Russian Ground Forces along with the other branches of the military. At the same time, the General Staff was in the process of withdrawing tens of thousands of personnel from the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, the Northern Group of Forces in Poland, the Central Group of Forces in Czechoslovakia, the Southern Group of Forces in Hungary, and from Mongolia.

Thirty-seven Soviet Ground Forces divisions had to be withdrawn from the four groups of forces and the Baltic States, and four military districts—totalling 57 divisions—were handed over to Belarus and Ukraine.[8] Some idea of the scale of the withdrawal can be gained from the division list. For the dissolving Soviet Ground Forces, the withdrawal from the former Warsaw Pact states and the Baltic states was an extremely demanding, expensive, and debilitating process.[9]

As the military districts that remained in Russia after the collapse of the Union consisted mostly of the mobile cadre formations, the Ground Forces were, to a large extent, created by relocating the formerly full-strength formations from Eastern Europe to under-resourced districts. However, the facilities in those districts were inadequate to house the flood of personnel and equipment returning from abroad, and many units "were unloaded from the rail wagons into empty fields."[10] The need for destruction and transfer of large amounts of weaponry under the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe also necessitated great adjustments.

Post-Soviet reform plans

The Ministry of Defence newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda published a reform plan on 21 July 1992. Later one commentator said it was "hastily" put together by the General Staff "to satisfy the public demand for radical changes."[11] The General Staff, from that point, became a bastion of conservatism, causing a build-up of troubles that later became critical. The reform plan advocated a change from an Army-Division-Regiment structure to a Corps-Brigade arrangement. The new structures were to be more capable in a situation with no front line, and more capable of independent action at all levels.[12]

Cutting out a level of command, omitting two out of three higher echelons between the theatre headquarters and the fighting battalions, would produce economies, increase flexibility, and simplify command-and-control arrangements.[12] The expected changeover to the new structure proved to be rare, irregular, and sometimes reversed. The new brigades that appeared were mostly divisions that had broken down until they happened to be at the proposed brigade strengths. New divisions—such as the new 3rd Motor Rifle Division in the Moscow Military District, formed on the basis of disbanding tank formations—were formed, rather than new brigades.

Few of the reforms planned in the early 1990s eventuated, for three reasons: Firstly, there was an absence of firm civilian political guidance, with President Yeltsin primarily interested in ensuring that the Armed Forces were controllable and loyal, rather than reformed.[11][13] Secondly, declining funding worsened the progress. Finally, there was no firm consensus within the military about what reforms should be implemented. General Pavel Grachev, the first Russian Minister of Defence (1992–96), broadly advertised reforms, yet wished to preserve the old Soviet-style Army, with large numbers of low-strength formations and continued mass conscription. The General Staff and the armed services tried to preserve Soviet-era doctrines, deployments, weapons, and missions in the absence of solid new guidance.[14]

British military expert, Michael Orr, claims that the hierarchy had great difficulty in fully understanding the changed situation, due to their education. As graduates of Soviet military academies, they received great operational and staff training, but in political terms they had learned an ideology, rather than a wide understanding of international affairs. Thus, the generals—focused on NATO expansion in Eastern Europe—could not adapt themselves and the Armed Forces to the new opportunities and challenges they faced.[15]

Crime and corruption in the ground forces

The new Russian Ground Forces inherited an increasing crime problem from their Soviet predecessors. As draft resistance grew in the last years of the Soviet Union, the authorities tried to compensate by enlisting men with criminal records and who spoke little or no Russian. Crime rates soared, with the military procurator in Moscow in September 1990 reporting a 40-percent increase in crime over the previous six months, including a 41-percent rise in serious bodily injuries.[16] Disappearances of weapons rose to rampant levels, especially in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.[16]

Generals directing the withdrawals from Eastern Europe diverted arms, equipment, and foreign monies intended to build housing in Russia for the withdrawn troops. Several years later, the former commander in Germany, General Matvei Burlakov, and the Defence Minister, Pavel Grachev, had their involvement exposed. They were also accused of ordering the murder of reporter Dmitry Kholodov, who had been investigating the scandals.[16] In December 1996, Defence Minister Igor Rodionov ordered the dismissal of the Commander of the Ground Forces, General Vladimir Semyonov, for activities incompatible with his position — reportedly his wife's business activities.[17]

A 1995 study by the U.S. Foreign Military Studies Office[18] went as far as to say that the Armed Forces were "an institution increasingly defined by the high levels of military criminality and corruption embedded within it at every level." The FMSO noted that crime levels had always grown with social turbulence, such as the trauma Russia was passing through. The author identified four major types among the raft of criminality prevalent within the forces—weapons trafficking and the arms trade; business and commercial ventures; military crime beyond Russia's borders; and contract murder. Weapons disappearances began during the dissolution of the Union and has continued. Within units "rations are sold while soldiers grow hungry ... [while] fuel, spare parts, and equipment can be bought."[19] Meanwhile, voyemkomats take bribes to arrange avoidance of service, or a more comfortable posting.

Beyond the Russian frontier, drugs were smuggled across the Tajik border—supposedly being patrolled by Russian guards—by military aircraft, and a Russian senior officer, General Major Alexander Perelyakin, had been dismissed from his post with the United Nations peacekeeping force in Bosnia-Hercegovina (UNPROFOR), following continued complaints of smuggling, profiteering, and corruption. In terms of contract killings, beyond the Kholodov case, there have been widespread rumours that GRU Spetsnaz personnel have been moonlighting as mafiya hitmen.[20]

Reports such as these continued. Some of the more egregious examples have included a constant-readiness motor rifle regiment's tanks running out of fuel on the firing ranges, due to the diversion of their fuel supplies to local businesses.[19] Visiting the 20th Army in April 2002, Sergey Ivanov said the volume of theft was "simply impermissible".[19] Ivanov said year that 20,000 servicemen were wounded or injured in 2002 as a result of accidents or criminal activity across the entire armed forces - so the ground forces figure would be less.[21]

Abuse of personnel, sending soldiers to work outside units—a long-standing tradition which could see conscripts doing things ranging from being large scale manpower supply for commercial businesses to being officers' families' servants—is now banned by Sergei Ivanov's Order 428 of October 2005. What is more, the order is being enforced, with several prosecutions recorded.[22] President Putin also demanded a halt to dishonest use of military property in November 2005: "We must completely eliminate the use of the Armed Forces' material base for any commercial objectives."

The spectrum of dishonest activity has included, in the past, exporting aircraft as scrap metal; but the point at which officers are prosecuted has shifted, and investigations over trading in travel warrants and junior officers' routine thieving of soldiers' meals are beginning to be reported.[22] However, British military analysts comment that "there should be little doubt that the overall impact of theft and fraud is much greater than that which is actually detected".[22] Chief Military Prosecutor Sergey Fridinskiy said in March 2007 that there was "no systematic work in the Armed Forces to prevent embezzlement".[22]

In March 2011, Military Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky reported that crimes had been increasing steadily in the Russian ground forces for the past 18 months, with 500 crimes reported in the period of January to March 2011 alone. Twenty servicemen were crippled and two killed in the same period as a result. Crime in the ground forces was up 16% in 2010 as compared to 2009, with crimes against other servicemen constituting one in every four cases reported.[23]

Compounding this problem was also a rise in "extremist" crimes in the ground forces, with "servicemen from different ethnic groups or regions trying to enforce their own rules and order in their units", according to the Prosecutor General. Fridinsky also lambasted the military investigations department for their alleged lack of efficiency in investigative matters, with only one in six criminal cases being revealed. Military commanders were also accused of concealing crimes committed against servicemen from military officials.[24]

A major corruption scandal also occurred at the elite Lipetsk pilot training center, where the deputy commander, the chief of staff and other officers allegedly extorted 3 million roubles of premium pay from other officers since the beginning of 2010. The Tambov military garrison prosecutor confirmed that charges have been lodged against those involved. The affair came to light after a junior officer wrote about the extortion in his personal blog. Sergey Fridinskiy, the Main Military Prosecutor acknowledged that extortion in the distribution of supplementary pay in army units is common, and that "criminal cases on the facts of extortion are being investigated in practically every district and fleet.”[25]

In August 2012, Prosecutor General Fridinsky again reported a rise in crime, with murders rising more than half, bribery cases doubling, and drug trafficking rising by 25% in the first six months of 2012 as compared to the same period in the previous year. Following the release of these statistics, the Union of the Committees of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia denounced the conditions in the Russian army as a "crime against humanity".[26]

In July 2013, the Prosecutor General's office revealed that corruption in the same year soared 450% as compared to the previous year, costing the Russian government 4.4 billion rubles (US$130 million), with one in three corruption-related crimes committed by civil servants or civilian personnel in the military forces. It was also revealed that total number of registered crimes in the Russian armed forces had declined in the same period, although one in five crimes registered were corruption-related.[27]

Internal crisis of 1993

See also: 1993 Russian constitutional crisis

The Russian Ground Forces reluctantly became involved in the Russian constitutional crisis of 1993 after President Yeltsin issued an unconstitutional decree dissolving the Russian Parliament, following its resistance to Yeltsin's consolidation of power and his neo-liberal reforms. A group of deputies, including Vice President Alexander Rutskoi, barricaded themselves inside the parliament building. While giving public support to the President, the Armed Forces, led by General Grachev, tried to remain neutral, following the wishes of the officer corps.[28] The military leadership were unsure of both the rightness of Yeltsin's cause and the reliability of their forces, and had to be convinced at length by Yeltsin to attack the parliament.

When the attack was finally mounted, forces from five different divisions around Moscow were used, and the personnel involved were mostly officers and senior non-commissioned officers.[9] There were also indications that some formations deployed into Moscow only under protest.[28] However, once the parliament building had been stormed, the parliamentary leaders arrested, and temporary censorship imposed, Yeltsin succeeded in retaining power.

Chechen Wars

First Chechen War

See also: First Chechen War

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Chechens declared independence in November 1991, under the leadership of a former Air Forces officer, General Dzhokar Dudayev.[29] The continuation of Chechen independence was seen as reducing Moscow's authority; Chechnya became perceived as a haven for criminals, and a hard-line group within the Kremlin began advocating war. A Security Council meeting was held 29 November 1994, where Yeltsin ordered the Chechens to disarm, or else Moscow would restore order. Defense Minister Pavel Grachev assured Yeltsin that he would "take Grozny with one airborne assault regiment in two hours."[30]

The operation began on 11 December 1994 and, by 31 December, Russian forces were entering Grozny, the Chechen capital. The 131st Motor Rifle Brigade was ordered to make a swift push for the centre of the city, but was then virtually destroyed in Chechen ambushes. After finally seizing Grozny amid fierce resistance, Russian troops moved on to other Chechen strongholds. When Chechen militants took hostages in the Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis in Stavropol Kray in June 1995, peace looked possible for a time, but the fighting continued. Following this incident, the separatists were referred to as insurgents or terrorists within Russia.

Dzhokar Dudayev was assassinated in a Russian airstrike on 21 April 1996, and that summer, a Chechen attack retook Grozny. Alexander Lebed, then Secretary of the Security Council, began talks with the Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov in August 1996 and signed an agreement on 22/23 August; by the end of that month, the fighting ended.[31] The formal ceasefire was signed in the Dagestani town of Khasavyurt on 31 August 1996, stipulating that a formal agreement on relations between the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and the Russian federal government need not be signed until late 2001.

Writing some years later, Dmitri Trenin and Aleksei Malashenko described the Russian military's performance in Chechniya as "grossly deficient at all levels, from commander-in-chief to the drafted private."[32] The Ground Forces' performance in the First Chechen War has been assessed by a British academic as "appallingly bad".[33] Writing six years later, Michael Orr said "one of the root causes of the Russian failure in 1994–96 was their inability to raise and deploy a properly trained military force."[34]

Second Chechen War

See also: Second Chechen War

The Second Chechen War began in August 1999 after Chechen militias invaded neighboring Dagestan, followed quickly in early September by a series of four terrorist bombings across Russia. This prompted Russian military action against the alleged Chechen culprits.

