Russian Naval Infantry

Russian Naval Infantry
Морская пехота России Morskaya Pekhota Rossii
Unofficial emblem of the Russian Naval Infantry
Founded	1696 (1696)–1917 (1917), 1992 (1992)–present
Country	Russia[a]
Branch	Russian Navy
Type	Naval infantry and Naval special forces
Size	12,000 personnel, incl. 800 commando frogmen[1][2]
Part of	Coastal Defense Forces
Garrisons/HQs	Moscow Sevastopol Sputnik Kamchatka Baltiysk Kaliningrad
Nickname(s)	"Черная смерть", "Черные береты" (English: "Black Death", "Black Berets")
Motto(s)	Там, где мы, там — победа! (English: Where We Are, There is Victory!)
Color of Beret	Black
March	"Экипаж—Одна семья" (English: The Crew—One Family) "Марш морской пехоты" (English: March of the Marines)
Anniversaries	November 27
Equipment	OTs-14-1A-04 7.62×39mm assault rifle with an under-barrel GP-30 40mm grenade launcher, bullpup design AK-74M 5.45×39mm assault rifle AK-12 5.45×39mm assault rifle[3] DP-64 anti-saboteur grenade launcher 2S31 Vena 120mm mortar 2S12 Sani 120mm mortar PT-76 amphibious tank T-80 tank T-72 tank BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle BTR-80 armored personnel carrier BTR-82A armored personnel carrier MT-LB armored personnel carrier GAZ Tigr armored car
Engagements	Russian–Swedish wars Russo-Turkish war Napoleonic Wars Russo-Japanese War World War I Russian Civil War World War II First Chechen war Second Chechen war Russo-Georgian War MV Moscow University hijacking Anti-piracy operations 2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War Russian invasion of Ukraine
Commanders
Current commander	Lt. Gen. Alexander Kolpachenko
Notable commanders	Maj. Gen. Vladimir Romanenko Maj. Gen. Vladislav Chernomurov
Insignia
Flag of the Naval Infantry

The Russian Naval Infantry (Russian: Морская пехота России, romanized: Morskaya pekhota Rossii, lit. 'Russian sea infantry'), often referred to as Russian Marines in the West,^[4] operate as the naval infantry of the Russian Navy. Established in 1705, they are capable of conducting amphibious operations as well as operating as more traditional light infantry.

The Naval Infantry also fields the Russian Navy's only special operations unit, known as the ‘commando frogmen’. Frogmen are typically drawn from the Naval Infantry's ranks, and they are capable of a wide range of special operations tasks and missions. Colloquially, Russian-speakers may refer to Naval Infantrymen using the abbreviation морпехи (morpekhi (plural), singular form: морпех (morpekh)).

The first Russian marine force formed in 1705, and since that time it has fought in the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War (1853-1856), the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), the First World War (1914-1918) and the Second World War (1939-1945). Under Admiral Gorshkov (Soviet Navy Commander-in-Chief from 1956 to 1985), the Soviet Navy expanded the reach of the Naval Infantry and deployed it worldwide on numerous occasions.

Since 2009 Lieutenant General (NI) Aleksandr Nikolaievich Kolpachenko [ru] (Lieutenant General (NI) since 2014) has commanded the Naval Infantry in his capacity as the Deputy Commander for Coastal Troops/Commandant of the Coastal Troops of the Russian Navy.

The Naval Infantry, alongside the Coastal Defense Missile Artillery Forces, form part of a larger institution—the Coastal Troops of the Russian Navy (Russian: Береговые войска ВМФ России, Beregovye voyska VMF Rossii).

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