VDV - Russian Airborne Troops

Russian Airborne Troops
Воздушно-десантные войска России
Coat of Arms of Airborne Forces
Active	1930s–present
Country	Soviet Union (1930–1991) Russian Federation (1991–present)
Allegiance	Supreme Commander-in-Chief
Branch	Russian Armed Forces
Type	Airborne Forces
Role	Light Infantry Airborne Infantry Airmobile infantry Peacekeeping
Size	45,000 paratroopers, will expand to 72,000 paratroopers by 2019
Nickname(s)	Blue Berets, Winged Infantry
Motto(s)	"Никто, кроме нас!" ("Nobody, but us!")
Colors	Sky blue
March	Just One Victory (Нам нужна одна победа) by composer Bulat Okudzava
Anniversaries	August 2 – Day of Desantniks
Engagements	Battle of Lake Khasan Battles of Khalkhin Gol World War II Nagorno-Karabakh War Soviet war in Afghanistan First Chechen War Second Chechen War 2008 South Ossetia war 2014 Crimean crisis War in Donbass
Commanders
Current commander	Col.Gen. Vladimir Shamanov
Chief of Staff and First Deputy commander	Lt. Gen. Nikolay Ignatov
Notable commanders	Gen. Vasily Margelov Lt. Col. Anatoly Lebed Gen. Georgy Shpak
Insignia
Alternative Coat of Arms
Flag of Airborne Forces

The Russian Airborne Troops or VDV (from "Vozdushno-desantnye voyska Rossii", Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска России, ВДВ; Air-landing Forces) is a military branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. They are an elite force, on par with the Strategic Rocket Forces and the Aerospace Defence Forces. First formed before World War II, the force undertook two significant airborne operations and a number of smaller jumps during the war and for many years after 1945 was the largest airborne force in the world. The force was split after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, losing divisions to Belarus and Ukraine, and has been reduced in size.

Russian airborne forces have traditionally worn a blue beret and blue-striped telnyashka and are called "desant" (Ru:Десант) from the French "Descente".

INTERNET SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Airborne_Troops

Interwar and World War II

Postwar

Air assault units of the Ground Forces

Commanders of the Soviet Airborne Forces and Russian Airborne Troops

After the Fall of the Soviet Union

Armament and equipment

Armoured vehicles

Artillery

UAVs

See also

VDV Russian Airborne Song with ENGLISH SUBTITLES

Uploaded on Aug 29, 2011

Alexander Buinov's immortal tribute to the VDV.

VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlQ6KqTlyfk