The first references in history to the creation of military organizations in Russia date back to the 6th century. The history of the Russian army began with the fact that tribal unions of the Slavs began to create armed militias to protect themselves from enemies. The militia consisted of almost all adult men. By the end of the VIII century, the militia was replaced by princely squads. These squads were already formed entirely from professional, trained warriors. At that time, the basis of the troops of the Slavs was the formation, consisting of foot soldiers. The cavalry was assigned the role of a guard and intelligence service.
The armament of the Russian warriors of that time was the simplest: double-edged swords, spears, bows, battle axes, as well as slings, knives and maces. Helmets, chain mail and shields were used to protect the soldiers. Already at the end of the 10th century, the battles conducted by the Russian army showed that in them the importance of cavalry began to increase. Therefore, the history of the Russian army over the next centuries is closely connected with the development of the cavalry, which constituted the main armed force in the Russian principalities. At the end of the XIV century, Russia from the specific principalities became a single state, and from that moment the history of the creation of the armed forces of Russia has been counting.
At the same time, firearms appeared, which helped create an already more combat-ready army. The main force of the Russian army was the noble militia consisting mainly of equestrian soldiers. Ivan the Terrible created a streltsy army in the middle of the 16th century. This was the result of his military reform. Sagittarius carried out military service not only in wartime, but also in peace. All streltsy army had the same armament and the same military uniform. The total number of this army in peacetime was about 20 thousand people. In wartime, the army was replenished with the help of militias (about 90 thousand people), as well as cavalry from the nobles (about 100 thousand people).
The further history of the Russian army is already connected with the name of the young Tsar Peter I, who carried out new military reforms in the 18th century. These reforms became extremely important for the country and their result was the creation of a regular army, which in number was already more than 200 thousand people. In addition to the already familiar ground forces , a powerful navy was created. The navy at that time already included more than 800 sailing and rowing vessels. The main armament of the army was a smoothbore gun with a bayonet for infantry, and lightweight rifles, pistols and broadswords for cavalry. During the time of Peter I, the history of the Russian border troops was further developed.
The powerful Russian army, created by Peter the Great, was able to win many convincing victories in the glory of Russia. However, the subsequent history of the Russian army consists not only of victories, but also of crushing defeats. A vivid example of this was the Russo-Japanese War, which took place in 1904-1905. Despite the heroism of the Russian soldiers, the war ended tragically for Russia, and the tsarist government had no choice but to capitulate on the most humiliating conditions. Then there were the successes and defeats of the Russian army in the First World War.
The further history of the Russian army continued during the years of Soviet power, when the Red Army was created. By 1918, it already included more than 450 thousand people. Its combat readiness was tested during the Civil War, in the military conflicts of 1936-1940 in Spain, Japan and Finland. The most severe tests not only for the Russian army, but also for the whole country were the particularly severe and tragic events of the Great Patriotic War from 1941 to 1945. In this war, despite all the hardships and hardships, Soviet soldiers were able to show the world vivid examples of courage and heroism, defeating a cruel and powerful opponent. The latest stage in the development of the Russian army began after the collapse of the Soviet Union.