Rating of military units with increased mortality. List of elite Russian troops
Not enough money, not enough soldiers, huge problems with discipline, many accidents, deaths and outdated equipment. Contrary to what Putin tells you, the Russian army is not that strong.
This week, the British Daily Mail published an article entitled “Is Putin Plotting War in Europe?” in which intelligence sources, drawing on large-scale military exercises in Russia, claimed that the Russian army was preparing to fight NATO. All this happens against the backdrop of many reports of a resumption cold war, about the flights of Russian reconnaissance aircraft near the air borders of the United States, Canada and Great Britain, about submarines collecting intelligence around the world and, of course, about the actions of the Russian army in Ukraine and other countries. Added to this are weekly reports about the strength of the Russian military, how scary Putin is, and how the Russian military is returning to Cold War greatness.
But let's tell the truth. Intimidation is used as a magic bullet to gain budgets and increase sales. Russian army is actually very different from the picture they paint us. They are separated from the combat effectiveness of the US, Chinese, German and French armies light years. Of course, one should not go to the other extreme; this is still not South Sudan and not Somalia. The Russian army has a huge number of nuclear warheads, excellent aircraft, excellent tanks and silent submarines. But, as you will now find out, she is still not as formidable as she seems.
So what is really going on in the Russian army?
1. Lots of sacrifices and poor discipline
In May, it became known that Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree according to which data on army losses during military operations in peacetime becomes a “state secret.” In an effort to restore Russia to superpower status, Putin is sending soldiers to different places, to Georgia, Ukraine and beyond, and they demonstrate impressive abilities there, but also die in large numbers. For example, Ukrainian sources report that Russians burn the bodies of soldiers killed in Ukraine in order to hide their participation in the war, and also to avoid negative influence losses on the morale of troops.
To this should be added the huge number of soldiers dying during exercises. According to some reports, there are several hundred such cases per year. If that's not enough, several hundred more military personnel die each year at the hands of their comrades in fights or as a result of alcohol abuse. The last official data on such cases was published in 2001, and then we were talking about 500 victims of murder in the army.
There are many reasons for this, and it is obvious low level discipline in the Russian troops, which affects their combat effectiveness and even the quality of exercises. Old-timers bully new recruits, graduation ceremonies training courses more reminiscent of the torture of the Inquisition, and this is only a small part that is known to the public. Two years ago, as part of the national fight against smoking, it was decided to stop distributing free cigarettes to soldiers, but the Chief of the General Staff warned that the result could be a riot. The situation with discipline and the value of human life is so bad that the mothers of soldiers go out to protest demonstrations.
2. There is no money in the treasury
Although the Russian military budget has been significantly increased, it is nowhere near the defense spending of the rich US, and financial position Russian armed forces are bad. The Russian military budget is 80-90 billion dollars, the American one is 500 billion dollars, the Chinese one is more than 100 billion dollars. German - 50-60 billion dollars.
Heavy economic situation makes it difficult to acquire new weapons. Most of the military equipment of the Russian army belongs more to museum exhibits than to military weapons. Submarines rust in ports, planes fall apart at airfields, and many projects remain on paper. Vladimir Putin has good intentions and grandiose plans, but most of them are not implemented. The Russian stealth aircraft is still undergoing testing, while the US has already formed five squadrons of Raptors and has moved on to creating the next generation aircraft.
3. There are not enough soldiers
Already long years in Russia they are discussing the possibility of switching to a completely hired army, like in the United States. At the moment, the country has universal conscription, and the term of service is from one to two years, unless the conscript has money or connections. The army has units entirely staffed by contract soldiers. In particular, one of the previous chiefs of the General Staff said that two brigades, 12 special forces units and five airborne and marine infantry battalions were formed from contract soldiers. But the problem is that, for the reasons described above, the Russian army is experiencing great difficulty in attracting contract soldiers, especially from high-quality sectors of the population.
4. Planes fall from the sky
In the last two years we have seen the resumption of an activity known since the Cold War: reconnaissance flights along air borders Western countries and next to their ships. However, it should be noted that the state of the Russian Air Force is so bad that planes often simply crash and crash. The latest incident was last week, a plane crashed during an air parade.