In the first Chechen war, the Russians primarily laid waste to an area with artillery and airstrikes before advancing the land forces. Improvements were made in the Ground Forces between 1996 and 1999; when the Second Chechen War started, instead of hastily assembled "composite regiments" dispatched with little or no training, whose members had never seen service together, formations were brought up to strength with replacements, put through preparatory training, and then dispatched. Combat performance improved accordingly,[35] and large-scale opposition was crippled.

Most of the prominent past Chechen separatist leaders had died or been killed, including former President Aslan Maskhadov and leading warlord and terrorist attack mastermind Shamil Basayev. However, small-scale conflict continued to drag on; as of November 2007, it had spread across other parts of the Russian Caucasus.[36] It was a divisive struggle, with at least one senior military officer dismissed for being unresponsive to government commands: General Colonel Gennady Troshev was dismissed in 2002 for refusing to move from command of the North Caucasus Military District to command of the less important Siberian Military District.[37]

The Second Chechen War was officially declared ended on 16 April 2009.[38]

Reforms under Sergeyev

When Igor Sergeyev arrived as Minister of Defence in 1997, he initiated what were seen as real reforms under very difficult conditions.[39] The number of military educational establishments, virtually unchanged since 1991, was reduced, and the amalgamation of the Siberian and Trans-Baikal Military Districts was ordered. A larger number of army divisions were given "constant readiness" status, which was supposed to bring them up to 80 percent manning and 100 percent equipment holdings. Sergeyev announced in August 1998 that there would be six divisions and four brigades on 24-hour alert by the end of that year. Three levels of forces were announced; constant readiness, low-level, and strategic reserves.[40]

However, personnel quality—even in these favored units—continued to be a problem. Lack of fuel for training and a shortage of well-trained junior officers hampered combat effectiveness.[41] However, concentrating on the interests of his old service, the Strategic Rocket Forces, Sergeyev directed the disbanding of the Ground Forces headquarters itself in December 1997.[42] The disbandment was a "military nonsense", in Orr's words, "justifiable only in terms of internal politics within the Ministry of Defence".[43] The Ground Forces' prestige declined as a result, as the headquarters disbandment implied—at least in theory—that the Ground Forces no longer ranked equally with the Air Force and Navy.[43]

Reforms under Putin

 
A Russian airborne exercise in 2017

Under President Vladimir Putin, more funds were committed, the Ground Forces Headquarters was reestablished, and some progress on professionalisation occurred. Plans called for reducing mandatory service to 18 months in 2007, and to one year by 2008, but a mixed Ground Force, of both contract soldiers and conscripts, would remain. (As of 2009, the length of conscript service was 12 months.)[44]

Funding increases began in 1999; after some recovery in the Russian economy and the associated rise in income, especially from oil, "Russia's officially reported defence spending [rose] in nominal terms at least, for the first time since the formation of the Russian Federation".[45] The budget rose from 141 billion rubles in 2000 to 219 billion rubles in 2001.[46] Much of this funding has been spent on personnel—there have been several pay rises, starting with a 20-percent rise authorised in 2001. The current professionalisation programme, including 26,000 extra sergeants, was expected to cost at least 31 billion roubles ($1.1 billion USD).[47] Increased funding has been spread across the whole budget, with personnel spending being matched by greater procurement and research and development funding.

However, in 2004, Alexander Goltz said that, given the insistence of the hierarchy on trying to force contract soldiers into the old conscript pattern, there is little hope of a fundamental strengthening of the Ground Forces. He further elaborated that they are expected to remain, to some extent, a military liability and "Russia's most urgent social problem" for some time to come.[48] Goltz summed up by saying: "All of this means that the Russian armed forces are not ready to defend the country and that, at the same time, they are also dangerous for Russia. Top military personnel demonstrate neither the will nor the ability to effect fundamental changes."[48]

More money is arriving both for personnel and equipment; Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stated in June 2008 that monetary allowances for servicemen in permanent-readiness units will be raised significantly.[49] In May 2007, it was announced that enlisted pay would rise to 65,000 roubles (US$2,750) per month, and the pay of officers on combat duty in rapid response units would rise to 100,000–150,000 roubles (US$4,230–$6,355) per month. However, while the move to one year conscript service would disrupt dedovshchina, it is unlikely that bullying will disappear altogether without significant societal change.[22] Other assessments from the same source point out that the Russian Armed Forces faced major disruption in 2008, as demographic change hindered plans to reduce the term of conscription from two years to one.[50][51]

Serdyukov reforms

Main article: 2008 Russian military reform

A major reorganisation of the force began in 2007 by the Minister for Defence Anatoliy Serdyukov, with the aim of converting all divisions into brigades, and cutting surplus officers and establishments.[52][53] However, this affected units of continuous readiness (Russian: ЧПГ – части постоянной готовности) only. It was intended to create 39 to 40 such brigades by 1 January 2016, including 39 all-arms brigades, 21 artillery and MRL brigades, seven brigades of army air defence forces, 12 communication brigades, and two electronic warfare brigades. In addition, the 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division stationed in the Far East remained, and there will be an additional 17 separate regiments.[citation needed] The changes were unprecedented in their scale.

In the course of the reorganization, the 4-chain command structure (military district – field army – division – regiment) that was used until then was replaced with a 3-chain structure: strategic command – operational command – brigade. Brigades are supposed to be used as mobile permanent-readiness units capable of fighting independently with the support of highly mobile task forces or together with other brigades under joint command.[54]

In a statement on 4 September 2009, RGF Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Boldyrev said that half of the Russian land forces were reformed by 1 June and that 85 brigades of constant combat preparedness had already been created. Among them are the combined-arms brigade, missile brigades, assault brigades and electronic warfare brigades.[55]

During General Mark Hertling's term as Commander, United States Army Europe in 2011-2012, he visited Russia at the invitation of the Commander of the Ground Forces, "Colonel-General (corresponding to an American lieutenant general) Aleksandr Streitsov ..at preliminary meetings" with the Embassy of the United States, Moscow, the U.S. Defence Attache told Hertling that the Ground Forces "while still substantive in quantity, continued to decline in capability and quality. My subsequent visits to the schools and units [Colonel General] Streitsov chose reinforced these conclusions. The classroom discussions were sophomoric, and the units in training were going through the motions of their scripts with no true training value or combined arms interaction—infantry, armor, artillery, air, and resupply all trained separately."[56]

Reforms under Sergey Shoygu

 
Sergey Shoygu meeting with Indian officials in 2018

After Sergey Shoygu took over the role of minister of defense, the reforms Serdyukov had implemented were reversed. He also aimed to restore trust with senior officers as well as the defense ministry in the wake of the intense resentment Serduykov's reforms had generated. He did this a number of ways but one of the ways was integrating himself by wearing a military uniform.[57]

Shoygu ordered 750 military exercises, such as Vostok 2018. The exercises also seemed to have helped validate the general direction of reform. The effect of this readiness was seen during Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. Since Anatoliy Serdyukov had already completed the unpopular reforms (military downsizing and reorganization), it was relatively easy for Shoygu to be conciliatory with the officer corps and Ministry of Defense.[58]

Rearmament has been an important goal of reform. With the goal of 70% modernization by 2020. This was one of the main goals of these reforms. From 1998 to 2001, the Russian Army received almost no new equipment. Sergey Shoygu took a less confrontational approach with the defense industry. By showing better flexibility on terms and pricing, the awarding of new contracts for the upcoming period was much better. Shoygu promised that future contracts would be awarded primarily to domestic firms. While easing tensions, these concessions also weakened incentives for companies to improve performance.[59]

Shoygu also focused on forming battalion tactical groups (BTGs) as the permanent readiness component of the Russian army, rather than brigade-sized formations. According to sources quoted by the Russian Interfax agency, this was due to a lack of the manpower needed for permanent-readiness brigades. BTGs made up the preponderance of units deployed by Russia in the Donbass war. By August 2021 Shoygu claimed that the Russian army had around 170 BTGs.[60][61][62]

Russo-Ukrainian War

Russia conducted a military buildup on the Ukrainian border starting in late 2021. By mid February 2022, elements of the 29th, 35th and 36th Combined Arms Armies (CAAs) were deployed to Belarus,[63] supported by additional S-400 systems, a squadron of Su-25 and a squadron of Su-35; additional S-400 systems and four Su-30 fighters were deployed to the country for joint use with Belarus. Russia also had the 20th and 8th CAAs and the 22nd AC regularly deployed near the Ukrainian border, while elements of 41st CAA were deployed to Yelnya, elements of 1st TA and 6th CAA were deployed to Voronezh[64] and elements of the 49th[65] and the 58th CAA were deployed to Crimea. The 1st and 2nd AC were rumoured to be operating in the Donbass region during this time.[66] In all, Russia deployed some 150,000 soldiers around Ukraine during this time, in preparation for the eventual Russian invasion.

On 11 February, the US and western nations communicated that Putin had decided to invade Ukraine, and on 12 February, the US and Russian embassies in Kiev started to evacuate personnel.[67] On February 24, Russian troops began invading Ukraine.[68]

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian tank losses were reported by the use of Ukrainian sophisticated anti-tank weapons and a lack of air support the Russian army has been described by Phillips O'Brien, a professor of strategic studies at St Andrews University as “a boxer who has a great right hook and a glass jaw.”[69] Quoting Napoleon “In war, moral power is to physical as three parts out of four.” Retired US four-star general Curtis Scaparrotti has blamed confusion and poor morale amongst Russian soldiers over their mission as to their poor performance.[70]

Reports say that Russian forces are having to repair damaged Ukrainian tanks; the Russian Defence Ministry says these tanks are for pro-Russian forces. The Ukrainian Defence Ministry's Chief Directorate of Intelligence claims that Russia has stopped making new tanks.[71] Due to the fighting in Ukraine the Russian Victory Day parade will be reduced by some 35%, purely in ground combat vehicles or systems. The parade on 9 May 2022, according to the official guide, would feature only 25 Russian combat systems and 131 ground combat vehicles. Compared to last year where it featured 198 vehicles and 35 combat systems. In particular there is a shortage of display ready T-80 and they are using older equipment to make up numbers. An example is usage of tank transporters in lieu of actual tanks.[72][73] As of 6 May, at least 12 generals have been killed in Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. This "suggests that the generals need to be at the front lines to ensure that their troops are conducting the battle plan in the way that they want. But that also suggests a lack of confidence in their troops if they need to be that far forward with that many senior folks."[74] Ukraine further claims that some 317 officers have been killed, a third of whom are senior command staff.[75] In a tweet the UK MoD said that the Russian officer corps was suffering "devastating losses" particularly in the junior to mid officer ranks.[76]

Structure

The President of Russia is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The Main Command (Glavkomat) of the Ground Forces, based in Moscow, directs activities. This body was disbanded in 1997, but reformed by President Putin in 2001 by appointing Colonel General Nikolai Kormiltsev as the commander-in-chief of the ground forces and also as a deputy minister of defense.[77]

Kormiltsev handed over command to Colonel General (later General of the Army) Alexey Maslov in 2004, and in a realignment of responsibilities, the Ground Forces Commander-in-Chief lost his position as a deputy minister of defence. Like Kormiltsev, while serving as Ground Forces Commander-in-Chief Maslov has been promoted to General of the Army.

In January 2014, the acting commander of the Russian Ground Forces was Lieutenant General Sergei Istrakov, who was appointed by Russian president Vladimir Putin upon the dismissal of former commander Colonel General Vladimir Chirkin over corruption charges in December 2013.[78][79] Istrakov handed over his position to a new commander on 2 May 2014, Colonel General Oleg Salyukov.

