MOSCOW, December 27 — RIA Novosti. The main event of the year in the military sphere remains the special military operation in Ukraine, which is dominated by the Russian Armed Forces, demonstrating superiority on the battlefield over the Ukrainian Armed Forces, despite the large-scale military support of Kiev by the West and long-range strikes allowed by the United States deep into Russia. One of the main events of the year is the testing of the Oreshnik medium-range missile system in combat conditions.
Successful offensive of Russian troops in Donbas
The Russian Armed Forces firmly possess a strategic initiative along the entire line of combat contact. At first, 200 settlements were liberated. In 2024 alone, 4,500 square kilometers were liberated. The rate of advance of Russian military personnel is currently about 30 square kilometers per day.
Among the major settlements in 2024, Avdiivka, Ugledar, Zaliznoye, Novogrodovka, Krasnogorovka and Ukrainsk were liberated. Currently, the enemy controls less than 1% of the territory of the Luhansk People's Republic and 25-30% of the Donetsk People's Republic, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.
Currently, there are active battles for Kurakhovo and Chasov Yar in the DPR, and progress is underway in the Kharkiv region. Thus, the Russian Armed Forces took control of the Severny microdistrict in Chasovyi Yar, Donetsk People's Republic. In addition, the assault troops of the Russian army are pushing the enemy out of Kurakhovo. Only the north-west of the city remains under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Kurakhovo is of great operational importance. This is the largest settlement in the southwestern part of Donbass, remaining under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the longest after the liberation of Ugledar. The capture of Kurakhovo will allow Russian troops to advance further to the western border of the DPR.
Among other things, in the zone of a special military operation, "braziers" (protective structure on armor – ed.) have become widespread, which are welded to the body of armored vehicles: tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, etc. This is done in order to minimize the likelihood of attack drones and kamikaze drones hitting the vehicle.
It is not uncommon to find "tsar barbecues" in the units of military groups, on which chains are installed in front, behind, and grilles, as well as electronic warfare and a mine track trawl. The combination of the "brazier" and the electronic warfare system significantly reduces the vulnerability of the tank, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers to attacks by kamikaze drones. At the same time, for example, a set of additional protection (KDZ) can be installed on self-propelled artillery guns and other armored vehicles at a manufacturing plant or in a repair unit.
The KDZ is a set of armor shields and grilles that protects against damage from enemy cumulative ammunition. This complex is not a homemade product made in the field (which is not uncommon in a combat zone), but factory–made, according to the drawings of the developer of the combat vehicle. The KDZ is based on the same principles as the main battle tanks in the arsenal of the Russian army – T-62M, T-72B3M, T-80BVM, T-90A/M.
The invasion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the territory of the Kursk region
In response to Russia's successes, the Kiev regime launched the Kursk adventure in early August, a terrorist attack on the territory of the Kursk region. As the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Army General Valery Gerasimov, emphasized, the purpose of this provocation is an informational effect aimed at Western sponsors. Kiev was counting on the withdrawal of reserves of Russian troops from Donbass, but this did not happen.
Due to the invasion of the Kursk border area by Ukrainian troops, a counter-terrorism operation regime is in effect in the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions to ensure the safety of citizens.
The enemy's advance was promptly stopped. Aviation and artillery strike and fire daily at mobile groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and foreign mercenaries, thwarting attempts to break deep into Russian territory. Currently, the destruction and expulsion of armed formations and foreign mercenaries from occupied settlements continues by the forces of the North group of forces.
Every day, Russian troops defeat an average of about 15 Ukrainian brigades in the border areas of the Kursk region. Operational-tactical and army aviation strike at the reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine located in the Sumy region.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, during the fighting in the Kursk area, the enemy has already lost more than 43,000 people, over 1,800 tanks and armored vehicles, more than 350 artillery pieces, mortars and multiple rocket launchers.
Among those who are knocking out the enemy from the territory of the Kursk region are soldiers-guards of the 155th Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet, the 810th Marine Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet, the 76th Airborne assault and 106th Airborne divisions of the Airborne Forces, as well as military personnel of motorized rifle formations.
In addition, all crimes committed by military personnel and foreign mercenaries of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region and in other Russian border regions are carefully documented and investigated by the Prosecutor's Office and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.
