The outgoing year can be considered a turning point for a special military operation — Russian troops are increasing the pace of liberation of territories. Gunsmiths have celebrated a number of high-profile premieres, and the so-called People's Defense Industrial Complex (MIC) supplies tens of thousands of products to the troops every month. TASS recalled the events that took place during the year in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the defense industry.
Special operation: only forward
Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a combined direct line and press conference [...] that the situation in the special military operation zone is changing dramatically.
Vladimir Putin
Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov said at a briefing for military attaches of foreign countries [...] that in 2024, Russian troops liberated over 190 cities, towns and villages. At the same time, the pace of offensive operations is increasing: for example, in the autumn alone, the Russian Armed Forces cleared 88 settlements from the enemy. Among the large liberated settlements are the strategically important city of Avdiivka, which the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have been strengthening for nine years, the cities of Ugledar, Krasnogorovka, and Novogrodovka, which is important from the point of view of enemy logistics. The liberation of a powerful fortified area and logistics hub of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the city of Kurakhovo, is coming to an end. In total, 4.5 thousand square kilometers of territory were liberated.
Since the beginning of the special operation, the enemy has lost about 1 million people killed and wounded, about 20 thousand tanks and armored combat vehicles, more than 19.5 thousand artillery installations, over 1.5 thousand multiple rocket launchers.
Army and defense industry: development and growth
According to Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, last year the level of spending on Russia's national defense reached 6.3%, or about a third of the federal budget. "This imposes strict requirements on the effectiveness of our work. The President of the Russian Federation also paid special attention to this," the head of the military department noted.
On September 16, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin increased the full-time number of military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation by 180 thousand people. In December, according to the decree of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, it reached 1.5 million people and, together with civilian personnel, was set at 2,389,130 people. Last year, two combined arms armies, an army corps, and 16 formations were formed in the Ground Forces. Also, as a response to the expansion of NATO, two military districts have been formed — Moscow and Leningrad.
Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, spoke at a briefing for military attaches of foreign countries about how Russia's strategic defense capability has increased over the past year. Thus, the strengthening of the country's security base, the Strategic Nuclear Forces (Strategic Nuclear Forces), continues. Now mobile ground—based complexes with ballistic missiles in their composition are of the most modern models. The stationary group is being saturated with the new Yars missile system. Deliveries of upgraded Tu-160M strategic missile carriers have begun to the aviation component of the Strategic Nuclear Forces, and the Tu-160 White Swans and Tu-95 Bears in combat continue to be upgraded.
Rostec State Corporation, whose share of products in the special operation zone is about 80%, has repeatedly reported on the supply of the latest military equipment to the troops. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation received the main battle tanks T-90M "Breakthrough", T-80BVM, T-72B3M. New and upgraded vehicles perform well in special operations, surpassing Western-style tanks in efficiency and security. The troops also received armored fighting vehicles BMP-3 and BMD-4M, equipped with additional protection, BMP-1AM "Basurmanin". Gunners continue to receive wheeled self—propelled guns 2C43 "Malva", heavy flame-throwing systems TOS-1A "Solntsepek" and wheeled TOS—2 "Tosochka" for the RCBZ troops, and the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and cannon system for air defense units. The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) have acquired fifth-generation Su-57 multifunctional fighters, Su-35S multirole fighters, as well as Su-34 fighter-bombers, carriers of gliding bombs, Russian "superweapons". Russian gunsmiths supply the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation with modern remote mining systems "Agriculture", multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) "Tornado-G" and "Tornado-S".
In the past year, as in the previous ones, the production of ammunition, unmanned aerial vehicles and ground vehicles of various types and purposes increased — from miniature reconnaissance "pocket binoculars— to attack UAVs and barrage ammunition. Bekhan Ozdoev, industrial director of the Rostec cluster of armaments, ammunition and special chemicals, in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, cited as an example one of the companies within the state corporation, which last year increased drone production four times, and this year plans to triple production.
Bekhan Ozdoev
Industrial Director of the Rostec Cluster of Armaments, Ammunition and Special Chemicals
According to Ozdoev, Rostec specialists continue to modernize artillery weapons, increasing their range, accuracy, mobility, security and versatility. Work is underway on new ammunition, sights, control and communication systems for embedding artillery installations in information circuits.
