Global InformationRussian Armed Forces information
| Armed Forces of the Russian Federation | |
|---|---|
| Вооружённые си́лы Росси́йской Федера́ции | |
 Emblem of the Russian Armed Forces | |
 Banner of the Russian Armed Forces | |
| Founded | 1721 (Imperial Russian Army) |
| Current form | 7 May 1992 |
| Service branches |  Ground Forces Navy Aerospace Forces Strategic Rocket Forces Airborne Forces Special Operations Forces |
| Headquarters | Ministry of Defence, Moscow |
| Leadership | |
| Supreme Commander-in-Chief |  Vladimir Putin |
| Minister of Defence |  Sergei Shoigu |
| Chief of the General Staff |  Valery Gerasimov |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18[1] |
| Conscription | 12 months[2] |
| Active personnel | 1,320,000 (December Draft)[3] (ranked 4th) |
| Reserve personnel | c. 2,000,000[4][Note 1] |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | US$86.4 billion (2023)[5] (ranked 3rd) |
| Percent of GDP | 4.1% (2023)[5] |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers | See list:
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| Foreign suppliers |  Belarus (MZKT) Italy (Iveco)[6][7] Iran (HESA)[8] |
| Annual imports | US$905 million (2010–2021)[9] |
| Annual exports | US$74.535 billion (2010–2021)[9] |
| Related articles | |
| History | Military history of the Russian Federation |
| Ranks | Army ranks Navy ranks Aerospace Forces ranks |
| Russian Armed Forces |
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| Staff |
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| Services (vid) |
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| Independent troops (rod) |
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| Special operations force (sof) |
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| History of the Russian military |
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The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,[a] commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with 1.15 million and at least two million reserve personnel.[10] According to the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), "Russia plans to expand its active personnel force to 1.5 million by 2026, which will make it the third largest in the world, after China and India."[11] The country has three primary branches of service: the Ground Forces, the Navy, and the Aerospace Forces, as well as two independent arms of service: the Strategic Rocket Forces and Airborne Forces.[12] In addition, the Special Operations Forces Command was established in 2013, with an estimated strength in 2022 of 1,000, possibly with additional supporting staff.[13]
In 2023, Russia had the world's third-highest military expenditure, allocating a budget of approximately US$86.4 billion to the military.[14][5] The Russian Armed Forces maintain the world's largest stockpile of nuclear weapons,[15] and possess the world's second-largest fleet of ballistic missile submarines;[16] they are also one of only three national militaries (alongside those of the United States and China) that operate strategic bombers.[17] With certain exceptions, Russian law mandates one year of military service for all male citizens aged 18–27.[1][18]
In spite of Russia's perceived military strength, as recorded in various assessments, deficiencies have been noted in the country's combat performance on both the tactical and operational scales. According to multiple reports, endemic corruption within the Russian Armed Forces has had a major impact on Russia's ability to effectively project hard power.[19][20][21] Amidst the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, severe logistical failures have greatly impacted the operational performance of Russian troops, as different service branches have struggled to coordinate and work together. Continuous shortcomings have led Russia's war effort to suffer extensive setbacks since the initial invasion; the Russian Armed Forces have experienced successive losses of occupied/annexed territory, the large-scale destruction and squandering of their equipment, and a notably high casualty rate.[22][23][24] Researchers from the US-funded RAND Corporation have observed that Russia continues to struggle with military professionalization.[25]
Directly controlled by the Security Council of Russia, the Russian Armed Forces form part of the country's defence services under Russian law, fulfilling this capacity alongside the Border Guard of the Federal Security Service, the National Guard, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Protective Service, the Foreign Intelligence Service, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
- ^ a b "О воинской обязанности и военной службе" [About military duty and military service]. Federal Law No. 53-FZ of 28 March 1998 (in Russian). State Duma. Archived 28 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine "Законодательство России. Расширенный поиск". Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ Masters, Jonathan (28 September 2015). "The Russian Military". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ "Putin orders the Russian military to add 170,000 troops for a total of 1.32 million". Associated Press News. December 2023.
- ^ IISS 2021, p. 191.
- ^ a b c "Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2022" (PDF). Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. April 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "The War Trade: How Italy Sold Armoured Vehicles To Russia + Their Deployment With Syrian Army Militias". bellingcat. 20 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Korolkov, Alexander (25 January 2016). "Russia continues to buy Iveco LMV armored cars from Italy". Russia Beyond. Archived from the original on 25 July 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ "Russia's use of Iranian drones shows up domestic weakness". France 24. 17 October 2022. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ a b "TIV of arms imports/exports from Russia, 2010-2021". Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 7 February 2022. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ Nichol, Jim (21 December 2022). "Russian military announces plan to expand, create new units". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
Russia expands active personnel to 1.5 million from 1.15 forces
- ^ "Russia". Central Intelligence Agency. 28 February 2023. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2022 – via CIA.gov.
- ^ "Russia". Central Intelligence Agency. 28 February 2023. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2022 – via CIA.gov.
- ^ IISS, The Military Balance 2022, 201.
- ^ Tian, Nan; Fleurant, Aude; Kuimova, Alexandra; Wezeman, Pieter D.; Wezeman, Siemon T. (26 April 2021). "Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2020" (PDF). Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "Nuclear Weapons: Who Has What at a Glance". Arms Control Association. August 2020. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ "Ballistic missile submarines data". Asia Power Index. Lowy Institute. 2021. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ^ Paul, T. V.; Wirtz, James J.; Fortmann, Michael (2004). Balance of power: theory and practice in the 21st century. Stanford University Press. p. 332. ISBN 978-0-8047-5017-2. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ciawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ ""Вывозили на КАМАЗе". Как российские солдаты и офицеры воровали у армии трусы, берцы и бронежилеты". BBC News Русская служба (in Russian). Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ Kovalev, Alexey (19 October 2022). "As War Hits the Homefront, Russia's Defeat Inches Closer". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ "'The army has nothing': new Russian conscripts bemoan lack of supplies". the Guardian. 20 October 2022. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ Sonne, Paul; Lamothe, Dan; Ilyushina, Mary (13 September 2022). "Rapid loss of territory in Ukraine reveals spent Russian military". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "The woes of the Russian war machine are big and real. Are they also temporary?". The Economist. 28 February 2022. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "The Russian Military's Debacle in Ukraine". The New Yorker. 11 March 2022. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ^ Posard, Marek N.; Holynska, Khrystyna (21 March 2022). "Russia has a military professionalism problem, and it is costing them in Ukraine". Breaking Defense. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
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