Western Military District

Western Military District (WEST - ZVO) was established in September 2010 in accordance with the presidential decree of 20 September 2010 on the basis of two military regions - Moscow and Leningrad. The structure also includes WEST Northern and Baltic Fleets and the 1st Air Force and Air Defense Command.

Currently, the army and the cooling zone are deployed in the administrative borders of the three federal regions (North-West, Central and parts of the Volga) in the 29 subjects of the Russian Federation. District headquarters is located in St. Petersburg, in a historic complex of the General Staff at the Palace Square. Western Military District - the first county formed in the new system of military-administrative division of the Russian Federation.

As part of the troops WEST are units and formations totaling over 400 thousand soldiers, representing about 40% of the total population of the Armed Forces. WEST subordinate to the commander of all deployed in the district military formations of species and genera of the RF Armed Forces, with the exception of the Strategic Missile Forces and the Forces Aerospace Defense. In addition, the operational control of its military forces are the Interior Ministry, the FSB Border Troops, as well as part of the MOE and other ministries and departments, performing tasks within the county.

The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) was signed on November 19, 1990 by 16 NATO states and six countries of the Warsaw Treaty Organization (ATS). Moscow agreed that in conditions of international detente and democratization, such weapons should be removed from their positions and sent for long-term storage. At that time, the document pursued the good goal of establishing a safe balance of power in Europe by reducing arms and equipment, as well as the personnel of military units.

The new members of the alliance - the Baltic countries - created the so-called gray zone of the CFE Treaty. Their territory did not fall within the scope of the treaty, since at the time of its signing it was part of the military bloc and the country that had ceased to exist.

A whole operational-tactical region was created in the Baltic States, which, under the rotation of military units, is under the jurisdiction of members of the North Atlantic Alliance. Plus, the United States deployed troops to Romania and Bulgaria, and Poland proposed its territory for the creation of US military bases, NATO logistics facilities, as well as the construction of US NMD facilities.

A number of military units and formations of the Western Military District were reformed to divisions. In particular, the decision of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation on the basis of military units stationed in Moscow, recreated Taman Guards Order of the October Revolution Red Banner Order of Suvorov and motorized infantry Kantemyrivs'ka Order of Lenin Red Banner Tank Division. The basis for their formation are, respectively, the 5th Separate Motorized Infantry and the 4th Independent Tank Brigade, which will include a number of other military units. Divisions returned to their historical names, and calculations of compounds gala will take part in the upcoming Victory Day parade on Red Square has a new militant banner.

The personnel of these compounds are actively taking their armament of new weapons and military equipment. Combat training in the summertime training of military units of the Taman motorized rifle and tank divisions Kantemirovsky will be held for the new staff structure and staffing of new types of weapons and military equipment.

In addition, the Defense Ministry is currently underway to revive the names of the most famous regiments, military units, previous eras in the Russian Defense Ministry is carried out in the framework of the orders of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, in the annual message of the President of the Federal Assembly December 12, 2012. Thus, the decree of the President of the Russian army in two military units - 154-th separate commandant regiment and the 130th Motorized Rifle Brigade - honorary names, respectively, Preobrazhensky [Transfiguration] and Semenov regiment.

In 2015 the Russian Defense Ministry was in the process of creating new, expanded armies. In the Western Military District (created in 2010 on the basis of the Moscow and Leningrad military districts and the Northern and Baltic Fleets with headquarters in St. Petersburg) there has been created the 6th Leningrad Air Force and Air Defense Army. Its area of responsibility includes 2 million square kilometers of airspace and 3,000 kilometers of the state border. It is armed with Sukhoi Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30MS jets, Kamov Ka-52, Mil Mi-28N, Mi-35, and Mi-MTV5 helicopters, and S-300, S-400 and Pantsir-S air defense systems.

As the Defense Ministry’s press-service and information department said on 10 August 2015, the 6th air force and air defense army "incorporates units subordinate to the 1st Air Force and Air Defense command stationed in the 28th territories of the northwestern and central federal districts. Among them there are fighter, bomber, military transport and army aviation units and also radio-technical and air defense missile units."

Also, the Western Military District has formed the 14th Air Force and Air Defense Army, with its area of responsibility consisting of 29 territories of Russia and more than 3,000 kilometers of the state border. It is armed with MiG-31BM interceptor fighters, Sukhoi Su-24M frontline bombers, Mil Mi-8AMTSH, Mi-24 and Mi-26 helicopters and S-300 PS air defense systems. As assistant to the district’s commander, Yaroslav Roshchupkin, told TASS earlier, "the army includes units of the 2nd Air Force and Air Defence Command stationed in the Volga River area, the Urals and Siberia.

In the Western Military District the Defense Ministry planned to create a new tank army by December 1 and another, 20th combined army, would in fact be formed anew.

The Western Military District today is one of the most equipped with weapons and equipment in our army. The tank army was revived in its composition, and its units were deployed in five Russian regions. The commander of the association, Lieutenant General Sergey Kisel, just the other day said that his units began to receive modernized T-90M Breakthrough tanks. It is easy to assume that it is with the ZVO that the rearmament of the army will begin with the new T-14 Armata and heavy BMP T-15 with a 57-mm combat module.

In the Leningrad and Kaliningrad regions deployed tactical complexes "Iskander-M". The coastal units of the Baltic Fleet received anti-ship missile systems “Ball” and “Bastion”. The first include X-35 cruise missiles, the second - Onyx supersonic. The fleet now also includes ships - carriers of long-range cruise missiles "Caliber". With a launch range, these machines "penetrate" the entire territory of Europe. A powerful layered air defense system has been created in the Baltic. The sky over the region is guarded by the 44th Air Defense Division, which is now re-equipping with the latest S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems. The system is capable of hitting aerodynamic targets at ranges of up to 400 kilometers.

Among these tanks, ships, missiles and aircraft, the atomic Malki and Tulips are more decorative means. Their main trump card is the use of nuclear weapons. Therefore, these systems belong to the reserve of the Supreme High Command. Like "guns" hanging on a wall in a play, with the prospect that there will be a shot in the final act. The signal for this for the 2S7M Malka and 2C4 Tulip, according to the Russian security doctrine, can only be large-scale aggression.