Editing Russian Airborne Forces (section)

==History==
===Founding and reorganization===
The [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] led to the dividing up of the former [[Soviet Armed Forces]] by the newly independent states. The Russian Airborne Forces were established on 7 May 1992 by a decree from the [[president of Russia|President of the Russian Federation]], [[Boris Yeltsin]]. He held a meeting with the heads of state of [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], and [[Uzbekistan]] to determine the distribution of former Soviet military assets. During 1992 and 1993 many of the airborne units were transferred to the territory of Russia, as only two of the seven Soviet airborne divisions had been located in the former [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic]].{{sfn|Elfving|2021|page=6}} During this process the [[Russian General Staff]] wanted to prioritize maintaining control over the strategic assets of the Soviet military, which besides the [[Strategic Rocket Forces]] also included the Airborne Forces. There was initially an attempt to keep them under the joint command of the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]] (CIS), but the concept of the CIS unified forces fell apart by the summer of 1993, as the independent states took control over the units on their territories.{{sfn|Zaloga|1995|pages=291–293}}

The Russian Federation kept six of the seven divisions, which as of 1993 included:<ref name="army-review">{{Cite web |last1=Akvilyanov |first1=Yu. |last2=Berendeyev |first2=M. |title=Воздушно-десантные и аэромобильные войска |trans-title=Airborne and airmobile forces |lang=ru |work=Army Review |publisher=Russian Ministry of Defense |date=13 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415190925/https://army.ric.mil.ru/Stati/item/483200/ |archive-date=15 April 2023 |url=https://army.ric.mil.ru/Stati/item/483200/ }}</ref>
*[[7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division|7th Guards Airborne Division]] – moved from [[Lithuania]] to [[Novorossiysk]].
*[[44th Training Airborne Division]] – moved from Lithuania to [[Omsk]].
*[[76th Guards Air Assault Division|76th Guards Airborne Division]] ([[Pskov Oblast]])
*[[98th Guards Airborne Division]] – moved from [[Ukraine]] to [[Ivanovo]]. Part of it stayed and became the nucleus of the [[1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine)|1st Airmobile Division]], [[Ukrainian Air Assault Forces|Ukrainian Airmobile Forces]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Kobasa |first=Askold I. |date=December 1995 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA305239.pdf |title=A Strategic-Military Analysis of the Ukrainian Armed Forces |publisher=[[Naval Postgraduate School]] |pages=54, 112 }}</ref>
*[[104th Guards Airborne Division]] – moved from [[Azerbaijan]] to [[Ulyanovsk]].
*[[106th Guards Airborne Division]] ([[Tula, Russia|Tula]] and [[Ryazan]])

The remaining division, the [[103rd Guards Airborne Division]], became part of the [[Belarusian Ground Forces]].{{sfn|Zaloga|1995|pages=294, 297–298}}

Russia also received seven<ref name="army-review" /> of the sixteen{{sfn|Elfving|2021|page=6}} Soviet airborne and air assault brigades, and some additional units, which included:<ref name="army-review" />
*[[11th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade|11th Guards Air Assault Brigade]] ([[Ulan-Ude]])
*[[13th Separate Air Assault Brigade|13th Air Assault Brigade]] ([[Magdagachi]] and [[Zavitinsk]])
*[[21st Separate Air Assault Brigade|21st Air Assault Brigade]] ([[Stavropol]])
*[[36th Separate Air Assault Brigade|36th Air Assault Brigade]] (Garbolovo)
*[[37th Separate Airborne Brigade|37th Airborne Brigade]] ([[Chernyakhovsk]])
*[[56th Guards Air Assault Brigade]] ([[Kamyshin]])
*[[83rd Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade|83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade]] ([[Ussuriysk]])
*[[345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment|345th Guards Airborne Regiment]] ([[Gudauta]], [[Abkhazia]])
*[[38th Guards Communications Brigade|196th Communications Regiment]] ([[Moscow Oblast]])

In the early 1990s the active Russian Airborne Forces had five divisions and eight brigades, and a total strength of 64,300 personnel. Each division had a strength of 6,000 men.<ref name="FAS1">{{Cite web |title=Airborne Assault Troops (VDV) |publisher=[[Federation of American Scientists]] |date=7 September 2000 |url=https://nuke.fas.org/guide/russia/agency/army-vdv.htm }}</ref> 
The two main training establishments of the VDV were in Ryazan and Omsk: the [[Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School]]{{sfn|Thornton|2011|page=9}} and the [[242nd Training Centre|242nd Training Center]] of the Airborne Forces, which was formed in Omsk on the basis of the training division.<ref name="army-review" />

===Early developments and wars===
[[File:IFORRussland.jpg|thumb|left|Russian paratroopers on patrol in Bosnia as members of the [[Implementation Force]], 1996]]
[[File:Bosnia-vdv.jpg|thumb|left|Russian VDV and U.S. [[1st Armored Division (United States)|1st Armored Division]] soldiers in Bosnia, 1996]] 
In 1992, during the [[Civil war in Afghanistan (1989–1992)|fall of Kabul]] to the [[mujahadeen]], elements of the 106th Guards Airborne Division carried out the successful evacuation of the former Soviet embassy staff from [[Kabul]], [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|Afghanistan]], along with the Chinese and Mongolian embassy staffs. A paratrooper of the VDV who was involved in the mission became one of the first recipients of the title [[Hero of the Russian Federation|Hero of Russia]].{{sfn|Zaloga|1995|pages=299–300}} Several units of the VDV were also used to maintain order in [[Moldova]] after the [[Transnistria War]], and the former Soviet forces in that country were commanded by General [[Alexander Lebed]], an airborne officer.{{sfn|Zaloga|1995|page=297}} Before the withdrawal of the 104th GAD from Azerbaijan in 1993, its members had been involved in skirmishes with the local Azeri population, and some members of another VDV unit joined Armenian militias that fought in the [[First Nagorno-Karabakh War]].{{sfn|Zaloga|1995|pages=300–304}} One airborne battalion in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] fought off an attack by local nationalists during the [[Georgian Civil War]], and other airborne units were involved in helping maintain ceasefires during and after the [[South Ossetia war (1991–1992)|Georgian-Ossetian]] and [[War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)|Georgian-Abkhazian]] wars between 1992 and 1993.{{sfn|Zaloga|1995|pages=304–307}}

