35013 SOVIET ARMY TANK CREW IN AFGHANISTAN - 1980 ERA

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (FR for short) were officially formed in May 1992 and are seen as the heir to the combat traditions and achievements of the Soviet armed forces. Currently, they are recognized as the second most powerful armed forces in the world, second only to US forces. One of their most important elements is the land component, i.e. the Land Forces of the Russian Federation, which in 2013 consisted of around 250,000 soldiers. One of their most important elements are the armored forces, which - apart from tank battalions in motorized and mechanized brigades - form independent brigades and divisions. In 2013, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation consisted of four armored brigades. However, it is assumed that in 2016 they already had an armored division and an additional four armored brigades. It is worth adding that in 2014, the 1st Guards Tank Army was reactivated, consisting of, among others, an armored division and brigade, as well as a mechanized division and brigade. The composition of the modern Russian armored brigade can be illustrated by the example of the 6th Independent Armored Brigade, which in 2013 had, among others, 94 tanks, 37 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), 18 multi-rocket launchers and 8 self-propelled howitzers in stock. It is worth adding, however, that the composition of individual armored brigades could have changed significantly since 2013. It is also worth adding that there are also considerable discrepancies in the composition of the Russian armored battalion, which has 4 jobs! Most often, however, this battalion has 3 companies, 3 platoons each, and a total of 31 or 40 tanks. It is worth noting that the current armored forces of the Russian Federation are based to a large extent on vehicles structurally derived from the times of the USSR, and these are most often the reins of the T-80 and T-72 families, which are particularly intensively modernized. There are relatively few (by Russian standards) cars of the T-90 family. It is worth noting that the announced entry into service and the commencement of production of the T-14 Armata tank has been officially abandoned. It is estimated that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have approx. 3,000 tanks in the line, and after full mobilization, this number may probably increase to approx. 9,000 vehicles.