Strategic Rocket Forces is a separate branch of the Russia's Armed Forces, subordinated directly to the General Staff. The current commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces -- Lt.-General Sergei Karakayev -- was appointed to this post by a presidential decree of 22 June 2010.

As of early 2020, the Strategic Rocket Forces were estimated to have as many as 320 operationally deployed missiles, which could carry up to 1181 warheads. The actual number of deployed warheads is most likely smaller as otherwise Russia would have exceeded the New START limit on the total number of deployed warheads.

Strategic Rocket Forces units

Strategic Rocket Forces include three missile armies: the 27th Guards Missile Army (headquarters in Vladimir), the 31st Missile Army (Orenburg), and the 33rd Guards Missile Army (Omsk).

As of January 2020, the missile armies included 11 missile divisions.

Missile systems

R-36M2 (RS-20V, SS-18) missiles were developed by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau (Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine). The missiles were deployed in 1988-1992. The missiles, produced by the Yuzhnyy Machine-Building Plant (Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine), have two liquid-fuel stages and can carry 10 warheads. The Strategic Rocket Forces plans to keep all R-36M2 missiles in service until 2022.

UR-100NUTTH (SS-19) missiles were developed by the Machine-Building NPO (Reutov, Moscow oblast) and were deployed in 1979-1984. The missiles were produced by the M. V. Khrunichev Machine Building Plant (Moscow). The missile has two liquid-fuel stages and can carry 6 warheads. A number of missiles have been removed from service, but after a series of test launches service life of the missile was extended to 36 years, so some of them may still be kept in service. This estimate, however, assumes that the remaining missiles are kept in silos without nuclear warheads (this practice was used in the 1970s with UR-100 missiles).

Avangard/UR-100NUTTH (SS-19 Mod 4) is a system that includes a hypersonic glider vehicle. The development of this system, at the time known as Albatros, were initiated by the Machine-Building NPO in the 1980s. In the 2000s the program was revived. The first two Avangard systems were deployed in December 2019 with the Dombarovsky missile division.

Road-mobile Topol (SS-25) missile system was developed at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology. The systems were deployed in 1985-1992. The missile has three solid-propellant stages and carries single warhead. The missiles were produced at the Votkinsk Machine-Building Plant. The currently deployed missiles are close to the end of their service lives and are being withdrawn from service.

Topol-M (SS-27) and RS-24 missile systems have been developed at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology. Topol-M exists in two versions -- silo-based and road-mobile. Deployment of the silo-based version began in 1997. The road-mobile version has completed flight tests in December 2004. The first mobile missiles began service in December 2006. The missile has three solid-propellant stages and was initially developed as a single-warhead missile. In 2007 Russia began tests of a MIRVed version of the Topol-M mobile missile, which was designated RS-24 Yars. Deployment of this missile began in 2010.