In the early 1990s, General [[Pavel Grachev]], an Airborne Forces general who served as the first Russian Defence Minister from 1992 to 1996,{{sfn|Thornton|2011|page=6}} planned for the VDV to form the core of the planned Mobile Forces. This was announced in ''[[Krasnaya Zvezda]]'', the [[Russian Ministry of Defence|Ministry of Defence]]'s daily newspaper, in July 1992.<ref name="Baev" /> From December 1993, the Mobile Forces were to consist of an Immediate Reaction Force that could be deployed in 4-10 hours, and a Rapid Response Force that could be deployed in three days. It was expected that the VDV, which Grachev saw as the reliable core of the Russian military, would provide 60 percent of these forces.<ref name="FAS1" />{{sfn|Zaloga|1995|page=293}} However, the Mobile Forces plan was never enacted. The number of formations available for the force was far less than anticipated, since much of the Airborne Forces had been 'nationalised' by the republics their units had been previously based in, and other arms of service, such as the GRU and [[Military Transport Aviation]], who were to provide the airlift component, were adamantly opposed to ceding control of their forces.<ref name="Baev">Baev, Pavel (1996). ''The Russian Army in a Time of Troubles'', Oslo: International Peace Research Institute, pp. 127–135.</ref>

The end of the [[Cold War]] brought up questions about the continued role and purpose of the Airborne Forces. With the possibility of large airborne operations unlikely (the VDV had not carried out a parachute assault since [[World War II]]), there were proposals to disband it or absorb its units into other service branches.{{sfn|Thornton|2011|pages=3–4}}{{sfn|Zaloga|1995|page=311}} As a strategic reserve, the VDV was also outside the control of military district commanders.{{sfn|Thornton|2011|pages=3–4}} It did provide a rapid response force that could quickly be deployed to conflict zones by aircraft faster than regular Ground Forces units. Another role of the VDV in the 1990s was also peacekeeping.<ref name="FAS1" /> In 1992 the 554th Separate Russian Battalion was formed from the [[137th Guards Airborne Regiment]] and underwent training in Ryazan before being deployed to eastern [[Croatia]] as a peacekeeping unit with the [[United Nations Protection Force|UN mission]] during the [[Croatian War of Independence]]. It became the first Russian unit created for peacekeeping operations and consisted entirely of contract soldiers rather than conscripts.<ref name="DOSAAF">{{Cite web |title=Russia showed its character |trans-title=Россия показала свой характер |date=30 March 2019 |work=[[DOSAAF]] News |lang=ru |url=http://vestidosaaf.ru/2019/03/30/10984/ }}</ref> A new VDV formation was also established in 1994, the [[45th Guards Spetsnaz Brigade|45th Spetsnaz Regiment]].<ref name="army-review" />

The Airborne Forces took part in the [[First Chechen War]] from December 1994 to August 1996.<ref name="army-review" /> The joint army groups that carried out the ground campaign in the [[Battle of Grozny (1994–1995)|Battle of Grozny]] at the start of the war had elements of the 76th, 98th, 104th, and 106th GAD. They and the other Russian forces took significant casualties in the urban combat.<ref name="DTIC">{{Cite web |last=Jenkinson |first=Brett C. |title=Tactical Observations from the Grozny Combat Experience |date=2002 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA407003.pdf |publisher=[[Defense Technical Information Center]] |pages=45–84 }}</ref> One of the groups was commanded by the VDV general [[Nikolai Staskov]], who was nearly killed by a grenade during the fighting in Grozny.<ref name="redstar1" /> The [[Battle of Vedeno (1995)|Battle of Vedeno]], in late May and early June 1995, saw an airborne assault that was deployed by helicopter, and resulted in the capture of positions held by Chechen militants.<ref name="army-review" /> In August 1999 a group of rebels led by the Chechen commander [[Shamil Basayev]] [[War in Dagestan (1999)|attempted to invade]] neighboring [[Dagestan]], but Interior Ministry troops supported by the Ministry of Defense, with VDV units being the first to arrive, repelled the attack. The [[Second Chechen War]] from September 1999 to August 2000 also involved the VDV and was much more successful than the first war. On this occasion, all of the airborne troops involved were part their own army group.<ref name="redstar1" /><ref name="DTIC" />

[[File:Russian paratroopers 106th VDD.JPG|thumb|Paratroopers of the [[106th Guards Airborne Division]] in Kazakhstan, 1999]]
[[File:Anatoly Lebed 14.jpg|thumb|VDV spetsnaz in Georgia during the [[Russo-Georgian War]], 2008]]
At the end of the Bosnian War in late 1995 the United States wanted Russia to participate in the NATO [[Implementation Force]] (IFOR) that was deployed to ensure that the [[Dayton Accord]] was followed.<ref name="NYT1">{{Cite news |last=Whitney |first=Craig R. |date=9 November 1995 |title=Russia Agrees To Put Troops Under U.S., Not NATO |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526142718/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/09/world/russia-agrees-to-put-troops-under-us-not-nato.html |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/09/world/russia-agrees-to-put-troops-under-us-not-nato.html |archive-date=26 May 2015}}</ref> The [[1st Separate Airborne Brigade]] was established for this purpose, from units of the 76th and 98th GAD, and arrived in Bosnia in January 1996, to be part of [[Multi-National Division (North) (Bosnia)|Multi-National Division North]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Buø |first=Jørn |title=Russian Participation in Peace Operations: Keeping the Peace Together? |publisher=Norwegian Institute for International Affairs |date=2001 |pages=83–85 |jstor=resrep08075.10 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/resrep08075.10.pdf }}</ref><ref name="Journal-Collection">{{Cite web |last=Kokhankin |first=Vladimir |title=Российские миротворцы в Югославии |trans-title=Russian peacekeepers in Yugoslavia |date=27 August 2023 |publisher=Journal "Collection" |lang=ru |url=https://sammlung.ru/?p=66687 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lavigne |first=Jean-Philippe |date=8 August 2001 |title=Birthday Bash: Russian Airborne style |publisher=NATO |url=https://www.nato.int/Sfor/indexinf/119/p12a/t0112a.htm }}</ref> The Russian brigade, led by Colonel [[Alexander Lentsov]], was under the tactical control of [[William L. Nash]], U.S. [[1st Armored Division (United States)|1st Armored Division]] commander, and the operational control of NATO supreme commander [[George Joulwan]] through a Russian general, [[Leonty Shevtsov]], his deputy for Russian forces. Russian and American soldiers worked alongside each other<ref>{{Cite news |last=Atkinson |first=Rick |title=BOSNIA FORCE TESTING NEW RUSSIAN-U.S. TIES |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |date=17 January 1996 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/01/18/bosnia-force-testing-new-russian-us-ties/f2bc66a3-831b-43e9-8ef8-eb1019dfe590/ }}</ref> in the first joint operation between Russia and the countries of NATO since World War II.<ref name="Shevtsov">{{Cite web |last=Shevtsov |first=Leonty |title=Russian Participation in Bosnia-Herzegovina |url=https://csdr.org/97Book/shevtsov-C.htm |date=21 June 1997 }}</ref> The brigade participate in the NATO mission, which became the [[Stabilization Force]] (SFOR), until 2003.<ref name="DOSAAF" /><ref name="Jones">{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=James L. |author-link=James L. Jones |title=Peacekeeping: Achievements and Next Steps |date=3 July 2003 |url=https://www.nato.int/docu/speech/2003/s030703a.htm |work=NATO }}</ref>