The Main Command of the Ground Forces consists of the Main Staff of the Ground Troops, and departments for Peacekeeping Forces, Armaments of the Ground Troops, Rear Services of the Ground Troops, Cadres of the Ground Troops (personnel), Indoctrination Work, and Military Education.[80] There were also a number of directorates which used to be commanded by the Ground Forces Commander-in-Chief in his capacity as a deputy defence minister. They included NBC Protection Troops of the Armed Forces, Engineer Troops of the Armed Forces, and Troop Air Defence, as well as several others. Their exact command status is now unknown.

Branches of service

 
The 3rd Spetsnaz Brigade on parade

The branches of service include motorized rifles, tanks, artillery and rocket forces, troop air defense, special corps (reconnaissance, signals, radio electronic warfare, engineering, nuclear, biological and chemical protection, logistical support, automobile, and the protection of the rear), special forces, military units, and logistical establishments.[81]

The Motorised Rifle Troops, the most numerous branch of service, constitutes the nucleus of Ground Forces' battle formations. They are equipped with powerful armament for destruction of ground-based and aerial targets, missile complexes, tanks, artillery and mortars, anti-tank guided missiles, anti-aircraft missile systems and installations, and means of reconnaissance and control. It is estimated that there were 16 motor rifle divisions and 12 motor rifle brigades before the "new look" reforms[82] With the reform, these motor rifle units were converted into 35 motor rifle brigades. With the replacement of Anatoly Serdyukov with Sergei Shoigu as Minister of Defense, some of the disbanded divisions were reformed from already existing brigades, while others, like the 144th Guards Motor Rifle Division were reformed from scratch.[83] Some units, like the 80th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade, are trained especially for a specific environment.[84] As of 2022, there were 9 motor rifle divisions, 22 motor rifle brigades and one independent motor rifle regiment, the 7th Independent Guards "Proletarian Moscow-Minsk" Motor Rifle Regiment in the Kaliningrad Oblast.

The Navy also has several motor rifle formations under its command in the Ground and Coastal Defence Forces of the Baltic Fleet, the Northeastern Group of Troops and Forces on the Kamchatka Peninsula and other areas of the extreme northeast, apart from traditional naval infantry units. The best-known of these formations is the 126th Coastal Defence Brigade.[82] Also present are a large number of mobilisation divisions and brigades, known as "Bases for Storage of Weapons and Equipment", that in peacetime only have enough personnel assigned to guard the site and maintain the weapons.

The Tank Troops are the main impact force of the Ground Forces and a powerful mean of armed struggle, intended for the accomplishment of the most important combat tasks. In 2007, there were three tank divisions in the force: the 4th Guards "Kantemirovskaya" and 10th Guards "Uralsko-Lvovskaya" within the Moscow Military District, and the 5th Guards "Don" in the Siberian MD.[85] The 2nd Guards "Tatsinkaya" Tank Division in the Siberian Military District and the 21st Tank Division in the Far Eastern MD were disbanded in the early 2000s, although the first one is still represented in the ground forces though the 5th Separate Guards "Tatsinkaya" Tank Brigade. Like motor rifle divisions, all tank divisions were transformed into brigades following the 2008 reforms, although the 4th Guards Tank Division was reformed in 2013, with two new tank divisions, the 90th Guards and the 47th Guards being created from pre-existing brigades in 2016 and 2022, respectively. The 10th Guards Tank Division is still represented in the ground forces though the 1st Separate Uralsko-Lvovskaya Tank Brigade.[86] As of 2022, there were 3 tank divisions and 2 tank brigades.

The Artillery and Rocket Forces provide the Ground Forces' main firepower. The Ground Forces previously included six static defence machine-gun/artillery and field artillery divisions. The only remaining unit of this type is the 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division The previous 34th Guards in the Moscow MD, 12th in the Siberian MD, and the 15th in the Far Eastern MD, seem to have disbanded. The 127th Machine Gun Artillery Division was transformed into a motor rifle unit following the Serdyukov reforms.[87] As of 2022, there were 1 machine gun artillery divisions and 17 artillery brigades.

The Air Defense Troops (PVO) are one of the basic weapons for the destruction of enemy air forces. They consist of surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft artillery and radio-technical units and subdivisions.[88]

Army Aviation, while intended for the direct support of the Ground Forces, has been under the control of the Air Forces (VVS)[89] since 2003. However, it was planned that by 2015, Army Aviation will have been transferred back to the Ground Forces and 18 new aviation brigades will have been added.[90] Of the around 1,000 new helicopters that have been ordered under the State Armament Programmes, 900 will be for the Army Aviation.[91] This transfer did not take place.

The Spetsnaz GRU serve under the Ground Forces in peacetime and at the same time are directly subordinated to the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GRU) and will fall under GRU operational control during wartime operations or under special circumstances.[92][93] The Ground Forces currently fields 7 spetsnaz brigades of varying sizes and one spetsnaz regiment.[citation needed]

Dispositions since 2021

As a result of the 2008 Russian military reforms, the ground forces now consist of armies subordinate to the four new military districts: Western, Southern, Central, and Eastern Military Districts. The new districts have the role of 'operational strategic commands,' which command the Ground Forces as well as the Naval Forces and part of the Air and Air Defence Forces within their areas of responsibility.[94]

Each major formation is bolded, and directs the non-bolded major subordinate formations. It is not entirely clear to which superior(s) the four operational-strategic commands will report from 1 December 2010, as they command formations from multiple services (Air Force, Ground Forces & Navy). A current detailed list of the subordinate units of the four military districts can be found in the respective articles.[94] During 2009, all 23 remaining divisions were reorganised into four tank brigades, 35 motor-rifle brigades, one prikritiya brigade formed from a machinegun-light artillery division, and three airborne-assault brigades (pre-existing). Almost all are now designated otdelnaya (separate), with only several brigades retaining the guards honorific title.

In 2013, two of these brigades were reactivated as full divisions: the 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division and 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Division. These two divisions marked the beginning of the expansion of the Ground Forces as more brigades are being reformed into full divisions within each military district.

Since 1 January 2021, the Northern Fleet has been elevated to Northern Military District.[95]

Formation Field army Headquarters location
Western Military District
(Lieutenant General Roman Berdnikov)
(HQ Saint Petersburg) 		1st Guards Tank Army Odintsovo
6th Combined Arms Army Agalatovo
20th Guards Combined Arms Army Voronezh
11th Army Corps Kaliningrad
Southern Military District
(Army General Aleksandr Dvornikov)[96]
(HQ Rostov-on-Don) 		8th Guards Combined Arms Army Novocherkassk[97]
49th Combined Arms Army Stavropol[98]
58th Combined Arms Army Vladikavkaz
22nd Army Corps Sevastopol
Central Military District
(Colonel General Alexander Linkov)[99]
(HQ Yekaterinburg) 		2nd Guards Tank Army Samara
41st Combined Arms Army Novosibirsk
Eastern Military District
(Colonel General Aleksandr Chaiko)[99]
(HQ Khabarovsk) 		5th Combined Arms Army Ussuriysk
29th Combined Arms Army Chita
35th Combined Arms Army Belogorsk
36th Combined Arms Army Ulan Ude
68th Army Corps Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Northern Military District
(Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev)
(HQ Severomorsk) 		14th Army Corps Murmansk

Personnel

 
A Russian soldier at a checkpoint in Kosovo in 2001
 
Russian soldiers on parade in Saint Petersburg in 2014
 
Ratnik equipment being worn by troops of the 4th Guards Tank Division
 
Russian Spetsnaz (Special Forces) snipers

In 2006, the Ground Forces included an estimated total of 395,000 persons, including approximately 190,000 conscripts and 35,000 personnel of the Airborne Forces (VDV).[100] This can be compared to an estimated 670,000, with 210,000 conscripts, in 1995–96.[101] These numbers should be treated with caution, however, due to the difficulty for those outside Russia to make accurate assessments, and confusion even within the General Staff on the numbers of conscripts within the force.[50]

The Ground Forces began their existence in 1992, inheriting the Soviet military manpower system practically unchanged, though it was in a state of rapid decay. The Soviet Ground Forces were traditionally manned through terms of conscription, which had been reduced in 1967 from three to two years and in 2008 to a full year, following which those who have served their mandatory service may sign contracts to become professional servicemen. This system was administered through the thousands of military commissariats (Russian: военный комиссариат, военкомат, voyenkomat) located throughout the Soviet Union. Between January and May of each year, every young Soviet male citizen was required to report to the local voyenkomat for assessment for military service, following a summons based on lists from every school and employer in the area.

The voyenkomat worked to quotas sent out by a department of the General Staff, listing how many young men were required by each service and branch of the Armed Forces.[102] Since the fall of the Soviet Union, draft evasion has skyrocketed - officials regularly bemoan the ten or so percent that actually appear when summoned. The new conscripts were then picked up by an officer from their future unit and usually sent by train across the country.[103]

On arrival, they would begin the Young Soldiers' course, and become part of the system of senior rule, known as dedovshchina, literally "rule by the grandfathers." There were only a very small number of professional non-commissioned officers (NCOs), as most NCOs were conscripts sent on short courses[104] to prepare them for section commanders' and platoon sergeants' positions. These conscript NCOs were supplemented by praporshchik warrant officers, positions created in the 1960s to support the increased variety of skills required for modern weapons.[103]

The Soviet Army's officer-to-soldier ratio was extremely top-heavy, partially in order to compensate for the relatively low education level of the military manpower base and the absence of professional NCOs. Following World War II and the great expansion of officer education, officers became the product of four-to-five-year higher military colleges.[105] As in most armies, newly commissioned officers usually become platoon leaders, having to accept responsibility for the soldiers' welfare and training (with the exceptions noted above).[106]

Young officers in Soviet Army units were worked round the clock, normally receiving only three days off per month. Annual vacations were under threat if deficiencies emerged within the unit, and the pressure created enormous stress. Towards the end of the Soviet Union, this led to a decline in morale amongst young officers.[106]

In the early 2000s, many junior officers did not wish to serve—in 2002, more than half the officers who left the forces did so early.[48] Their morale was low, among other reasons because their postings were entirely in the hands of their immediate superiors and the personnel department."[48]

There is little available information on the current status of women, who are not conscripted, in the Russian Ground Forces. According to the BBC, there were 90,000 women in the Russian Army in 2002, though estimates on numbers of women across the entire Russian Armed Forces in 2000 ranged from 115,000 to 160,000.[107][108] Women serve in support roles, most commonly in the fields of nursing, communications, and engineering. Some officers' wives have become contract service personnel.

