Ресей Стратегиялық Ракеталық Күштері

Separate troops branch of the Russian Armed Forces
the branch of the Russian Armed Forces

The Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or the Strategic Missile Forces of the Russian Federation (RVSN RF; Ракетные войска стратегического назначения Российской Федерации (РВСН РФ), lit. 'Strategic Purpose Rocketry Troops of the Russian Federation') is a separate troops branch of the Russian Armed Forces that controls Russia's land based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). It was formerly part of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1959 to 1991. The Strategic Rocket Forces was created on 17 December 1959 as part of the Soviet Armed Forces as the main force for operating all Soviet nuclear ground based intercontinental, intermediate range ballistic missile, and medium range ballistic missile with ranges over 1,000 kilometers. After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, assets of the Strategic Rocket Forces were in the territories of several new states in addition to Russia, with armed nuclear missile silos in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. The three of them transferred their missiles to Russia for dismantling and they all joined the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. Complementary strategic forces within Russia include the Russian Aerospace Forces' Long Range Aviation and the Russian Navy's ballistic missile submarines. Together the three bodies form Russia's nuclear triad.

Like most of the Russian Armed Forces, the Strategic Missile Forces had limited access to resources for new equipment in the Yeltsin era. However, the Russian government made a priority of ensuring that the Missile Forces received new missiles to phase out older, less reliable systems, and to incorporate newer capabilities in the face of international threats to the viability of the nuclear deterrent effect provided by their missiles. In particular the development of missile defense systems in the United States. In 1995, the "Strategic Missile Forces Day" and "Military Space Forces Day" were created. On July 16, 1997, President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree incorporating the Russian Space Forces and the Space Missile Defence Forces (Russian: Ракетно космической обороны) into the SMT. In doing so, 'nearly 60' military units and establishments were dissolved. However, four years later, on June 1, 2001, the Russian Space Forces were reformed as a separate branch of service from the SMT. Minister of Defence Marshal of the Russian Federation Igor Sergeev, a former commander of the SMT from August 19, 1992 – May 22, 1997, played a major role in assuring funding for his former service. He was succeeded by General of the Army Vladimir Yakovlev, who commanded the SMT from June 1997 until April 27, 2001. Yakovlev was succeeded by Colonel General Nikolay Solovtsov. Solovtsov was dismissed in July–August 2009. Speculation over why Solovtsov was dismissed included opposition to further cuts in deployed nuclear ballistic missile warheads below the April 2009 figure of 1,500, the fact that he had reached the retirement age of 60, despite that he had recently been extended another year's service, or the failure of the Navy's Bulava missile). After only a year, Lieutenant General Andrey Shvaichenko, appointed on August 3, 2009, by President Dmitry Medvedev, was replaced. The current commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel General Sergei Karakayev, was appointed to the post by a presidential decree of June 22, 2010. The RVSN headquarters has a special sledgehammer that can be used to gain access to the launch codes if the commander feels the need to use it or if ordered directly, but doesn't have normal access to the safe. In 2020, the Strategic Missile Forces completed switching to digital information transmission technology.

The main RVSN command post is at Kuntsevo in the suburbs of Moscow. The alternate command post is at Kosvinsky Mountain in the Urals. Female cadets have started to join the Peter the Great Strategic Missile Forces Academy. In the past, only men were allowed to serve in the Missile Forces. RVSN institutes also exist at Serpukhov and Rostov on Don. An ICBM test impact range is located in the Far East, the Kura Test Range. This has been under Aerospace Defence Forces' command since 2010. The Strategic Missile Forces operate four distinct missile systems. The oldest system is the silo based R 36M2 / SS 18 Satan. It carries ten warheads. The last missile will be in service until 2020. The second system is the silo based UR 100NUTTH / SS 19 Stiletto. The last Stiletto missiles in service with six warheads each will be removed by 2019. The third system, the single warhead mobile RT 2PM Topol / SS 25 Sickle was decommissioned by 2023. A new missile entering service is the RT 2UTTH Topol M / SS 27 Sickle B with single warhead, of which 60 are silo based and 18 are mobile. Some new missiles will be added in the future. The first upgraded Topol M called RS 24 Yars, carrying three warheads, was commissioned in 2010. In July 2011 the first mobile regiment with nine missiles was completed. From 2012 to 2017, about 80 ICBMs were placed in active duty. The RF Defense Minister said in December 2022 that 91.3% of the country's nuclear forces was modern. 3 missile regiments rearmed in 2023.

R 12 Dvina, SS 4 Sandel – In service from 1959 to 1993.

R 14 Chusovaya, SS 5 Skean – In service from 1962 to 1984. RSD 10 Pioneer, SS 20 Sabre, SS 23 Sabre 2 – In service from 1976 to 1988.

MR UR 100 Sotka, SS 17 Spanker – In service from 1975 to 1995. R 7 Semyorka, SS 6 Sapwood – In service from 1959 to 1968. R 9 Desna, SS 8 Sasin – In service from 1964 to 1976. R 16, SS 7 Saddler – In service from 1961 to 1976. RT 2, SS 13 Savage – In service from 1968 to 1976. RT 20P, SS 15 Scrooge – In service from 1961 to 1962. RT 21 Temp 2S, SS 16 Sinner – In service from 1976 to 1986. RT 23 Molodets, SS 24 Scalpel – In service from 1987 to 2005. UR 100, SS 11 Sego – In service from 1967 to 1974. UR 200, SS 10 Scrag – In service from 1963 to 1964.

According to the Federation of American Scientists, for the foreseeable future, all new Russian ICBM deployments will be of MIRVed versions of the SS 27 "Topol M". A “new ICBM” and a “heavy ICBM” are also being developed. By the early 2020s, according to announcements by Russian military officials, all SS 18 and SS 25 ICBMs will be retired from service following the retirements of the SS 19 systems. This development would leave a Russian ICBM force structure based on five modifications of the solid fuel SS 27 (silo and mobile based SS 27 Mod 1 (Topol M); silo and mobile based SS 27 Mod 2 (RS 24 Yars); and the RS 26 Rubezh) and the liquid fuel RS 28 Sarmat with a large payload – either MIRV or some advanced payload to evade missile defense systems. Although the future force will be smaller, a greater portion of it will be MIRVed – up from approximately 36 percent in 2014 to roughly 70 percent by 2024.