# Russian Military **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 11, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-military/244558 "2004-05-11T02:25:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-military/244558/1 "2004-05-11T02:25:08Z")
Hey out there, Does anyone know good resources to look for info on current Russian Military details? Especially such things as their organization and / or equipment? Or hey, does anyone have first-hand knowledge of such things? I’m looking for a general overview for some RPG stuff I’m doing. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-military/244558/2 "2004-05-11T03:07:51Z")
Organization: none. Equipment: shoddy and getting shoddier all the time. It’s actually pretty remarkable to see a nuclear superpower slide so much so fast. I just hope the rate of submarine disasters doesn’t increase. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-military/244558/3 "2004-05-11T03:19:21Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > I just hope the rate of submarine disasters doesn’t increase. _In_crease? Didn’t they figure that the Russians lost about a _dozen_ nuclear subs at sea during the Cold War? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-military/244558/4 "2004-05-11T17:06:47Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > _In_crease? Didn’t they figure that the Russians lost about a _dozen_ nuclear subs at sea during the Cold War? Heck, even the Americans lost a couple during the cold war (Scorpion and Thresher), but to lose them in peacetime (like the Kursk) suggests a serious rusting-out problem, and I’m concerned that more of those will happen. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-military/244558/5 "2004-05-11T17:10:36Z")
The Federation of American Scientists website is a great resource: [http://www.fas.org/man/index.html](http://www.fas.org/man/index.html) For Russia, click on the ROW/OPFOR links. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-military/244558/6 "2004-05-11T19:13:01Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Heck, even the Americans lost a couple during the cold war (Scorpion and Thresher), but to lose them in peacetime (like the Kursk) suggests a serious rusting-out problem, and I’m concerned that more of those will happen. The Cold War WAS peacetime. That’s why it was cold. The Kursk disaster was supposedly an accidental detonation of a torpedo, something that suggests a problem with training and competence as much as anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-military/244558/7 "2004-05-11T22:23:24Z")
IIRC, they’ve lost another nuclear sub since the _Kursk_. I believe it was being towed somewhere to be scrapped when it went down with several crew. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-military/244558/8 "2004-05-12T02:10:08Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The Cold War WAS peacetime. Well in that case, why don’t you and I hold a nice picnic on the 39th parallel on the Korean pennisula? A lack of shooting doesn’t exactly equal peace. The major nations were on a constant war footing with hair-triggers. During such an advanced state of preparedness, accidents can and will happen. For accidents to continue even after standing down, though… that takes talent. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-military/244558/9 "2004-05-12T02:16:02Z")
Whoops, I meant the 38th, of course. ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-military/244558/10 "2004-05-13T16:32:19Z")
It’s not just the Russian military – the military establishments of nearly all the former Soviet republics have far-reduced effectiveness and quality. For example, the Ukrainian Army just had a [major disaster at a ammunition storage area](http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=2ALPQHVJP1BZGCRBAELCFEY?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=5133142) caused by two soldiers smoking while stocking artillery shells.