The Ivanovo-based 217th Parachute Regiment of VDV’s 98th Airborne Division is reportedly taking delivery of the eleventh battalion set of new armor today, according to local media.
Interfaks-AVN reports the 98th VDD will get 31 BMD-4M Sadovnitsa and six BTR-MDM Rakushka (shown above).
Introduction of the new armored vehicles looks like this (click image):
At the current pace, VDV seems likely to get one or two more battalion sets before the end of 2021.
Usually less than 40 armored vehicles (mostly BMD-4M), these eleven battalion sets represent about 400 new pieces of equipment so far.
Deliveries aren’t likely to end soon. A fully new armor inventory for the VDV probably means a total of 1,200 new vehicles. So maybe another 20 battalion sets with 800 vehicles. But the exact endpoint for new airborne armor procurement hasn’t been publicized.
The BMD-4M and BTR-MDM are big development and production undertakings that started before 2010 and haven’t proceeded quickly or smoothly, all Shoygu’s braggadocio about RF MOD rearmament notwithstanding.
Putin signed out promotions on June 11. Twenty-three for MOD officers — three three-stars, eight two-stars, and 12 one-stars.
The president’s praetorians — Rosgvardiya — got four one-star promotions.
For the MOD, Commander of Air and Missile Defense Troops, Deputy CINC of the VKS, Yuriy Grekhov and the commander of Russian troops in Syria, Aleksandr Chayko became general-colonels.
Not yet 50, Chayko commanded the 1st TA and 20th CAA, was chief of staff, first deputy commander of the Eastern MD, and served a stint on the General Staff. He will be competitive for the next military district command that opens up.
Commander of the Black Sea Fleet Igor Osipov made admiral. He might be the next commander of the Pacific Fleet when Avakyants retires.
A surface commander, he’s just 48. Besides his current fleet command, he was commander of the Caspian Flotilla, chief of staff, first deputy commander of the Pacific Fleet, and served a tour with the General Staff.
The new general-lieutenants include Deputy Commander of the 8th CAA Gennadiy Anashkin, Commander of the 4th Air Forces and Air Defense Army Nikolay Gostev, and Commander of the 58th CAA Mikhail Zusko.
Zusko became a general-major at 41, but waited eight years for his second star. Nevertheless, an officer to watch.
Chief nuclear weapons custodian Igor Kolesnikov of the 12th Main Directorate got a second star. That’s the customary terminal rank for this specialist post.
Long unidentified in a position, Yuriy Zhigarlovskiy took a second star and surfaced as Chief of the 1st Directorate, Main Operations Directorate, General Staff. The 1st is probably has responsibility for strategic assessments and global threat forecasting.
Military Academy of the General Staff Deputy Chief for Scientific Work Aleksandr Serzhantov became a general-lieutenant at age 60 after eight years as a one-star.
Zabit Kheirbekov, chief of MTO for Aerospace Forces, got a second star as did Andrey Tsygankov, first deputy chief of the recently recreated Main Military-Political Directorate.
New one-stars include:
Chief of the helicopter training school at Syzran
Chief of 14th Main Communications Center of the General Staff
Commander of 3rd Air Defense Division
Chief of Air Forces and Air Defense Directorate, Central MD
Deputy chief of Radiological, Chemical, Biological Defense Troops
Chief of staff, first deputy chief of the 49th CAA
Chief of staff, first deputy chief of the VKS 15th Special Designation Army (missile launch warning and space tracking)
Chief of the Eastern MD’s Organization-Mobilization Directorate
Chief of the Southern MD’s armor service
Commander of the Baltic Naval Base
Deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet for MTO
Only one promotee couldn’t be identified in his current post.
Russian Defense Policy 