In July, the Russians lost a Su-24 aircraft and a Tu-95 strategic bomber, and a month earlier, two MiG-29s and a more modern Su-34. Entire air fleets were grounded due to plane crashes and pilot deaths. The list goes on, but the overall picture is clear. The maintenance of the planes is poor because there is not enough money and the pilots cannot train properly. New planes are not arriving for the same reason - lack of money.
Although Russia has excellent aircraft, the majority of aircraft consists of the now obsolete MiG-29 and Su-27, which have not undergone the same modernization as their parallel models, the F-15 and F-16.
5. The only aircraft carrier, not too impressive
The American Navy currently has 11 attack aircraft carriers and another eight helicopter carriers, no less advanced. France, Italy and even India have such ships. The Russian fleet has one aircraft carrier, not in better condition, which, moreover, needs to be refueled every month or two, unlike American aircraft carriers with nuclear power plants.
Due to the size of the aircraft carrier, only lightweight aircraft can take off from it, that is, with limited freedom of action in the air.
Vladimir Putin plans to build dozens of ships and submarines, but the depreciation of the ruble is forcing him to cut back on these plans. The target date, 2020, also looks unrealistic.
6. Tank vs tank
One of Putin’s main trump cards is powerful armored forces with thousands of tanks. But here, too, a careful study of the quantity and quality of tanks paints a different picture than the Russian leader shows. The Russian army has at least 10 thousand tanks, and three thousand of them are in active service. About half of them are T-72s, outdated vehicles that do not meet Western standards. There is also a new tank, the T-90, but there are only 300 of them in the army, and the delivery rate is slow. The United States has fewer tanks, about 5 thousand, but they are all different modifications of the M-1 Abrams. If you add the Marine Corps, that number increases by several hundred.
7. Accidents at parades show everything
The Russian army loves to show its power to the citizens of the country and the whole world at military parades. They usually involve dozens of aircraft, hundreds of pieces of equipment and many soldiers. If we look closely at these parades, we will see the same thing as described above - accidents and catastrophes, the death of a soldier, a plane crash, a tank explosion. As we have already said, just this week a plane crashed at the parade and the pilot died. Last month, a rocket launch from a ship went wrong in public. Fortunately, the rockets fell into the water. During a parade of air defense troops, considered very strong, a missile fired did not hit the target and fell due to a technical malfunction. During the Victory Day parade on May 9, the Russians unveiled their newest tank, which simply stalled and had to be towed away.
The top most powerful and numerous armed forces of the countries in the world have long been known. For years, the first place has been occupied by the American army, the Russian army takes second place, and bronze is given to China. True, in some rankings the Armed Forces of the Celestial Empire come in second place, India in third, and Russia in fourth. Ukrainian troops are also constantly making progress, ranking 25th in strength in the world and second in strength in Europe after Russia's.
But what about the armed forces at the bottom of the rankings? Former military photojournalist for the US Air Force, now the editor of We are The Mighty, Blake Stilwell, has compiled his list of the worst, weakest armies in the world, some of which receive considerable funds from the treasury, but at the same time, to put it mildly, do not become the key to success. His rating "" is given with some additions and clarifications. For example, the Philippines is removed from the ranking, since for the most part the former colony of the United States was clearly underestimated, probably taking up arms against the scandalous President Rodrigo Duterte.
1. Costa Rica
In fact, this small Central American country does not have an army as such. The Constitution of November 7, 1949 prohibited the creation and maintenance of a professional army in peacetime. So to speak, the country is protected by the Civil Guard, and there is also an air surveillance service, a border service and the national police, the coast guard. Although in fact the main shield of the state is the armed forces of other countries, in particular the United States, which will immediately respond to an invasion of Costa Rica.