Equipment

Main article: List of equipment of the Russian Ground Forces
 
A T-14 Armata tank

The Russian Ground Forces retain a very large quantity of vehicles and equipment.[109] There is also likely to be a great deal of older equipment in state military storage, a practice continued from the Soviet Union. However, following the collapse of the USSR, the newly independent republics became host to most of the formations with modern equipment, whereas Russia was left with lower-category units, usually with older equipment.[110] As financial stringency began to bite harder, the amount of new equipment fell as well, and by 1998, only ten tanks and about 30 BMP infantry fighting vehicles were being purchased each year.[111]

New equipment, like the Armata Universal Combat Platform, Bumerang, and Kurganets-25, has been introduced since 2015, and has begun replacing old tanks and armored vehicles such as the BMPs, BTRs like the T-72, T-90, BMP-1/2/3, and BTR-80s that have been in active service. Funding for new equipment has greatly risen in recent years, and the Russian defence industry continues to develop new weapons systems for the Ground Forces.[112] The level of modern[clarification needed] weapons in the Ground Forces is at 60 per cent in late 2019.[113][114]

Two Iskander-M missile system brigade sets, over 60 Tornado-G MLRS and more than 20 Msta-SM self-propelled howitzers have been received in 2016. More than 70 upgraded Grad-M MLRS have been fielded too.[citation needed] The Russian Ground Forces received two brigade sets of Buk-M3 and Buk-M2 air defence missile complexes in 2016. Troops also received two division sets of Tor-M2 and two of Tor-M2U air defence missile complexes. Moreover, the Forces received Verba MANPADS, more than 130 BMP-3 IFVs and BTR-82A APCs as well as more than 20 Tigr-M armored vehicles equipped with the Arbalet-DM combat module.[115]

Russian troops have reportedly received 2,930 new or modernized systems allowing for two missile brigades, two SAM brigades and two SAM regiments, one Spetsnaz brigade, 12 motorized rifle and tank battalions, and three artillery divisions to be reequipped.[116]

The share of modern weapons and equipment in the Ground Forces from 2012 to 2020 increased by 4 times. Over eight years, more than 2,500 units of armored weapons have been delivered to tank formations and military units of the Ground Forces, including more than 1,000 upgraded tanks T-72B3, T-72B3M, T-80BVM and T-90M. The motorized rifle troops received more than 1,500 units of infantry fighting vehicles BMP-3, upgraded BMP-2 and armored personnel carriers BTR-82A (AM).

The missile forces and artillery of the Ground Forces from 2012 to 2020 received over 1,500 units of military equipment - operational-tactical missile systems "Iskander-M", multiple launch rocket systems of the "Tornado" family, self-propelled howitzers "Msta-SM".

Air Defense Troops of the Ground Forces received over 900 units of military equipment - long-range anti-aircraft missile systems S-300V4, short-range and medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems "Tor-M2" and "Buk-M3", portable anti-aircraft missile systems "Verba".[117]

Equipment summary

Figures listed as "Active" only include equipment that circulated in active service.

Type Active Reserve
Main battle tanks 2,800[118] ≈16,500[119][120]
Infantry fighting vehicles 5,160[118] ≈19,500[118]
Armoured personnel carriers 6,100[118] ≈18,000+[118]
Towed artillery 150[118] ≈12,415[118]
Self-propelled artillery 1,610[118] ≈4,260[118]
Rocket artillery 1,352[121]
SAM systems 2,531[122]
List of equipment of the Russian Ground Forces

Ranks and insignia

Main article: Army ranks and insignia of the Russian Federation

The newly re-emergent Russia retained most of the ranks of the Soviet Army, with some minor changes. The principal difference from the usual Western style is some variation in generals' rank titles—in at least one case, Colonel General, derived from German usage. Most of the modern rank names used in the Russian military were borrowed from existing German/Prussian, French, English, Dutch, and Polish ranks upon the formation of the modern Russian Army in the late 17th century,[123] and have lasted with few changes of title through the Soviet period.

Officers

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank group General/flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet
  Russian Ground Forces[124]
                          
Ма́ршал росси́йской федера́ции
Márshal rossíyskoy federátsii 		Генера́л а́рмии
Generál ármii 		Генера́л-полко́вник
Generál-polkóvnik 		Генера́л-лейтена́нт
Generál-leytenánt 		Генера́л-майо́р
Generál-mayór 		Полко́вник
Polkóvnik 		Подполко́вник
Podpolkóvnik 		Майо́р
Majór 		Kапита́н
Kapitán 		Старший лейтена́нт
Stárshiy leytenánt 		Лейтенант
Leytenant 		Mла́дший лейтена́нт
Mládshiy leytenánt 		Курсант
Kursant

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
  Russian Ground Forces[124]
                
Ста́рший пра́порщик
Stárshiy práporshchik 		Пра́порщик
Práporshchyk 		Старшина́
Starshyná 		Ста́рший сержа́нт
Stárshiy serzhánt 		Сержа́нт
Serzhánt 		Мла́дший сержа́нт
Mládshiy serzhánt 		Ефре́йтор
Efréĭtor 		Рядово́й
Ryadovóy

Commanders

Main article: Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces
 
Standard of Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces

Commander-in-chief (1992–1997)

Chief of the Main Directorate (1998–2001)

  • Yury Bukreyev (1998–2001)

Commander-in-chief (2001–present)

Ground Forces Day

 
Igor Matvienko (composer of "Forward, infantry!") with Oleg Salyukov during the presentation of the anthem of the Ground Forces in 2016.

On 31 May 2006, President Vladimir Putin signed decree No. 549 "On the establishment of professional holidays and memorable days in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation", according to which it was ordered to celebrate Ground Forces Day (Russian: День Сухопутных войск).[125] The date chosen for the holiday commemorates the edict made by Tsar Ivan the Terrible on 1 October 1550 on the placement in Moscow and surrounding districts of a thousand servicemen forming a local brigade of Streltsy, which essentially became a key document in the further formation and development of the Imperial Russian Army.[126]

Ground Forces Day was first celebrated on the Preobrazhenskaya Square in Moscow in the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, where a bishop's service was held. Before the start of the service, an order of the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu and the decree of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow were read, according to which the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord officially became the main temple of the RF Ground Forces.[127][128] A year later, the holiday was celebrated with the adoption of the Ground Forces Anthem.[129][130]

The following holidays are also celebrated by the Ground Forces: Day of Tankmen, Day of Rocket Forces and Artillery, Day of Air Defense.[131]

Gallery

  •  

    Russian Spetsnaz in mountainous area

  •  

    Russian sappers unit during a demining operations in Aleppo, Syria

  •  

    Officers of the Western Military District at the Union Shield 2019 Russian-Belarusian exercise in the Nizhny Novgorod region .

  •  

    Training of the Military Police of the Western Military District

  •  

    Russian Military Police training

  •  

    Russian army gunner during Zapad 2017 military exercise

  •  

    Russian troops conducting land operations

  •  

    1st Guards Engineer-Sapper Brigade during exercises in Mulino. March 23, 2018.

  •  

    Russian soldiers during winter exercise

  •  

    Russian Artillery units during an exercise in 2019

See also

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  97. ^ Алексей Рамм, Евгений Андреев (2017-03-17). "В Южном военном округе появится новая армия". Известия (in Russian). from the original on 2017-03-19. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  98. ^ Ilyin, Igor (9 January 2014). "Сергей Севрюков принял штандарт командующего 49-й общевойсковой армией" [Sergey Sevryukov accepted command of the 49th Combined Arms Army]. www.stapravda.ru (in Russian). Stavropol Pravda. from the original on 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  99. ^ a b Pinchuk, Alexander; Khudoleyev, Viktor (29 November 2017). "Штандарты в надёжных руках" [Standards in Safe Hands]. Krasnaya Zvezda (in Russian). from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  100. ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (2006). Christopher Langton (ed.). The Military Balance 2006. The Military Balance: Annual Estimates of the Nature and Size of the Military Forces of the Principal Powers (106 ed.). Routledge. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-85743-399-9. ISSN 0459-7222.
  101. ^ Also an IISS estimate.
  102. ^ Schofield, Carey (1991). Inside the Soviet Army. London: Headline. pp. 67–70. ISBN 978-0-7472-0418-3.
  103. ^ a b Odom, William E. (1998). The Collapse of the Soviet Military. Yale University Press. p. 43. ISBN 0-300-07469-7.
  104. ^ Suvorov, Viktor (1982). Inside the Soviet Army. London: Hamish Hamilton. ISBN 978-0-241-10889-5. (gives the figure of six months with a training division)
  105. ^ Odom, pp. 40–41
  106. ^ a b Odom, p. 42
  107. ^ Quartly, Alaan (8 March 2003). "Miss Shooting Range crowned". BBC News. from the original on 2008-11-23. Retrieved 2011-03-01. (It is quite possible that the BBC reporter became confused between the Army (Ground Forces) and the entire Armed Forces, given their usual title in Russian of Armiya.)
  108. ^ Matthews, Jennifer G. (Fall–Winter 2000). "Women in the Russian Armed Forces – A Marriage of Convenience?". Minerva: Quarterly Report on Women and the Military. 18 (3/4). ISSN 1573-1871.
  109. ^ IISS 2006, p. 155
  110. ^ Austin and Muraviev, 2001, pp. 277–278
  111. ^ Baranov, Nikolai, "Weapons must serve for a long while", Armeiskii sbornik, March 1998, no. 3, pp. 66–71, cited in Austin and Muraviev, 2001, p. 278. See also Mil Bal 95/96, p. 110
  112. ^ "Russia's new main battle tank to enter service 'after 2010'". RIA Novosti. RIA Novosti. RIA Novosti. 10 July 2008. from the original on 2008-10-01. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  113. ^ Выступление министра обороны РФ генерала армии Сергея Шойгу на расширенном заседании Коллегии Минобороны 2016-12-24 at the Wayback Machine armstrade.org. 2016.
  114. ^ "ЦАМТО / Новости / Уровень обеспеченности частей постоянной готовности СВ современным вооружением и техникой доведен до 60 проц".
  115. ^ "Два бригадных комплекта ЗРК "Бук-М3" и "Бук-М2" получили Сухопутные войска в прошлом году : Министерство обороны Российской Федерации". from the original on 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
  116. ^ "Расширенное заседание коллегии Министерства обороны". from the original on 2017-01-16. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
  117. ^ "ЦАМТО / / Доля современных образцов вооружения и техники Сухопутных войск РФ с 2012 по 2020 годы выросла в 4 раза". armstrade.org.
  118. ^ a b c d e f g h i Military Balance 2020. p. 196.
  119. ^ T-72 Archived 2013-10-25 at archive.today, warfare.ru – Russian Military Analysis. Retrieved on 8 January 2014.
  120. ^ T-80 2014-01-08 at the Wayback Machine, warfare.ru – Russian Military Analysis. Retrieved on 8 January 2014.
  121. ^ Multiple Rocket Launchers database Archived 2013-10-24 at archive.today, warfare.ru – Russian Military Analysis. Retrieved on 2 January 2013.
  122. ^ SAM systems 2013-12-27 at the Wayback Machine, warfare.ru – Russian Military Analysis. Retrieved on 2 January 2013.
  123. ^ Mikaberidze, FINS, Alexander. "Officer Ranks under Peter the Great's Table of Ranks of 1722". The Napoleon Series. The Napoleon Series. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  124. ^ a b "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 11 марта 2010 года № 293 "О военной форме одежды, знаках различия военнослужащих и ведомственных знаках отличия"". rg.ru (in Russian). Российской газеты. 12 March 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  125. ^ Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 31 мая 2006 г. № 549 "Об установлении профессиональных праздников и памятных дней в Вооружённых силах Российской Федерации". КонсультантПлюс. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
  126. ^ "Иван Грозный заложил основы русской регулярной армии". Calend.ru.
  127. ^ Храм Преображения Господня на Преображенской площади в Москве стал головным храмом Сухопутных войск. Министерства обороны РФ. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
  128. ^ Пестерева, Анна. (8 October 2015). . Восточный округ. 37 (126): 3. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05.
  129. ^ "На праздновании Дня Сухопутных войск был презентован их гимн "Вперед, пехота!" : Министерство обороны Российской Федерации".
  130. ^ ""Вперед, пехота!": Группа "Любэ" исполнила новый гимн сухопутных войск". October 2016.
  131. ^ "День войск противовоздушной обороны России". Calend.ru.

