Armed Forces of the Russian Federation facts for kids

The banner of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

A Russian tank.

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is the official military of Russia. It was created after the Soviet Union broke up. This military is one of the biggest in the world. It has about 1,200,000 active soldiers. Russia also builds many of its own weapons.

The Russian Armed Forces have six main parts, called branches:

• The Russian Air Force (for planes and air defense)
• The Russian Ground Forces (for soldiers on land)
• The Russian Navy (for ships and submarines)
• The Strategic Missile Troops (for long-range missiles)
• The Russian Space Troops (for space and satellite defense)
• The Russian Airborne Troops (for paratroopers)

The President of Russia is the Commander-In-Chief. This means the president is the top leader of all the armed forces.

How the Russian Military Started

When the Soviet Union ended, its large military was split up. Russia and other new countries each got parts of it. The first president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, had a big job. He needed to rebuild Russia and its military.

So, President Yeltsin took charge of defense himself for a while. Other countries in the CIS also helped Russia organize its defense. In 1993, Russia created a plan. This plan officially set up the new military.

Who Serves in the Military

Many people join the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. As of 2008, about 480,000 men joined. People can join when they are 18 years old. They can join up to the age of 27. The usual time to serve is one year.

Just like in other militaries, there are different ranks. These ranks show a person's position and responsibility. People who are not Russian citizens can also join the Russian Armed Forces.

Images for kids

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  Minister of Defence, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu

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  Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army Valery Gerasimov

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  Army General Aleksandr Dvornikov, commander of the Southern Military District since 20 September 2016

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  Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu at the Moscow Victory Day Parade, 9 May 2013

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  Russian troops at the 2015 Moscow Victory Day parade

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  Russian troops marching in the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade

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  Members of the 56th Guards Air Assault Brigade of the Russian Airborne Forces (2018)

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  Ratnik infantry combat system in reconnaissance variant and AFV crew individual protection kit Ratnik-ZK

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  Soviet and Russian military expenditures in billions of 2015 US dollars

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  The facade of the National Defense Management Center

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  The conference room of the National Defense Management Center

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  A pie chart showing global military expenditures by country for 2018, in US$ billions, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies

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  The Sukhoi PAK FA is one of the latest procurement projects of the Russian Armed Forces.

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  A mobile version of the RS-24 Yars

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  The Borei-class submarine Alexander Nevsky

See also

In Spanish: Fuerzas Armadas de Rusia para niños