Interfaks reports the VDV’s spokesman says Airborne Commander, General-Lieutenant Vladimir Shamanov is doing well enough to receive visitors and work from his hospital bed, though doctors won’t say at this point when he might be discharged.
Tuesday’s Argumenty.ru reported bad news for Shamanov’s staff. A Defense Ministry commission working in the VDV will soon issue its decision on cutting the airborne staff. A military source says it’s only a formality since a decision, not favorable to the VDV, has already been made.
The officer said the commission arrived immediately after Defense Minister Serdyukov’s 30 September dust-up with VDV Colonel Krasov at the Seltsy training center near Ryazan. It had mainly finance and personnel people. Scheduled to work for two weeks, the commission needed more than a month, and didn’t finish until after Shamanov’s car accident on 30 October.
According to Argumenty.ru’s source, the report will consider it expedient to cut the VDV’s Main Staff by two times, transfer its headquarters from Moscow to Ryazan or Tula, and sell its current premises in Sokolniki.
Russian Defense Policy 
Is the VDV being subordinated under the General Staff or will it still be the case that it answers directly to the CNC? I keep reading different articles that say different things….
Is your question are the VDV going to remain the strategic reserve of the Supreme CINC (President), operationally directed by the Genshtab and VDV Main Staff or are they going to be somehow resubordinated to the four new MDs / OSKs?
The evidence seems to be for the former (i.e. the status quo). Location is everything — the VDV divisions remain permanently-based largely in central Russia, making them forces that have to be deployed on whichever axis they are needed. Now the 31st Brigade in Ulyanovsk — who knows? New formations Shamanov has talked about — who knows? It might depend on where they’re located.
Shamanov has said repeatedly, VDV will remain an independent branch. We don’t know how much this is something he’s been promised or something he’s just hoping. Only he knows that.
We know the OSKs are supposed to be taking functions from the Ground Troops, Air Forces, and Navy Glavkomaty. But when the OSKs first appeared no one really commented on how they would affect the three independent branches — RVSN, Space Troops, and VDV. There’s sense in keeping them centrally subordinated.
But, one point on the other hand, Shurygin claims the VDV have lost their independent, Supreme CINC reserve status, and will be swallowed by the OSKs.
There probably isn’t enough evidence to buy his argument yet.
Well, VDV is not a Strategic reserve. VDV is the mobile reserve. The Strategic reserve is OSK Tsentr.