Russia’s Armed Forces, feeling the strain of unofficial involvement in Ukraine and maintaining higher readiness throughout the crisis, have recently experienced a number of high-profile air force crashes and setbacks for military modernization. The annual VDV Day saw an opportunity to extol the 85th anniversary of the elite Airborne Forces (Vozdushno Desantnye Voyska—VDV), on August 2. The top brass and the Ministry of Defense sent mixed signals regarding the Airborne Forces’ modernization, while revealing surprising plans to recreate a tank army and form a new combined-arms army in the Western Military District (MD) by December 1. These initiatives seem aimed …read more
Source: The Jamestown Foundation