2. Iceland
A similar situation is observed in Iceland, with a population of about 300 thousand people. For the most part, the defense of the Viking descendants was provided by American troops and a NATO base. Today, Iceland has a coast guard of 130 personnel, which also has three patrol ships, one boat, one F-27 patrol aircraft, and two search and rescue helicopters. There is a police force (450 people), which includes the special unit Víkingasveitin. However, this does not prevent Icelanders from participating in peacekeeping missions.
3. Iraq
4th largest army in the world during the time of Saddam Hussein. The current army is just a pale shadow of it. Despite years of training by American and British instructors, $26 billion in investment and military assistance, the Iraqi Armed Forces are frankly weak. Even more, not so long ago 50 thousand were discovered in the ranks of the army." dead souls"who received salaries, but did not exist and, accordingly, did not fight. Perhaps this is why the IS jihadists managed to subjugate the western part of Iraq in 2014. Now Baghdad is gradually returning what it captured, but not on its own - the main force is obviously US aviation and elite Kurdish Peshmerga fighters .
4. North Korea
Pyongyang tirelessly threatens the world with military, in particular nuclear, power. The propaganda of the authoritarian communist state convinces the population of the colossal strength of the DPRK Armed Forces with the latest equipment, weapons, jeeps and large rations. By the way, about the last one. In August, information leaked online that North Korean soldiers were actually starving - instead of the required 250 grams, some units received only 70 grams per meal. Commanders even sent the military to collect roots and berries in the surrounding area.
One more thing. The Korean People's Army uses willow soldiers as free work force, so there is often no need to talk about combat training. And they will be lucky if the servicemen receive boots, a uniform and will be able to hold a machine gun.
5. Eritrea
This country is also called African North Korea. The Eritrean military has proportionately more conscripts than any country in the world. They are used more for forced labor than for security or fighting the Somali branch of al-Qaeda, the al-Shabab group. Every month, about 2 thousand people flee to neighboring Sudan. To Sudan!
6. Nigeria
Nigerian troops are fighting the Boko Haram group, which operates in this country, as well as Niger, Chad and Cameroon. In fairness, we note that the group, which is so fond of raids on villages and refugee camps, was named the bloodiest in 2015. She surpassed even the Islamic State, to whom she swore allegiance, in terms of the number of murders.
But in any case, having considerable oil resources (that is, there is money), Nigeria is extremely unsuccessful in its fight against the Islamists. Soldiers complain that not everyone has weapons or body armor. The military in the hot-button state of Borno is extremely poorly equipped, and its armored vehicles are mostly faulty. There were cases when, during clashes with Boko Haram, they ran away along with civilians.
7. Tajikistan
The Tajik army is a mess. Unlike others post-Soviet republics, Tajikistan did not build its own armed forces after the collapse of the USSR. The Tajiks remained defenseless, relying on Russian peacekeeping forces. True, in 1994 they created their own army, which immediately led to an escalation of the conflict in the country. As a result, Tajiks give preference to the Russian army.
8. Mongolia
The descendants of the great conqueror Temujin (Genghis Khan) have long been unable to boast of their former strength. The country does not have a Navy, nor does it need one. Mongolia is locked between Russia and China, depends heavily on them, and if something happens, it will not be able to defend itself against them. In fact, if suddenly relations between Moscow and Beijing deteriorate and a war breaks out between them, then fighting will take place on the territory of Mongolia.
Yes, Ulaanbaatar once sent its forces to help the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan, but as it turned out, their contribution was to show how to use old Soviet weapons and equipment.
9. Saudi Arabia
Oddly enough, the Saudi army leaves much to be desired. There is money in Riyadh - this is known fact. Funds are allocated for the army. Even more - it would seem that there is a “break-in” of soldiers, because the Saudis lead a military coalition along with other Arab monarchies, which has been participating in the Yemeni war since 2015 (the war began in 2014). However, having superiority at sea, in the air, good equipment and US intelligence assistance, Saudi Arabia and the UAE still cannot break the resistance of the rebel Houthis, who are supported by Iran. The Houthis still hold the capital, Sanaa.