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  • Babakin, Alexander (August 20–26, 2004). "Approximate Composition and Structure of the Armed Forces After the Reforms". Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye [Independent Military Review] (31).
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External links

  •   Media related to Army of Russia at Wikimedia Commons

February 15, 2023
russian, ground, forces, russian, army, redirects, here, other, uses, russian, army, disambiguation, russian, Сухопутные, войска, СВ, romanized, sukhoputnyye, voyska, also, known, russian, army, russian, Армия, России, romanized, armiya, rossii, army, russia, . Russian Army redirects here For other uses see Russian Army disambiguation The Russian Ground Forces Russian Suhoputnye vojska SV romanized Sukhoputnyye voyska SV also known as the Russian Army Russian Armiya Rossii romanized Armiya Rossii lit Army of Russia are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces Ground Forces of the Russian FederationSuhoputnye vojska Rossijskoj FederaciiEmblem of the Russian Ground ForcesFounded1550 1 1992 current form Country RussiaTypeArmySize360 000 active duty 2 Part of Russian Armed ForcesHeadquartersFrunzenskaya Embankment 20 22 MoscowPatronSaint Alexander Nevsky 3 Colors Red Black Grey GreenMarchForward infantry Vperyod pehota Anniversaries1 OctoberEngagementsTransnistria WarCivil War in TajikistanEast Prigorodny ConflictWar in Abkhazia1993 Russian constitutional crisisFirst Chechen WarWar of Dagestan1999 East Timorese crisisSecond Chechen WarRusso Georgian WarInsurgency in the North CaucasusInvasion of Ukraine 4 Syrian Civil WarIraqi Civil War2022 Russian invasion of UkraineWebsitestructure wbr mil wbr ru wbr structure wbr forces wbr ground wbr htmCommandersCommander in ChiefArmy General Oleg Salyukov 5 First Deputy Commander in ChiefColonel General Aleksandr LapinDeputy Commander in ChiefLieutenant General Aleksandr MatovnikovInsigniaFlagPatchMiddle emblemInsignia The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders combat on land and the defeat of enemy troops The President of Russia is the Supreme Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation The Commander in Chief of the Russian Ground Forces is the chief commanding authority of the Russian Ground Forces He is appointed by the President of Russia The Main Command of the Ground Forces is based in Moscow Contents 1 Mission 2 History 2 1 Post Soviet reform plans 2 2 Crime and corruption in the ground forces 2 3 Internal crisis of 1993 2 4 Chechen Wars 2 4 1 First Chechen War 2 4 2 Second Chechen War 2 5 Reforms under Sergeyev 2 6 Reforms under Putin 2 7 Serdyukov reforms 2 8 Reforms under Sergey Shoygu 2 9 Russo Ukrainian War 3 Structure 3 1 Branches of service 3 2 Dispositions since 2021 4 Personnel 5 Equipment 5 1 Equipment summary 6 Ranks and insignia 6 1 Officers 6 2 Other ranks 7 Commanders 7 1 Commander in chief 1992 1997 7 2 Chief of the Main Directorate 1998 2001 7 3 Commander in chief 2001 present 8 Ground Forces Day 9 Gallery 10 See also 11 References 12 Bibliography 13 External linksMission EditThe primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders combat on land the security of occupied territories and the defeat of enemy troops The Ground Forces must be able to achieve these goals both in nuclear war and non nuclear war especially without the use of weapons of mass destruction Furthermore they must be capable of protecting the national interests of Russia within the framework of its international obligations The Main Command of the Ground Forces is officially tasked with the following objectives 6 the training of troops for combat on the basis of tasks determined by the Armed Forces General Staff the improvement of troops structure and composition and the optimization of their numbers including for special troops the development of military theory and practice the development and introduction of training field manuals tactics and methodology the improvement of operational and combat training of the Ground ForcesHistory EditFurther information Military history of the Soviet Union As the Soviet Union dissolved efforts were made to keep the Soviet Armed Forces as a single military structure for the new Commonwealth of Independent States The last Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union Marshal Yevgeny Shaposhnikov was appointed supreme commander of the CIS Armed Forces in December 1991 7 Among the numerous treaties signed by the former republics in order to direct the transition period was a temporary agreement on general purpose forces signed in Minsk on 14 February 1992 However once it became clear that Ukraine and potentially the other republics was determined to undermine the concept of joint general purpose forces and form their own armed forces the new Russian government moved to form its own armed forces 7 Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree forming the Russian Ministry of Defence on 7 May 1992 establishing the Russian Ground Forces along with the other branches of the military At the same time the General Staff was in the process of withdrawing tens of thousands of personnel from the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany the Northern Group of Forces in Poland the Central Group of Forces in Czechoslovakia the Southern Group of Forces in Hungary and from Mongolia Thirty seven Soviet Ground Forces divisions had to be withdrawn from the four groups of forces and the Baltic States and four military districts totalling 57 divisions were handed over to Belarus and Ukraine 8 Some idea of the scale of the withdrawal can be gained from the division list For the dissolving Soviet Ground Forces the withdrawal from the former Warsaw Pact states and the Baltic states was an extremely demanding expensive and debilitating process 9 As the military districts that remained in Russia after the collapse of the Union consisted mostly of the mobile cadre formations the Ground Forces were to a large extent created by relocating the formerly full strength formations from Eastern Europe to under resourced districts However the facilities in those districts were inadequate to house the flood of personnel and equipment returning from abroad and many units were unloaded from the rail wagons into empty fields 10 The need for destruction and transfer of large amounts of weaponry under the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe also necessitated great adjustments Post Soviet reform plans Edit The Ministry of Defence newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda published a reform plan on 21 July 1992 Later one commentator said it was hastily put together by the General Staff to satisfy the public demand for radical changes 11 The General Staff from that point became a bastion of conservatism causing a build up of troubles that later became critical The reform plan advocated a change from an Army Division Regiment structure to a Corps Brigade arrangement The new structures were to be more capable in a situation with no front line and more capable of independent action at all levels 12 Cutting out a level of command omitting two out of three higher echelons between the theatre headquarters and the fighting battalions would produce economies increase flexibility and simplify command and control arrangements 12 The expected changeover to the new structure proved to be rare irregular and sometimes reversed The new brigades that appeared were mostly divisions that had broken down until they happened to be at the proposed brigade strengths New divisions such as the new 3rd Motor Rifle Division in the Moscow Military District formed on the basis of disbanding tank formations were formed rather than new brigades Few of the reforms planned in the early 1990s eventuated for three reasons Firstly there was an absence of firm civilian political guidance with President Yeltsin primarily interested in ensuring that the Armed Forces were controllable and loyal rather than reformed 11 13 Secondly declining funding worsened the progress Finally there was no firm consensus within the military about what reforms should be implemented General Pavel Grachev the first Russian Minister of Defence 1992 96 broadly advertised reforms yet wished to preserve the old Soviet style Army with large numbers of low strength formations and continued mass conscription The General Staff and the armed services tried to preserve Soviet era doctrines deployments weapons and missions in the absence of solid new guidance 14 British military expert Michael Orr claims that the hierarchy had great difficulty in fully understanding the changed situation due to their education As graduates of Soviet military academies they received great operational and staff training but in political terms they had learned an ideology rather than a wide understanding of international affairs Thus the generals focused on NATO expansion in Eastern Europe could not adapt themselves and the Armed Forces to the new opportunities and challenges they faced 15 Crime and corruption in the ground forces Edit The new Russian Ground Forces inherited an increasing crime problem from their Soviet predecessors As draft resistance grew in the last years of the Soviet Union the authorities tried to compensate by enlisting men with criminal records and who spoke little or no Russian Crime rates soared with the military procurator in Moscow in September 1990 reporting a 40 percent increase in crime over the previous six months including a 41 percent rise in serious bodily injuries 16 Disappearances of weapons rose to rampant levels especially in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus 16 Generals directing the withdrawals from Eastern Europe diverted arms equipment and foreign monies intended to build housing in Russia for the withdrawn troops Several years later the former commander in Germany General Matvei Burlakov and the Defence Minister Pavel Grachev had their involvement exposed They were also accused of ordering the murder of reporter Dmitry Kholodov who had been investigating the scandals 16 In December 1996 Defence Minister Igor Rodionov ordered the dismissal of the Commander of the Ground Forces General Vladimir Semyonov for activities incompatible with his position reportedly his wife s business activities 17 A 1995 study by the U S Foreign Military Studies Office 18 went as far as to say that the Armed Forces were an institution increasingly defined by the high levels of military criminality and corruption embedded within it at every level The FMSO noted that crime levels had always grown with social turbulence such as the trauma Russia was passing through The author identified four major types among the raft of criminality prevalent within the forces weapons trafficking and the arms trade business and commercial ventures military crime beyond Russia s borders and contract murder Weapons disappearances began during the dissolution of the Union and has continued Within units rations are sold while soldiers grow hungry while fuel spare parts and equipment can be bought 19 Meanwhile voyemkomats take bribes to arrange avoidance of service or a more comfortable posting Beyond the Russian frontier drugs were smuggled across the Tajik border supposedly being patrolled by Russian guards by military aircraft and a Russian senior officer General Major Alexander Perelyakin had been dismissed from his post with the United Nations peacekeeping force in Bosnia Hercegovina UNPROFOR following continued complaints of smuggling profiteering and corruption In terms of contract killings beyond the Kholodov case there have been widespread rumours that GRU Spetsnaz personnel have been moonlighting as mafiya hitmen 20 Reports such as these continued Some of the more egregious examples have included a constant readiness motor rifle regiment s tanks running out of fuel on the firing ranges due to the diversion of their fuel supplies to local businesses 19 Visiting the 20th Army in April 2002 Sergey Ivanov said the volume of theft was simply impermissible 19 Ivanov said year that 20 000 servicemen were wounded or injured in 2002 as a result of accidents or criminal activity across the entire armed forces so the ground forces figure would be less 21 Abuse of personnel sending soldiers to work outside units a long standing tradition which could see conscripts doing things ranging from being large scale manpower supply for commercial businesses to being officers families servants is now banned by Sergei Ivanov s Order 428 of October 2005 What is more the order is being enforced with several prosecutions recorded 22 President Putin also demanded a halt to dishonest use of military property in November 2005 We must completely eliminate the use of the Armed Forces material base for any commercial objectives The spectrum of dishonest activity has included in the past exporting aircraft as scrap metal but the point at which officers are prosecuted has shifted and investigations over trading in travel warrants and junior officers routine thieving of soldiers meals are beginning to be reported 22 However British military analysts comment that there should be little doubt that the overall impact of theft and fraud is much greater than that which is actually detected 22 Chief Military Prosecutor Sergey Fridinskiy said in March 2007 that there was no systematic work in the Armed Forces to prevent embezzlement 22 In March 2011 Military Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky reported that crimes had been increasing steadily in the Russian ground forces for the past 18 months with 500 crimes reported in the period of January to March 2011 alone Twenty servicemen were crippled and two killed in the same period as a result Crime in the ground forces was up 16 in 2010 as compared to 2009 with crimes against other servicemen constituting one in every four cases reported 23 Compounding this problem was also a rise in extremist crimes in the ground forces with servicemen from different ethnic groups or regions trying to enforce their own rules and order in their units according to the Prosecutor General Fridinsky also lambasted the military investigations department for their alleged lack of efficiency in investigative matters with only one in six criminal cases being revealed Military commanders were also accused of concealing crimes committed against servicemen from military officials 24 A major corruption scandal also occurred at the elite Lipetsk pilot training center where the deputy commander the chief of staff and other officers allegedly extorted 3 