The day of engineer troops was marked in Russia on January 21. Military engineering forces are among the oldest in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. On that day in 1701 Peter the Great signed a decree on creation in Moscow a school of Pushkarsky office for artillery officers’ and military engineers’ training. This memorable date was established by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 18, 1996 for the contribution of military engineers to the development of the country’s defence potential and historical traditions. By order of the Minister of Defence of Russia dated September 23, 1996, it was ordered to celebrate the Day of the Engineering Troops annually on January 21.
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.
The Engineer Troops receive modern models of new weapons, military and special equipment. So in 2018 more than 600 pieces of various engineering equipment have been supplied to the troops. In the coming year, more than 650 pieces of engineering equipment are to enter the service with the troops. They demonstrative actions to deceive the enemy as well as to eliminate or reduce the effects of enemy weapons of mass destruction. In peacetime, engineering troops perform a number of important socially significant tasks: clean up the area from explosive objects, participate in remedying industrial and natural disasters, preventing destruction of bridges and hydraulic structures during ice drifts, etc.