Although during Pavel Grachev's tenure as Minister of Defense the Russian armed forces had been reduced by 1.1 million troops, these changes initially had no effect on the VDV. But in December 1995 he ordered two airborne divisions and four air assault brigades to be put under the command of military districts, and when Grachev was replaced by [[Igor Rodionov]] in 1996, a Ground Forces officer, he continued to reduce the size of the VDV.<ref name="FAS1" />{{sfn|Thornton|2011|page=6}} In the end the decision was made to reduce the VDV to about one-third of its strength at the time. After Rodionov's reforms, as of 1997, the Airborne Forces headquarters had under its command four divisions, while all of the brigades were either reorganized into smaller units or transferred to the command of the Ground Forces. The four divisions that remained were the 7th, 76th, 98th, and 106th.<ref name="Kommersant1997">{{Cite web |last=Bulavinov |first=Ilya |title=Опять разгоняют ВДВ |trans-title=The VDV is being dispersed again |work=[[Kommersant]] |date=30 October 1997 |language=ru |url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/186796 }}</ref> In 1998 the 104th Division was reorganized as the [[31st Guards Air Assault Brigade]].<ref name="army-review" /> The 76th Division was converted into an air assault from an airborne division in 1998,<ref name="army-review" /> and the 7th Division also was made an air assault division in 2006, in addition to getting a "mountain" designation.{{sfn|Thornton|2011|page=9}} 

Several brigades were disbanded: the 13th, 36th, and 37th Brigades in 1996<ref name="desantura">{{Cite web |title=Россия |lang=ru |work=Desantura.ru |url=https://desantura.ru/ru/ }}</ref> and the 21st and 56th Brigades in 1997.<ref name="army-review" /> The remaining brigades – 11th, 31st, 83rd – were transferred to the command of the Ground Forces from 1996 until 2013. In 2009 the 56th Brigade was restored.<ref name="desantura" /> The reforms in the second half of the 1990s brought the total strength of the VDV from 64,300 to 48,500,<ref name="FAS1" /> and by the late 2000s it was down to 35,000.{{sfn|Thornton|2011|page=8}} However, [[Georgy Shpak]], who was the [[commander of the Russian Airborne Forces]] from 1996 to 2003, prevented the Chief of the General Staff, [[Anatoly Kvashnin]], from making the VDV part of the Ground Forces. One of his successors, [[Valery Yevtukhovich]], the commander from 2007 to 2009, was forced to retire early over his disagreement with the Chief at that time, [[Nikolai Makarov (general)|Nikolai Makarov]], about the Airborne Forces.{{sfn|Thornton|2011|page=14}} 

During the [[Russo-Georgian War]] in 2008, two regiments of the 76th GAAD and one from the 98th GAD were involved. The 76th was rapidly deployed into Georgia's [[South Ossetia]] region ahead of the Russian main force, the [[58th Combined Arms Army|58th Army]] of the Ground Forces, along with the 45th Spetsnaz Regiment. Elements of the 7th Division entered [[Abkhazia]]. Despite some problems with their equipment, the VDV achieved its objectives.{{sfn|Thornton|2011|pages=25–29}}

===Post-2008 reform===
[[File:Д. А. Медведев проводит смотр личного состава 7-й дшд.jpg|thumb|President [[Dmitry Medvedev]] and General Shamanov inspecting the [[7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division]], 2009]]
In May 2009 Lieutenant General [[Vladimir Shamanov]] became the commander of the VDV. He was a veteran of the [[Soviet-Afghan War]] and had overseen the successful second Chechen campaign.{{sfn|Thornton|2011|pages=14–17}} Under the [[2008 Russian military reform|2008 reform programme]], the four existing two-regiment divisions should have been transformed into 7–8 air-assault brigades. However, once General Shamanov became commander of the Airborne Forces, it was decided to keep the original structure. The divisions were strengthened, becoming four independent airborne/air-assault brigades, one for each military district.<ref>Moscow Defense Brief #2, 2010 p. 22–24</ref> In 2010, the VDV deputy commander, Major General [[Alexander Lentsov]], said that the service would remain a separate combat arm, but there was a possibility that it would become part of the [[Special Operations Forces (Russia)|Special Operations Forces]] after 2016.<ref>{{Cite news |title=ВДВ России в перспективе войдут в Силы специальных операций |trans-title=VDV of Russia will become part of Special Operations Forces in the future |date=6 November 2010 |lang=ru |newspaper=[[Interfax]] |url=https://www.interfax.ru/russia/163784 }} </ref>

