It is essential to keep the two Russian air defences apart. The previous sections described the VKS air defence (PVO): fixed, territorial defence of the airspace, cities and strategic assets. In addition the Ground Forces have their own branch: the PVO-SV (PVO Sukhoputnykh Voysk), which moves with the troops and protects them against air attack during advance, combat and at the halt.
| VKS-PVO (territorial) | PVO-SV (manoeuvre) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Airspace, cities, assets | Troops in the field, march columns |
| Character | Fixed / semi-mobile | Fully mobile, cross-country |
| Typical systems | S-400, S-300P, Pantsir | S-300V4, Buk-M3, Tor-M2, Tunguska |
| Belongs to | VKS (AFADA divisions) | Ground Forces (armies/brigades) |
Systems, layered just like the VKS
| Level | System | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Army (very long / anti-ballistic) | S-300V4 | Area and anti-ballistic defence of the army grouping |
| Army / division (medium) | Buk-M3 | Mobile medium-range defence, also against surface targets |
| Division / brigade (short) | Tor-M2 | Point and convoy defence, anti-PGM/UAS |
| Brigade (very short) | Pantsir-S1, Tunguska, Strela-10 | Short-range/manoeuvre cover (gun + missile) |
| Unit (man-portable) | Verba / Igla MANPADS | Last-layer shoulder missiles |
Unit structure
| Echelon | Air-defence unit | Typical equipment |
|---|---|---|
| Combined Arms Army | Anti-aircraft missile brigade | S-300V4 or Buk-M3 (several battalions) |
| Manoeuvre division | Anti-aircraft missile regiment | Buk / Tor |
| Manoeuvre brigade | Anti-aircraft (missile) battalion | Tor / Pantsir / Tunguska + MANPADS platoons |
| Battalion | Air-defence platoon | Strela-10 / Verba |
Every Combined Arms Army has an organic anti-aircraft missile brigade and every manoeuvre brigade its own air-defence battalion. During operations PVO-SV and VKS-PVO weave their coverage together: the VKS provides the strategic dome, the PVO-SV the moving umbrella over the battlefield. The threat cards for Buk (SA-11) and Pantsir (SA-22) apply to both worlds.
The VDV (airborne troops) and the Navy also have their own air defence — lighter, air-transportable systems (e.g. Strela-10M, Verba, and the Buk/Tor variants at larger formations). So Russia effectively counts several parallel air defences.