Russian Engineer Troops

The Engineer Troops of the Ground Forces of the Russian Federation are a military administrative corps designed to perform military engineering operations (combat actions), requiring special training of personnel and use of means of engineer equipment, as well as for damaging the enemy through application of engineer ammunition.

Organisationally the Engineer Troops are composed of formations, units and subdivisions for various purposes: engineering-reconnaissance, field engineering, fencing, obstacle clearing, assault-and-traffic engineering, pontoon bridge (pontoon), assault-crossing, camouflage-engineering, technology-engineering, field water supplying ones and so on.

In preparation and conduct of combined-arms operations (combat actions) the Engineer Troops perform the following tasks:


 * engineer reconnaissance of the enemy, terrain and objects;
 * construction (arrangement) of fortifications (trenches, ditches and communication trenches, shelters, bunkers, dugouts, etc.) and organization of field deployment of troops (residential, logistical, medical);
 * organisation of engineering obstacles, including installation of mine fields, production of blasting, organisation of non-explosive obstacles (anti-tank ditches, scarps, counterscarps, stakes, etc.);
 * clearance of areas and facilities;
 * preparation and maintenance of traffic routes of troops;
 * creation and maintenance of ferries across water barriers, including construction of bridges;
 * extraction and purification of water in the field and others.

In addition, they are involved in countering the intelligence systems and homing of the enemy’s weapons (camouflage), simulation of troops and facilities, providing misinformation and demonstrative actions to deceive the enemy as well as to eliminate or reduce the effects of enemy weapons of mass destruction.

In peacetime, the Engineer Troops have a number of important and socially significant tasks: they clean areas of explosive hazards, are involved in liquidating aftermath of man-made accidents and catastrophes, natural disasters, prevent destruction of bridges and waterworks during floating of ice, etc. Further development of the Engineer Troops is carried out through equipping them with qualitatively new, highly effective, versatile means of engineer equipment, built on the basis of standardised elements, blocks and modules, with a simultaneous decrease of the nomenclature samples of the same type for the intended purpose.