In October 2013 it was reported that the three airborne brigades under military district control (apparently the 11th and 83rd (Ulan-Ude and Ussuriysk) in the [[Eastern Military District]] and the 56th at [[Kamyshin]] in the [[Southern Military District]]) would be returned to VDV command.<ref>Russian Defense Policy, [http://russiandefpolicy.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/vdv-gets-armys-air-assault-brigades/ VDV Gets Army's Air Assault Brigades] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231202626/http://russiandefpolicy.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/vdv-gets-armys-air-assault-brigades/ |date=2013-12-31 }}, October 21, 2013.</ref> The process was completed by July 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.armstrade.org/includes/periodics/news/2015/0729/125530364/detail.shtml|title=ЦАМТО / Новости / Владимир Шаманов: ВДВ РФ сегодня являются полностью самодостаточным родом войск|date=29 July 2015|work=armstrade.org|access-date=30 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151029093634/http://www.armstrade.org/includes/periodics/news/2015/0729/125530364/detail.shtml|archive-date=29 October 2015|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In October 2013, Commander of the VDV Vladimir Shamanov announced that a new air assault brigade would be formed in [[Voronezh]] in 2016 with the number of the 345th Guards Airborne Regiment.<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ru:В Воронеже сформируют новую десантно-штурмовую бригаду ВДВ|url=http://www.rg.ru/2013/10/08/desant-site.html|website=Rossiyskaya Gazeta|date=8 October 2013 |access-date=2016-02-20|language=ru|trans-title=Troopers will add strength|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304205153/http://rg.ru/2013/10/08/desant-site.html|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=live}}</ref> The establishment of the brigade was postponed to 2017–18, according to a June 2015 announcement.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://regnum.ru/news/1930636.html|script-title=ru:Минобороны передвинуло сроки создания новой бригады ВДВ в Воронеже|date=4 June 2015|work=REGNUM|access-date=2 April 2017|language=ru|trans-title=Ministry of Defense postpones establishment of Voronezh airborne brigade|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625063004/https://regnum.ru/news/1930636.html|archive-date=25 June 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> It was announced in July 2015 that plans called for the 31st Airborne Brigade to be expanded into the 104th Guards Airborne Division by 2023,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://ria.ru/20180505/1519952460.html |title=Ульяновскую 31-ю бригаду ВДВ переформируют в дивизию к 2023 году |newspaper=Риа Новости |date=5 May 2018 |access-date=2019-02-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214061617/https://ria.ru/20180505/1519952460.html |archive-date=2019-02-14 |url-status=live }}</ref> and for an additional airborne regiment to be attached to each division.<ref name="tass.ru">{{cite news|url=http://tass.ru/en/russia/811613|title=TASS: Russia – Russian Defense Ministry to build up strength of airborne assault divisions|agency=TASS|access-date=2015-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150803005742/http://tass.ru/en/russia/811613|archive-date=2015-08-03|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the mid-2010s, the Russian Airborne Forces consisted of four divisions and six brigades, including:{{sfn|Thornton|2011|page=9}}{{sfn|Elfving|2021|pages=9–10}}<ref name="janes1">{{Cite web |last=Galeotti |first=Mark |title=Russian airborne forces retool for expanded role |date=25 October 2021 |work=[[Jane's Information Group]] |url=https://www.janes.com/osint-insights/defence-news/security/russian-airborne-forces-retool-for-expanded-role }}</ref>
*7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division
*76th Guards Air Assault Division
*98th Guards Airborne Division
*106th Guards Airborne Division
*11th Guards Air Assault Brigade
*31st Guards Air Assault Brigade
*56th Guards Air Assault Brigade
*83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade
*[[45th Guards Spetsnaz Brigade]]
*[[38th Guards Communications Brigade]] 

By 2021 the total personnel of the VDV was 45,000.<ref name="janes1" />

Elements of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division's [[104th Guards Air Assault Regiment]] allegedly participated in the [[War in Donbas (2014–2022)|war in Donbas]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=The painful secrecy of Russia's war in Ukraine|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/the-painful-secrecy-of-russias-war-in-ukraine/article20595143/?page=all|website=The Globe and Mail|date = 14 September 2014|access-date=2016-02-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419195218/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/the-painful-secrecy-of-russias-war-in-ukraine/article20595143/?page=all|archive-date=2016-04-19|url-status=live|last1 = MacKinnon|first1 = Mark}}</ref> These units allegedly were used as spearhead forces during the August 2014 DPR and LPR counteroffensive.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Reversal of fortune|url=https://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21615605-now-willing-use-russian-troops-more-or-less-openly-eastern-ukraine-vladimir-putin-has|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=2016-02-20|issn=0013-0613|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305000834/http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21615605-now-willing-use-russian-troops-more-or-less-openly-eastern-ukraine-vladimir-putin-has|archive-date=2016-03-05|url-status=live}}</ref> During the August 2014 counteroffensive, battalion tactical groups of the 7th Guards Airborne Division's [[247th Guards Air Assault Regiment]], the 98th Guards Airborne Division's [[331st Guards Airborne Regiment]], the 106th Guards Airborne Division's [[137th Guards Airborne Regiment]], and the [[31st Guards Air Assault Brigade]] allegedly were sent into Ukraine. Reconnaissance teams from the [[45th Guards Spetznaz Brigade]] and the 106th's 173rd Guards Separate Reconnaissance Company were previously deployed to Ukraine alongside Ground Forces units.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rusi.org/sites/default/files/201503_bp_russian_forces_in_ukraine.pdf|title=RUSI Briefing Paper: Russian Forces in Ukraine|last=Sutyagin|first=Igor|date=March 2015|access-date=6 April 2016|publisher=[[Royal United Services Institute]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418162741/https://rusi.org/sites/default/files/201503_bp_russian_forces_in_ukraine.pdf|archive-date=18 April 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In February 2016, it was reported that an airborne battalion would be permanently deployed to [[Dzhankoy]], [[Crimea]], in 2017–18, and upgraded to a regiment in 2020.<ref>{{cite web|title = Russia plans to deploy airborne forces in Crimea on permanent basis — source|url = http://tass.ru/en/defense/857541 |website = TASS|access-date = 2016-02-20|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160220033813/http://tass.ru/en/defense/857541 |archive-date = 2016-02-20|url-status = live}}</ref> In May 2017, Shamanov announced that the battalion would be formed at [[Feodosia|Feodosiya]] by 1 December 2017 as part of the [[7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division]], and would be expanded into the 97th Air Assault Regiment with three battalions by late 2019.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://tass.com/defense/946429|title=Russia starts forming air assault battalion in Crimea|date=18 May 2017|agency=TASS|access-date=21 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520231922/http://tass.com/defense/946429|archive-date=20 May 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Since the [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|2014 annexation]], the status of Crimea is [[Political status of Crimea|under dispute between Russia and Ukraine]]; Ukraine and the majority of the international community considers Crimea an integral part of Ukraine, while Russia considers Crimea to be an integral part of Russia.<ref>[http://europe.newsweek.com/ukraine-reports-russian-military-activity-crimea-border-armored-column-488283 UKRAINE REPORTS RUSSIAN MILITARY ACTIVITY ON CRIMEA BORDER] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018030959/http://europe.newsweek.com/ukraine-reports-russian-military-activity-crimea-border-armored-column-488283 |date=2016-10-18 }}, [[Newsweek]] (8 August 2016)<br />{{cite news |last=Gutterman |first=Steve |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSBREA1Q1E820140318 |title=Putin signs Crimea treaty, will not seize other Ukraine regions |date=18 March 2014 |agency=Reuters.com |access-date=26 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709064506/https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/18/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSBREA1Q1E820140318 |archive-date=9 July 2014 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}<br />[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26248275 Ukraine crisis timeline] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715040406/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26248275 |date=2014-07-15 }}, [[BBC News]]<br />[http://english.cntv.cn/2014/03/28/ARTI1395947928472439.shtml UN General Assembly adopts resolution affirming Ukraine's territorial integrity] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304200543/http://english.cntv.cn/2014/03/28/ARTI1395947928472439.shtml |date=2018-03-04 }}, [[China Central Television]] (28 March 2014)</ref>