10. Afghanistan
Kabul closes the list. Here, by the way, the situation is similar to Iraq. Years of training of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), assistance, including financial, from the United States have not turned the Afghan army into a combat-ready and formidable force. On the contrary, the Taliban are now going on the offensive, besieging entire cities. This is not surprising, given that for centuries no one has been able to completely subjugate Afghanistan, including the USSR. For Moscow, it generally became American Vietnam.
One adviser once told Qatar's Al Jazeera: "In fact, if you talk to any of the coalition troops, they will tell you that the Afghans can fight, but only after NATO feeds, clothes, arms and transports them to battlefield".
Many people have heard the expression “elite troops” in Russia, but not everyone has an idea of what this expression actually means. There are no clear criteria that would help classify this or that special unit as more prestigious. As a rule, such a title is usually earned by troops that are in full combat readiness every minute and have the greatest combat capability. Troops can also earn an honorary title among the people for displaying heroism and high professionalism in combat operations. IN elite Russian troops list, which are located below, included the most prestigious divisions based on the surveys conducted.
Opens a list of elite Russian troops. The main task of the special unit is anti-terrorist measures. The detachments are engaged in the release of hostages, eliminate riots, and also eliminate illegal armed groups. Also, the competence of the National Guard Troops includes the neutralization and detention of criminals who pose a particular danger to society. The special forces of this detachment celebrate their official day on March 27th.
Belongs to the most prestigious troops of the fatherland. The creation of the Armed Forces took place in 1992 of the 20th century. The main function of the special unit is to protect the territory of the country and its integrity. The Armed Forces have one of the largest reserves of military equipment, as well as weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear ones. As of 2017, the number of special forces military personnel was just over a million people, and the mobilization resource was over 60 million. Recruitment of the Armed Forces occurs in two ways - conscription through the army and contract service. The state spends more than 3 trillion rubles annually on the development of the Armed Forces.
rightfully belongs to the most prestigious troops of the Russian Federation. He stands guard over the country, protecting it from attacks outside the land zone. The Navy is designed to conduct combat operations on water spaces. The Navy has been guarding our country for more than three hundred years. In addition to the main tasks, the competence of the special unit includes ensuring the safety of maritime activities in the vastness of the World Ocean. The Navy has high firepower and a long range, which allows it to destroy the enemy at a great distance - up to several thousand meters.
The FSSP of Russia certainly belongs to the elite troops of the Russian Federation. It includes rapid response units, which are required to undergo special training. The FSSP is armed with automatic weapons and ensures the security of courts, and also personally protects the leadership of the Federal Bailiff Service.
Included in the list of the country's elite troops. The main tasks of the special forces are to detect and eliminate terrorist groups. Other goals of the troops include carrying out special events on enemy territory.
They are considered one of the most elite troops of the Russian state. Airborne troops are engaged in special activities behind enemy lines. Also, the tasks of the special forces include capturing enemy targets and capturing the enemy. Selection for the landing force is strict in all respects. The future paratrooper must have not only good physical characteristics, but also have a stable psycho-emotional background, since airborne troops have to perform quite complex tasks. The official creation of the special forces occurred in 1992. Airborne Forces actively participated in the Afghan war, Chechen war, and also took part in hostilities with Georgia.
is an elite special forces unit in service with the Russian state. Refers to troops that are in constant and full combat readiness. The Strategic Missile Forces are armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles with warheads. The formation of the special forces occurred in the middle of the last century. Today, the missile forces include 3 armies, which include 12 missile divisions. The Strategic Missile Forces are armed with more than three hundred complexes of various types.
Unlocks the top three most elite troops of the Russian Federation. The armed forces are designed to conduct naval operations, which include combat operations with the capture of the enemy’s coastline. In addition, the special unit also carries out other operations, including the protection of coastal areas. The main tasks of the Marine Corps are to conquer coastal territories and hold them until the main forces arrive. The special unit is part of the Russian Navy.
The elite undoubtedly includes, whose main tasks are the defense of the state in the aerospace field, the detection and complete destruction of the enemy, as well as repelling combat operations from ballistic missiles. Also, the competence of the Aerospace Forces includes identifying possible combat missile attacks and being in full combat readiness. The Russian Space Forces are part of the Aerospace Forces. The main tasks of the latter special unit are monitoring objects in space, as well as timely detection and combat defeat of space threats.
