Russian Ground Forces

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Lore & Background

The Russian Ground Forces were established by Russian president Boris Yeltsin, who signed a decree forming the Russian Ministry of Defence on 7 May 1992. This created the Ground Forces along with the other branches of the Russian Armed Forces. At the same time, the General Staff was withdrawing tens of thousands of personnel from the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, the Northern Group of Forces in Poland, the Central Group of Forces in Czechoslovakia, the Southern Group of Forces in Hungary, and from Mongolia. Thirty-seven Soviet Ground Forces divisions had to be withdrawn from the four groups of forces and the Baltic States, and four military districts—totaling 57 divisions—were handed over to Belarus and Ukraine. The withdrawal from the former Warsaw Pact states and the Baltic states was an extremely demanding, expensive, and debilitating process. The Ministry of Defence newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda published a reform plan on 21 July 1992, which advocated a change from an Army-Division-Regiment structure to a Corps-Brigade arrangement. However, few of the reforms planned in the early 1990s eventuated, due to an absence of firm civilian political guidance, declining funding, and no firm consensus within the military about what reforms should be implemented. General Pavel Grachev, the first Russian Minister of Defence (1992–96), wished to preserve the old Soviet-style Army, with large numbers of low-strength formations and continued mass conscription.

In Their Own Story

The new Russian Ground Forces inherited an increasing crime problem from their Soviet predecessors. As draft resistance grew in the last years of the Soviet Union, the authorities tried to compensate by enlisting men with criminal records and who spoke little or no Russian. Crime rates soared, with the military procurator in Moscow in September 1990 reporting a 40-percent increase in crime over the previous six months, including a 41-percent rise in serious bodily injuries. Disappearances of weapons rose to rampant levels, especially in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Generals directing the withdrawals from Eastern Europe diverted arms, equipment, and foreign monies intended to build housing in Russia for the withdrawn troops. Several years later, the former commander in Germany, General Matvey Burlakov, and the defence minister, Pavel Grachev, had their involvement exposed. They were also accused of ordering the murder of reporter Dmitry Kholodov, who had been investigating the scandals. In December 1996, Defence Minister Igor Rodionov ordered the dismissal of the Commander of the Ground Forces, General Vladimir Semyonov, for activities incompatible with his position — reportedly his wife's business activities. A 1995 study by the U.S. Foreign Military Studies Office went as far as to say that the Armed Forces were 'an institution increasingly defined by the high levels of military criminality and corruption embedded within it at every level.'

Reader's Guide

The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, the security of occupied territories, and the defeat of enemy troops. The Ground Forces must be able to achieve these goals both in nuclear war and non-nuclear war, especially without the use of weapons of mass destruction. Furthermore, they must be capable of protecting the national interests of Russia within the framework of its international obligations. The Main Command of the Ground Forces is officially tasked with the following objectives: the training of troops for combat, on the basis of tasks determined by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation; the improvement of troops' structure and composition, and the optimization of their numbers, including for Specialised Troops (a term covering several combat service support branches such as Engineers; Russian Signal Troops; the Russian NBC Protection Troops; Motor Transport; Russian Railway Troops, and Road Troops); the development of military theory and practice; the development and introduction of training field manuals, tactics, and methodology; and the improvement of operational and combat training of the Ground Forces. It should be clearly noted that Spetsnaz GRU, most special forces, are under the control of the Main Reconnaissance Directorate (GRU), now the Main Directorate of the General Staff.

Did You Know?

• The Russian Ground Forces were officially established on 7 May 1992 by a decree from President Boris Yeltsin.
• Thirty-seven Soviet Ground Forces divisions had to be withdrawn from Eastern Europe and the Baltic States after the Soviet Union dissolved.
• The Ministry of Defence newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda published a reform plan on 21 July 1992 advocating a change to a Corps-Brigade structure.
• In December 1996, Defence Minister Igor Rodionov dismissed the Commander of the Ground Forces, General Vladimir Semyonov, for his wife's business activities.
• A 1995 U.S. Foreign Military Studies Office study described the Armed Forces as 'an institution increasingly defined by the high levels of military criminality and corruption embedded within it at every level.'