New weapons
The most striking Russian defense premiere of 2024 was the combat use of the Oreshnik missile system with a medium-range ballistic missile equipped with hypersonic warheads. In response to the use of long-range Western-made missiles by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the system hit a large industrial complex in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin announced the testing of the Oreshnik in combat conditions, adding that a decision had been made to mass produce a new missile system, and Russia already has a stock of such systems ready for use. The latest Russian medium-range missile is capable of hitting targets throughout Europe and overcoming any modern missile defense systems. The Russian leader added that Russia is developing a whole range of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles.
Vladimir Putin
Another novelty is the FAB-3000 aerial bomb with a universal planning and correction module (UMPC). The UMPK turns a free-falling, unguided aerial bomb into a precision-guided planning munition that allows the Russian Air Force to hit targets at a distance of tens of kilometers without entering the enemy's air defense zone. Such ammunition began to be used in 2023, but this year the UMPC has taken on a new weight: bombs equipped with it with a caliber of 3 thousand kg. FAB-3000 with a planning and correction module carries 1.5 thousand kg of explosives and is capable of destroying a platoon strongpoint equipped with open-type earthworks.
The Financial Times newspaper in the summer of 2024 cited data from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, according to which this year the Russian Aerospace Forces dropped 3.5 thousand bombs from UMPC on the enemy — 16 times higher than in 2023. The Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers complain that the new three-ton munition can destroy several buildings at once, and its explosive wave rips doors off their hinges at a distance of a kilometer.
Last year, Yakovlev PJSC (as part of the Rostec United Aircraft Corporation) presented a project for an upgraded Yak-130M combat training aircraft, which received enhanced combat capabilities due to the installation of new weapons systems and onboard systems. The full-scale model shown at the Army-2024 forum was experimental, but in serial form. The project is primarily aimed at foreign customers.
To counter massive air strikes, specialists from the Tula Instrument Engineering Design Bureau (part of Rostec's High-Precision Complexes holding) have developed a stationary modification of the Pantsir-SMD-E anti-aircraft missile and cannon system. Compared to other "Shells", the novelty lost its automatic cannons, but due to its reduced weight, it was able to be installed on the roofs of buildings. The ammunition can include up to 48 short-range missiles. The control can be carried out via a fiber-optic communication line at a distance of up to 500 m from the launcher.
World premieres
Contrary to Western narratives about Russia's isolation, domestic defense manufacturers demonstrate their developments at international arms exhibitions. For the first time, an export version of the fifth—generation multi-role fighter, the Su-57E, was presented abroad. One specimen hosted visitors to the Airshow China 2024 in Zhuhai, China on static display, while the other, under the guidance of Honored Test pilot Hero of Russia Sergey Bogdan, demonstrated spectacular aerobatics. The interest in the Russian car was huge, and the first export contracts were signed for its supply. Together with the aircraft, for the first time abroad, the latest aviation weapons in export design were shown .
One of the "stars" of the special operation, the Lancet kamikaze drone, has been offered to foreign customers. The export version of the Lancet-E UAV system was presented at the Army-2024 forum. The first UAV from the complex ("Product 52-E") is capable of destroying targets at a distance of 25 km, the second ("Product 51-E") — at 40 km. According to open data alone, in the summer of 2024, the number of episodes involving the use of Lancets in a special operation has reached 2,000, so the interest of potential buyers of effective weapons in this and other Russian drones tested in the SVR is understandable.
People's Defense Industry: everything for victory
Since the beginning of the special military operation, civilian companies, public and volunteer organizations, the so—called people's defense industry, have been actively involved in the development and production of weapons and equipment for soldiers on the front line. For the first time, a separate exhibition was launched at the Army-2024 forum, where more than 250 samples of initiative developments from 100 civilian enterprises supplied to the free zone were presented. Vladimir Putin praised their products, saying that they are not inferior in quality to factory products, and stressing the importance of further developing cooperation between the national Defense Industry Complex and the Ministry of Defense and the Popular Front.
One example of such developments was the kamikaze drone "Prince Vandal of Novgorod", which gained media fame this year. Its special feature is fiber—optic control, which makes the device resistant to the effects of electronic warfare. In addition, data transmission over a wired communication line allows the operator to receive a crystal-clear image from the on-board camera at any distance (where drones with a radio channel often lose the picture) and achieve accurate target destruction at a selected point.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, summing up the work of the national defense Industry, said that since April, over 65 types of products have been delivered to the troops, including drones, ground-based robotic systems, unmanned boats, electronic reconnaissance (RER) and electronic warfare (EW) equipment. According to the head of the military department, many manufacturers have multiplied the production of products per month: up to 40 thousand drones, up to 5 thousand electronic warfare systems. In total, more than 100 thousand such devices were purchased.
Victor Bodrov