[[File:83AABAirborneExercise2017-23.jpg|thumb|Boarding an [[Il-76]] during an exercise of the [[83rd Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade]] in 2017]]
[[File:SlavicBrotherhood2018-23.jpg|thumb|Paratroopers on [[BMD-2]] vehicles at the Slavic Brotherhood 2018 exercise]]
In August 2016, Russian paratroopers placed 1st place in the Airborne Platoon competition during the International Army Games in Russia, defeating teams from China, Iran, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eng.armygames2016.mil.ru/page190811.html |title=Airborne platoon |access-date=2016-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813150939/http://eng.armygames2016.mil.ru/page190811.html |archive-date=2016-08-13 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 4 October 2016, Colonel General [[Andrey Serdyukov]] was appointed commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, replacing Shamanov, who became chief of the [[Duma]] Committee on Defense.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://tass.com/defense/905232|title=Russian Airborne Troops get new commander |date=10 October 2016|agency=TASS|access-date=11 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012075552/http://tass.com/defense/905232|archive-date=12 October 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

State tests of a new [[Bakhcha-U-PDS]] parachute platform for the BMD-4M and BTR-MDM vehicles were completed in May 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.armstrade.org/includes/periodics/news/2018/0531/160047028/detail.shtml |title=ЦАМТО / Новости / Минобороны завершило испытания новейшей парашютной системы "Бахча-У-ПДС" для ВДВ |access-date=2018-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143510/http://www.armstrade.org/includes/periodics/news/2018/0531/160047028/detail.shtml |archive-date=2018-06-12 |url-status=live }}</ref> Deliveries of new 'heavy drop' systems PBS-950U and PBS-955 began in 2020.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.janes.com/defence-news|title=Janes &#124; Latest defence and security news|website=Janes.com}}</ref> In 2019, two battalion sets of BMD-4M airborne combat vehicles and BTR-MDM Rakushka armored personnel carriers, more than 200 units of various automotive equipment, including special armored vehicles, army snowmobiles, four-wheelers and buggies and more than 9,000 parachute systems D-10 and "Arbalet-2" were delivered to the troops.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://armstrade.org/includes/periodics/news/2019/1122/095055464/detail.shtml|title=ЦАМТО / Новости / Андрей Сердюков сообщил о поставках ВВСТ в Воздушно-десантные войска в 2019 году|website=armstrade.org}}</ref>

In April 2020, military personnel from the Russian Airborne Forces, performed the world's first [[High-altitude military parachuting|HALO]] [[paradrop]] from the lower border of the [[Arctic]] [[stratosphere]]. The Russian commando group used "next-generation special-purpose parachute system", military-tested oxygen equipment, navigation devices, special equipment, and uniforms. This was the first high-altitude landing in the Arctic latitudes over 10&nbsp;km in the history of Russian aviation.<ref name="armstrade1">{{cite web|title=ЦАМТО / Новости / Экипажи ВТА обеспечили первое в истории высотное десантирование подразделений ВДВ|url=https://armstrade.org/includes/periodics/news/2020/0427/102557668/detail.shtml|access-date=2020-06-09|website=armstrade.org}}</ref><ref name="functionmil">{{cite web|date=26 April 2020|title=Russian paratroopers for the first time in world history made a landing as part of a group on new parachute systems from an altitude of 10,000 meters in Arctic conditions|url=https://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12288794@egNews|access-date=6 June 2020|website=function.mil.ru }}</ref>

As part of its mission in the Arctic region, the aircrew provided landing of airborne units from altitudes of between 10 and 1.8 kilometres, as well as landing of cargo with a total weight of about 18 tons. After conducting practical combat training, the [[Ilyushin Il-76|Il-76]] aircrews landed at the [[Nagurskoye (air base)|Nagurskoe]] airfield in the northern part of the island of [[Franz Josef Land]]. The high-altitude landing was dedicated to the [[Victory Day (9 May)|75th anniversary]] of victory in the [[World War II|Great Patriotic war of 1941–1945]], and the 90th anniversary of the formation of the Airborne troops.<ref name="armstrade1"/><ref name="functionmil"/>

In 2020, the VDV continued to modernize and re-equip its command posts, started to receive the Stayer high-altitude parachute system which enable airdrops from up to 10&nbsp;km altitude, and completed receiving special-purpose controllable parachute systems.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://armstrade.org/includes/periodics/news/2020/0512/103057806/detail.shtml|title=ЦАМТО / Новости / В ВДВ продолжается совершенствование системы управления|website=armstrade.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/army-2020-tekhodinamika-unveils-new-high-altitude-parachute-for-russias-vdv|title=Army 2020: Tekhodinamika unveils new high-altitude parachute for Russia's VDV|website=Janes.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://tass.com/defense/1238261|title=Russian paratroopers receive latest parachutes for Arctic operation|website=TASS}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://armstrade.org/includes/periodics/news/2021/0112/071561192/detail.shtml|title=ЦАМТО / / В 2020 году доля обеспеченности ВДВ управляемыми парашютными системами составила 100 проц.|website=armstrade.org}}</ref>

