Rossyiah

Russian Empire Российская империя (Russian) Rossiyskaya Imperiya
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem:  "Государственный гимн Российской империя]]" "Gosudarstvennyy gimn Rossiyskoy Imperiya" "State Anthem of the Russian Empire"
Capital and largest city	Moscow
Official language and national language	Russian
Religion (2017)	81% Christianity]] —78% Orthodoxy —3% Other Christian 4% No religion 10% Islam 5% Others
Demonym(s)	Russian
Government	Dominant-party monarchy
• Tsar	Kirill II Romanov
• Prime Minister	Zinon Smeshnoy
• Chairman of the Imperial Revolutionary Organization	Gavril Chernyavsky
• Chairman of the State Duma	Vyacheslav Siyanitsa
Legislature	Assembly of Russia
• Upper house	State Council
• Lower house	State Duma
Formation
• Novgorod built	circa 862
• Kievan Rus	879
• Grand Duchy of Moscow	1283
• Tsardom of Russia	16 January 1547
• Russian Empire	22 October 1721
• Current constitution	12 December 1993
Area
• Total	22,740,655 km2 (8,780,216 sq mi)
Population
• 2015 estimate	301,600,300
• Density	13.3/km2 (34.4/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$4.519 trillion
• Per capita	$30,819
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$1.657 trillion
• Per capita	$11,305
Gini (2018)	37.5 medium
HDI (2018)	0.824 very high
Currency	Russian ruble (₽) (RUB)
Time zone	UTC+2 to +12
Date format	dd.mm.yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+7
ISO 3166 code	RU
Internet TLD	.ru .su .рф

Russia, or the Russian Empire, is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east, and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the south.

It is the largest country in the world by surface area, spanning over 10,000 kilometers (6,200 mi) east to west across 11 time zones and over 7,200 kilometers (4,500 mi) north to south. Its territory includes part of Eastern Europe as well as part of Northern Europe and all of Northern and Central Asia. It has five climate zones such as tundra, taiga, steppes, desert, and mountains. Its diverse population of 301 milions was collectively known as Russian peoples.

Russia covers over 22,402,200 km², spanning more than one-eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area, stretching eleven time zones.

Russia is administratively divided into Governorates and Governorates General. Moscow is the country's capital and largest city, other major urban areas include Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Chelyabinsk and Samara.

History

The East Slavs emerged as a recognisable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD. The medieval state of Rus' arose in the 9th century. In 988 it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire, beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium. Rus' ultimately disintegrated into a number of smaller states, until it was finally reunified by the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the 15th century. By the 18th century, the nation had greatly expanded through conquest, annexation, and exploration to become the Russian Empire, which became a major European power, and the third-largest empire in history. Following the failed Republican Revolution and the following Civil War, the Russian Empire engaged in a phase of institutional, political and economic modernization. The Russian Empire played a decisive role in the Allied victory in World War II, and emerged as a recognised superpower and rival to the United States during the Cold War. The Cold War era saw some of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century, including the world's first human-made satellite and the launching of the first humans in space. Following the dissolution of the Russian Sphere of Influence in Europe in 1991, the Russian Empire reconstituted itself as a constitutional monarchy. Following the constitutional crisis of 1993, a new constitution, mirroring the Cold War constitution, was adopted.

Russia's extensive mineral and energy resources are the largest such reserves in the world, making it one of the leading producers of oil and natural gas globally. The country is one of the five recognised nuclear weapons states and possesses the largest stockpile of nuclear warheads. Russia is a major great power, and has been characterised as a potential superpower.

World War I

In 1914, Franz Ferdinand was killed by a Serb terrorist group in Sarajevo. The Habsburg Empire demanded concessions from Serbia, which asked Russia for aid, and Nicholas II began to apply pressure to Austria-Hungary. Then Germany intervened, France began mobilisation, and the war Europe had dreaded began.

The outbreak of war in August 1914 initially served to quiet protests, focusing hostilities against a common external enemy. As the war dragged on inconclusively, hostility toward the Kaiser and the desire to defend their land and their lives did not necessarily translate into enthusiasm for the Tsar or the government.

Russia's first major battle of the war was a disaster. However, Austro-Hungarian forces allied to Germany were driven back deep into the Galicia region by the end of the year. In the autumn of 1915, Nicholas had taken direct command of the army. Reports of corruption and incompetence in the Imperial government began to emerge.

