Russian Airborne minor emblem

Russian Airborne major emblem

The Russian Airborne Troops or VDV ( from "Vozdushno-Desantnye Voyska" Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска = ВДВ) is an arm of service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, on a par with the Strategic Rocket Forces and the Russian Space Forces. The Airborne Troops are the most capable mobile assault forces of Russia, as they are airborne forces in the first place. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (UTC) (Russian: Transliteration: Vooruzhyónniye síly Rossíyskoy Federátsii) is the military of Russia, established after the break-up of the Soviet Union. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Russian Air Force (Russian: Военно-воздушные cилы России, transliteration: Voyenno-vozdushnye sily Rossii) is the air force of Russia. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Russian Ground Forces (Russian: ) are the land forces of the Russian Federation, formed from parts of the collapsing Soviet Army in 1992. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Russian Navy or VMF (Russian: Военно-Морской Флот (ВМФ) - Voyenno- Morskoy Flot (VMF) or Military Maritime Fleet) is the naval arm of the Russian armed forces. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Strategic Rocket Forces of Russia (Russian: Ракетные войска стратегического назначения (РВСН), transliteration: Raketnye voyska strategicheskogo naznacheniya) are a major division of the Russian armed forces that controls Russias land-based ICBMs. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Russian Marines emblem and slogan Naval Infantry of Russia: Victory follows us! The Russian Marines, perhaps better translated as the Russian Naval Infantry, (Russian: Морская пехота ) are an elite force of the Russian Armed Forces. ... Insignia of Russian Air Force The Russian Air Force or VVS (transliterated from Russian: Военно-воздушные силы (Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily)) is the air force of the Russian Federation, , the official designation of the former Soviet Air Force. ... Russian GRAU major Emblem The Main Agency of Missiles and Artillery of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union (GRAU) (Russian: ) is a department of the Russian (ex Soviet) Ministry of Defense. ... Voyska PVO (Russian: Войска ПВО, or PVO Strany until 1981) was the air defense branch of the Soviet military. ... Emblem of the Russian Air Force The following table presents images of the rank insignia used by the Russian Federation Air Force (VVS). ... Emblem of Armed forces of the Russian Federation Emblem of the Land forces of the Russian Federation The independent Russia inherited the ranks of the Soviet Union, although the insignia and uniform was altered a little. ... Insignia of the Russian Navy. ... The military history of Russia may refer to the following things: Military history of Muscovy Military history of Imperial Russia Military history of the Soviet Union Military history of the Russian Federation This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Modern Russian military ranks trace their roots to Table of Ranks established by Peter the Great. ... The military ranks of the Soviet Union were those introduced after the October Revolution of 1917. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links RAT_great_emblem. ... Image File history File links RAT_great_emblem. ... The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (UTC) (Russian: Transliteration: Vooruzhyónniye síly Rossíyskoy Federátsii) is the military of Russia, established after the break-up of the Soviet Union. ... The Strategic Rocket Forces of Russia (Russian: Ракетные войска стратегического назначения (РВСН), transliteration: Raketnye voyska strategicheskogo naznacheniya) are a major division of the Russian armed forces that controls Russias land-based ICBMs. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Airborne Military parachuting form of insertion. ...

Soviet Era

Originally formed in the Soviet Union during the mid 1930s, they were massively expanded during World War II, where they formed up to ten Airborne Corps with numerous Independent Airborne Brigades, with most or all achieving "Guards" status. 9th Guards Army was eventually formed with three Guards Rifle Corps (37,38,39) of Airborne divisions. One of the new units was the 100th Airborne Division. At the end of the war they were reconstituted as Guards Rifle Divisions. They were later rebuilt and eventually formed seven Airborne Divisions, with an Independent Airborne regiment and up to sixteen Air Assault Brigades. They were formed into their own VDV command to give the Soviets a rapid strike force to spearhead strategic military operations. Face The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Guards (Russian: гвардия) or Guards units (Russian: гвардейские части) were and are elite military units in Imperial Russia, Soviet Union and Russian Federation. ... The 100th Guards Rifle Division was an elite Red Army airborne infantry division during World War II. // From the beginning of the war, the Soviet Army strongly emphasized the development of airborne forces and their use behind enemy lines. ...

In 1989, the Airborne Forces consisted of:

• 7th Airborne Division (Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR)
• 76th Airborne Division (Pskov, RSFSR)
• 98th Airborne Division (Bolgrad & Kishinev, Moldovan SSR)
• 103rd Airborne Division (Vitebsk)
• 104th Guards Airborne Division (Kirovabad, Azerbaijan SSR)
• 106th Guards Airborne Division (Tula, RSFSR)
• 242nd Training Centre of the Airborne Forces (Jonava, Lithuanian SSR)
• 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment (Gudauta, Georgian SSR)
• 11th Air Assault Brigade
• 13th Air Assault Brigade
• 14th, 21st, 23rd, 35th, 36th, 37th, 38th, 39th, 40th, 56th, 83rd, 95th, 100th Air Assault Brigades
• 171st Independent Communications Brigade (Medvezhi Ozera, Moscow Military District, RSFSR)