Two air assault regiments were set up in Pskov and Crimea as part of air assault divisions in 2021. The Russian Defense Ministry also accepted the Zavet-D artillery fire control vehicle for the Airborne Forces.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://tass.com/defense/1382171 |title=Russia sets up new paratroop regiment in Crimea |date=29 December 2021 |work=[[TASS]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://armstrade.org/includes/periodics/news/2021/1230/094565928/detail.shtml |title=ЦАМТО / / Минобороны приняло на снабжение машины управления артиллерийским огнем "Завет-Д" для ВДВ |publisher=Armstrade.org |date= |accessdate=2022-03-14}}</ref> In 2021-2022, the Airborne Forces received about 30,000 sets of landing equipment and parachute systems.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://armstrade.org/includes/periodics/news/2022/0110/094065985/detail.shtml | title=ЦАМТО / / В 2021 году в ВДВ поступило более 13 тыс. комплектов средств десантирования и парашютных систем }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tass.com/defense/1558867|title=Russian airborne troops receive more than 15,000 parachute systems in 2022 — Ministry|website=TASS}}</ref> [[Sergey Shoigu]] claimed in September 2023 that VDV have received more than 2,000 hardware units and 5,500 landing means and also a new airborne regiment formed since the beginning of the year.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://tass.com/politics/1680731 | title=IN BRIEF: Russian defense chief reveals Ukraine's military losses over past month }}</ref> The Russian Ministry of Defense said on 1 January 2024 that the VDV received during the past year over 2,500 units of weapons, military and special equipment, including more than 780 samples of "newest and contemporary ones". Among the newest samples were [[T-90]]M tanks and [[BMD-4]]M IFVs as well as BTR-MDM "Rakushka" and BTR-82A APCs.<ref>{{cite web | last=Новости | first=РИА | title=Российские десантники получили за год 2,5 тысячи единиц вооружений техники | website=РИА Новости | date=2024-01-01 | url=https://ria.ru/20240101/spetsoperatsiya-1919310418.html | language=ru | access-date=2024-01-16}}</ref> It was also reported on 3 January that 20 military units were created in 2023, including the Ulyanovsk air assault division.<ref>{{cite web | last=Новости | first=РИА | title=В Минобороны рассказали о новых соединениях в ВДВ | website=РИА Новости | date=2024-01-03 | url=https://ria.ru/20240103/vdv-1919539362.html | language=ru | access-date=2024-01-16}}</ref> About 16,000 landing means were also reportedly delivered<ref>{{cite web | last=Закон | first=порядок, государство | title=Российские десантники в 2023 году в ходе учений и занятий по боевой подготовке совершили более 70 тыс. прыжков с парашютом и десантировали 77 единиц боевой техники и грузов | website=Закон, порядок, государство - МирТесен | date=2024-01-05 | url=https://zakon-i-poryadok.mirtesen.ru/blog/43744370707/Rossiyskie-desantniki-v-2023-godu-v-hode-ucheniy-i-zanyatiy-po-b | language=ru | access-date=2024-01-24}}</ref> and 1,000 more in the first quarter of 2024.<ref>{{cite web | title=Более 1 тыс. комплектов современных средств десантирования и парашютных систем поступило в ВДВ в 2024 году | website=ВПК.name | date=2024-05-03 | url=https://vpk.name/news/858511_bolee_1_tys_komplektov_sovremennyh_sredstv_desantirovaniya_i_parashyutnyh_sistem_postupilo_v_vdv_v_2024_godu.html | language=ru | ref={{sfnref | ВПК.name | 2024}} | access-date=2024-05-03}}</ref>

=== Russian invasion of Ukraine ===
[[File:Взятие под контроль аэродрома на территории Украины 003.png|thumb|VDV Airborne troops at [[Hostomel Airport]] during the [[Battle of Antonov Airport]]]] 
[[File:Russian VDV trying to shoot down Ukrainian drone with anti-drone gun and small arms fire - Ukraine, February 2023.webm|thumb|VDV Airborne troops attacking a Ukrainian drone during the [[Battle of the Svatove–Kreminna line]]]]
The VDV participated heavily in the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]]. In the opening hours of the invasion the VDV attempted to secure key airports and support assaults around Ukraine. These paratroopers were recognizable by the [[Ribbon of Saint George|orange-and-black Saint George ribbon]]s decorating their helmets and arms.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220224-russian-soldiers-drop-from-sky-at-edge-of-kyiv | title=Russian soldiers drop from sky at edge of Kyiv | date=24 February 2022 }}</ref>

The VDV attempted to paradrop and transport troops with [[Mi-8]] and [[Mi-17]] helicopters and take the [[Hostomel Airport]] in northern [[Kyiv]], in order to use the airport to [[airlift]] more troops and heavy equipment to take Kyiv as a form of forward "air bridge"<ref>{{Cite news | first1 = Matthew | last1 = Chance | first2 = Aditi | last2 = Sangal  | date = 2022-02-24 | title = On the ground: Russian forces take control of an air base near Kyiv, Ukraine |url=https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-24-22-intl#h_ab6cab437dff1920a9fcec2857593b70 | access-date = 2022-06-21 | work = [[CNN]] | language = en | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220608055718/https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-24-22-intl/h_ab6cab437dff1920a9fcec2857593b70 | archive-date = 2022-06-08 | url-status = live | quote = Russian airborne troops have taken control of the Antonov Airport, which is about 25 miles away from the center of Kyiv, Ukraine, CNN's Matthew Chance reported Thursday. | df = dmy-all}}</ref> that would enable rapid deployment of Russian forces far in advance of the Russian land front, in an action that became known as the [[Battle of Antonov Airport]]. The VDV troops at the airport then engaged the [[Ukrainian National Guard|Ukrainian National Guard's]] [[4th Rapid Reaction Brigade (Ukraine)|4th Rapid Reaction Brigade]], which with the help of the [[Ukrainian Air Force]] encircled the unsupported VDV troops and recaptured the airport, with the Russians escaping to nearby woods.<ref>{{cite web |last=Roblin |first=Sebastien |date=2022-02-25 |title=Pictures: In Battle for Hostomel, Ukraine Drove Back Russia's Attack Helicopters and Elite Paratroopers |url=https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/02/pictures-in-battle-for-hostomel-ukraine-drove-back-russias-attack-helicopters-and-elite-paratroopers/ |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=19FortyFive |language=en-US}}</ref>

The next day battle resumed, and the VDV again attempted to land troops at the airport. Deploying around 200 helicopters and with support from the Ground Forces arriving from the north (Belarus and [[Chernobyl]]), they finally broke through the Ukrainian defenses and established Russian control over the airport. In the end, however, the Ukrainians claimed that the airport became too damaged from the battle to be used as an airstrip.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ukraine asks for fighters of all ages, reports city lost, but successes elsewhere |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/ukraine-asks-for-fighters-of-all-ages-reports-city-lost-but-successes-elsewhere/ |date=2022-02-25 |access-date=2022-03-04 |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US | df = dmy-all}}</ref>