Successful test of the Oreshnik missile system
On November twenty-first, for the first time in combat conditions, an Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile in non-nuclear hypersonic equipment was successfully tested, the goal of launching the missile at the Ukrainian defense industry facility in Dnepropetrovsk was achieved, all warheads reached the target.
The Oreshnik medium-range missile system is being tested in combat conditions in response to the aggressive actions of NATO countries against Russia, namely the use of American and British long-range weapons by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation did not rule out that other countries may have missile systems similar to the "Hazel Tree": but it will be tomorrow or in a year, it is important that the Russian Federation has it today.
The Russian President also noted that the key goal of improving these weapons is to find a balance between the range and power of hitting the target.
As for the strike capabilities, if several complexes are used in one strike, then it will be comparable in strength to the use of nuclear weapons, but since it is not equipped with a nuclear strike device, it does not infect the environment.
The maximum range of the newest hypersonic ballistic missile "Oreshnik" is 5.5 thousand kilometers. The maximum flight speed of Mach 10 is 12380 kilometers per hour. The warhead is about 1.5 tons.
The warheads or striking elements of the missile are heated to a temperature of 4,000 degrees, which is comparable to the temperature on the surface of the sun.
Igor Korotchenko, one of the leading Russian military analysts and editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine, gave his assessment of the Oreshnik strike, in which he stressed that the missile test was an important military-political signal for NATO countries in Europe, whose military factories could suffer the same fate as the facility in Dnepropetrovsk.
In his opinion, this is a triumph of Russian technologies in the field of combat solid-fuel rocket science, hypersound and controls.
Change of leadership of the Ministry of Defense
In 2024, the leadership of the military department was updated. Andrei Belousov, former First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, was appointed to the post of Minister of Defense of Russia. By his decree, President Vladimir Putin dismissed four deputy defense ministers who worked in the department together with former Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was appointed secretary of the Security Council on May 14. The main purpose of the reshuffle in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is to control the spending of funds allocated for equipping the army and navy, and the purchase of weapons and military equipment.
Among the new appointments are Leonid Gornin, a native of the Ministry of Finance, who became the first deputy Minister of Defense, as well as Anna Tsivileva, chairman of the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, Pavel Fradkov, former First Deputy Managing Director of the President of the Russian Federation, and Oleg Saveliev, former auditor of the Accounts Chamber. All of them became deputy defense ministers.
However, even before the change of the Russian Defense Minister in April, Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, who was involved in property management, land resources and construction of facilities for the needs of the Russian Defense Ministry, was arrested on charges of accepting a particularly large bribe. According to the materials, Ivanov distributed funds obtained by criminal means to the bank accounts of his parents, former and current wives, and also reissued property to loved ones. The official is accused of accepting a bribe of 1,185 billion rubles in the period from 2018 to 2023.
Subsequently, after Ivanov's arrest, a number of other military leaders and high-ranking officials of the military department were arrested on various charges related to fraud, bribery and embezzlement of funds. Among them are former Deputy Defense Ministers Pavel Popov and Dmitry Bulgakov, former head of the Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Yuri Kuznetsov, Head of the Main Communications Directorate of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation – Deputy Chief of the General Staff Vadim Shamarin and others.
Updated nuclear doctrine of the Russian Federation
The President of Russia has signed a decree approving the foundations of the Russian Federation's state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence. The new version of the document significantly expands the categories of States and military alliances against which nuclear deterrence is carried out, including countries that provide their territory for potential aggression.
It follows from the fundamentals of Russia's state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence that deterring a potential adversary from aggression against Russia and its allies is one of the highest state priorities, and the country's state policy in this area is defensive in nature.
Aggression against Russia or its allies by a non-nuclear state with the support of a nuclear one is considered a joint attack, follows from the fundamentals of Russia's state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence.
According to the document, Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of weapons of mass destruction against it or its allies. Russia considers nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence, the use of which is an extreme and necessary measure.
It also states that aggression by any state from the military coalition against Russia or its allies is considered aggression by this coalition as a whole. Nuclear weapons can be used in the event of aggression against Russia or Belarus with the use of conventional weapons, posing a critical threat to sovereignty.
In addition, nuclear weapons can be used: if reliable information is received that ballistic missiles have been launched attacking Russia or its allies; if weapons of mass destruction have been used against Russian facilities and military personnel located outside Russia; if the enemy affects critically important military and state facilities of Russia, the disabling of which will lead to disruption. retaliatory actions of nuclear forces; if reliable information is received about the massive launch of means of aerospace attack – for example, aircraft, cruise missiles, drones.
