Transformation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation 1992-2022: From demobilization to confrontation
Jerzy Kajetanowicz
Abstract
Russia’s armed forces play an important role in ensuring the country’s security and international position. Their initial composition significantly burdened the budget of stagnant Russia, which was unable to maintain such a large army. The process of transformation of the Russian army began immediately after its formation. In the 1990s, the introduced changes boiled down to reducing the number of soldiers and disbanding poorly trained military units. It was only in the first decade of the 21st century that the search for optimal organizational solutions began to be sought, allowing for the maintenance of a small, but well-trained and ready to defend the country army. However, the scope of these reforms did not meet the expectations of the state authorities, which, in the face of the growing competition between the great powers, decided that only a sufficiently large armed force would guarantee Russia’s effective actions on the international arena. Hence, the second and the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century was a period of intensive reorganization of the Russian army, combined with the modernization of the armament and increasing combat readiness. As a result of these actions, the Russian armed forces were ready to take confrontational actions, which was reflected in the aggression against Ukraine in February 2022.
Keywords:
Russia, transformation, military doctrine, armed forcesReferences
Dekret… (1992a), Ukaz Prezidenta Rossiyskoy Federatsii ot 07.05.1992 g. [Указ Президента Рос¬сийской Федерации от 07.05.1992 г., [in:] http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/1279 Google Scholar
Dekret… (1992b), Ukaz Prezidenta Rossiyskoy Federatsii ot 18.05.1992 g. [Указ Президента Рос¬сийской Федерации от 18.05.1992 г.,] [in:] http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/1356. Google Scholar
Dekret… (2010), Ukaz Pryezиdyenta Rossиyskoy Fyedyeratsии ot 5.02.2010 g. O Voyennoy doktrine Rossiyskoy Federatsii, [Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 5.02.2010 г. О Военной доктрине Российской Федерации,] [in:] http://kremlin.ru/acts/bank/30593 Google Scholar
Doktryna… (2014) Voyennaya doktrina Rossiyskoy Federatsii, Utverzhdena Prezidentom Rossiys¬koy Federatsii 25 dekabrya 2014 g. No Pr-2976, [Военная доктрина Российской Федерации, утверждена Президентом Российской Федерации 25 декабря 2014 г. № Пр-2976,] [in:] http:// www.scrf.gov.ru/security/military/document129/. Google Scholar
Przemówienie… (2016), Vystupleniye Administratory Rossiyskoy Federatsii generala armii Sergeya Shoygu na rasshirennom zasedanii Kollegii minoborony Rossii, 22 dekabrya 2016 g., [Выступле¬ние Министра обороны Российской Федерации генерала армии Сергея Шойгу на расширенном заседании Коллегии Минобороны России, 22 декабря 2016 г.,] [in:] https://function. mil.ru/files/morf/2016-12-22_MoD_board_extended_session_RUS.pdf. Google Scholar
Aktualne zadania… (2003), Aktual’nyye zadachi razvitiya Vooruzhennykh Silrossiyskoy Federatsii [in:] Krasnaya Zvezda, [in:] http://old.redstar.ru/2003/10/11_10/3_01.html. Google Scholar
Babakin, A. (2004), Primernyye sostav i struktura Rossiyskikh vooruzhennykh Sil posle reform¬irovaniya, [w:] Nezavisimoye voyennoye obozreniye, [in:] https://nvo.ng.ru/forces/2004-08-20/4_ forces.html?print=Y (accessed: 12.03.2019). Google Scholar
Barabanov, M. S. (red.) (2010), Novaya armiya Rossii. Moskva. Google Scholar
Barabanov, M. | Makiyenko, K. | Pukhov, R. (2012), Voyennaya reforma: na puti k novomu obliku Rossiyskoy armii. Moskva. Google Scholar
Ciślak, J. (2021), Rosja odbudowuje wojska powietrznodesantowe, [w:] https://defence24.pl/sily-zbrojne/rosja-odbudowuje-wojska-powietrzno-desantowe-raport. Google Scholar
Czarnotta, Z. | Moszumański, Z. (2000), Rosyjska ruletka. Reforma sił zbrojnych Rosji, [w:] Raport. Wojsko - Technika - Obronność 3, 40-45. Google Scholar
de Khaas, M. (2011), Rossiyskaya voyennaya reforma: uspekh ili proval? [in:] Indeks Bezopasnosti, 1, 85-92. Google Scholar
Depczyński, M. (2015), Rosyjskie siły zbrojne. Od Milutina do Putina. Warszawa. Google Scholar
Fedorov, Yu. (1998), Voyennaya reforma i grazhdanskiy kontrol nad vooruzhennymi silami v Rossii, [in:] Nauchnyye Zapiski PIR-Tsentra, 7. 9-19. Google Scholar
Gazukin, P. E. (2001), Vooruzhennyye Sily Rossii v postsovetskiy period. Problemy reformirovaniya i voyennogo stroitel’stva: 1992-2001 gg. [in:] Politiya 2, 44-71.