Location Ethnographic region AukÅ¡taitija County Kaunas County Municipality Geographic coordinate system Number of elderates 11 General Information Capital of Kaunas County Kaunas city municipality Kaunas district municipality Population 361,274 in 2005 (2nd) First mentioned 1361 Granted city rights 1408 Kaunas ( (help· info), approximate English transcription [ˈkəʊ.nÉ™s... State motto: Lithuanian: Visų Å¡alių proletarai, vienykitÄ—s! Translation: Workers of the world, unite! Capital Vilnius Official language None. ... The Trinity Cathedral (1682-99) is a symbol of Pskovs former might and independence. ... State motto: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Workers of the world, unite!) Official language None (Russian in practice) Capital Moscow Chairman of the Supreme... Status Municipality Founded 1436 Area 635 km² Population (2004) 647,513 [1] - density 1,114 inh/km² - rank 1st Localities (total): 35 - cities 7 - communes 12 - unincorporated 16 Mayor Dorin Chirtoacă, since 2007 Council 51 members, since 2007 - Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova 16 - Liberal Party (Moldova... State motto: Пролетарь дин тоате цэриле, униць-вэ! Official language None. ... Coat of arms of Vitebsk. ... Ganja (Gəncə or Ҝәнҹә) is an ancient town now in the Republic of Azerbaijan. ... State motto: Бүтүн өлкәләрин пролетарлары, бирләшин! Workers of the world, unite! Official language None. ... Paratroopers from the Tula Division stand to attention during an exercise in Kazakhstan. ... , For other uses, see Tula (disambiguation). ... State motto: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Workers of the world, unite!) Official language None (Russian in practice) Capital Moscow Chairman of the Supreme... Location Ethnographic region AukÅ¡taitija County Kaunas County Municipality Jonava district municipality Elderate Number of elderates Coordinates General information Capital of Jonava district municipality Population (rank) 34,954 in 2001 (9th) First mentioned 1740 Granted city rights 1864 Jonava ( (help· info)) is the 9th largest city in Lithuania with population... State motto: Lithuanian: Visų Å¡alių proletarai, vienykitÄ—s! Translation: Workers of the world, unite! Capital Vilnius Official language None. ... Gudauta is a town in Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia. ... State motto: პროლეტარ ყველა ქვეყნისა, შეერთდით! Official language Georgian since 1978 Capital Tbilisi Chairman of the Supreme Council Zviad Gamsakhurdia (at independence) Established In the USSR:  - Since  - Until February 25, 1921 December 30, 1922 April 9, 1991 Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 10th in former Soviet Union 69,700 km² -- Population  - Total (1989)  - Density Ranked... The Moscow Military District is a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. ... State motto: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Workers of the world, unite!) Official language None (Russian in practice) Capital Moscow Chairman of the Supreme...

After the Fall of the Soviet Union

Russian paratroopers stand at attention during an exercise in Kazakhstan.

With the demise of the Soviet Union, the number of VDV divisions has shrunk from seven to four, as well as one brigade: Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x682, 248 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Russian Airborne Troops Beret ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x682, 248 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Russian Airborne Troops Beret ...

• 7th Airborne Division - Novorossiysk
• 76th Air Assault Division - Pskov
• 98th Airborne Division - Ivanovo
• 106th Airborne Division - Tula
• 31st Airborne Brigade - Ul'yanovsk

Two other Air Assault Brigades are partially infantry formations reporting directly to the military districts they are stationed in. The VDV's training institute is the Ryazan Institute for the Airborne Troops named for V. Margelov. In the early 1990s, General Pavel Grachev, the first Russian Defence Minister, planned for the VDV to form the core of the planned Mobile Forces. This was announced in Red Star (Krasnaya Zvezda) in July 1992. However, the Mobile Forces plan never eventuated. The number of formations available for the force was far less than anticipated, since much of the Airborne Forces had been 'nationalised' by the republics their units had been previously based in, and other arms of service, such as the GRU and Military Transport Aviation, who were to provide the airlift component, were adamantly opposed to ceding control of their forces. Novorossiysk (Russian Новороссийск) is a city in southern Russia, one of the main Russian ports on the Black Sea, in Krasnodar Krai. ... The Trinity Cathedral (1682-99) is a symbol of Pskovs former might and independence. ... Ivanovo (Russian: Ива́ново) is the administrative center of Ivanovo Oblast, Russia. ... Paratroopers from the Tula Division stand to attention during an exercise in Kazakhstan. ... , For other uses, see Tula (disambiguation). ... Military districts are territorial entities used for the purposes of military planning and strategizing. ... , Ryazan (Russian: IPA: ) is a city in the Central Federal District of Russia, the administrative center of Ryazan Oblast. ... Russian Defence Minister Pavel Grachev speaking in the State Duma in 1994. ... The Soviet military newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda (Кра́сная звезда́, Red Star) was founded on January 1, 1924. ...

