Editing Russian Airborne Forces (section)

==Mission==
According to an order of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in 1997, the Airborne Forces form the strategic reserve of the [[President of Russia|Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces]], under the direct command of the [[Chief of the General Staff (Russia)|Chief of the General Staff]], and as a rapid response force may be tasked with carrying out operations either independently or within larger [[army group]]s alongside units of the [[Russian Ground Forces|Ground Forces]]. The Airborne Forces can also participate in peacekeeping missions under the mandate of the [[United Nations]] (UN) or the [[Collective Security Treaty Organization]] (CSTO).<ref name="bigenc.ru">{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Drapeko |first=Valery Alexeyevich |title=Воздушно-десантные войска |trans-title=Airborne Forces |encyclopedia=[[Great Russian Encyclopedia]] |date=4 October 2023 |lang=ru |url=https://bigenc.ru/c/vozdushno-desantnye-voiska-0d10bf }}</ref>

The Airborne Forces are organized into three types of units, consisting of Airborne, Air Assault, and Mountain Air Assault.<ref name="bigenc.ru" /> The airborne units can be parachuted into a combat zone, while the air assault units are airlifted there by aircraft or helicopter.{{sfn|Thornton|2011|pages=9–10}} Specifically designated mountain units were created after the Airborne Forces were frequently used in conflicts in the [[North Caucasus]] region in the immediate post-Soviet years.<ref name="redstar1">{{Cite web |last=Pashchepkin |first=Konstantin |title=Генерал-лейтенант Николай СТАСЬКОВ: «Если не мы, то кто?»  |trans-title=Lieutenant General Nikolai Staskov: "If not us, then who?" |lang=ru |url=http://old.redstar.ru/2004/08/28_08/1_02.html |date=28 August 2004 |work=Krasnaya Zvezda |publisher=Russian Ministry of Defense }}</ref> The structure of the Airborne Forces uses airborne or air assault divisions for the operational level, airborne or air assault brigades for the operational-tactical level, and regiments for the tactical level. This structure can be augmented with the addition of Ground Forces motorized rifle, artillery, aviation, or other units, depending on the situation.<ref name="bigenc.ru" />

After studying airborne operations during [[World War II]], the Soviet leadership concluded they were largely unsuccessful, with only a few exceptions. They recognized the potential for an airborne force to attack targets behind enemy lines, but the main problems that were identified included a lack of firepower. An effort to resolve this was the introduction of the [[BMD-1|BMD series]] of armored vehicles in 1970, which were eventually issued to every regiment of an airborne division.{{sfn|McNab|2019|pages=186–190}} Up to the present, the Russian Airborne Forces are more heavily armed than their Western counterparts, with the usage of [[armored personnel carrier]]s.{{sfn|Thornton|2011|pages=4–5}}