>>64487203
No, they did not.
Muh Russian armor has outpaced the handgun cartridge development so quickly and thoroughly that the idea of even backline troops having to fight for their lives with SMGs is too retarded to consider. SMGs still have their use as police or special operations weapons in situations where you can't reasonably expect a firefight with an element armed and armored to conventional military standard. But in actual military service, everyone gets a rifle, even if it's a small one. Even the pilots, with extremely limited size and weight of their bugout kit and equally limited marksmanship training, still get a compact carbine.