40 kilometers south of Kyiv in [[Vasylkiv]], VDV paratroopers also dropped in an attempt to secure the [[Vasylkiv Air Base]]. Without any support from air or ground forces, the VDV troops in Vasylkiv were eventually encircled and were unsuccessful in achieving their objectives, giving victory in the [[Battle of Vasylkiv]] to the Ukrainians.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-02-26 |title=Fight for Vasylkiv ends with victory of Ukrainian Armed Forces – official |language=en-US |work=AzerNews.az |url=https://www.azernews.az/region/189874.html |access-date=2022-03-01 | df = dmy-all}}</ref>

On February 27, VDV troops with [[BMD-2]]s and [[BTR-D]]s were seen advancing south of Hostomel in [[Bucha, Ukraine|Bucha]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Clark |first1=Mason |last2=Barros |first2=George |last3=Stepanenko |first3=Kateryna |title=Russia-Ukraine Warning Update: Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 27, 2022 |url=https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/russia-ukraine-warning-update-russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-february-27-2022 |date=2022-02-27 |access-date=<!--Please fill in!--> |website=Critical Threats |language=en}}</ref> The VDV and Ground Forces' units were hit on the same day by [[Baykar Bayraktar TB2|Bayraktar]] air strikes. The Ukrainian government claimed that "more than 100 units of enemy equipment were destroyed”.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ukraine says it destroyed Russian military convoy outside of Kyiv |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/ukraine-says-it-destroyed-russian-military-convoy-outside-of-kyiv/ |date=2022-02-27 |access-date=<!--Please fill in!--> |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US}}</ref> On the following weeks the VDV served as [[mechanized infantry]] and [[light infantry]] during the [[Kyiv offensive (2022)|Kyiv offensive]].<ref name=":4" />

During the [[Battle of Kharkiv (2022)|Battle of Kharkiv]], VDV paratroopers landed in Kharkiv on March 2 in an attempt to capture the contested city.<ref>{{cite web |title=Russian forces assaulting Kharkiv – reports |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/russian-forces-assaulting-kharkiv-reports/ |date=2022-03-02 |access-date=<!--Please fill in!--> |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US}}</ref> They attempted a raid on a local [[military hospital]] but were repelled by local Ukrainian forces.<ref>{{cite web |last=Zaczek |first=Zoe |date=2022-03-02 |title=Russian paratroopers launch fresh attack on embattled Kharkiv |url=https://www.skynews.com.au/world-news/russian-paratroopers-launch-fresh-attack-on-embattled-kharkiv-with-battle-underway-at-military-hospital/news-story/4cbd5625944ddf500545c11291e46302 |website=Sky News Australia |language=en-AU}}</ref>

As of August 2022, according to Colonel General [[Mikhail Teplinsky]], over 5,000 VDV paratroopers have been decorated for distinguished service during operations in Ukraine, and 17 of them became [[Hero of the Russian Federation|Heroes of the Russian Federation]].<ref>{{Cite |title=Более 5 тыс. военнослужащих ВДВ удостоены госнаград в ходе спецоперации |trans-title=Over 5 thousand VDV military servicemen awarded state decorations during the special operation |date=1 August 2022 |work=[[TASS]] |url=https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/15366101 }}</ref>

According to the UK Ministry of Defence in June 2023, Russia was redeploying regular military units to the [[Battle of Bakhmut|Bakhmut sector]] following withdrawal of [[Wagner Group|Wagner forces]]. These included elements of the 76th and 106th VDV divisions and two additional brigades. The MoD added that the VDV was much degraded from its pre-invasion "elite" status.<ref>{{Cite tweet |author=UK Ministry of Defence|author-link= |user=DefenceHQ |number=1664861262629556228|date=3 June 2023|title=Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine}}</ref>

==== Analysis of losses ====

On 3 March 2022, it was reported that [[Major General]] [[Andrei Sukhovetsky]] of the VDV's 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division, who was the appointed deputy commander of the [[41st Combined Arms Army]], was [[killed in action]] in Ukraine.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |date=2022-03-03 |title=Ukraine forces reportedly kill top Russian general in blow to invading army |url=https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-sukhovetsky-conflict-1684441 |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref> His death is attributed to [[sniper]] fire either near [[Mariupol]] (which was [[Siege of Mariupol|besieged by Russian forces]])<ref name="Indy">{{cite news |date=2022-03-03 |title=Russian Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky killed by Ukrainians in blow to Putin |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-kill-andrei-sukhovetsky-b2027858.html |access-date=2022-03-04 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> or [[Hostomel]] during the Kyiv offensive.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-07 |title=Why is the 64-kilometre Russian convoy not moving towards Kyiv? |url=https://en.as.com/en/2022/03/08/latest_news/1646704360_362143.html |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=AS.com |language=en}}</ref> Ukrainian sources said he was killed on 2 March and his death was first confirmed on [[VKontakte]] by "Combat Brotherhood", a Russian veterans group,<ref name=":2" /> and later by [[President of Russia|President]] [[Vladimir Putin]].<ref name="Indy" /> The VDV suffered similar losses in Bucha and Irpin with poor command and control being cited.<ref name=":4">{{cite press release | title = Ukraine's specops forces destroy another 10 enemy IFVs in Hostomel | url =https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3419418-ukraines-specops-forces-destroy-another-10-enemy-ifvs-in-hostomel.html | access-date = 2022-06-21 | work = [[Ukrinform]] | type = Press release | language = en | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220415230337/https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3419418-ukraines-specops-forces-destroy-another-10-enemy-ifvs-in-hostomel.html | archive-date = 2022-04-15 | url-status = live | quote =  | df = dmy-all}}</ref> The VDV also joined the assault on the city of [[Mykolaiv]] during the [[Battle of Mykolaiv]], but were pushed back by a Ukrainian counter-offensive.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schwirtz |first=Michael |date=2022-03-07 |title=Proud Band of Ukrainian Troops Holds Russian Assault at Bay — for Now |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/06/world/europe/ukraine-beats-russia-mykolaiv.html |access-date=2022-03-08 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

On 18 March it was reported that Colonel Sergei Sukharev along with deputy Major Sergei Krylov of the 331st Guards Airborne Regiment had been killed during fighting in Mariupol.<ref>{{cite web |date=18 March 2022 |title=Top Russian paratroop commander killed in latest blow to Putin's Ukraine war effort |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/russian-paratroop-commander-killed-ukraine-sergei-sukharev-moscow-putin-b988979.html |website=Evening Standard}}</ref>

