You mean splitting of divisions into brigades?
Generally, yes.
These brigades are like regimental combat groups of old soviet divisions, similar to those formed on a main axis of advance. A division could form only one such combat group, as all other regiments (without needed support) stayed on on their positions for defence or attacked not to archive a success but only to draw enemy reserves from the main forces of the division.
After the dissoltion of the Soviet Union, Russia left with only second-grade reserve divisions with only one combat-ready regiment (plus some divisional assests) as other units were manned with reservists in a war time. So most of the divisions just shaked off those so called "cadre" units and became brigades.
The main reason for this was a calculation showed that on a modern battlefield big divisions with it's regiments not able to advance outside the main axis because of the lack of support is too vulnerable to precise-guided and nuclear weapons.
Organisation reform mostly concerns ground forces: russian backbone infantry, known as "motostrelki" (literally "motorised infantry/riflemen"), and tank forces, plus VVS. VDV and Strategic Missle forces have saved their divisioanl organisation, and the Fleet too specific to touch it. Ground forces has been switched to brigades, and VVS were switched "airbases", which means old air regiments and air divisions was united with airfield commands (one or several), on which they were based on. Nowadays VVS is switched back to air regiments and air divisions with airfield commands separated in a different administrative units.
So, I'll speak of ground forces organisation primarily.
Nowadays russia have "brigades" as basic tactics-level units, "armies" ((joint) forces groups (or groups of forces) in case of a temporary brigade/battalion formation, compare joint forces group in Chechnia during chechenian wars) as operation-level units and joint strategic commands (I think, they are still called fronts in case of a large war) as basic strategic units
It has been marred as I understand in Serdykov-era reform criticism in general.
If we speak of organisation reform not touching all other aspects, there was two main points: critics told that transition to brigades was a mindless copying of NATO standarts and that brigade organisation was optimised for counter-insurgent actions in the first place, and now the Russian Army has no conventional army in case of a conflict with NATO or China.
Here's what I think of it:
1) Russian brigades organisation is quite unique and based upon soviet post WWII expirience. NATO brigades is similar to soviet/russian regiments (btw, soviet units of the same kind during WWII were also called brigades), and NATO still have divisions. I've already told about regimental combat groups. Let's see typical organisation of motorised infantry brigade:
- Brigade HQ
- 3x motorised infantry battalion
- Tank battalion
- Tube artillery battalions
- MLRS battalion/company (most likely company know)
- AA battalions
- Engeneer battalion
- Recon battalion
+ brigade support units (forward support and field maintainence, chemical and biological units, ect.)
And US Armored BCT (roughly the equivalent of Motostrelki brigade):
- Brigade HQ
- Two combined arms battalions (roughly a two 4-company battalions (one IFV infantry battalion and one tank battalion) compared to four 3-company battalions of russian battalions, but russian companies have less men)
- Recon battalion (squadron)
- Tube artillery battalion
- Engeneer battalion
+ brigade support units
As we see, most of the US fire support is on a divisional level redy to be attached to one or several brigades if needed (as in a soviet/russian division, though there were differences), and actually one russian brigade has more AA assets than a whole US division (yankees do believe in USAF, I think).
2) As shown previously, russian brigade has plenty of AA and artillery and quite a few foot soldiers needed for non-conventional warfare: to patrol large areas, create checkpoints, clean rough terrain such as woods or hills for insurgents, ect. So I don't think brigade structure is designed for contr-insurgent operations
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