Crossref
Google Scholar
Gavrilov, Yu. (2017), Divizii RVSN osnastyat unikal’nym yadernym kompleksom, [w:] Rossiyskaya gazeta, [in:] https://rg.ru/2017/11/13/divizii-rvsn-osnastiat-unikalnym-iadernym-kompleksom. html. Google Scholar
Golovnëv, A. (2017), 25 let Vooruzhennym Silam Rossiyskoy Federatsii – novoy Rossii, [in:] http:// kvrf.milportal.ru/25-let-vooruzhennym-silam-rossijskoj-federatsii-novoj-rossii/. Google Scholar
Grachev, P. (2017), Reforma vooruzhennykh sil i voyennaya doktrina Rossii, [w:] Rossiyskoye Voyennoye Obozreniye 1, 4-6. Google Scholar
Istoriya… (2006), Voyennaya istoriya, [in:] https://studfile.net/preview/4326950/page:56/ (dostęp 1.04.2019). Google Scholar
Ivanov, S. (2017), Pereosnashcheniye vooruzhennyh sil, [in:] Rossiyskoye Voyennoye Obozreniye 1, 12-14. Google Scholar
Kalyukov, E. (2024), Glava Minoborony Rossii nazval sroki sozdaniya novogo roda voysk, [in:] https://www.rbc.ru/politics/16/12/2024/67600bb59a79476fd59b2a16. Google Scholar
Kular, P. (2015), Reforma sił zbrojnych Rosji, [w:] Nowa strategia, [in:] http://www.nowastrategia. org.pl/reforma-sil-zbrojnych-rosji/ (dostęp 10.04.2019). Google Scholar
Malak, K. (1996), Polityka bezpieczeństwa i siły zbrojne Rosji. Warszawa. Google Scholar
Military Balance (1992), The Military Balance 1992-1993. London. Google Scholar
Military Balance (1995), The Military Balance 1995-1996. London. Google Scholar
Military Balance (1999), The Military Balance 1999-2000. London. Google Scholar
Military Balance (2012), The Military Balance 2012. London. Google Scholar
Military Balance (2022), The Military Balance 2022. London. Google Scholar
Nałęcz, M. (2012), Reforma sił zbrojnych Federacji Rosyjskiej, [w:] Kwartalnik Bellona 1, 76-88. Google Scholar
Nowe dywizje… (2016), Novyye divizii rossiyskikh VS poyavyatsya v Yel’ne, Voronezhe i Ros¬tove-na-Donu, [Новые дивизии российских ВС появятся в Ельне, Воронеже и Ростове-на-До¬ну,] [in:] https://www.interfax.ru/russia/506841. Google Scholar
Polomoshnov, A. (2015), Russian civilization at the turn of millenniums. Raleigh. Google Scholar
Pukhov, R. (2008), Serdyukov’s Plan for Russian Military Reform, [in:] Moscow defense brief 4, 21-27. Google Scholar
Rosja… (2014), Rosja zwiększa liczbę spadochroniarzy, [w:] http://www.altair.com.pl/news/ view?news_id=14122. Google Scholar
Shamiyev, K. V. (2022), Vliyaniye koalitsiy davleniya na oboronnuyu politiku v Rossii: sluchay reformy Serdyukova, [in:] Politicheskaya nauka 2, 206-229. Google Scholar
Szopa, M. (2023), Armie Świata: Upadek trwa. Siły Powietrzne Federacji Rosyjskiej, [w:] https:// defence24.pl/sily-zbrojne/armie-swiata-upadek-trwa-sily-powietrzne-federacji-rosyjskiej. Google Scholar
Śmigielski, R. (2006), Osierocona armia. Założenia polityki obronnej oraz Siły Zbrojne Federacji Rosyjskiej w latach 1992-2004. Warszawa. Google Scholar
Tamańska… (2019), Vossozdany Tamanskaya i Kantemirovskaya divizii, [in:] https://er.ru/ news/100612/. Google Scholar
Voronov, V. (2018), „Yesli zavtra voyna”. Zachem rossiyskaya a rmiya poluchayet r zhavyye „konserwy”, [in:] https://www.svoboda.org/a/29201066.html Google Scholar
Wójtowicz, T. (2020), Wojska kosmiczne, Vademecum bezpieczeństwa informacyjnego, [w:] https:// vademecumbezpieczenstwainformacyjnego.up.krakow.pl/2020/03/12/wojska-kosmiczne/. Google Scholar
Yuzhnyy... (2019), Yuzhnyy voyennyy okrug, [in:] http://milkavkaz.com/index.php/voorujonnie-cili-racii/vo-cv/u-vo. Google Scholar
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Jerzy Kajetanowicz, Poland in the Warsaw Pact – implementation of commitments , Przegląd Wschodnioeuropejski: Vol. 12 No. 2 (2021): East European Review