Completes the rating of the elite troops of the Russian Federation. The competence of the military unit includes solving problems of ensuring the protection of the presidential residence, namely the Moscow Kremlin. Also, the FSO component participates in protocol events and takes part in honor guards. The Presidential Regiment was formed in 1993, the official day of which is May 7.
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There are countries that need their own Armed Forces like a goat needs an electric guitar. This is, for example, the Principality of Liechtenstein, where there is only a police force of 120 people. These are Iceland, Costa Rica, Andorra, etc. But not everything is so simple, because if you bark very loudly at Moska, the elephant can sneak up unnoticed. All these states have an impressive “roof”, which is guaranteed to them by major global players in the military arena.
But there are also countries that seem to have Armed Forces, but looking at their state, you can’t help but think that it would be better for these states to abandon them altogether. Why spend money on a worthless army when you can work on the economy or grow garlic on your balcony?
In this article you will find the five most insignificant armies in the world, which would be better off not existing at all.
#5: LIBYA
Until 2011, Libya had a very powerful army. And how could it be otherwise if the country was ruled by a talented military man, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi? The army consisted of ground forces, navy and air force. The total number of military personnel reached 50,000 people. As for weapons and equipment, Libya had “full stuffing”: airplanes, helicopters, air defense systems, tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery, submarines and so on. Most of this variety of Libya was supplied by the USSR at one time. After the collapse Soviet Union There was no one to supply the Libyans, and because of the imposed sanctions, the country could not modernize or simply repair equipment that was failing. Sanctions were lifted only in 2004, but Gaddafi did not have long to rule the country.
In 2011, Libya was unleashed Civil War. Gaddafi was killed, and rebel forces came to power and disbanded the old army in an attempt to create a new one. However, nothing worked out for them, because a bad manager is bad in everything. The main problem was the inability of the new government to put the country on the path to de-escalate the conflict.
As a result, the modern Libyan army numbers almost 90,000 people, but there is no army. The Armed Forces, due to the chaos in the country, were divided into so-called brigades, some of which are subordinate to the authorities, and some of which are at war with them.
At the end of 2013, there were FOUR main armed groups in Libya:
Libyan Shield (a coalition of factions controlled from Misrata);
Ministry of Defense forces controlled from the city of Zintan;
"Guard for the Protection of Oil Facilities";
"Army of Bark", subordinate to the Council of Cyrenaica;
Now there may be many more of them. Add here the ISIS terrorists, as well as all the lethal weapons the country inherited from Gaddafi. Agree that it would be better if such a powder keg did not exist in North Africa at all, but let’s say “thank you” to NATO. They, as always, got rid of a threat that did not exist. So Libya does not have any Armed Forces as such. There is chaos, and it can be a hundred times more dangerous.
#4: ZAMBIA
If we evaluate the Zambian Army in a global context, then we can safely say that the army of this African country has completely poor military potential. However, everything is not so bad if we consider Zambia within Africa alone. Zambia is even trying to buy something from China, if only they had the money.
Although if you look at the list of Zambian weapons, it becomes unclear how this country could get into such a rating. The country's tank fleet, for example, includes 5 Soviet T-54s, about 20 T-55s and 30-50 light PT-76s.
There are also Soviet BRDM-1 (Armored reconnaissance and patrol vehicle) and BRDM-2, 44 of each. There are 28 English Ferret armored vehicles, as well as 52 armored personnel carriers with various registrations.
The artillery consists of 95 towed guns, 93 mortars and approximately 50 MLRS. Also in service are the Soviet Malyutka ATGMs and Strela-2 MANPADS, plus more than 150 anti-aircraft guns, which in the old days Zambia acquired from Yugoslavia and the USSR.
