Russian Airborne Forces

The Russian Airborne Forces (Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска России, ВДВ, romanized: Vozdushno-desantnye voyska Rossii, VDV) is the airborne forces branch of the Russian Armed Forces. It was formed in 1992 from units of the Soviet Airborne Forces that came under Russian control following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Russian Airborne Forces

7 May 1992

Russia

Russian Armed Forces

Airborne forces

45,000 (2023)^[1]

Blue Berets, Winged Infantry, Troops of Uncle Vasya, Angels of Death

Никто, кроме нас! (Nobody, but us!)

Sky Blue

Paratroopers' Day (2 August)

Official website

Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky

Colonel General Evgeniy Ustinov

General Georgy Shpak

Troops of the Russian Airborne Forces have traditionally worn a blue beret and blue-striped telnyashka undershirt and are called desant (Russian: Десант), from the French Descente.^[3]

The Russian Airborne Forces utilizes a range of specialist airborne warfare vehicles and are fully mechanized. Traditionally they have had a larger complement of heavy weaponry than most contemporary airborne forces.^[4]

Commander Air Landing Forces – Colonel-General

Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of the Air Landing Forces – Lieutenant-General

Deputy Commander of the Air Landing Forces – Major-General

Deputy Commander of the Air Landing Forces for Peacekeeping Operations and – Major-General

Collective Rapid Reaction Forces

Chief of Air Landing Training and Deputy Commander of the Air Landing Forces for Air Landing Training – Major-General

Chief of Combat Training and Deputy Commander of the Air Landing Forces – Major-General

Deputy Commander of the Air Landing Forces for Educational Work – Colonel

M (including upgraded variants with the KM-AK Obves modernization kit)^[78] and AKS-74 assault rifles, and AKS-74U special purpose and self-defence carbine (5.45×39mm)

AK-74

assault rifles (5.45×39mm)^[79]

AK-12

light weight machinegun (5.45×39mm), now largely withdrawn from service and replaced by the PKM/PKP

RPK-74

general purpose machinegun (7.62×54mmR)

PKM

(PKP) general purpose machine gun (7.62×54mmR), currently replacing the PKM as the general purpose machine gun throughout the Russian Armed Forces

6P41 "Pecheneg"

S, sniper rifle (7.62×54mmR)

Dragunov SVD

modified SVD in bullpup configuration and its variants are in limited use

Dragunov SVU

main sniper rifle (7.62×54mmR)^[80]

SV-98

anti-materiel sniper rifle (12.7×108mm)^[30]

ASVK-M Kord-M

silenced sniper rifle (9×39mm)

VSS Vintorez

special assault rifle^[81]

AS Val

semi-automatic pistol (9×19mm Parabellum)

MP-443 Grach

semi-automatic pistol (9×18mm Mak) & Glock 17, semi-automatic pistol (9x19 Parabellum)

Makarov

GP-30 and GP-34, under-barrel 40 mm grenade launchers for fragmentation and gas grenades

GP-25

Plamya (Flame), 30 mm automatic grenade launcher

AGS-17

(Bumblebee), infantry rocket flamethrower, currently replacing the older RPO Rys (Lynx)

RPO-A Shmel

D anti-tank rocket launcher, or more modern systems such as the RPG-22 and RPG-26

RPG-7

82 mm mortar or the 120 mm 2S12 Sani on UAZ vehicles

2B14 Podnos

man-portable SAM system, or the more modern 9K338 Igla-S

9K38 Igla

man-portable SAM system, currently entering service^[82]

9K333 Verba

,^[83] 9K115 Metis and 9M133 Kornet^[84] man-portable anti-tank systems

9K111 Fagot

MTS-566 sniper rifle

[85]

Nickname(s): Blue Berets, Winged Infantry

Patron:

Saint Elijah the Prophet

Motto(s): Никто, кроме нас! (Nobody, but us!)

Beret Color:

Sky Blue

The 137th Guards Airborne Regiment troops in front of the BMD-4M vehicle.

The 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade during inspection.

Scout of the 106th Guards Airborne Division

Final check of the 56th Guards Air Assault Brigade

Paratroopers of the 83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade during an exercise.

Special Operations Forces (Russia)

Ukrainian Air Assault Forces

(in Russian)

Official web site of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

(in Russian)

Russian Airborne Forces