Russian training focus in 2017 — Amphibious operations

For the Russian armed forces 2014 was the year of snap drills and the Ukraine war. 2015 brought in the Syrian expeditionary force and larger readiness exercises. 2016 saw the resurgence of army level operations and strategic relocation training. In 2017 the most notable change is the focus on the amphibious operations and river crossings.

Russian Naval infantry BTR-82A APC:s and a Zubr class landing craft

Background

The Russian naval infantry was established by Peter the great in 1705. The naval infantry has been subordinated to the Russian Navy and it has never been treated as an individual service like the United States Marine Corps. While the quality of the Russian Naval infantry has varied wildly along the centuries it established an elite status during the World War 2. The importance of the Soviet Naval Infantry grew steadily and some elements of it, such as the parachute battalions, were considered equal to the VDV airborne troops.

After the Cold War the Russian military turned to face more unconventional threats and major naval landing operations were not given a high priority. Most of the modernization budget of the Russian Armed Forces went to the army and the VDV. The importance of the Naval infantry began to grow as the President Putin restructured the Russian…