Russian Armed Forces

Military

Main article: Russian Armed Forces

Military-patriotic recreation park of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade: Russians at «Immortal regiment», carrying portraits of their ancestors who fought in World War II.

The Russian military is divided into the Ground Forces, Navy, and Air Force. There are also three independent arms of service: Strategic Missile Troops, Aerospace Defence Forces, and the Airborne Troops. As of 2017, the military comprised over 1 million active duty personnel, the fifth largest in the world.^[150] Additionally, there are over 2.5 million reservists, with the total number of reserve troops possibly being as high as 20 million.^[151] It is mandatory for all male citizens aged 18–27 to be drafted for a year of service in Armed Forces.^[109]
Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world, the second largest fleet of ballistic missile submarines, and the only modern strategic bomber force outside the United States.^[36][152] Russia's tank force is the largest in the world, while its surface navy and air force are among the largest.
The country has a large and fully indigenous arms industry, producing most of its own military equipment with only a few types of weapons imported. It has been one of the world's top supplier of arms since 2001, accounting for around 30% of worldwide weapons sales^[153] and exporting weapons to about 80 countries.^[154] The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, SIPRI, found that Russia was the second biggest exporter of arms in 2010–14, increasing their exports by 37 per cent from the period 2005–2009. In 2010–14, Russia delivered weapons to 56 states and to rebel forces in eastern Ukraine.^[155]
The Russian government's official 2014 military budget is about 2.49 trillion rubles (approximately US$69.3 billion), the third largest in the world behind the US and China. The official budget is set to rise to 3.03 trillion rubles (approximately US$83.7 billion) in 2015, and 3.36 trillion rubles (approximately US$93.9 billion) in 2016.^[156] However, unofficial estimates put the budget significantly higher, for example the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) 2013 Military Expenditure Database estimated Russia's military expenditure in 2012 at US$90.749 billion.^[157] This estimate is an increase of more than US$18 billion on SIPRI's estimate of the Russian military budget for 2011 (US$71.9 billion).^[158] As of 2014, Russia's military budget is higher than any other European nation.