The Russian Air Force () is a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which was formed on 1 August 2015, with the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the reborn Russian armed forces began to be created on 7 May 1992 following Boris Yeltsin's creation of the Ministry of Defence. However, the Russian Federation's air force can trace its lineage and traditions back to the Imperial Russian Air Service (1912–1917) and the Soviet Air Forces (1918–1991).
History The Russian Air Force, officially established on 12 August 1912, as part of the Imperial Russian Air Service, has a long and complex history. It began as one of the earliest military aviation units globally, although its early years saw slow development due to the constraints of World War I. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the air service was reorganised under the Soviet regime, evolving into the Red Air Fleet in 1918, which later became part of the Soviet Air Forces (VVS).
Early development and Soviet era
After the war, the Soviet Air Force focused on modernising its fleet, developing jet fighters like the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15, which became famous during the Korean War. Throughout the Cold War, the Soviet Air Force was a pivotal part of the USSR’s military strategy, with long-range bombers like the Tu-95 and advanced fighters such as the MiG-21 and Su-27 becoming iconic symbols of Soviet air power.
1991–2000
In 1993, Pyotr Deynekin announced that a Frontal Aviation Command (Moscow, under General-lieutenant of Aviation Nikolay Antoshkin) and a Reserves and Cadres Training Command (Samara, under Colonel-General Leonid Stepanyuk) were to be established,JPRS Report, Central Eurasia, Military Affairs, JPRS-UMA-95-015, 5 April 1995, p. 103, 106. but little more was heard of these commands.
During the 1990s, the financial stringency that was felt throughout the armed forces made its mark on the VVS as well.Austin & Muraviev, The Armed Forces of Russia in Asia, Tauris, 2000, p.235 Pilots and other personnel could sometimes not get their wages for months, and on occasion resorted to desperate measures: four MiG-31 pilots at Yelizovo in the Far East went on hunger strike in 1996 to demand back pay which was several months overdue, and the problem was only resolved by diverting unit money intended for other tasks.Jeroen Brinkman, 'Russian Air Force in Turmoil,' Air Forces Monthly, No.105, December 1996, p.2, cited in Austin & Muraviev, 2000
The former Soviet Air Defence Forces remained independent for several years under Russian control, only merging with the Air Forces in 1998. The decree merging the two forces was issued by President Boris Yeltsin on 16 July 1997. During 1998 altogether 580 units and formations were disbanded, 134 reorganised, and over 600 were given a new jurisdiction.General Heikki Nikunen, The Current State of the Russian Air Force , last updated 2005
The number of servicemen in the Air Force was reduced to about 185,000 from the former combined number of 318,000. 123,500 positions were abolished, including almost 1,000 colonel positions. The resignation of 3000 other servicemen included 46 generals of which 15 were colonel generals. On 29 December 1998 Colonel General Anatoly Kornukov, a former Air Defence Forces officer and new commander-in-chief of the merged force succeeding Deynekin, reported to the Russian defense minister that the task had 'in principle been achieved'.Piotr Butowski, 'Russia's new air force enters a tight maneuver,' Jane's Intelligence Review, May 1999, p.14
2001–2010
In December 2003 the aviation assets of the Russian Ground Forces—mostly helicopters—were transferred to the VVS, following the shooting down of a Mi-26 helicopter in Chechnya on 19 August 2002 that claimed 19 lives. The former Army Aviation was in its previous form intended for the direct support of the Ground Forces, by providing their tactical air support, conducting tactical aerial reconnaissance, transporting airborne troops, providing fire support of their actions, electronic warfare, setting of minefield barriers and other tasks. The former Army Aviation () was subsequently managed by the Chief of the Department of Army Aviation.Piotr Butowski, 'Russia Rising,' Air Forces Monthly, July 2007, p.83 In 2010, it was announced that the 2003 decision to transfer Army Aviation to the Air Force was reversed, with the transfer back to the Ground Forces to occur sometime in 2015 or 2016.Moscow Defense Brief #2, 2010 page 23
During the 2000s, the Air Force continued to suffer from a lack of resources for pilot training. In the 1990s Russian pilots achieved approximately 10% of the flight hours of the United States Air Force. The 2007 edition of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Military Balance listed pilots of tactical aviation flying 20–25 hours a year, 61st Air Army pilots (former Military Transport Aviation), 60 hours a year, and Army Aviation under VVS control 55 hours a year.Routledge/IISS, IISS Military Balance 2007, p.200
In 2007 the VVS resumed the Soviet-era practice of deploying its strategic bomber aircraft on long-range patrols. This ended a 15-year unilateral suspension due to fuel costs and other economic difficulties after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Patrols towards the North Pole, the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean were reinstated, bringing the planes often close to NATO territory, including in one instance flying over the Irish Sea between the United Kingdom and Ireland.