Old sleeve ensign version of Russian Airborne field uniform

After an experimental period, the 104th Parachute Regiment of 76th Airborne Division became the first Russian ground forces regiment that was fully composed of professional soldiers (and not of "srochniki" - the conscripted soldiers aged eighteen). It should be noted, however, that an additional major conversion of many many units across the Russian armed forces to contract manning is now under way. It was announced that the 98th Airborne Division is also earmarked for contract manning, and by September 2006, it was confirmed that 95% of the units of the 98th Division had shifted to contract manning.^[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Unlike western airborne units which must walk when they arrive at their destination, the VDV divisions are mechanized with over 250 armored fighting vehicles, the BMD-3 family of vehicles. VDV units have superior mobility with these vehicles and superior firepower, each division has two regiments equipped with them and their derivatives. (Each division used to have three regiments, but the 106th was the last, and lost its third regiment in 2006.) The single independent brigade, the 31st at Ul'yanovsk, however, is not equipped with its own armor or artillery and may be equivalent to western airborne, in that it functions as light infantry and must walk when reaching their destination. The 31st was the former 104th Guards Airborne Division. The BMD-3 (Boyevaya Mashina Desantnya) is a light, armored, air-dropable vehicle of Russian origin. ...

VDV troops participated in the rapid deployment of Russian forces in and around Pristina airport during the Kosovo War, surprising NATO. They also were deployed in Chechnya as an active bridgehead for other forces to follow. Prishtinë/Prishtina (Albanian indefinite/definite form) or Priština (Приштина) (Serbian) is the capital city of Kosovo, a landlocked province of Serbia located at 42°65′ N 21°17′ E. It is estimated that the current population of Prishtina is... The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts (a civil war followed by an international war) in the southern Serbian province called Kosovo (officially Kosovo and Metohia), part of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague. ... The Chechen Republic (IPA: ; Russian: , Chechenskaya Respublika; Chechen: , Noxçiyn Respublika), or, informally, Chechnya (; Russian: ; Chechen: , Noxçiyçö), sometimes referred to as Ichkeria, Chechnia, Chechenia or Noxçiyn, is a federal subject of Russia. ...

A VDV unit, the 45th ORPSN (Independent Special Reconnaissance Regiment), that reportedly performed brilliantly in Chechnya during the second campaign, was said to actually represent a Spetznaz GRU unit, which was later proven untrue. British regiment A regiment is a military unit, consisting of a variable number of battalions - commanded by a colonel. ... Spetsnaz soldier training Spetsnaz (Войска специального назначения - спецназ/Voiska spetsialnogo naznacheniya - spetsnaz, /Specnaz/ in SAMPA) is a general term... For other uses, see GRU (disambiguation). ...

Former sleeve ensign of Russian Airborne service uniform

In January 2007, supreme commander of VDV general-colonel Aleksander Kolmakov announced that within next 3 years, VDV will be re-equipped with the newest types of equipment. Equipment includes the new BMD-4 “Bahcha-U” airborne fighting vehicle, 125mm self-propelled anti-tank/artillery gun 2C25 “Sprut”, new BTR-D3 “Rakushka”, airborne truck “KamAZ-43501” as well as new parachutes “D-10” and new firearms and other personal equipment for conventional and special purposes. Image File history File links Russian_Airborne_Troops_patch. ... Image File history File links Russian_Airborne_Troops_patch. ...

Russian airborne troops had their own holiday during the Soviet era, which continues to be celebrated on the 2nd of August. is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Notable former Airborne Forces officers include Aleksandr Lebed, who was involved in responses to disorder in the Caucasus republics in the last years of the Soviet Union, and Pavel Grachev who went on to become the first Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation. Pride heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter Sergey Kharitonov, went to the Airborne Troops academy in Ryazan', and remains on active duty with the Russian Airborne Troops. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Russian Defence Minister Pavel Grachev speaking in the State Duma in 1994. ... A defence minister (Commonwealth English) or defense minister (American English) is a cabinet portfolio (position) which regulates the armed forces in a sovereign nation. ... Pride is the name of an emotion which refers to a strong sense of self-respect, a refusal to be humiliated as well as joy in the accomplishments of oneself or a person, group, nation or object that one identifies with. ... Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a combat sport in which a wide variety of fighting techniques are used, including striking and grappling. ... Sergei Kharitonov (IPA: ; Russian: Сергей Харитонов) is a Russian heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter in the PRIDE Fighting Championships, a major MMA organization based in Japan. ... In the United States military active duty refers to military members who are currently serving full time in their military capacity. ...

References

1. ^ http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-20602902_ITM

• Pavel Baev, The Russian Army in a Time of Troubles, International Peace Research Institute, Oslo, 1996, p.127-135
• Carey Schofield, The Russian Elite: Inside Spetsnaz and the Airborne Forces, Stackpole/Greenhill, 1993
• VDV at Brinskster.com
• globalsecurity article on Airborne Assault Troops
• RUSSIAN VDV KGB-Military schools article on the VDV

External links

• Unofficial website of VDV Russian Only
• Website of "For VDV!" Russian Only
• Association of VDV veterans Russian Only
• History of VDV on pobeda.ru Russian Only
• SovietAirborne.com - Uniforms, Equipment, Weapons and More "English site"

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Russian Airborne Troops