In 1915, things took a critical turn for the worse when Germany shifted its focus of attack to the Eastern front. The superior German army was quite effective against the ill-equipped Russian forces, driving the Russians out of Galicia, as well as Russian Poland. By the end of October 1916, Russia had lost a total of nearly 5,000,000 men.

These staggering losses played a definite role in the mutinies and revolts that began to occur. In 1916, reports of fraternizing with the enemy began to circulate. Soldiers went hungry, lacked shoes, munitions, and even weapons. Rampant discontent lowered morale, which was further undermined by a series of military defeats.

Far sooner than expected, inadequately trained recruits were called for active duty. The officer class also saw remarkable changes, especially within the lower echelons, which were quickly filled with soldiers rising up through the ranks. These men, usually of peasant or working-class backgrounds, were to play a large role in the politicization of the troops in 1917. The soldiers did not feel as if they were valuable, rather they felt as if they were expendable.

By the spring of 1915, the army was in steady retreat, which was not always orderly. By the end of 1916, morale among soldiers was even worse than it had been during the great retreat of 1915. The crisis in morale "was rooted fundamentally in the feeling of utter despair that the slaughter would ever end and that anything resembling victory could be achieved."

By the end of 1915, there were manifold signs that the economy was breaking down under the heightened strain of wartime demand. Conditions became increasingly difficult to afford food and physically obtain it. Strikes increased steadily from the middle of 1915, and so did crime. Workers continued to resent the rich. Government officials responsible for public order worried about how long people's patience would last.

Tsar Nicholas II was blamed by socialists for all of these crises, and support he had left began to crumble. As discontent grew, the State Duma issued a warning to Nicholas in November 1916, stating that, inevitably, a terrible disaster would grip the country unless a constitutional form of government was put in place. Nicholas ignored these warnings and Russia's Tsarist regime faced the February Revolution of 1917.

February Revolution

At the beginning of February, Petrograd workers began several strikes and demonstrations. On 7 March [O.S. 22 February], workers at Putilov, Petrograd's largest industrial plant was closed by a strike. The next day, a series of meetings and rallies were held for International Women's Day, which gradually turned into economic and political gatherings. Demonstrations were organised to demand bread, and these were supported by the industrial working force who considered them a reason for continuing the strikes. The women workers marched to nearby factories bringing out over 50,000 workers on strike. By 10 March [O.S. 25 February], virtually every industrial enterprise in Petrograd had been shut down, together with many commercial and service enterprises. Students, white-collar workers, and teachers joined the workers in the streets and at public meetings.

To quell the riots, the Tsar looked to the army. At least 200,000 troops were available in the capital, but a significant part was either untrained or injured.

On 11 March [O.S. 26 February], when the Tsar ordered the army to suppress the rioting by force, troops remained in their positions. Some officers were lynched by their units. However, on 15 March [O.S. 29 February] some senior officers managed to stage an impressive show of force, without actually dissolving protests by force. The response of the Duma, urged on by the liberal bloc, was to establish a Temporary Committee to restore law and order, and trying to establish a militia; meanwhile, the socialist parties established the Petrograd Soviet to represent workers and soldiers.

The Tsar directed the royal train back towards Petrograd, which was intercepted on 14 March [O.S. 1 March], by a military column under General Nikolai Ruzsky. Entering Petrograd at the head of the 10,000-strong column, Tsar Nicholas II reached the Winter Palace.

However, a Provisional Government had been already set up by liberal and democratic forces. Socialist forces established their own Petrograd Soviet. The immediate effect of the establishment of the Provisional Government was an atmosphere of excitement in Petrograd.

Three powers, one throne

The effective power of the Tsarist Government was challenged by the authority of two institutions that claimed to represent the will of the people and the will of the workers and soldiers and could, in fact, mobilize and control workers and at least some thousands of deserters.

The leaders of the Petrograd Soviet believed that they represented particular classes of the population, not the whole nation. They also believed Russia was not ready for socialism. They viewed their role as limited to pressuring hesitant "bourgeoisie" to rule and to introduce extensive democratic reforms in Russia.

The relationship between these three major powers was complex from the beginning and would shape the politics of 1917. The Tsarist Government - filled by reformers - knew to have to bid for time in order to prepare a comprehensive restauration and at the same time address the most serious issues affecting the country. Representatives of the Provisional Government agreed to "take into account the opinions of the Soviet of Workers' Deputies".