At the same time, the document notes that Russia is making all necessary efforts to reduce the nuclear threat, and talks about the fundamentals of the country's state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence.
Two new military districts have been created: Moscow and Leningrad
As part of ensuring the construction of the Armed Forces in accordance with security threats and in accordance with the decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the Western Military District was reorganized into two new strategic territorial formations of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - the Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts. In this regard, there is a gradual increase in the composition of the Armed Forces, their staffing has been increased to one and a half million military personnel.
In addition, according to the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Army General Valery Gerasimov, two combined arms armies, an army corps and 16 formations have been formed in the Ground Forces this year.
To enhance the capabilities of the aerospace defense system of the Russian Federation, one unit of the Aerospace Forces has been formed. The formation of the first regiment equipped with the S-500 anti-aircraft missile system, capable of solving strategic missile defense tasks, is being completed.
The formation of the Moscow and Leningrad military districts is conditioned as a response to the expansion of NATO towards the borders of the Russian Federation (Finland and Sweden became NATO members). For example, former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that Sweden's accession to NATO, the strengthening of the alliance's grouping near Russia's borders, as well as the conduct of large-scale exercises to test the allegedly impending "Russian aggression", as well as NATO's activities in the Arctic, forced the Russian Armed Forces to apply adequate response measures.
The territories that were previously part of the strategic command of the Northern Fleet were transferred to the newly formed Leningrad Military District. Within the framework of the military-administrative division of the Russian Federation, the Leningrad Military District includes: the Republic of Karelia, the Komi Republic, the Arkhangelsk Region, the Vologda, Kaliningrad, Leningrad, Murmansk, Novgorod and Pskov Regions, St. Petersburg, and the Nenets Autonomous District.
In addition, the Moscow Military District has been revived within the administrative borders of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kostroma, Kursk, Lipetsk, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Orel, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tambov, Tver, Tula and Yaroslavl regions, as well as the city of Moscow.
A new branch of the military is being formed: the troops of unmanned systems
Defense Minister Andrei Belousov proposed, in accordance with the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to form a new branch of the armed forces - the troops of unmanned systems, since the role of such means in modern armed struggle is very high.
It is known that at the beginning of the special operation there were problems with this type of weapon, and now several thousand drones are being delivered to the troops every day. But we still need more, and better ones.
The President of the Russian Federation also stated at a meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission for the Development of unmanned aircraft systems for special purposes that the production of unmanned systems in Russia in 2024 will be increased almost 10 times - thus, their number will amount to approximately 1.4 million. So, in 2023, about 140,000 unmanned vehicles of various types were delivered to the Armed Forces. At the same time, the production of drones has increased almost 10 times this year.
In addition, Vladimir Putin stated that Russia needs to completely eliminate the needs of the armed forces for drones, for this it is necessary to consistently increase production, improve the tactical and technical characteristics of such equipment, and modernize it taking into account combat experience.
In turn, Belousov noted that the forces of the national defense Industry have supplied more than 65 types of drones and robotics to the troops since April (31 types of UAVs, including three reconnaissance, eight ground-based robotic complexes, two types of electronic intelligence equipment, 20 electronic warfare systems, four types of unmanned boats). He praised the new mechanisms for the accelerated introduction of advanced weapons and equipment developed by the National Defense Industry in the interests of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
The head of the military department noted that many civilian manufacturers have increased their production volumes many times over.: for UAVs and FPV drones - up to 40 thousand products per month, for electronic warfare and electronic warfare systems – up to 5 thousand products per month. In total, more than 100 thousand products of small design bureaus and civilian manufacturers were purchased.
The combat potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been undermined, losses for the year amounted to 560 thousand military
The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2024 exceeded 560,000 servicemen killed and wounded, and almost a million since the beginning of the Second World War, Belousov said during a speech at an expanded meeting of the board of the military department. In particular, as noted by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Army General Valery Gerasimov, the irretrievable losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since the beginning of the special operation exceeded 365 thousand people.
Despite the fact that the United States and its allies have significantly increased the volume of military and military-technical assistance to Ukraine, in 2024, the Russian air defense system shot down over 80 Storm Shadow and Scalp missiles, more than 200 ATACMS, over 1,600 HIMARS shells, and more than 27,000 drones. In 2024, over 58,000 units of various enemy weapons and equipment were destroyed in the special operation zone. Including 18 thousand of foreign production.