million roubles of premium pay from other officers since the beginning of 2010 The Tambov military garrison prosecutor confirmed that charges have been lodged against those involved The affair came to light after a junior officer wrote about the extortion in his personal blog Sergey Fridinskiy the Main Military Prosecutor acknowledged that extortion in the distribution of supplementary pay in army units is common and that criminal cases on the facts of extortion are being investigated in practically every district and fleet 25 In August 2012 Prosecutor General Fridinsky again reported a rise in crime with murders rising more than half bribery cases doubling and drug trafficking rising by 25 in the first six months of 2012 as compared to the same period in the previous year Following the release of these statistics the Union of the Committees of Soldiers Mothers of Russia denounced the conditions in the Russian army as a crime against humanity 26 In July 2013 the Prosecutor General s office revealed that corruption in the same year soared 450 as compared to the previous year costing the Russian government 4 4 billion rubles US 130 million with one in three corruption related crimes committed by civil servants or civilian personnel in the military forces It was also revealed that total number of registered crimes in the Russian armed forces had declined in the same period although one in five crimes registered were corruption related 27 Internal crisis of 1993 Edit See also 1993 Russian constitutional crisis The Russian Ground Forces reluctantly became involved in the Russian constitutional crisis of 1993 after President Yeltsin issued an unconstitutional decree dissolving the Russian Parliament following its resistance to Yeltsin s consolidation of power and his neo liberal reforms A group of deputies including Vice President Alexander Rutskoi barricaded themselves inside the parliament building While giving public support to the President the Armed Forces led by General Grachev tried to remain neutral following the wishes of the officer corps 28 The military leadership were unsure of both the rightness of Yeltsin s cause and the reliability of their forces and had to be convinced at length by Yeltsin to attack the parliament When the attack was finally mounted forces from five different divisions around Moscow were used and the personnel involved were mostly officers and senior non commissioned officers 9 There were also indications that some formations deployed into Moscow only under protest 28 However once the parliament building had been stormed the parliamentary leaders arrested and temporary censorship imposed Yeltsin succeeded in retaining power Chechen Wars Edit First Chechen War Edit See also First Chechen War With the dissolution of the Soviet Union the Chechens declared independence in November 1991 under the leadership of a former Air Forces officer General Dzhokar Dudayev 29 The continuation of Chechen independence was seen as reducing Moscow s authority Chechnya became perceived as a haven for criminals and a hard line group within the Kremlin began advocating war A Security Council meeting was held 29 November 1994 where Yeltsin ordered the Chechens to disarm or else Moscow would restore order Defense Minister Pavel Grachev assured Yeltsin that he would take Grozny with one airborne assault regiment in two hours 30 The operation began on 11 December 1994 and by 31 December Russian forces were entering Grozny the Chechen capital The 131st Motor Rifle Brigade was ordered to make a swift push for the centre of the city but was then virtually destroyed in Chechen ambushes After finally seizing Grozny amid fierce resistance Russian troops moved on to other Chechen strongholds When Chechen militants took hostages in the Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis in Stavropol Kray in June 1995 peace looked possible for a time but the fighting continued Following this incident the separatists were referred to as insurgents or terrorists within Russia Dzhokar Dudayev was assassinated in a Russian airstrike on 21 April 1996 and that summer a Chechen attack retook Grozny Alexander Lebed then Secretary of the Security Council began talks with the Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov in August 1996 and signed an agreement on 22 23 August by the end of that month the fighting ended 31 The formal ceasefire was signed in the Dagestani town of Khasavyurt on 31 August 1996 stipulating that a formal agreement on relations between the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and the Russian federal government need not be signed until late 2001 Writing some years later Dmitri Trenin and Aleksei Malashenko described the Russian military s performance in Chechniya as grossly deficient at all levels from commander in chief to the drafted private 32 The Ground Forces performance in the First Chechen War has been assessed by a British academic as appallingly bad 33 Writing six years later Michael Orr said one of the root causes of the Russian failure in 1994 96 was their inability to raise and deploy a properly trained military force 34 Second Chechen War Edit See also Second Chechen War The Second Chechen War began in August 1999 after Chechen militias invaded neighboring Dagestan followed quickly in early September by a series of four terrorist bombings across Russia This prompted Russian military action against the alleged Chechen culprits In the first Chechen war the Russians primarily laid waste to an area with artillery and airstrikes before advancing the land forces Improvements were made in the Ground Forces between 1996 and 1999 when the Second Chechen War started instead of hastily assembled composite regiments dispatched with little or no training whose members had never seen service together formations were brought up to strength with replacements put through preparatory training and then dispatched Combat performance improved accordingly 35 and large scale opposition was crippled Most of the prominent past Chechen separatist leaders had died or been killed including former President Aslan Maskhadov and leading warlord and terrorist attack mastermind Shamil Basayev However small scale conflict continued to drag on as of November 2007 it had spread across other parts of the Russian Caucasus 36 It was a divisive struggle with at least one senior military officer dismissed for being unresponsive to government commands General Colonel Gennady Troshev was dismissed in 2002 for refusing to move from command of the North Caucasus Military District to command of the less important Siberian Military District 37 The Second Chechen War was officially declared ended on 16 April 2009 38 Reforms under Sergeyev Edit When Igor Sergeyev arrived as Minister of Defence in 1997 he initiated what were seen as real reforms under very difficult conditions 39 The number of military educational establishments virtually unchanged since 1991 was reduced and the amalgamation of the Siberian and Trans Baikal Military Districts was ordered A larger number of army divisions were given constant readiness status which was supposed to bring them up to 80 percent manning and 100 percent equipment holdings Sergeyev announced in August 1998 that there would be six divisions and four brigades on 24 hour alert by the end of that year Three levels of forces were announced constant readiness low level and strategic reserves 40 However personnel quality even in these favored units continued to be a problem Lack of fuel for training and a shortage of well trained junior officers hampered combat effectiveness 41 However concentrating on the interests of his old service the Strategic Rocket Forces Sergeyev directed the disbanding of the Ground Forces headquarters itself in December 1997 42 The disbandment was a military nonsense in Orr s words justifiable only in terms of internal politics within the Ministry of Defence 43 The Ground Forces prestige declined as a result as the headquarters disbandment implied at least in theory that the Ground Forces no longer ranked equally with the Air Force and Navy 43 Reforms under Putin Edit A Russian airborne exercise in 2017 Under President Vladimir Putin more funds were committed the Ground Forces Headquarters was reestablished and some progress on professionalisation occurred Plans called for reducing mandatory service to 18 months in 2007 and to one year by 2008 but a mixed Ground Force of both contract soldiers and conscripts would remain As of 2009 the length of conscript service was 12 months 44 Funding increases began in 1999 after some recovery in the Russian economy and the associated rise in income especially from oil Russia s officially reported defence spending rose in nominal terms at least for the first time since the formation of the Russian Federation 45 The budget rose from 141 billion rubles in 2000 to 219 billion rubles in 2001 46 Much of this funding has been spent on personnel there have been several pay rises starting with a 20 percent rise authorised in 2001 The current professionalisation programme including 26 000 extra sergeants was expected to cost at least 31 billion roubles 1 1 billion USD 47 Increased funding has been spread across the whole budget with personnel spending being matched by greater procurement and research and development funding However in 2004 Alexander Goltz said that given the insistence of the hierarchy on trying to force contract soldiers into the old conscript pattern there is little hope of a fundamental strengthening of the Ground Forces He further elaborated that they are expected to remain to some extent a military liability and Russia s most urgent social problem for some time to come 48 Goltz summed up by saying All of this means that the Russian armed forces are not ready to defend the country and that at the same time they are also dangerous for Russia Top military personnel demonstrate neither the will nor the ability to effect fundamental changes 48 More money is arriving both for personnel and equipment Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stated in June 2008 that monetary allowances for servicemen in permanent readiness units will be raised significantly 49 In May 2007 it was announced that enlisted pay would rise to 65 000 roubles US 2 750 per month and the pay of officers on combat duty in rapid response units would rise to 100 000 150 000 roubles US 4 230 6 355 per month However while the move to one year conscript service would disrupt dedovshchina it is unlikely that bullying will disappear altogether without significant societal change 22 Other assessments from the same source point out that the Russian Armed Forces faced major disruption in 2008 as demographic change hindered plans to reduce the term of conscription from two years to one 50 51 Serdyukov reforms Edit This section needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information July 2021 Main article 2008 Russian military reform A major reorganisation of the force began in 2007 by the Minister for Defence Anatoliy Serdyukov with the aim of converting all divisions into brigades and cutting surplus officers and establishments 52 53 However this affected units of continuous readiness Russian ChPG chasti postoyannoj gotovnosti only It was intended to create 39 to 40 such brigades by 1 January 2016 including 39 all arms brigades 21 artillery and MRL brigades seven brigades of army air defence forces 12 communication brigades and two electronic warfare brigades In addition the 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division stationed in the Far East remained and there will be an additional 17 separate regiments citation needed The changes were unprecedented in their scale In the course of the reorganization the 4 chain command structure military district field army division regiment that was used until then was replaced with a 3 chain structure strategic command operational command brigade Brigades are supposed to be used as mobile permanent readiness units capable of fighting independently with the support of highly mobile task forces or together with other brigades under joint command 54 In a statement on 4 September 2009 RGF Commander in Chief Vladimir Boldyrev said that half of the Russian land forces were reformed by 1 June and that 85 brigades of constant combat preparedness had already been created Among them are the combined arms brigade missile brigades assault brigades and electronic warfare brigades 55 During General Mark Hertling s term as Commander United States Army Europe in 2011 2012 he visited Russia at the invitation of the Commander of the Ground Forces Colonel General corresponding to an American lieutenant general Aleksandr Streitsov at preliminary meetings with the Embassy of the United States Moscow the U S Defence Attache told Hertling that the Ground Forces while still substantive in quantity continued to decline in capability and quality My subsequent visits to the schools and units Colonel General Streitsov chose reinforced these conclusions The classroom discussions were sophomoric and the units in training were going through the motions of their scripts with no true training value or combined arms interaction infantry armor artillery air and resupply all trained separately 56 Reforms under Sergey Shoygu Edit This section needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information July 2021 Sergey Shoygu meeting with Indian officials in 2018 After Sergey Shoygu took over the role of minister of defense the reforms Serdyukov had implemented were reversed He also aimed to restore trust with senior officers as well as the defense ministry in the wake of the intense resentment Serduykov s reforms had generated He did this a number of ways but one of the ways was integrating himself by wearing a military uniform 57 Shoygu ordered 750 military exercises such as Vostok 2018 The exercises also seemed to have helped validate the general direction of reform The effect of this readiness was seen during Russia s annexation of Crimea in 2014 Since Anatoliy Serdyukov had already completed the unpopular reforms military downsizing and reorganization it was relatively easy for Shoygu to be conciliatory with the officer corps and Ministry of Defense 58 Rearmament has been an important goal of reform With the goal of 70 modernization by 2020 This was one of the main goals of these reforms From 1998 to 2001 the Russian Army received almost no new equipment Sergey Shoygu took a less confrontational approach with the defense industry By showing better flexibility on terms and pricing the awarding of new contracts for