In late April, [[Bellingcat]] journalist [[Christo Grozev]] claimed that he "personally checked" and that Russia had lost "almost 90% of its best paratroopers" in the first echelon of the invasion.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-24 |title=Russia has lost 90% of its best paratroopers and many experienced mercenaries - Bellingcat - Canada News from unian.ua |url=https://ca.topnews.media/ukraine/russia-has-lost-90-of-its-best-paratroopers-and-many-experienced-mercenaries-bellingcat/ |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=CANADA TOPNews.MEDIA |language=en-US}}</ref> Many helicopters were shot down by Ukrainian defenses, and the paratroopers were stranded without armored vehicles or air support.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shull |first=Abbie |title=Ukrainian and Russian forces have been fighting for hours over a critical airfield just outside Kyiv |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-russia-fight-over-airfield-outside-kyiv-2022-2 |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=[[Business Insider]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In early May, the UK MoD stated that the VDV units and other elite forces had suffered high losses and that it would "probably take years for Russia to reconstitute these forces."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weber |first=Peter |title=Ukraine says it destroyed Russia's Izyum command center, killing 200 but just missing Russia's top general |url=https://theweek.com/russo-ukrainian-war/1013143/ukraine-says-it-destroyed-russias-izyum-command-center-killing-200-but|access-date=2022-10-02 |website=The Week |date=2 May 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>  

On 19 June 2022, it was reported by [[Odesa]] military-civilian spokesperson [[Serhiy Bratchuk]]<ref name=htyt/> that Putin had sacked Serdyukov for his doomed bid to [[Battle of Hostomel|take Hostomel airfield]], which few of the invading soldiers survived.<ref name="posspur">{{cite news |title=Possible purges among Russian officers deteriorate command: Report |url=https://tvpworld.com/60821131/possible-purges-among-russian-officers-deteriorate-command-report |publisher=Telewizja Polska S.A. |date=18 June 2022}}</ref><ref name="htyt">{{cite news |title=Putin axes top general for 'mass casualties' amid war; 'Butcher of Bucha' is his replacement |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka_IwfSpa7E |agency=YouTube |publisher=Hindustan Times |date=19 June 2022}}</ref> This was confirmed by Russian media reports.<ref>{{cite news |date=21 June 2022 |title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, JUNE 21 |url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-june-21}}</ref> He was replaced by Colonel General [[Mikhail Teplinsky]].

According to [[BBC News Russian]] and the [[Mediazona]] news website, 1,937 VDV deaths had been documented by the end of August 2023, which included 340 officers, accounting for 6% of the 31,665 Russian fatalities who had been identified by name, and 8% of those who could identified by both name and service branch.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Четверть погибших - вчерашние гражданские: что известно о потерях России в Украине к февралю |trans-title=A quarter of the dead are yesterday's civilians: what is known about Russia's losses in Ukraine by February |work=[[BBC News Russian]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/russian/features-64506030 |access-date=3 February 2023}}<br />{{Cite news |date=13 February 2023 |title=Russian casualties in Ukraine. Mediazona count, updated |work=[[Mediazona]] |url=https://en.zona.media/article/2022/05/11/casualties_eng |access-date=13 February 2023}}</ref>

[[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|UK intelligence]] estimate that around 30,000 paratroop forces were deployed to Ukraine in 2022 and that 50% of those have been killed or wounded by summer 2023. A Russian General in August 2023 stated that 3,500 wounded paratroopers had refused to leave the front for treatment and 5,000 had returned to the front after treatment.<ref>{{cite web |title=Russia has lost at least 50 pct of its paratroopers in Ukraine: UK |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2023/08/06/Russia-has-lost-at-least-50-pct-of-its-paratroopers-in-Ukraine-UK |date=6 August 2023}}</ref>

As of 8 May 2025, at least 401 BMD-2, 171 BMD-4M, 105 BTR-D, and 12 unknown BTR-D/BMD-2 have been lost in the invasion.<ref name=Oryx>{{cite web|title=Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The 2022 Russian Invasion Of Ukraine |url=https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html|website=Oryx |access-date=2025-05-08}}</ref>

==== Wartime expansion ====
Despite claims of 'devastating' and 'crippling' losses, the VDV expanded during the war. After the invasion it was announced that the Airborne Forces would create two new divisions. Teplinsky announced on August 2, 2023 that the VDV is expanding the 31st Air Assault Brigade into the [[104th Guards Air Assault Division]]. The 299th and 119th Parachute Airborne Regiments were also reestablished, expanding two other divisions from two to three regiments.<ref name="Expansion">{{cite web|title=Russia's Military Restructuring and Expansion Hindered by the Ukraine War|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russia%E2%80%99s-military-restructuring-and-expansion-hindered-ukraine-war|publisher=Institute for the Study of War|date=Nov 12, 2023|access-date=2024-05-26}}</ref>  

Also reported was the creation of a new [[52nd Artillery Brigade (Russia)|52nd Artillery Brigade]], the first unit of its type in the VDV, and the [[44th Air Assault Division]], created on the basis of the 111th and 387th Motor Rifle Regiments of the [[1st Army Corps (Russia)|1st Army Corps]] of the [[Donetsk People's Republic]]. The 44th Air Assault Division recalls the number of the Soviet-era 44th Training Airborne Division, but being from newly-formed motor rifle regiments, it was described as being an air assault unit "in name only" by military analysts.<ref name="RFERL">{{cite news |last=Bezruchko |first=Danilo |date=27 May 2024 |title=Еще один десант из Крыма? Что известно о новом «крымском» военном формировании россиян на Запорожье |trans-title=One more airborne from Crimea? What is known about the new "Crimean" military formation of Russians in Zaparozhye |lang=ru |newspaper=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] |url=https://ru.krymr.com/a/rossiyskiy-desant-krym-novoye-voyennoye-formirovaniye-zaporozhye/32965682.html }}</ref><ref name="CriticalThreats">{{Cite web |last=Hird |first=Karolina |title=Restructuring and Expansion of the Russian Ground Forces Hindered by Ukraine War Requirements |date=12 November 2023 |work=Critical Threats |publisher=[[American Enterprise Institute]] |url=https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/restructuring-and-expansion-of-the-russian-ground-forces-hindered-by-ukraine-war-requirements }}</ref>