The Russian Air Force (Russian: Военно-воздушные силы России, tr. Voenno-vozdushnye sily Rossii, VVS) is a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the latter being formed on 1 August 2015 with the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces.[5] The modern VVS was originally established on 7 May 1992 following Boris Yeltsin’s creation of the Ministry of Defence. However, the Russian Federation’s air force can trace its lineage and traditions back to the Imperial Russian Air Service (1912–1917) and the Soviet Air Forces (1918–1991).