Ground Forces (Russia)

Ground Forces (Russia)
Unit name	Ground Forces (Russia)
Native name	Сухопутные войска Российской Федерации
Dates	1992–present
Country	Russia
Branch	Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Type	Army (military formation)
Role	Land warfare
Size	Approx. 280,000–350,000 personnel (est.)
Garrison	Moscow
Anniversaries	1 May (Day of the Ground Forces (Russia) )
Commanders	Vladimir Putin, Valery Gerasimov, Oleg Salyukov

Ground Forces (Russia) are the principal land warfare component of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and primary successor to elements of the Soviet Ground Forces, Red Army formations and Cossack units. Tasked with territorial defense, force projection, combined-arms operations and strategic deterrence, they operate alongside the Russian Aerospace Forces, Russian Navy, and other services. The Ground Forces have played central roles in post-Soviet conflicts, interstate crises and power-projection missions across the Eurasia region.

History

The Ground Forces trace institutional lineage to the Imperial Russian Army and the Red Army of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic; after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Soviet ground formations were reorganized under the Ministry of Defence (Russia), establishing the modern force in 1992. During the 1990s the Ground Forces were shaped by combat in the First Chechen War and the Second Chechen War, engagements that influenced doctrine and force structure alongside lessons from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. In the 2000s, reforms prompted by analyses of the Russo-Georgian War led to professionalization drives, creating brigade-centric structures influenced by NATO studies and the US Army transformation debates. The 2010s and 2020s saw large-scale rearmament programs, operational deployments to Syria and sustained involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022) that affected equipment inventories, manpower policies and strategic posture.

Organization and Structure

The Ground Forces are commanded through the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and administered by the Ministry of Defence (Russia), under the political leadership of the President of Russia. Operational control is exercised via several combined-arms commands including the Western Military District, Southern Military District, Central Military District, Eastern Military District and the Northern Fleet forces in coordination with the Northern Fleet command. Principal formations include combined-arms armies, motor rifle brigades, tank divisions and artillery commands, augmented by airborne-capable units from the Russian Airborne Forces and support from Russian Strategic Rocket Forces and Russian Space Forces assets. Specialized branches encompass the Engineer Troops, NBC Protection Troops, Signals Troops, Railway Troops, Logistics Support formations and various military academies such as the Moscow Higher Military Command School.

Equipment and Capabilities

The Ground Forces operate a mix of legacy and modern systems including main battle tanks like the T-72, T-80, and T-90, and newer T-14 Armata prototypes. Mechanized maneuver relies on infantry fighting vehicles such as the BMP-2, BMP-3 and armoured personnel carriers like the BTR-80 family, while artillery strength derives from self-propelled guns such as the 2S19 Msta, rocket artillery like the BM-21 Grad and long-range systems including the 9K720 Iskander. Air-defense is provided by systems interoperating with the Russian Aerospace Forces, including the 9K37 Buk and integrated with S-300/S-400 networks. Electronic warfare and counter-battery capabilities increased through deployment of systems analogous to the Krasukha family and reconnaissance assets including unmanned aerial vehicles such as the Orlan-10. Logistics and mobility are supported by platforms like the KAMAZ truck series, bridging units with PMM (pontoon bridge) systems and tactical rail movement overseen by the Railway Troops.

Personnel and Training

Personnel policy has combined conscription, contractual service (kontraktniki) and recruitment of volunteers, with reforms aimed at increasing the proportion of professional soldiers and NCO cadre, influenced by experiences from the Chechen Wars and operations in Syria. Training institutions include the General Staff Academy, Combined Arms Academy, and service branch academies responsible for officer education, staff training and doctrine development. Field exercises such as the Vostok and Zapad exercises, multinational drills like Exercise SCO Peace Mission and company/battalion live-fire drills are central to combat readiness. Medical, psychological and veteran support systems collaborate with the Ministry of Health (Russia) and regional administrations to manage casualties and post-deployment integration.

Operational Deployments and Conflicts

Since 1992, the Ground Forces have been engaged in internal counterinsurgency operations in the North Caucasus, peace enforcement in Transnistria and Abkhazia, interstate combat in the Russo-Georgian War (2008), expeditionary support to the Syrian Arab Republic during the Syrian Civil War, and the large-scale invasion of Ukraine (2022–present). Operations have included combined-arms offensives, urban warfare in Grozny and Donetsk Oblast, mechanized breakthroughs in Crimea annexation, and sustained artillery campaigns. These deployments influenced international responses from organizations such as the United Nations, European Union and NATO, and prompted sanctions regimes and arms control dialogues involving the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe legacy and bilateral talks with United States interlocutors.

Modernization and Reforms

Post-2008 reforms accelerated professionalization, restructuring from division-heavy templates to more flexible brigade and divisional hybrids, procurement programs under the State Armament Program funded modernization of armor, artillery and command-and-control systems, and investments in cyber and electronic warfare capabilities. Doctrinal adaptation incorporated lessons from combined-arms maneuver, urban combat, and joint operations with the Russian Aerospace Forces and Russian Navy. Ongoing reforms emphasize improving logistics, NCO development, reserve mobilization systems, and integration of unmanned systems and network-centric capabilities; these efforts remain shaped by strategic priorities set by the President of Russia and assessments from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Category:Military units and formations of Russia Category:Land forces