A series of political crises occurred in the relationship between the Monarchy, the Provisional Government and the Soviets (which developed into a nationwide movement with a national leadership). The All-Russian Central Executive Committee of Soviets (VTsIK) undermined the authority of the Provisional Government and remained enemy of the Tsar. The political group that proved most troublesome for Kerensky was the Soviet leadership, led by Vladimir Lenin. After passing through the front, he arrived in Petrograd in April 1917.

In the meantime, Tsar Nicholas II started to select steadfastly loyal military units and began to recall them from the front.

On 18 June, the Provisional Government launched an attack against Germany that failed miserably. Soon after, the government ordered soldiers to go to the front, reneging on a promise. The soldiers refused to follow the new orders. Sailors and soldiers, along with Petrograd workers, took to the streets in violent protest, calling for "all power to the Soviets". The revolt, however, was dissipated within a few days by Tsarist police.

In August, poor and misleading communication led General Lavr Kornilov, the recently appointed Supreme Commander of Russian military forces by the Provisional Government, to believe that the Petrograd government had already been captured by radicals, or was in serious danger thereof. He therefore directed "core" Tsarist troops to occupy Petrograd. However, Bolshevik-aligned workers stopped the advance of the troops. Further, secret Nicholas II's personal orders countermanded Kornilov. With his coup failing, Kornilov surrendered and was relieved of his position. The Bolsheviks' role in stopping the attempted coup further strengthened their position.

Recognising the strength of the Bolsheviks, Lenin began pressing for the immediate overthrow of the Monarchy and of the Kerensky government by the Bolsheviks. Lenin was of the opinion that taking power should occur in both Petrograd and Moscow simultaneously. The Bolshevik Central Committee drafted a resolution, calling for the dissolution of the Provisional Government in favor of the Petrograd Soviet. The resolution was passed 10–2 (Lev Kamenev and Grigory Zinoviev prominently dissenting) promoting the October Coup attempt.

October Coup attempt

The October Coup attempt, night to Wednesday 7 November 1917 according to the modern Gregorian calendar and night to Wednesday 25 October according to the Julian calendar at the time, was organized by the Bolshevik party against the Tsar and the Provisional Government. The Revolutionary Military Committee established by the Bolshevik party was organizing the insurrection and Leon Trotsky was the chairman. Kerensky was the Ministry of War of the Provisional Government. General Pyotr Krasnov, personally selected by the Tsar, was in charge of loyalist units in Petrograd. The Bolsheviks programmed the coup for that night in order to anticipate Tsarist forces, which were openly ammassing troops near Petrograd. However, intelligence activities of the remanants of the Okhrana and information shared by the Provisional Government convinced Nicholas II to secretly anticipate the operation to the morning of 8 Novemeber [26 October O.S.].

While Tsarist forces were prepared, the initiative was taken by Bolsheviks with the Provisional Government caught almost by surprise.

At 9:00 p.m., a Red Army column marched towards the Winter Palace, Petrograd, where it was surprised by a Cossack and Imperial Guards task force. After fierce clashes, the Red Army column was defeated and most of survivors was taken prisoner. Nearly all of them were hanged or shot.
At 9:45 p.m., the other major Red Army column occupied the State Duma and arrested the Provisional Government, managing to transferring "Provos" leaders to Moscow.
At 10:05 p.m. a Red Army column occupied almost peacefully Moscow Kremlin and then established its control of the ancient capital.

At the dawn of 8 November 1917 [26 October O.S.], Russia awakened facing the premises of civil war.

Russian Civil War

The Russian Civil War, which broke out in 1918 shortly after the October Revolution, resulted in the deaths and suffering of millions of people regardless of their political orientation. The war was fought mainly between the Red Army ("Reds"), consisting of the uprising majority led by the Bolshevik minority, and the "Whites" – the Tsarist forces and the Army, the "bourgeoisie", and a number of other political groups.

The Whites had backing from other countries and relied on some internal support, while Reds possessed exclusively internal support. Though the Allied nations, using external interference, provided substantial military aid to the Bolshevik forces, they were ultimately defeated.

The Tsar firstly fully restored his power in Petrograd, expanding his control outwards. He eventually reached the Russian Siberia four years after the war began, after a massive pincer manouver, an occupation that is believed to have ended all significant military campaigns in the nation. Less than one year later, the last area controlled by the Red Army, the Ayano-Maysky District, directly to the north of the Krai containing Vladivostok, was given up when Lev Trotsky capitulated in 1923.

