Russian military

The Russian military constitutes the armed forces of the Russian Federation, entrusted with safeguarding the nation's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is responsible for conducting operations across land, air, sea, and strategic domains, including nuclear deterrence forces. The organization operates under the ultimate authority of the President of Russia, who serves as Supreme Commander‑in‑Chief, and the Ministry of Defence handles day‑to‑day command and administration. Its core missions involve maintaining combat readiness, organizing and executing training programs, managing logistics and supply chains, and providing intelligence and reconnaissance support. In addition to defense tasks, the military may be deployed for international peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, or coalition operations as directed by the state's leadership. The force also engages in military‑technical cooperation, arms development, and joint exercises with partner nations. These activities are guided by Russia's national security strategy and defense doctrine.

A notable characteristic of the Russian military is its increasing reliance on commercial satellite communications, exemplified by the use of Starlink terminals to support drone operations and battlefield connectivity. On February 4, 2026, Russian officials acknowledged that the Starlink terminals employed by their forces had been offline for two weeks, while asserting that drone operations remained unaffected according to objective monitoring data. Ukrainian officials disputed this claim, stating that the disruption had substantially degraded battlefield communications and drone piloting, and emphasized that Ukraine itself depends on tens of thousands of Starlink links for its own military activities. Ukraine further reported that it had recovered similar Starlink terminals from long‑range attack drones used by Russian forces, indicating the equipment's presence on both sides of the conflict. The episode highlights how modern armed forces integrate external satellite internet capabilities into electronic warfare and unmanned‑systems concepts. Structurally, the Russian military remains subordinate to the Russian state, with the President as Supreme Commander‑in‑Chief and the Ministry of Defence overseeing administrative and operational command; no explicit ownership or parent/subsidiary details are supplied in the source material.