The Zambian Air Force is armed with 5 old Soviet MiG-21 fighters and 5 very old Chinese J-6 fighters, which were a copy of the Soviet MiG-19. Zambia has 33 transport aircraft, including even the Soviet Yak-40. There are the most training aircraft - 83. Some of them, purely theoretically, can be used as light attack aircraft. There are 30 helicopters in the area. There is an air defense system with Soviet S-125 air defense systems and the English Rapier.
Now the most important thing: why is such potential not a cause for concern? The fact is that there is no one to service all this wealth. A lot of equipment has long been out of order, and there is no talk of repairs and modernization, since there is no money. In principle, the Zambian Army can ensure the security of the country, but only if some more powerful country does not decide to attack it. For example, South Africa.
#3: MALI
Mali once had relatively big army, thanks to the support of the same USSR. The help of the Soviet Union was very, very significant, and therefore Soviet equipment and weapons can still be seen in Mali. Be it T-34 tanks or MiG-21 aircraft. However, after the collapse of the USSR, a rapid degradation of Mali’s defensive potential began, which reached its climax in 2012, when the civil war began in Mali.
As you know, many African countries today have armies not to attack their neighbors, but solely to restore order within the country. In 2012, what was left of the Malian army could not suppress unrest, armed clashes and riots. Today, there is practically nothing left of the Mali army (the total armed forces are approximately 7,500 people), and the country itself exists only thanks to the foreign military contingent located on its territory (the armies of France and Chad). However, according to many experts, the presence of foreign troops only increases the number of Islamists in the country. So, it is likely that this country will soon disappear completely from the pages of geographical atlases.
#2: MOZAMBIQUE
Mozambique is today one of the poorest countries in the world, but in the 70s and 80s this country was the closest ally of the USSR in Africa. Therefore, the scenario was exactly the same as in the case of Mali, Zambia and Libya. The Soviet Union supplied Mozambique with weapons, thanks to which the country's government won a victory in the long-term civil war.
However, the USSR soon collapsed. Arms supplies stopped, and old technology began to slowly fail. The Armed Forces of Mozambique have begun a process of degradation similar to that in Mali. Mozambique does not have the money to buy new weapons, and therefore has to use what still works.
However, unlike Libya and Mali, Mozambique was no longer rocked by civil wars. The situation in the country today is quite stable, so even though Mozambique cannot ensure the country’s defense, it does not need it yet, because no one is going to attack a country eking out a miserable existence.
#1: SOMALIA
The leader in our ranking of the most worthless armies in the world is Somalia. This country with a rich history has always attracted the attention of colonialists. It was conquered by one or the other. They were torn apart and divided into zones of influence by the European powers.
Somalia gained independence only in 1960. The USSR immediately established diplomatic relations with the government of free Somalia, providing the country with the maximum possible support. It would seem that you can heal easily and freely, but that was not the case.
After independence, Somalia laid territorial claims against Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. The Somali government supported the rebels in these countries, playing a very trivial and unremarkable game. In the 70s, Somalia received significant military assistance from the USSR and decided to attack Ethiopia, which was also a Soviet ally. Moscow had to choose. The choice fell on a more reliable ally – Ethiopia. Somalia suffered a crushing defeat, never realizing the dream of creating a united Greater Somalia.
A political crisis began in the country, and in the 80s a rebel war began in the north of the country. As a result, in 1991, the President of Somalia was overthrown, and the country plunged into total chaos of a civil war that continues to this day.
The country was torn into many pieces. Different groups in different time They appropriated certain territories for themselves, declaring new states on them. What kind of unified army can we talk about here? Somalia is still in complete chaos, despite the fact that the country has an internationally recognized government based in the capital, Mogadishu. From armed forces Somalia has only police left, there is no trace of the former air force, and the navy consists only of fast patrol boats, which the government leases. The strength of the Somali Navy is 200 sailors.
Bottom line
It turns out that all the countries that today have the weakest armies in the world once received support from the USSR. It turns out that with the collapse of the Soviet Union, not only Russia and the countries suffered former USSR, but also many African states. In this regard, the question arises: in how many countries will civil war and total degradation begin when the United States breaks up into 50 independent states?
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