Several revolts were initiated against the Tsar and their army near the end of the war, notably the Kronstadt Rebellion. During the Civil War, Nestor Makhno led a Ukrainian anarchist movement, the Black Army allied to the Bolsheviks. However, a Tsarist force under Roman von Ungern-Sternberg destroyed the Makhnovist movement.

Aftermath

The results of the civil war were momentous. During the Wite Terror, estimates of executions range from 12,733 to 1.7 million. An estimated 100,000 Jews were killed in Ukraine, mostly by the Imperial Army. The Imperial Revolutionary Organization was established in late 1918 in order to act as a political vector for the Tsar.

At the end of the Civil War, the Russian Empire was exhausted and near ruin. Disease had reached pandemic proportions. Millions more also died of widespread starvation, wholesale massacres by both sides and pogroms against Jews in Ukraine and southern Russia. By 1922 there were at least 7,000,000 street children in Russia as a result of nearly ten years of devastation from World War I and the civil war. Another one million people, known as the Red Pilgrims, fled Russia.

The Russian economy was devastated by the war. The industrial production value descended to one-seventh of the value of 1913 and agriculture to one-third.

War social policies saved the Tsarist government during the Civil War, but much of the Russian economy had ground to a standstill. The exchange rate with the US dollar declined from two rubles in 1914 to 1,200 in 1920.

With the end of the war, Nicholas II no longer faced an acute military threat to his power. However, the perceived threat of another intervention, contributed to the continued militarisation of Russian society. Although Russia experienced extremely rapid economic growth in the 1930s, the combined effect of World War I and the Civil War left a lasting scar on Russian society and had permanent effects on the development of the Russian Empire.

1924 Constitution

The first political measure taken by Nicholas II was to enact a liberal-democratic Constitution, in order to satisfy progressive demands and avoid another revolution, and to grant a comprehensive amnesty to former Communists and assorted turncoats. The 1924 Constitution established a sort of Constitutional Monarchy - a result accomplished 18 years after the 1904-1905 Revolution. This constitutional monarchy presided over a political landscape dominated by a political force - the Imperial Revolutionary Organization - with socially progressive stances. No bourgeois exponent dared to object, not after the devastations of the Civil War.

Stalin governments

The Depression was unkind to a Russia caught in the middle of reconstruction. Faulty credit and lending practices saw fortunes lost in days. From a peak in 1928, Russian industrial output fell to a third of those levels by 1931. Then, in the 1930 Duma elections, Georgian politician Joseph Dzugashvili, who went by the name of Stalin, was swept into power Chairman of the Council of Ministers and as Lieutenant-Commander of the Imperial Armed Forces. Borrowing from Italian example, he ruled almost as if there was no Tsar.

The first Five-Year Plan came into effect soon afterwards, with dams being built on the Volga and Dnieper, and factories springing up from Kiev to Khabarovsk. Nicholas II accepted this sidelining while retaining ultimate control.

Alexei II

Nicholas II died on 17 July 1939 after a brief illness. His son Alexei II Nikolaevich ascended the throne before swearing loyalty to the Nation and to the Constitution. Alexei II confirmed prime minister Stalin in power, due to both the personal trust the new Tsar had in the Georgian politician and the solidity of the power based that Stalin built.

In 1936 Stalin sent volunteer brigades to Spain to aid the Spanish Republic in its civil war. Hitler did the same, but aided the opposite side. The German-supported Nationalists won, and Russia's command panicked. The new fear of German attack, reinforced with the occupation of Czechoslovakia, led to a defensive attitude that allowed Germany to annex most or all of Poland in 1939. The UK and France declared war, but Russia did not. The new Tsar and Stalin knew that Hitler was too strong for Russia's army, downgraded during the Depression and during politica upheavals . Fear of the Germans' superiority skyrocketed with the defeats of Poland, the Low Countries and France in quick succession.

The Great Patriotic War

Russia was invaded on 22 June 1941 St Barnabas' Day, in Operation Barbarossa.

The Germans had the advantage of surprise, further compounded by the fact that a stalemate within the Russian Imperial High Command (Stavka) meant the Russian Army was in limbo between preparedness for attack and defence. As such, the Germans made rapid progress, taking Minsk by the 27 of the month, Lvov by the 30, and msent the Russians into seemingly hopelss confusion. Seeing Stalin's shocked indecision, Tsar Alexei assigned General Tukhachevsky to repel, or at least delay, the Germans until reinforcements could be summoned. The First Retaliatory Offensive was at best a mild failure and Russian forces were forced to retreat to the pre-prepared "Tukhachevsky Line" which extended from Smolensk to Kiev to Melitopol. This followed the time-held tradition of trading land for time to rearm and repel.