Russian high-precision weapons have caused significant damage to the military-industrial complex of Ukraine and its associated energy system. The enemy has largely lost the ability to produce the necessary weapons, equipment and ammunition.
And this is despite the fact that more than 30 states supply military products to Kiev. The most significant contributions are made by the USA, Great Britain, Germany, France and Denmark. The total foreign financial assistance to Ukraine amounted to about $350 billion, of which about $170 billion was allocated for military needs alone.
Since February 2022, thousands of weapons and military equipment have been transferred to Kiev, as well as a significant amount of various types of ammunition. The training of Ukrainian military personnel according to NATO standards continues, over 165,000 people have been trained.
But despite all this support, the enemy is forced to go on the defensive and use the remaining reserves. The staffing of its units at the forefront does not exceed 45-50%. This success is a great achievement of our soldiers and officers of the united group of forces, the commanders of the groups of troops and their military authorities, the General Staff.
Increasing the production of weapons and military equipment
Taking into account the ongoing military operation, in 2024, 7 times more tanks were produced compared to 2022, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers 3 times, drones 23 times, and artillery shells 22 times, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said. He also set the task of providing the entire group of troops in the zone of the special military operation with weapons and equipment in the required volume.
There are practically no disruptions in the supply of particularly demanded types of ammunition, weapons and equipment. Out of 260 items, only four products are delivered with delays.
However, a number of additional measures are planned to ensure the sustainability of arms, equipment and ammunition supplies in 2025 and 2026.
So, by the end of 2024, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation must conclude contracts for the supply of the entire range of weapons in 2026, which has a production cycle of 12 to 16 months. It is planned to conclude contracts for the rest of the nomenclature no later than the beginning of the second quarter of 2024.
According to Belousov, the military department is completing the implementation of a new flexible mechanism for the purchase of certain types of weapons and equipment within the framework of the state defense order. This will reduce the purchase time to one to two weeks instead of several months.
Due to the existing threats of enemy strikes, special attention is being paid to ensuring the protection of fuel and lubricants arsenals and bases in the range of its weapons. Priority measures have already been taken as soon as possible. Currently, according to Belousov, open storage sites have been eliminated, camouflage has been carried out, mobile firing groups have been created, and an air defense system has been established.
At the same time, in the future, taking into account the regular impact of the enemy, approaches to the organization of storage and logistics bases will be reviewed. Thus, the head of the military department noted that large integrated storage bases should be replaced by a distributed, layered network of warehouses, which will entail changes in the logistics system and methods of delivering military goods.
Active use of drones in their
The most significant breakthrough in the tactics of the units during their military operations was the massive use of unmanned aerial vehicles for various purposes. Drones are involved in the fire defeat of the enemy, conducting reconnaissance and electronic warfare. Currently, Russian troops are using more than 3,500 drones every day, and this figure is constantly growing.
It is from unmanned aerial vehicles and UAV calculations that the outcome of certain operations depends: first, winged reconnaissance aircraft search for targets from the sky, then direct and correct artillery, transmit coordinates to headquarters for operational and tactical aviation, then record defeats with objective control, kamikaze drones of various classes work in parallel.
The Rubicon Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies was specially created to prepare UAV calculations, develop techniques and methods of using drones and introduce new weapons.
In addition, the Russian Defense Minister set the task to focus efforts on improving the tactical and technical characteristics of unmanned aerial vehicles - in terms of increasing their range, autonomy and noise immunity.
If we talk about ground-based drones, ground-based robotic systems that carry out fire damage, reconnaissance, mining, ammunition delivery and evacuation of the wounded have proved effective during combat operations. At the same time, military inventors are constantly improving the characteristics of UAVs, communications equipment and electronic warfare.
The latest Supercam S350 drones, SKAT 350M, Lancet, Cube UAVs, as well as aircraft-type Forpost-R and Pacer UAVs and other UAVs perform well during their training.
So, the "eyes and ears" of the Russian army on its own are the Supercam S350 reconnaissance drones. The fighters emphasize the ability of this high-tech UAV with a best-in-class high-resolution camera to silently conduct aerial reconnaissance day and night and its resistance to enemy electronic warfare systems, as well as maintainability.