During the 2008 South Ossetian War, the VVS suffered losses of between four and seven aircraft due to Georgian anti-aircraft fire. The 2008 Russian military reforms were promptly announced following the war, which according to Western experts were intended to address many inadequacies discovered as a result. The reforms commenced in early 2009, in which air armies were succeeded by commands, and most air regiments became air bases.Warfare.ru, Air Force: structure accessed May 2009 Aviation Week & Space Technology confirmed that the reorganization would be completed by December 2009 and would see a 40 percent reduction in aircrew numbers.
In February 2009, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that 200 of the 291 MiG-29s currently in service across all Russian air arms were unsafe and would have to be permanently grounded.Reuters.com, One-third Russian fighter jets old and unsafe: report Friday, 6 February 2009 5:40 am EST This action would remove from service about a third of Russia's total fighter force, some 650 aircraft. On 5 June 2009, the Chief of the General Staff, Nikolai Makarov said of the VVS that "They can run bombing missions only in the daytime with the sun shining, but they miss their targets anyway". Maj. Gen. Pavel Androsov said that Russia's long-range bombers would be upgraded in 2009 to be able to hit within 20 meters of their targets.
Also in September 2009, it was reported that an East European network of the Joint CIS Air Defense System was to be set up by Russia and Belarus.
By August 2010, according to the Commander-in-Chief of the VVS Alexander Zelin, the average flight hours of a pilot in Russian tactical aviation had reached 80 hours a year, while in army aviation and military transport aviation, it exceeded 100 hours a year.
2011–2020 According to the instructions of the General Staff of the Armed Forces on 1 September 2011, the unmanned aircraft of the VVS and the personnel operating them moved under the command structure of the Russian Ground Forces.
As of 2012, the VVS operated a total of 61 air bases, including 26 air bases with tactical aircraft, of which 14 are equipped with fighter aircraft. In terms of flight hours, pilots in the Western Military District averaged 125 hours over the 2012 training year. Pilots from the Kursk air base achieved an average of 150 hours, with transport aviation averaging 170 hours.
In February 2014, during the early periods of Russia's annexation of Crimea, the assets of the VVS in the Southern Military District were activated and flown to the peninsula for supporting the rest of the operations.
On 1 August 2015, the Russian Air Force, along with the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces and the Air Defense Troops, were merged into a new branch of the armed forces, now officially called the Russian Aerospace Forces.
On 30 September 2015, the VVS launched a military intervention in Syria, in Syria's Homs region. On 24 November 2015, during a bombing mission, a Turkish Air Force F-16 shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 that Turkey claimed had violated its airspace.
In March 2020, the indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets by the VVS in Syria has been described as "amounting to war crime" by a United Nations Human Rights Council report.
On 9 November 2020, a Russian Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter was shot down mistakenly by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war killing 2 crew members and injuring 1 more. Days later, after the signing of the ceasefire agreement, Russian peacekeepers were deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh with aviation to patrol its borders.
2021–present Modernization programs initiated during the 2010s continue under Russia’s State Armament Programme for 2018–2027, although their implementation has been affected by economic constraints, Western sanctions, and the demands of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian Aerospace Forces continue to receive upgraded variants of Soviet-era aircraft, including the Sukhoi Su-30SM2, Su-34M, and Su-35S, while limited numbers of fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 fighters have entered service. At the same time, Russia has expanded its use of unmanned aerial vehicles, electronic warfare systems, and precision-guided munitions.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the Russian Air Force conducted large-scale strike operations against Ukrainian military infrastructure but has not achieved sustained air superiority over Ukraine. Ukrainian air defenses, including Soviet-era systems and later Western-provided systems such as Patriot and NASAMS, have forced Russian aircraft to operate at greater distances from the front line. As a result, the VKS increasingly relies on long-range missile strikes, stand-off weapons, and glide bombs equipped with Unified Gliding and Correction Modules (UMPK), which allow Soviet-era FAB-series bombs to be converted into guided weapons.
Since 2023, Russian aviation has increasingly relied on glide bombs, particularly those deployed by Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft. These weapons have become a major component of Russian close air support operations, allowing aircraft to strike Ukrainian positions while remaining outside the effective range of many Ukrainian air-defense systems.
The war has resulted in significant losses among Russian aviation assets. Several high-value aircraft have been destroyed or damaged, including A-50 airborne early-warning aircraft, Su-34 fighter-bombers, Su-35 fighters, and Ka-52 attack helicopters. In June 2025, Ukraine conducted Operation Spider’s Web, a long-range drone attack against Russian air bases targeting strategic aviation assets, including Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers. Ukrainian officials claimed dozens of aircraft were destroyed or damaged, while independent assessments estimated lower but still significant losses.
VVS role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, the VVS was deployed in support of the invasion of Ukraine. The VVS had reportedly deployed about 300 combat aircraft within range of Ukraine. On 25 February 2022, Ukrainian forces reportedly destroyed several aircraft and set a Russian airbase on fire in the Millerovo air base attack. By March 2022, it was claimed that the VVS had carried out at least 1403 airstrikes on Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion.