The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (Russian: Вооружённые Си́лы Росси́йской Федера́ции, Vooruzhonnije Síly Rossíyskoj Federátsii) are the military services of Russia, established after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. On 7 May 1992, Boris Yeltsin signed a presidential decree establishing the Russian Ministry of Defence and placing all Soviet Armed Forces troops on the territory of the RSFSR under Russian control. The commander-in-chief of the armed forces is the president of Russia. Although the Russian armed forces were formed in 1992, the Russian military dates its roots back to the times of the Kievan Rus'.
The number of troops is specified by decree of the President of Russia. On 1 January 2008, a number of 2,019,629 units, including military of 1,134,800 units, was set.
In 2010 the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) estimated that the Russian Armed Forces numbered about 1,027,000 active troops and in the region of 20,000,000 reserves, (largely ex-conscripts) but a significant military reform is underway which will cut the number of active troops. According to SIPRI Russia spent nearly $72bn on arms 2011, overtaking Britain ($62.7bn) and France ($62.5bn).Russia is planning further increases in its military spending, with draft budgets showing a 53% rise in real terms up to 2014.However,SIPRI adds that many analysts are doubtful whether the industry will be able to deliver on such ambitious plans after decades of stagnation following the collapse of the Soviet Union. However analysts and even some high ranking Russian Military Officers have openly questioned the feasibility of the official announcements and ambitious plans to transform and modernize Russia's Armed Forces on a sufficient and noticeable scale, claiming internal problems, such as rampant corruption and a lack of sufficient and effective funding, as well as a lack of experienced professional personnel. For instance Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has said that the program had been poorly managed and would cost too much to fix.
Read more about Armed Forces Of The Russian Federation: History, Structure, Personnel, Budget, Nuclear Weapons
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