From then until 1943 the fate of Russia hung in the balance, with things bleakest in December 1941 as German armies lay siege to Petrograd, threatened Moscow and spilled into the Ukrainian steppes. This was followed by regaining of northern territories in 1942 (Finnish neutrality was vital in maintaining the security of Lend-Lease convoys, and Finnish Karelia gave a roundabout supply line for Petrograd) and the German thrust into the south, culminating in the apocalyptic Battle of Tsaritsyn. This was the tipping point, and with the Axis forces deflated the long hard rollback to the border began. By August 1944 the last of Russian soil was cleared (after the bitter battles of Kursk, Kharkiv, Rostov and the Crimea), and an invasion of Japanese client state Manchuria was mounted...sot of successfully. By early 1945, the Nazis were defeated, with Tsarist tanks in Berlin and the Dresden Conference delineating spheres of influence.

The after effects of the war were a devastating blow to the Russian Empire anyway, erasing the best of a generation of two: 25 million dead was the most reasonable figure, and this hideous toll led to the Russian postwar policy of revenge upon their invaders and reconstruction of their ruined Empire. This was aided in the short term by seizing a third of Occupied Germany's industry, and fueled in the long term by roping the East European states into trade agreements that ensured the Russians could keep their economy going--and, perhaps more to the point, their military well-armed. Cold WarEdit

The Russians were pitied and feared in equal measure by the Western Allies: yes, the Russians had suffered hideous punishment from the Germans and deserved compensation, but on the other hand, hadn't WWII only proved that a harsh peace didn't keep the Germans down? This cut no ice with the Empire, who wasted no time in imposing satellite governments in Eastern Europe, most notably the (East German) Prussian Republic, Hungary, the resurrected Czechoslovak state, and the well-cowed Balkan kingdoms. The Russian rein was tightened even more after Yugoslavia's monarchy was toppled by a popular revolution led by Josip Tito's Communists and a socialist government was introduced.

Government and politics

From its initial creation until the 1905 Revolution, the Russian Empire was controlled by its Tsar/Emperor as an absolute monarch, under the system of tsarist autocracy. After the Revolution of 1905, Russia developed a new type of government which became difficult to categorize. In the Almanach de Gotha for 1910, Russia was described as "a constitutional monarchy under an autocratic Tsar". While the emperor retained many of his old prerogatives, including an absolute veto over all legislation, he equally agreed to the establishment of an elected parliament, without whose consent no laws were to be enacted in Russia. The "unlimited autocracy" had given place to a "self-limited autocracy". Whether this autocracy was to be permanently limited by the new changes, or only at the continuing discretion of the autocrat, became a subject of heated controversy between conflicting parties in the state.

The 1917 Republican Revolution attempted to impose a Federal Republic. This attempt ultimately failed and the Russian Civil War broke out. After the 1921 Peace of Petrograd, a new institutional system was devised.

There are three power hierarchies in the Empire: the legislature represented by the Supreme Legislative Council of the Russian Empire (Высший Законодательный Совет), the government represented by the Council of Ministers (Совет Министров), and the Imperial Revolutionary Organization (Имперская революционная организация), a sort of ruling political party . The Emperor retains paramount powers.

Tsar of the Russian Empire

The Tsar of the Russian Empire (Russian: Царь Российской Империи, tr. Tsar' Rossiyskoy Imperii), is the monarchial head of state and head of government of the Russian Empire, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Russian Armed Forces and personal Autocrat of all Russias.

In all cases where the Tsar is unable to fulfill their duties, they shall be temporarily delegated to the Tsesarevich if he is of age, or to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Russia.

The Tsar possesses "supreme sovereign power", and that obedience to his commands is mandated by God himself. The Tsar possesses an absolute veto over all legislation, legislative initiative on all matters, and the sole prerogative to initiate any revision of the Constitution itself. The Tsar has charge over Russia's administrative and external affairs, and sole power to declare war, make peace and negotiate treaties, as well as the supreme command of the armed forces. The Tsar also retains authority over the minting of money, as well as the right to grant pardons and quash judicial proceedings. He appoints and dismisses his ministers at will, but they must be able to command a parliament majority.

The power includes execution of laws, alongside the responsibility of appointing officials, and concluding treaties with foreign powers with the advice and consent of the State Duma and the Imperial Council. The Tsar is further empowered to convene and adjourn the Supreme Legislative Council of the Russian Empire. The Tsar also directs the foreign and domestic policy of the Russian Empire.

