BARS (Russian:Боевой Армейский Резерв Страны - БАРС, Boyevoy Armeyskiy Rezerv Strany[1]) or simply theCombat Army Reserve is aRussian militaryreserve force implemented in 2015.[2][3]
The Combat Army Reserves was created by theMinistry of Defence in 2015 as an analogous organization to theBritish Territorial Army or theUnited 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 theRAND Corporation found that there were only 4,000 to 5,000 reservists in the whole of Russia.[5]
In 2021, during the build-up towards theRussian Invasion of Ukraine, the BARS were the subject of a massive recruitment campaign titled "BARS-21" whichRussian Defense MinisterSergey 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 to 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. Most BARS soldiers are older veterans of theWar in the Donbass, with many being members of theUnion of Donbass Volunteers, and are from smaller rural settlements.[6] BARS units and RussianPMCs 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. The legislation increased the official retirement age of privates, sergeants, and warrant officers from 35 to 40, officers of subaltern and field ranks from 45 to 50, and high-ranking officers from 50 to 55.[7][8]
During theUkrainian offensive into Kursk, three new BARS units where created, "BARS-Kursk", "BARS-Bryansk", and "BARS-Belgorod" which, according to governor of Kursk,Alexei Smirnov, will coordinate with the Russian military "counterterrorism" operations.[9]
BARS-Kaskad "Waterfall":[39] According to the UK MoD intelligence created byDmitry Sablin as a unit of drone operators headquartered far behind the front line for VIPs and the family members ofKremlin elite. This allows VIPs to serve in Ukraine with a reduced risk of personal injury compared to “frontline troops”. VIPs serving in Kaskad are provided with asecurity detail orbodyguards. On 16 April 2024, the husband of RussianinfluencerYelena Blinovskaya, Alexei Blinovsky was serving with the unit.[40][41]
Some of the BARS are associated with theAll-Russian Cossack Society. The Cossack brigades “Don”, “Dnepr” and “Terek” are united into the Volunteer Assault Corps (DShK):[42] Three battalions (BARS-1, BARS-11 and BARS-16) are united into the Kuban Cossack brigade. Cossack brigade "Kuban" (BARS-3 and BARS-10) is part of the "Volunteer Shock Brigade" created byDmitry Rogozin. BARS-6 (“Forstadt”) - Orenburg BARS-15 (“Ermak”) - Yekaterinburg BARS-18 (“Vympel”) - “Great Don Army” BARS-22 (“Tiger”) - Cossacks from Primorye BARS-35 (Skif) - part of the Terek brigade.[43][44]
.svg)
.svg)