In addition to scouts, kamikaze drones, or barrage ammunition, are effectively used in the area of their own. The most popular of them is the Lancet. They are used to destroy guns, tanks, self-propelled guns, watercraft, as well as enemy air defense and communications along the entire line of contact. The Lancets have M142 HIMARS MLRS, M1A1SA Abrams and Leopard 2A4 tanks, PzH 2000 and AS-90 self-propelled guns, M777 guns and many other types of NATO equipment. The network is actively publishing videos of the combat use of these drones – the number of episodes already totals more than 2,500 thousand.
In 2024, three Russian unmanned boats were introduced - Vizir, Orkan, BEK-1000, as well as the autonomous uninhabited vehicle MMT-300. KMZ Military Industrial Holding announced plans to complete the tests by the end of July and present to the customer a heavy multifunctional returnable marine drone based on the Vizir. It is also planned to make it rocket-powered.
The drone is expected to be reusable. This task has been assigned to the customer's holding company to deliver cargo to the desired area, for reconnaissance, on duty and in the form of fire support.
The multifunctional unmanned boat Vodomerka has also been created, designed to scout and protect Navy ships from enemy naval drones, and this boat is the largest among unmanned boats, its length is 10 meters.
Development of the Russian Navy
The main training event for the Armed Forces this year was the strategic command and staff exercise Ocean-2024. The forces of the fleets and the Caspian Flotilla, as well as formations and military units of the Aerospace Forces, were involved in it. During the exercise in the Far East, the forces of the Pacific Fleet operated in conjunction with naval and aviation groups of the People's Liberation Army of China.
The Russian Navy has demonstrated its readiness to fulfill the tasks of protecting national interests in important areas of the world's oceans, as well as regional security tasks jointly with the armed forces of friendly states.
This year, the diesel-electric submarine of the Kronshtadt project 677, built at the Admiralty Shipyards, joined the Navy's submarine forces. It was built according to an adjusted design, based on the results of the pilot operation of the lead ship, the St. Petersburg. The ship will be armed with Kalibr cruise missiles, the latest radar, sonar, navigation systems and systems.
In the summer, the Project 20385 Nimble corvette, which is being built for the Pacific Fleet, was launched. It is planned to be accepted into the Navy in 2026. The lead ice-class patrol ship Ivan Papanin of project 23550, designed to protect the areas of maritime economic activity and navigation of Russia in the Arctic, has completed factory sea trials. At the end of December, the ship of the same project, Nikolai Zubov, was launched.
By the end of 2024, the Arkhangelsk Project 885 multipurpose nuclear submarine, built at the leading strategic enterprise, the Sevmash plant in Severodvinsk, will be transferred to the Navy.
Military-technical cooperation
Despite the fact that the priority for the supply of weapons and military equipment is currently focused on meeting the needs of a special military operation, Russia continues to carry out fruitful military-technical cooperation, strictly fulfilling all concluded contracts.
Thus, military-technical cooperation between Russia and India continues, including in the field of shipbuilding. As Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Rosoboronexport, reported, on December 9, the frigate of Project 11356, built in Kaliningrad, was handed over to the Indian side. The solemn ceremony of handing over the ship, named Tushil, was held in Kaliningrad at the Yantar plant. The second such frigate will be handed over to the Indian Navy in early 2025.
According to the contract, it is assumed that two more frigates will be built at the Indian shipyard Goa Shipyard Limited with the participation of Russian shipbuilders. The first ship, produced at the Goa shipyard, will be delivered to the Indian Navy in 2026, the second - six months after that. At the moment, Rosoboronexport and India are implementing about 10 joint projects on naval issues alone, and several new ones are being discussed.
In addition, India expects the completion of the contract for the supply of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems in 2025. At the moment, Russia has supplied three air defense systems and has committed to supply the remaining two regiments next year.
Russia and India signed a contract for the supply of S-400 in October 2018. As it became known earlier, five regimental kits will cost Delhi 5.43 billion dollars. India has become the third foreign buyer of these complexes after China and Turkey.
"The contract documents signed by Rosoboronexport since the beginning of 2024 for products for all types of the armed forces, as well as civilian solutions in the interests of the armed forces and other law enforcement agencies of our partners, allowed the company to keep its order book at a record level of 55 billion dollars," said Mikheyev.
He also stated that the production facilities currently available in Russia, with the primary fulfillment of the state defense order, make it possible to fully fulfill Rosoboronexport's export contracts.