The throne of Finland is declared "inseparable" from that of Russia, while precise rules on succession to the throne are spelled out. Females are eligible to succeed, though they were placed last in order behind all dynastically qualified male descendants of Romanov emperors. A female ruler is guaranteed all the prerogatives and privileges of the imperial office, though her consort was not to take the title of "Tsar". Children born to a marriage between a dynastic Romanov and a person "not of corresponding dignity" (defined as "not belonging to any royal or sovereign house") are ineligible for the throne, as is any person who inherited the throne while ruling over another nation whose state religion was not Orthodox, if unwilling to renounce that other throne and faith.

Government

The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire is the head of the Russian government, the chief executive of the Russian Cabinet and among the most powerful figures of the Russian Empire. Under Article 24 of the Federal Constitutional Law 'On the Government of the Russian Empire', the prime minister "heads the Government of the Russian Empire".

Due to the central role of the Tsar of Russia in the political system, the activities of the executive branch (including the Chairman) are significantly influenced by the Sovereign (for example, it is the Tsar who appoints and dismisses the Chairman and other members of the Government; the Tsar chairs the meetings of the cabinet and give obligatory orders to the Chairman and other members of the Government; the Tsar may also revoke any act of the Government). The use of the term "Prime Minister" is strictly informal and is never used by the Russian Constitution or laws.

As of 2020, the Council of Ministers consists of:

• Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire
• First Deputy Chairman
• Deputy Chairman - Ober-Prosecutor of the Holy Synod
• Deputy Chairman – Chief of Staff of the Government
• Deputy Chairman – Special Envoy to the Far East
• Minister of the Imperial Court
• Minister of Internal Affairs
• Minister of Justice
• Minister of Defence
• Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic
• Minister of Finance
• Minister of Economic Development
• Minister of Agriculture
• Minister of Commerce and Industry
• Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media
• Minister of Construction and Utilities
• Minister of Energy
• Minister of Health
• Minister of Labour and Social Protection
• Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology
• Minister of Transportations and of Ways of Communication
• Minister of Culture and Sport
• Minister of Education, Higher Education and Research

Military

The Russian military is divided into the Ground Forces, Navy, and Air Force. There are also three independent arms of service: Strategic Missile Troops, Aerospace Defence Forces, and the Airborne Troops. It is mandatory for all male citizens aged 18–27 to be drafted for a year of service in Armed Forces.

Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world, the second-largest fleet of ballistic missile submarines, and the only modern strategic bomber force outside the United States. More than 90% of world's 14,000 nuclear weapons are owned by Russia and the United States. Russia's tank force is the largest in the world, while its surface navy and air force are among the largest.

The country has a large and fully indigenous arms industry, producing most of its own military equipment with only a few types of weapons imported. It has been one of the world's top supplier of arms since 2001, accounting for around 30% of worldwide weapons sales and exporting weapons to about 80 countries. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, SIPRI, found that Russia was the second biggest exporter of arms in 2010–14, increasing their exports by 37 per cent from the period 2005–2009. SIPRI estimated in 2020 that Russia is the third biggest exporters of arms, only behind the US and China.

Subdivisions

The Russian Empire includes 163 Governorates (Russian: Губе́рния, Guberniya) and the Grand Duchy of Finland, in turn subdivided into Governorates. Twelve Governorates (Akmolinsk, Ashgabat, Kerch, Kiev, Moscow, Nikolayev, Odessa, Petrograd, Pishpek, Rostov, Sevastopol, Tashkent) are Special Cities (Russian: Особые города).

Governorates are administered by Governors appointed by the Tsar; Governors are assited by an elected Legislative Council.

Governorates-General

Some Governorates are grouped into four Governorates-General (Russian: Генерал-губернаторство). Governorates-General consist of set of Governorates.

Each Governorate-General is governed by a Governor-General, an high-ranking military officer. The Governor-generals acted as commanders in chief of the armed forces and the supreme civil authority, mostly responsible only to the Tsar. Governor-generals supervise Governors, but do not directly participate in the administration of the subordinated Governorates. As of 2018 there are three Governorates-General:

• Baltic General Governorate;
• Russian Turkestan;
• Caucasus Viceroyalty.

The Grand Duchy of Finland formally is an autonomous State; however, the Tsar's representative ranks as a Governor-General with additional prerogatives.