BARS or Combat Army Reserve of the Country (Russian: Боевой Армейский Резерв Страны - БАРС[1]) or simply the Combat Army Reserve is a Russian military reserve force implemented in 2015.[2][3]

History

Formation

The Combat Army Reserves was created by the Ministry of Defence in 2015 as an analogous organization to the British Territorial Army or the United States Army Reserve with members being paid a salary per a three year or a one and a half year contract, and participating in at least a month per year of part-time training, with the prospect of being called to active duty in the event of war.[4] In 2019 a study by the RAND Corporation found that there were only 4,000 to 5,000 reservists in the whole of Russia.[5]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

In 2021, during the build-up towards the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, the BARS were the subject of a massive recruitment campaign titled "BARS-21" which Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu stated in several speeches hoped would bolster the force to 80,000 to 100,000 reservists. Eligible BARS reservists in the days before the invasion included soldiers younger than 42, junior officers younger than 47, colonels younger than 57, and other senior officials younger than 52.[5] When the war did break out, 20 BARS units consisting of an estimated 10,000 reservists, were sent to Ukraine to take part in the initial invasion. BARS reservists were, on paper, paid a much higher salary than Russian conscripts and were supposed receive a hefty pension for their service, however, upon the completion of their service, most reservists saw little to none of the promised money or bonuses. The reservists where outfitted in decommissioned surplus and many were given rusted AK-47s. Most BARS soldiers are older veterans of the War in the Donbas, with many being members of the Union of Donbass Volunteers, and are from smaller rural settlements.[6] BARS units and Russian PMCs often overlap, with several BARS units being directly affiliated or even run by a PMC, leaving the units in a legal grey-area.[4]

On 24 July 2023, Vladimir Putin signed a law increasing the maximum age for all BARS members by five years. Increasing the maximum age of privates, sergeants, and ensigns from 35 to 40, officers of middle ranks from 45 to 50, and high-ranking officers from 50 to 55.[7][8]

Units

  • BARS-1: Kuban Cossacks[9][10]
  • BARS-2: Yakuts, Saw combat around Kharkiv in 2022.[11] Absorbed the "Bootur-1" volunteer unit in May 2023.[12] Bootur-1's commander, Alexander Kolesov, would become deputy commander and receive the Hero of Russia for his role in the 2023 Belgorod Oblast incursions.[13]
  • BARS-3:[14]
  • BARS-4: Veterans that returned to Russia reported a lack of pay, denial of medical treatment, and a deletion of military records.[15]
  • BARS-5:[14]
  • BARS-6: 'Forstadt', Orenburg Cossacks.[16]
  • BARS-7:[17]
  • BARS-8:[18]
  • BARS-9: 'Orel', Commander Rustam Ziganshin died in September 2021.[19] Affiliated with the Union of Donbass Volunteers.[14]
  • BARS-10: Soldier from BARS-10 joined Wagner
  • BARS-11:[18]
  • BARS-12:[20]
  • BARS-13: 'Russian Legion'[21] Commander Sergei Fomchenkov.[22] Affiliated with the Union of Donbass Volunteers, originally named 'Rurik'.[14]
  • BARS-14 "Sarmat":[23]
  • BARS-16: 'Kuban', Kuban Cossacks[24]
  • BARS-18:[25]
  • BARS-19:[18]
  • BARS-20: 'Thunder' Affiliated with the Union of Donbass Volunteers.[14]
  • BARS-21:[26]
  • BARS-23 "Eagle" or "Orel":[27]
  • BARS-29: "Nevske" Created October 2022 from an artillery detachment reformed into a BARS unit due lack of manpower.[28][18]
  • BARS-32 "Pavel Sudoplatov": The Russia’s Ministry of Defense subordinated the “P. Sudoplatov” volunteer battalion formed on the occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia Oblast to the 32nd BARS detachment.[29][18]
  • BARS-33 "Vasyl Margelov":[18]

References

  1. ↑ "«Боевой Армейский Резерв Страны - БАРС»". www.temryuk.ru. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  2. ↑ "БАРС". bars2021.tilda.ws. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  3. ↑ Сосницкий, Владимир. "БАРС: военная служба на полставки". Еженедельник «ЗВЕЗДА» (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  4. 1 2 Tenisheva, Anastasia. "Glory Hunters or Gold Diggers? The Shadowy World of Russia's 'Volunteers' Fighting in Ukraine". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  5. 1 2 Stepanenko, Kateryna; Kagan, Frederick W.; Brian, Babcock-Lumish. "Explainer on Russian Conscription, Reserve, and Mobilization". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  6. ↑ Coalson, Robert. "'We Were Nothing To Them': Russian Volunteer Reservists Return From War Against Ukraine Feeling Deceived". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "Путин подписал указ о повышении предельного возраста пребывания в запасе". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  8. ↑ "Putin Signs Law Raising Age Of People In Military Reserve By Five Years". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  9. ↑ "150 кубанских казаков пополнят отряды БАРС-16 и БАРС-1". smotrim.ru. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  10. ↑ Зуй, Василий. "Кубанские казаки-добровольцы пополнят отряды БАРС-16 и БАРС-1". kubantv.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  11. ↑ "Russia says it crushes cross-border incursion from Ukraine". Gulf News. Reuters. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  12. ↑ Stepanenko, Kateryna; Bailey, Riley; Mappes, Grace; Wolkov, Nicole; Kagan, Fredrick W. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 28, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  13. ↑ Taylor, Hansen. "Alexander Kolesov was the first of the Yakutians who participated in the SVO to become the Hero of Russia KXan 36 Daily News". eprimefeed.com. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 "Страх, ненависть и патриотизм. Как учат, отправляют на войну и обманывают российских добровольцев". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  15. ↑ Stepanenko, Kateryna; Hird, Karolina; Mappes, Grace; Kagan, Frederick W. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 11". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  16. ↑ https://www.ural56.ru/news/703555/
  17. ↑ CDS (2023-07-01). "Russia's war on Ukraine. Daily Snapshot. 30.06.2023". CDS’s Substack. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ukraine Control Map". Google My Maps. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  19. ↑ ИВАНОВА, Кристина (2022-09-19). "На Украине погиб командир добровольческого отряда «БАРС-9» из Башкирии". Prufy.ru | Новости (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  20. ↑ CDS (2023-06-22). "Russia's war on Ukraine. Daily Snapshot. 22.06.2023". CDS’s Substack. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  21. ↑ Нахимов, Сергей (2022-11-16). ""Русский легион" БАРС-13: история, численность и боевой путь". AmalNews (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  22. ↑ "Как Сергей Фомченков создал добровольческий батальон БАРС-13". vesti.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  23. ↑ CDS (2023-08-22). "Russia's war on Ukraine. 22.08.2023". CDS’s Substack. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  24. ↑ "Бойцов БАРС-16 отряда Кубань торжественно проводили на Донбасс - KrasnodarMedia". krasnodarmedia.su (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  25. ↑ "🇷🇺⚡️Сводки ополчения Новороссии Z.O.V. (ДНР, ЛНР, Украина, Война)". Telegram. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  26. ↑ "🇷🇺⚡️Сводки ополчения Новороссии Z.O.V. (ДНР, ЛНР, Украина, Война)". Telegram. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  27. ↑ "WarGonzo". Telegram. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  28. ↑ CDS (2023-09-07). "Russia's war on Ukraine. 07.09.2023". CDS’s Substack. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  29. ↑ CDS (2023-04-08). "CDS Daily brief (07.04.23) | CDS comments on key events". Центр оборонних стратегій (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-09-11.
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