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The Russian Airborne Troops or VDV (from "Vozdushno-Desantnye Vojska", Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска = ВДВ; Air-landing Armies) 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.

Contents 1 Soviet Era 2 After the Fall of the Soviet Union 3 References 4 External links

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. A separate VDV command was formed to give the Soviets a rapid strike force to spearhead strategic military operations. The first experimental air assault brigade - the 1st Airborne [Airmobile/Air Assault] Brigade - was apparently activated in 1967/1968 from parts of the 51st Guards Parachute Landing Regiment (PDP) (Tula), after the Russian had been impressed by the American experiences in Vietnam.^[1]

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)

With the demise of the Soviet Union, the number of VDV divisions has shrunk from seven to four, as well as one brigade and the brigade-sized training centre:^[2]

• 7th Airborne Division - Novorossiysk
• 76th Air Assault Division - Pskov
• 98th Airborne Division - Ivanovo
• 106th Airborne Division - Tula
• 31st Airborne Brigade - Ulyanovsk
• 242nd Training Centre, Omsk

Two other Air Assault brigades & regiments (the 11th Air Assault Brigade in the Siberian Military District and the 56th Air Assault Regiment in the North Caucasus Military District) 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.

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.^[3]

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, as each division has two regiments equipped with them and their derivatives. However, it is not clear that the 61st Air Army, Russia's military air transport force, has enough heavy transport aircraft to move even one airborne division in its present state. (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 Ulyanovsk, however, is not equipped with its own armor or artillery and may be equivalent to Western airborne troops, in that it functions as light infantry and must walk when reaching their destination. The 31st was the former 104th Guards Airborne Division.

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.

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 Spetsnaz GRU unit, which was later proven untrue.

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 anti-aircraft self-propelled missile/gun vehicle 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.

Russian airborne troops had their own holiday during the Soviet era, which continues to be celebrated on the 2nd of August. One of their most prized distinguishing marks is their Telnyashka shirts.

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 Sergei Kharitonov, went to the Airborne Troops academy in Ryazan', and remains on active duty with the Russian Airborne Troops.

1. ^ http://www.almanacwhf.ru/?no=6&art=Cool via www.orbat.com forum
2. ^ Routledge, IISS Military Balance 2007, p.195
3. ^ 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
• RUSSIAN VDV KGB-Military schools article on the VDV

• 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"