the upcoming period was much better Shoygu promised that future contracts would be awarded primarily to domestic firms While easing tensions these concessions also weakened incentives for companies to improve performance 59 Shoygu also focused on forming battalion tactical groups BTGs as the permanent readiness component of the Russian army rather than brigade sized formations According to sources quoted by the Russian Interfax agency this was due to a lack of the manpower needed for permanent readiness brigades BTGs made up the preponderance of units deployed by Russia in the Donbass war By August 2021 Shoygu claimed that the Russian army had around 170 BTGs 60 61 62 Russo Ukrainian War Edit Russia conducted a military buildup on the Ukrainian border starting in late 2021 By mid February 2022 elements of the 29th 35th and 36th Combined Arms Armies CAAs were deployed to Belarus 63 supported by additional S 400 systems a squadron of Su 25 and a squadron of Su 35 additional S 400 systems and four Su 30 fighters were deployed to the country for joint use with Belarus Russia also had the 20th and 8th CAAs and the 22nd AC regularly deployed near the Ukrainian border while elements of 41st CAA were deployed to Yelnya elements of 1st TA and 6th CAA were deployed to Voronezh 64 and elements of the 49th 65 and the 58th CAA were deployed to Crimea The 1st and 2nd AC were rumoured to be operating in the Donbass region during this time 66 In all Russia deployed some 150 000 soldiers around Ukraine during this time in preparation for the eventual Russian invasion On 11 February the US and western nations communicated that Putin had decided to invade Ukraine and on 12 February the US and Russian embassies in Kiev started to evacuate personnel 67 On February 24 Russian troops began invading Ukraine 68 During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Russian tank losses were reported by the use of Ukrainian sophisticated anti tank weapons and a lack of air support the Russian army has been described by Phillips O Brien a professor of strategic studies at St Andrews University as a boxer who has a great right hook and a glass jaw 69 Quoting Napoleon In war moral power is to physical as three parts out of four Retired US four star general Curtis Scaparrotti has blamed confusion and poor morale amongst Russian soldiers over their mission as to their poor performance 70 Reports say that Russian forces are having to repair damaged Ukrainian tanks the Russian Defence Ministry says these tanks are for pro Russian forces The Ukrainian Defence Ministry s Chief Directorate of Intelligence claims that Russia has stopped making new tanks 71 Due to the fighting in Ukraine the Russian Victory Day parade will be reduced by some 35 purely in ground combat vehicles or systems The parade on 9 May 2022 according to the official guide would feature only 25 Russian combat systems and 131 ground combat vehicles Compared to last year where it featured 198 vehicles and 35 combat systems In particular there is a shortage of display ready T 80 and they are using older equipment to make up numbers An example is usage of tank transporters in lieu of actual tanks 72 73 As of 6 May at least 12 generals have been killed in Ukraine according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense This suggests that the generals need to be at the front lines to ensure that their troops are conducting the battle plan in the way that they want But that also suggests a lack of confidence in their troops if they need to be that far forward with that many senior folks 74 Ukraine further claims that some 317 officers have been killed a third of whom are senior command staff 75 In a tweet the UK MoD said that the Russian officer corps was suffering devastating losses particularly in the junior to mid officer ranks 76 Structure EditThe President of Russia is the Supreme Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation The Main Command Glavkomat of the Ground Forces based in Moscow directs activities This body was disbanded in 1997 but reformed by President Putin in 2001 by appointing Colonel General Nikolai Kormiltsev as the commander in chief of the ground forces and also as a deputy minister of defense 77 Kormiltsev handed over command to Colonel General later General of the Army Alexey Maslov in 2004 and in a realignment of responsibilities the Ground Forces Commander in Chief lost his position as a deputy minister of defence Like Kormiltsev while serving as Ground Forces Commander in Chief Maslov has been promoted to General of the Army In January 2014 the acting commander of the Russian Ground Forces was Lieutenant General Sergei Istrakov who was appointed by Russian president Vladimir Putin upon the dismissal of former commander Colonel General Vladimir Chirkin over corruption charges in December 2013 78 79 Istrakov handed over his position to a new commander on 2 May 2014 Colonel General Oleg Salyukov The Main Command of the Ground Forces consists of the Main Staff of the Ground Troops and departments for Peacekeeping Forces Armaments of the Ground Troops Rear Services of the Ground Troops Cadres of the Ground Troops personnel Indoctrination Work and Military Education 80 There were also a number of directorates which used to be commanded by the Ground Forces Commander in Chief in his capacity as a deputy defence minister They included NBC Protection Troops of the Armed Forces Engineer Troops of the Armed Forces and Troop Air Defence as well as several others Their exact command status is now unknown Branches of service Edit The 3rd Spetsnaz Brigade on parade The branches of service include motorized rifles tanks artillery and rocket forces troop air defense special corps reconnaissance signals radio electronic warfare engineering nuclear biological and chemical protection logistical support automobile and the protection of the rear special forces military units and logistical establishments 81 The Motorised Rifle Troops the most numerous branch of service constitutes the nucleus of Ground Forces battle formations They are equipped with powerful armament for destruction of ground based and aerial targets missile complexes tanks artillery and mortars anti tank guided missiles anti aircraft missile systems and installations and means of reconnaissance and control It is estimated that there were 16 motor rifle divisions and 12 motor rifle brigades before the new look reforms 82 With the reform these motor rifle units were converted into 35 motor rifle brigades With the replacement of Anatoly Serdyukov with Sergei Shoigu as Minister of Defense some of the disbanded divisions were reformed from already existing brigades while others like the 144th Guards Motor Rifle Division were reformed from scratch 83 Some units like the 80th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade are trained especially for a specific environment 84 As of 2022 there were 9 motor rifle divisions 22 motor rifle brigades and one independent motor rifle regiment the 7th Independent Guards Proletarian Moscow Minsk Motor Rifle Regiment in the Kaliningrad Oblast The Navy also has several motor rifle formations under its command in the Ground and Coastal Defence Forces of the Baltic Fleet the Northeastern Group of Troops and Forces on the Kamchatka Peninsula and other areas of the extreme northeast apart from traditional naval infantry units The best known of these formations is the 126th Coastal Defence Brigade 82 Also present are a large number of mobilisation divisions and brigades known as Bases for Storage of Weapons and Equipment that in peacetime only have enough personnel assigned to guard the site and maintain the weapons The Tank Troops are the main impact force of the Ground Forces and a powerful mean of armed struggle intended for the accomplishment of the most important combat tasks In 2007 there were three tank divisions in the force the 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya and 10th Guards Uralsko Lvovskaya within the Moscow Military District and the 5th Guards Don in the Siberian MD 85 The 2nd Guards Tatsinkaya Tank Division in the Siberian Military District and the 21st Tank Division in the Far Eastern MD were disbanded in the early 2000s although the first one is still represented in the ground forces though the 5th Separate Guards Tatsinkaya Tank Brigade Like motor rifle divisions all tank divisions were transformed into brigades following the 2008 reforms although the 4th Guards Tank Division was reformed in 2013 with two new tank divisions the 90th Guards and the 47th Guards being created from pre existing brigades in 2016 and 2022 respectively The 10th Guards Tank Division is still represented in the ground forces though the 1st Separate Uralsko Lvovskaya Tank Brigade 86 As of 2022 there were 3 tank divisions and 2 tank brigades The Artillery and Rocket Forces provide the Ground Forces main firepower The Ground Forces previously included six static defence machine gun artillery and field artillery divisions The only remaining unit of this type is the 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division The previous 34th Guards in the Moscow MD 12th in the Siberian MD and the 15th in the Far Eastern MD seem to have disbanded The 127th Machine Gun Artillery Division was transformed into a motor rifle unit following the Serdyukov reforms 87 As of 2022 there were 1 machine gun artillery divisions and 17 artillery brigades The Air Defense Troops PVO are one of the basic weapons for the destruction of enemy air forces They consist of surface to air missiles anti aircraft artillery and radio technical units and subdivisions 88 Army Aviation while intended for the direct support of the Ground Forces has been under the control of the Air Forces VVS 89 since 2003 However it was planned that by 2015 Army Aviation will have been transferred back to the Ground Forces and 18 new aviation brigades will have been added 90 Of the around 1 000 new helicopters that have been ordered under the State Armament Programmes 900 will be for the Army Aviation 91 This transfer did not take place The Spetsnaz GRU serve under the Ground Forces in peacetime and at the same time are directly subordinated to the Main Directorate of Intelligence GRU and will fall under GRU operational control during wartime operations or under special circumstances 92 93 The Ground Forces currently fields 7 spetsnaz brigades of varying sizes and one spetsnaz regiment citation needed Dispositions since 2021 Edit As a result of the 2008 Russian military reforms the ground forces now consist of armies subordinate to the four new military districts Western Southern Central and Eastern Military Districts The new districts have the role of operational strategic commands which command the Ground Forces as well as the Naval Forces and part of the Air and Air Defence Forces within their areas of responsibility 94 Each major formation is bolded and directs the non bolded major subordinate formations It is not entirely clear to which superior s the four operational strategic commands will report from 1 December 2010 as they command formations from multiple services Air Force Ground Forces amp Navy A current detailed list of the subordinate units of the four military districts can be found in the respective articles 94 During 2009 all 23 remaining divisions were reorganised into four tank brigades 35 motor rifle brigades one prikritiya brigade formed from a machinegun light artillery division and three airborne assault brigades pre existing Almost all are now designated otdelnaya separate with only several brigades retaining the guards honorific title In 2013 two of these brigades were reactivated as full divisions the 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division and 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Division These two divisions marked the beginning of the expansion of the Ground Forces as more brigades are being reformed into full divisions within each military district Since 1 January 2021 the Northern Fleet has been elevated to Northern Military District 95 Northern Military District Western Military District Southern Military District Central Military District Eastern Military District Formation Field army Headquarters locationWestern Military District Lieutenant General Roman Berdnikov HQ Saint Petersburg 1st Guards Tank Army Odintsovo6th Combined Arms Army Agalatovo20th Guards Combined Arms Army Voronezh11th Army Corps KaliningradSouthern Military District Army General Aleksandr Dvornikov 96 HQ Rostov on Don 8th Guards Combined Arms Army Novocherkassk 97 49th Combined Arms Army Stavropol 98 58th Combined Arms Army Vladikavkaz22nd Army Corps SevastopolCentral Military District Colonel General Alexander Linkov 99 HQ Yekaterinburg 2nd Guards Tank Army Samara41st Combined Arms Army NovosibirskEastern Military District Colonel General Aleksandr Chaiko 99 HQ Khabarovsk 5th Combined Arms Army Ussuriysk29th Combined Arms Army Chita35th Combined Arms Army Belogorsk36th Combined Arms Army Ulan Ude68th Army Corps Yuzhno SakhalinskNorthern Military District Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev HQ Severomorsk 14th Army Corps MurmanskPersonnel EditThis section needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information November 2018 A Russian soldier at a checkpoint in Kosovo in 2001 Russian soldiers on parade in Saint Petersburg in 2014 Ratnik equipment being worn by troops of the 4th Guards Tank Division Russian Spetsnaz Special Forces snipers In 2006 the Ground Forces included an estimated total of 395 000 persons including approximately 190 000 conscripts and 35 000 personnel of the Airborne Forces VDV 100 This can be compared to an estimated 670 000 with 210 000 conscripts in 1995 96 101 These numbers should be treated with caution however due to the difficulty for those outside Russia to make accurate assessments and confusion even within the General Staff on the numbers of conscripts within the force 50 The Ground Forces began their existence in 1992 inheriting the Soviet military manpower system practically unchanged though it was in a state of rapid decay The Soviet Ground Forces were traditionally manned through terms of conscription which had been reduced in 1967 from three to two years and in 2008 to a full year following which those who have served their mandatory service may sign contracts to become professional servicemen This system was administered through the thousands of military commissariats Russian voennyj komissariat voenkomat voyenkomat located throughout the Soviet Union Between January and May of each year every young Soviet