All articles tagged with #paratroopers
US Army paratroopers participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 in Australia, conducting nighttime parachute jumps and joint operations with allies to demonstrate interoperability, strategic mobility, and readiness in the Indo-Pacific region amid regional tensions.
Israel Defense Forces conducted a ground assault in Gaza, with the paratroopers of the 501st Airborne Brigade among the first forces to invade after a surprise attack by Hamas militants. The city of Beit Hanoun, previously populated by over 60,000 people, was completely deserted due to heavy bombardment. Israeli troops are closing in on Gaza City, triggering a mass exodus of residents waving white flags. Thousands of people have made the hourslong walk from the north to the south of Gaza, seeking safety. The future remains uncertain for Gaza residents as they face the ongoing conflict.
Russia is reportedly using elite paratroopers from the VDV force as regular infantry to compensate for overstretched forces in Ukraine, despite the units likely not being at full strength. The UK Ministry of Defence stated that at least five regiments of the VDV are concentrated near the frontline village of Robotyne, with the situation likely displeasing the hierarchy of the elite force. The VDV troops have likely reinforced Russia's ground forces, and this shift in their role may hinder their ability to be used for offensive operations in the future. The VDV has suffered significant losses in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Russia has deployed elements of its elite 76th Guard Air Assault Division, one of its best divisions, to the south of Ukraine in response to Ukraine's counteroffensive. Ukraine claims to have broken through the first line of Russian defenses and liberated a village in the area. Analysts suggest that Russia's deployment of elite paratroopers indicates a lack of sizable operational reserves.
Unsanctioned comments from a senior Russian commander suggest that around 50% of Moscow's paratroopers have been killed or wounded in Ukraine, according to the UK government. General Colonel Mikhail Teplinsky, head of Russia's airborne forces, stated that 8,500 paratroopers had been wounded since February 2022. The figures endorse the assessment that at least half of the 30,000 paratroopers deployed to Ukraine have been affected. Russia's VDV troops were heavily involved in the early stages of the war, but experts believe they were deployed as regular infantry. Both Russia and Ukraine do not provide official casualty counts, and experts suggest that both sides likely exaggerate the opposing side's losses.
The commander of Russia's Airborne Forces, Mikhail Teplinsky, admitted in a video message that over 8,500 Russian paratroopers have been wounded while fighting in Ukraine. He stated that more than 5,000 wounded paratroopers returned to the front after treatment, and over 3,500 refused to leave the front line at all. The video was later taken down from the state-run broadcaster's website. Western intelligence estimates suggest that Russia's losses in the conflict range from 40,000 to 60,000 deaths and up to 200,000 casualties, while a recent analysis by Russian media outlets and a German scientist indicates that around 47,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the start of the invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine's military reported new advances in heavy fighting near the eastern city of Bakhmut, with Russian forces continuing to send in new units including paratroopers. The battle for Bakhmut is seen as a stepping stone towards capturing the rest of the eastern industrial Donbas region bordering Russia. Ukrainian officials have signalled the advances around Bakhmut are not part of a broader counteroffensive planned by Kyiv to push back the Russian forces.
Russia's paratroopers are being equipped with TOS-1A thermobaric multiple launch rocket systems, also known as "heavy flamethrowers," mounted onto tanks, according to UK intelligence. The weapon is more powerful than conventional explosives and is effective at targeting trenches. The move suggests Russia wants its airborne force to play a larger role in any new offensive in Ukraine and is part of efforts to reconstitute the force after it suffered heavy casualties in the first nine months of the war.
Russia's paratroopers are being equipped with TOS-1A thermobaric multiple launch rocket systems, which are mounted onto tanks and designated as "heavy flamethrowers." The weapon is more powerful than conventional explosives and is particularly effective at targeting trenches. The move suggests Russia wants its airborne force to play a larger role in any new offensive in Ukraine and is likely part of efforts to reconstitute the force after it suffered heavy casualties in the first nine months of the war.