Let’s look at how the Russian armed forces will evolve when Russian President Vladimir Putin’s directive to increase the number of personnel in the Russian Armed Forces to 2.04 million people takes effect in January 2023.
A total of 2,039,758 individuals, including 1,150,628 troops, are anticipated to be in the Russian Armed Forces at that time, along with the biggest nuclear arsenal and approximately 25 million citizens mobilised.
Structure of the Armed Forces of Russia
The Russian Armed Forces are split into four military regions for the purpose of geographical administration. In addition, the Joint Strategic Command “Northern Fleet” was set up in 2014 to safeguard Russia’s national interests in the Arctic.
Baltic Fleet, 1st Guards Tank Army, 6th Air and Air Defense Corps, 20th Guards Combined Army, and 6th Combined Army made up the Western Military District.
The Black Sea Fleet, the Caspian Squadron, and the 22nd Army are all components of the Southern Military District, as well as the 4th Air and Air Defense Corps.
The Central Military District, the largest military district in Russia, includes the three armed corps, the Military Base No. 201, and the Kant Air Base. The 11th Air Defense and Air Corps, the united four armed corps, and the Pacific Fleet make up the Eastern Military District.
The Joint Strategic Command’s “Northern Fleet” is made up of the submarine forces, three infantry and coast guard brigades, the 45th air and air defence corps, and mixed forces of the fleet stationed on the Kola Peninsula and at the Belomorsk naval base.
The Russian Armed Forces are organised into three services, two independent branches, and special formations that are not associated with any of the armed services.
The Russian Army is made up of the following components: motorised infantry units; tank forces; missile and artillery forces; air defence forces; reconnaissance units; engineering and technical units; chemical, radiation, and biological defence units; and information units. The Army is the largest branch of the Russian Armed Forces.
The foundation of the Army’s combat formations consists of motorised infantry units. Armed personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and military trucks are available to the motorised infantry.
In addition to tanks, artillery, and other weapons, motorised infantry formations are composed of additional troops. The tank force, which is composed of tank brigades and tank battalions under motorised infantry brigades, is the Army’s primary offensive force.
Breakouts for depth and expansion are carried out using tank units. The T-72B3M, T-80BVM, and T-90M are contemporary vehicles that are employed by Russian tank regiments. The Iskander-M missile system, the Tornado-S and Tornado-G multiple launch missile systems, as well as the Khrizantema-SP anti-tank system are also available to the Army.
The Aerospace Service was established in 2015 following the merger of the Russian Air Force and Aerospace Defense Forces. This service consists of aerial units that carry out cargo transportation, ensure air superiority, support ground and surface forces, and defend against aerial assaults.
The role of the anti-aircraft and missile defence forces in the Aerospace Forces is to safeguard crucial facilities in the Moscow region. The space force has been reformed as a component of the Aerospace Forces to construct and manage space hardware in orbit and to identify dangers to Russia both in and outside of space.
The Northern, Baltic, Black Sea, and Pacific fleets, along with the Caspian fleet, make up the Navy. Surface troops make up the Navy, and their ships are equipped with a range of armaments that let them attack ground, submarine, air, and land targets.
The fleet will receive the “Admiral Golovko” frigate, which can transport Zircon hypersonic missiles, in 2022. The submarine force is a different division of the Navy and is composed of diesel-electric and nuclear submarines that are equipped with cruise and ballistic missiles.
The Navy was given the specialist nuclear submarine K-329 Belgorod in July 2022. Strategic unmanned Poseidon vehicles will be transported aboard this kind of ship. Naval aviation is used for reconnaissance, tracking down and destroying enemy fleets, and defending ships and infrastructure. It is deployed on aircraft carriers and coastal airfields .
Both aircraft and helicopters are available for naval aviation, including specialised anti-submarine aircraft like the Il-38 and Tu-142, MiG-29K and Su-33 fighters, as well as anti-submarine helicopters. The Navy also has coast guard divisions that are designed to aid fleet forces and safeguard coastal infrastructure. Marines, missile forces, and coastal artillery are employed by coast guard organisations.
T-80BVM tanks, Bal, and Bastion coastal missile systems are all part of the Coast Guard’s arsenal. Notably, Russia created the 14th Coast Guard Corps in 2017. This unit has received specialised training and is furnished with machinery that operates efficiently at temperatures below 30 degrees. On the chassis of two-link all-terrain vehicles, specific weaponry are being designed for Arctic units.
The Strategic Missile Forces and the Airborne Forces are the two separate divisions of the Russian Armed Forces. The Supreme Commander-in-reserve Chief’s force includes the Airborne Forces, a separate military component. The Airborne Forces are composed of assault-amphibious brigades, airborne and assault-landing divisions, military support units, educational institutions, and military special-purpose units.
Tank battalions and companies are employed by amphibious assault units, along with electronic warfare and unmanned aerial vehicle companies. The airborne units are outfitted with cutting-edge gear, such as BTR-MDM “Rakushka” armoured personnel carriers, light tactical vehicles, and “Typhoon-VDV” vehicles with anti-mine protection.
The main element of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces is the Strategic Missile Forces, which are under the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. The Strategic Missile Force is constantly prepared. This service is utilised for nuclear deterrence and the use of nuclear missile strikes to destroy strategic targets.
Three missile corps and twelve missile divisions make up the Strategic Missile Force’s standing army. Aside from missile arsenals and spaceports, the Strategic Missile Force also has training centres. Intercontinental ballistic missiles UR-100N UTTKh, R-36M2 “Voevoda,” which will soon be replaced by Sarmat complexes, as well as Topol-M and Yars are now in the inventory of the Strategic Missile Forces.
The Strategic Missile Force also has engineering divisions that are equipped with specialised equipment like KDM line detectors, Leaves remote minesweeping machines, camouflage machines, and technical support that enables the equipment to be deployed and set up dummy complexes on the ground.
The Russian Armed Forces have specialised units, such as communication, electronic warfare, information, and communication units, that are designed to support combat and logistics as well as control and complete unique duties. units for radiation, chemical, and biological protection, engineering, and information. The Russian Armed Forces’ Logistics Support Units, which comprise motorised, pipeline, road, and rail support units, are also included on the list of special units.
