Armed Forces
of Russia
The Armed Forces of Russia were established soon after the
collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991. A decree signed
a year later placed all former Soviet armed forces stationed
in the former Russian Soviet Republic under control of the
Defence Ministry of the new Russian Commonwealth of Independent
States.
The Russian military is divided into three branches: Ground
Forces, Navy, and Air Force.
There are also three independent arms of service: Strategic
Rocket Forces, Military Space Forces, and the Airborne Troops.
The General Staff of the Defence Ministry oversees
the operations of the Russian armed forces.
Russian Army
The Russian Ground Forces (also called Glavkomat) are responsible
for protecting Russian territory and providing security on
occupied territories. They must also be able to perform these
tasks in both a nuclear and non-nuclear war, without the use
of weapons of mass destruction.
The Ground Forces are stationed across the country,
divided into six military districts: Moscow, Leningrad, North
Caucaus, Privolzhsk-Ural, Siberia and the Far East. Each military
district is capable of executing large-scale offensive combat
operations.
Historically, the Russian Navy has been a submarine fleet.
As of 2006, their 50 nuclear submarines provide a strategic
deterrence, in addition to patroling sea lanes along the Russian
coast.
Russian naval forces are made up of four fleets: the Baltic
Fleet, Pacific Fleet, Northern
Fleet, and the Black Sea Fleet in
the Ukraine (the Ukraine government agreed to lease several
base areas around Sevastopol to Russia until 2017). The naval
forces are supported by shore-based troops and naval aviation
forces.
The Russian Air Force is the third largest air force in the
world. They provide tactical aerial reconnaisance, air cover
and support to the other armed services, and act as a nuclear
deterrent.
The Air Force operates every military aircraft
except those aviation units belonging to the Navy. The air
fleet consists of a long-range aviation division, a tactical
division, and a military transport division.
After the breakup of the USSR, the Russian Federation
inherited a massive amount of the Soviet nuclear arsenal.
Consequently, Russia controls the largest stockpile of nuclear
warheads in the world, estimated at between 12,000–19,000
strategic and non-strategic weapons.
The Strategic Rocket Forces controls the Russia’s land-based
nuclear weapons. The Navy and Air Force control the submarine-based
missiles and air-based missles, respectively. Through a treaty,
Russia agreed to reduce its strategic arsenal and conventional
forces in Europe
Despite being a formidable nuclear power, it is generally
agreed that Russia's military is riddled with weaknesses.
The military equipment is outdated; its technology is decades
behind. In fact it is so bad that one officer was disciplined
for rapping in a Youtube video about decrepit Russian barracks
and military lockers, as well as his low pay.
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