male citizen was required to report to the local voyenkomat for assessment for military service following a summons based on lists from every school and employer in the area The voyenkomat worked to quotas sent out by a department of the General Staff listing how many young men were required by each service and branch of the Armed Forces 102 Since the fall of the Soviet Union draft evasion has skyrocketed officials regularly bemoan the ten or so percent that actually appear when summoned The new conscripts were then picked up by an officer from their future unit and usually sent by train across the country 103 On arrival they would begin the Young Soldiers course and become part of the system of senior rule known as dedovshchina literally rule by the grandfathers There were only a very small number of professional non commissioned officers NCOs as most NCOs were conscripts sent on short courses 104 to prepare them for section commanders and platoon sergeants positions These conscript NCOs were supplemented by praporshchik warrant officers positions created in the 1960s to support the increased variety of skills required for modern weapons 103 The Soviet Army s officer to soldier ratio was extremely top heavy partially in order to compensate for the relatively low education level of the military manpower base and the absence of professional NCOs Following World War II and the great expansion of officer education officers became the product of four to five year higher military colleges 105 As in most armies newly commissioned officers usually become platoon leaders having to accept responsibility for the soldiers welfare and training with the exceptions noted above 106 Young officers in Soviet Army units were worked round the clock normally receiving only three days off per month Annual vacations were under threat if deficiencies emerged within the unit and the pressure created enormous stress Towards the end of the Soviet Union this led to a decline in morale amongst young officers 106 In the early 2000s many junior officers did not wish to serve in 2002 more than half the officers who left the forces did so early 48 Their morale was low among other reasons because their postings were entirely in the hands of their immediate superiors and the personnel department 48 There is little available information on the current status of women who are not conscripted in the Russian Ground Forces According to the BBC there were 90 000 women in the Russian Army in 2002 though estimates on numbers of women across the entire Russian Armed Forces in 2000 ranged from 115 000 to 160 000 107 108 Women serve in support roles most commonly in the fields of nursing communications and engineering Some officers wives have become contract service personnel Equipment EditMain article List of equipment of the Russian Ground Forces A T 14 Armata tank The Russian Ground Forces retain a very large quantity of vehicles and equipment 109 There is also likely to be a great deal of older equipment in state military storage a practice continued from the Soviet Union However following the collapse of the USSR the newly independent republics became host to most of the formations with modern equipment whereas Russia was left with lower category units usually with older equipment 110 As financial stringency began to bite harder the amount of new equipment fell as well and by 1998 only ten tanks and about 30 BMP infantry fighting vehicles were being purchased each year 111 New equipment like the Armata Universal Combat Platform Bumerang and Kurganets 25 has been introduced since 2015 and has begun replacing old tanks and armored vehicles such as the BMPs BTRs like the T 72 T 90 BMP 1 2 3 and BTR 80s that have been in active service Funding for new equipment has greatly risen in recent years and the Russian defence industry continues to develop new weapons systems for the Ground Forces 112 The level of modern clarification needed weapons in the Ground Forces is at 60 per cent in late 2019 113 114 Two Iskander M missile system brigade sets over 60 Tornado G MLRS and more than 20 Msta SM self propelled howitzers have been received in 2016 More than 70 upgraded Grad M MLRS have been fielded too citation needed The Russian Ground Forces received two brigade sets of Buk M3 and Buk M2 air defence missile complexes in 2016 Troops also received two division sets of Tor M2 and two of Tor M2U air defence missile complexes Moreover the Forces received Verba MANPADS more than 130 BMP 3 IFVs and BTR 82A APCs as well as more than 20 Tigr M armored vehicles equipped with the Arbalet DM combat module 115 Russian troops have reportedly received 2 930 new or modernized systems allowing for two missile brigades two SAM brigades and two SAM regiments one Spetsnaz brigade 12 motorized rifle and tank battalions and three artillery divisions to be reequipped 116 The share of modern weapons and equipment in the Ground Forces from 2012 to 2020 increased by 4 times Over eight years more than 2 500 units of armored weapons have been delivered to tank formations and military units of the Ground Forces including more than 1 000 upgraded tanks T 72B3 T 72B3M T 80BVM and T 90M The motorized rifle troops received more than 1 500 units of infantry fighting vehicles BMP 3 upgraded BMP 2 and armored personnel carriers BTR 82A AM The missile forces and artillery of the Ground Forces from 2012 to 2020 received over 1 500 units of military equipment operational tactical missile systems Iskander M multiple launch rocket systems of the Tornado family self propelled howitzers Msta SM Air Defense Troops of the Ground Forces received over 900 units of military equipment long range anti aircraft missile systems S 300V4 short range and medium range anti aircraft missile systems Tor M2 and Buk M3 portable anti aircraft missile systems Verba 117 Equipment summary Edit Figures listed as Active only include equipment that circulated in active service Type Active ReserveMain battle tanks 2 800 118 16 500 119 120 Infantry fighting vehicles 5 160 118 19 500 118 Armoured personnel carriers 6 100 118 18 000 118 Towed artillery 150 118 12 415 118 Self propelled artillery 1 610 118 4 260 118 Rocket artillery 1 352 121 SAM systems 2 531 122 List of equipment of the Russian Ground Forces 2K12 Kub 400 units ZSU 23 4 Shilka 350 units source source source source source source source source source source source source source source Tornado multiple rocket launcher 250 units source source source source source source source source source source source source source source BM 21 Grad 100 units BM 30 Smerch 100 units source source source source source source source source source source source source source source 9K720 Iskander source source source source source source source source source source source source source source BMP 3 source source source source source source source source source source source source source source T 72 7 000 units S 300 Antey 300 S 300V4 2 000 units K 612 O KDKhR 1N nuclear 9S932T 1 Barnaul T air defense BMO T 9P149 Shturm S SM 900 units 2S19 Buk M3 RPM 2 Armoured chemical BRM 3K Rys 1500 units T 90 370 units BMP 3 620 units BMP 2 4 500 units TOS 1 30 units 2S7M Malka 60 units BTR 90 6 000 units MT LB 4 000 units BPM 97 5 500 units Iskander M Missile 302 units BTR 82A Over 1 000 units T 80 450 units Ranks and insignia EditMain article Army ranks and insignia of the Russian Federation The newly re emergent Russia retained most of the ranks of the Soviet Army with some minor changes The principal difference from the usual Western style is some variation in generals rank titles in at least one case Colonel General derived from German usage Most of the modern rank names used in the Russian military were borrowed from existing German Prussian French English Dutch and Polish ranks upon the formation of the modern Russian Army in the late 17th century 123 and have lasted with few changes of title through the Soviet period Officers Edit The rank insignia of commissioned officers Rank group General flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet Russian Ground Forces 124 vte Ma rshal rossi jskoj federa cii Marshal rossiyskoy federatsii Genera l a rmii General armii Genera l polko vnik General polkovnik Genera l lejtena nt General leytenant Genera l majo r General mayor Polko vnik Polkovnik Podpolko vnik Podpolkovnik Majo r Major Kapita n Kapitan Starshij lejtena nt Starshiy leytenant Lejtenant Leytenant Mla dshij lejtena nt Mladshiy leytenant Kursant KursantOther ranks Edit The rank insignia of non commissioned officers and enlisted personnel Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted Russian Ground Forces 124 vte Sta rshij pra porshik Starshiy praporshchik Pra porshik Praporshchyk Starshina Starshyna Sta rshij serzha nt Starshiy serzhant Serzha nt Serzhant Mla dshij serzha nt Mladshiy serzhant Efre jtor Efreĭtor Ryadovo j RyadovoyCommanders EditMain article Commander in Chief of the Russian Ground Forces Standard of Commander in Chief of the Russian Ground Forces Commander in chief 1992 1997 Edit Vladimir Semyonov 1992 1997 Chief of the Main Directorate 1998 2001 Edit Yury Bukreyev 1998 2001 Commander in chief 2001 present Edit Nikolai Kormiltsev 2001 2004 Aleksei Maslov 2004 2008 Vladimir Boldyrev 2008 2010 Aleksandr Postnikov Streltsov 2010 2012 Vladimir Chirkin 2012 2013 Sergei Istrakov 2013 2014 acting Oleg Salyukov 2014 present Ground Forces Day Edit Igor Matvienko composer of Forward infantry with Oleg Salyukov during the presentation of the anthem of the Ground Forces in 2016 On 31 May 2006 President Vladimir Putin signed decree No 549 On the establishment of professional holidays and memorable days in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation according to which it was ordered to celebrate Ground Forces Day Russian Den Suhoputnyh vojsk 125 The date chosen for the holiday commemorates the edict made by Tsar Ivan the Terrible on 1 October 1550 on the placement in Moscow and surrounding districts of a thousand servicemen forming a local brigade of Streltsy which essentially became a key document in the further formation and development of the Imperial Russian Army 126 Ground Forces Day was first celebrated on the Preobrazhenskaya Square in Moscow in the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord where a bishop s service was held Before the start of the service an order of the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu and the decree of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow were read according to which the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord officially became the main temple of the RF Ground Forces 127 128 A year later the holiday was celebrated with the adoption of the Ground Forces Anthem 129 130 The following holidays are also celebrated by the Ground Forces Day of Tankmen Day of Rocket Forces and Artillery Day of Air Defense 131 Gallery Edit Russian Spetsnaz in mountainous area Russian sappers unit during a demining operations in Aleppo Syria Officers of the Western Military District at the Union Shield 2019 Russian Belarusian exercise in the Nizhny Novgorod region Training of the Military Police of the Western Military District Russian Military Police training Russian army gunner during Zapad 2017 military exercise Russian troops conducting land operations 1st Guards Engineer Sapper Brigade during exercises in Mulino March 23 2018 Russian soldiers during winter exercise Russian Artillery units during an exercise in 2019See also Edit Russia portal War portalNaval Infantry Russia Awards and emblems of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian FederationReferences Edit Glavnaya SV 470sv mil ru Archived from the 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Book Dick Charles November 1993 Russian Views on Future War Part 3 Jane s Intelligence Review How are the mighty fallen The Economist 2005 06 30 Fes kov V I Golikov V I amp K A Kalashnikov 2004 The Soviet Army In The Years Of The Cold War 1945 1991 Tomsk University Publishing House ISBN 5 7511 1819 7 Finch Raymond C Why the Russian Military Failed in Chechnya Fort Leavenworth KS Foreign Military Studies Office Archived from the original on 2006 10 15 Galeotti Mark February 1997 Moscow s armed forces a city s balance of power Jane s Intelligence Review Giles Keir May 2007 Military Service in Russia No New Model Army PDF CSRC Golts Alexander 2004 Military Reform in Russia and the Global War Against Terrorism Journal of Slavic Military Studies 17 29 41 doi 10 1080 13518040490440647 S2CID 154254640 Herspring Dale July 2006 Undermining Combat Readiness in the Russian Military Armed Forces amp Society 32 4 doi 10 1177 0095327X06288030 S2CID 110963490 The Military Balance International Institute for Strategic Studies Archived from the original on 2013 01 19 Retrieved 2011 03 01 Lenskii A G amp Tsybin M M 2001 The Soviet Ground Forces in the Last Years of the USSR St Petersburg B amp K Publishers Lukin Mikhail amp Stukalin Aleksander 14 May 2005 Vsya Rossiyskaya Armiya Kommersant Vlast Moscow James H Brusstar amp Ellen Jones January 1995 McNair Paper 34 The Russian Military s Role in Politics Archived from the original on 2008 01 14 Odom William E 1998 The Collapse of the Soviet Military Yale University Press ISBN 0 300 07469 7 Orr Michael June 1998 The Russian Armed Forces as a factor in Regional Stability Report CSRC Orr Michael 2000 Better or Just Not So Bad An Evaluation of Russian Combat Performance in the Second Chechen War Report CSRC Orr Michael 2003 The Russian Ground Forces and Reform 1992 2002 Report Parchomenko Walter 1999 The State of Russia s Armed Forces and Military Reform The US Army War College Quarterly Parameters 29 4 doi 10 55540 0031 1723 1949 S2CID 234001418 Quartly Alan 8 March 2003 Miss Shooting Range crowned BBC News Robinson Colin 2005 The Russian Ground Forces Today A Structural Status Examination Journal of Slavic Military Studies 18 2 189 206 doi 10 1080 13518040590944421 S2CID 145691472 Schofield Carey 1991 Inside the Soviet Army London Headline ISBN 0 7472 0418 7 Scott Harriet Fast amp Scott William F Russian Military Directories 2002 amp 2004 Suvorov Viktor 1982 Inside the Soviet Army London Macmillan ISBN 0 586 05978 4 Turbiville Graham H 1995 Mafia in Uniform The Criminalisation of the Russian Armed Forces Fort Leavenworth U S Army Foreign Military Studies Office External links Edit Media related to Army of Russia at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Russian Ground Forces amp oldid 1139474119, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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