59th Guards Rifle Division
Encyclopedia
The 59th Guards Kramatorsk Order of Red Banner, Order of Suvorov, Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Motor-Rifle Division of the Soviet Union
's Red Army
was initially formed near Krasnodar
in March 1942 as the 197th Rifle Division (2nd formation). On the division's formation Colonel (from 14.10.1942 major-general) M. I. Zaporozhchenko took command, who stayed with the division until February 1943. Its second commander was Major-General G. P. Karamyshev from February 1943 up to the end of the war.
On the formation of the 197th Rifle Division the major subunits were the 828th, 862nd, 889th Rifle, 261st Artillery Regiments, as well as other support units.
Upon becoming Guards the designations of the subunits changed to the 176th, 179th, and 183rd Guards Rifle and 127 Guards Artillery Regiments, and 66th Guards Independent Sapper Battalion.
The division was assigned initially to the 63rd Army
(since November 1942 the 1st Guard Army, and since December 1942 3rd Guard Army), 6th Army
, and eventually the 46th Army within which it ended the war.
The division saw combat for the first time during the Battle of Stalingrad
from July to December 1942 as part of the 63rd Army
(which became the 1st Guards Army on 1 November 1942). During fierce fighting in the Veshenskaya area, parts of the division along with other Soviet units repelled the approach of which troops?. Having forced the Don river
in the El'yanskoye area, the division seized a bridgehead which was subsequently used to stage a Soviet counter-attack. In these engagements the division destroyed up to 2,000 enemy troops, and much military equipment and weapons. The division participated in Operation Little Saturn between 16 and 30 December 1942).
The division, in conjunction with other formations of the 1st Guards Army (which was renamed the 3rd Guards Army on 5 December 1942) traversed over 200 kilometers, liberated 170 settlements, including the city of Voroshilovgrad (now Lugansk) on 14 February 1943, and captured around 8,000 pieces of enemy equipment. For its courage, tenacity, and heroism the division was honored and renamed the 59th Guards
Rifle Division on 3 January. The division’s next combat participation was in the Donbass Offensive and the Barvenkov – Pavlograd Offensive operation (13.08 - 22.09.1943) in the Don basin and liberating the Donbass region. For it’s efforts in capturing the city of Kramatorsk
on the 6 September 1943 it was awarded the honorific name ‘Kramator’ on 8 September 1943 by the Order of High Command No.9 on the same day During the liberation of Kramatorsk the division was supported by the 5th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade and the 243rd Independent Tank Regiment
The division also supported clearing the city of Zaporozhye of the enemy on 14 October 1943, in conjunction with other units. For its exemplary battle skills and valour the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner
on 14 October 1943.
During the 1944 Nikopolsk-Krivorozhsk Offensive operation (30.01 - 29.02) the division fought first as part of 3rd Guards Army, and then as part of 6th Army
together with the 61st Guards Rifle, 203rd Rifle, and the 320th Guards Rifle divisions of the 34th Guards Rifle Corps. For the skilful performance of combat tasks and courage of the division's troops it was awarded the Order of Suvorov
, 2nd degree, on 13 February 1944.
In the following months, the division was part of the attack toward Odessa
, and was the first formation to enter the city on 10 April 1944 despite the bad road conditions, crossing the river lines of the Ingulets, Ingul, and Southern Bug
rivers in the process. The division was awarded the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky
, 2nd degree on 20 April 1944 for its courage and heroism in clearing the city of Odessa. In the summer of the same year the division, as part of the 46th Army (with which it remained to the end of the war), 3rd Ukrainian Front, the division participated in the Yassy-Kishinev Offensive operation. As part of the offensive the division broke through the Wehrmacht unit defense to the east of Bendery, fighting on the left shore of lake Kitai, and cut off the withdrawal route to parts of 3rd Wehrmacht Army Corps. Pursuing the retreating German troops, the division crossed the Soviet-Romanian border on August, 28th near the city of Reni
, 25 kilometres to the East of Galats. On 8 September, the Bulgaria
n border was also crossed as the division was transferred to the 2nd Ukrainian Front for the Belgorod Offensive (28.09 - 20.10). From October 1944 to February 1945 the division took part in the Battle of Debrecen
and the initial phase of the Budapest Offensive, the Kechkemet-Budapesht Offensive operation. During this operation the commander of the 179th Rifle Regiment, T.N. Artem’yev was awarded Hero of Soviet Union for heroic performance in combat.
D'er Offensive operation , during which the division’s active and resolute actions to the north of Vienna
led to the Red Army’s capture of the Austrian capital on 13 April 1945. The division’s combat operations finished in the Freistadt
area, north of Linz
, in May 1945.
For their performance during the Great Patriotic War over 4,000 soldiers were awarded awards and medals, and 19 given the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
Voroshilovograd, Donbas , Zaporozh'ye, and Nikopol' - Krivoy-Rog, Odessa and Iasi-Kishinev operations, the Battle of Romania
and Bulgaria, and finally in the Battle of Debrecen
, and the Budapest and Vienna operations.
and remained at Tiraspol
for the next two decades.
In 1974 the 14th Combined Arms Army became a part of the Odessa Military District
, which had been awarded the Order of the Red Banner
in 1968.
The Army headquarters was in city of Tiraspol
, with the 59th GMRD garrisoned in the city as well. In December, 1972, for excellence in protection of Soviet territory and high marks in combat and political preparedness, the division was awarded the Minister of Defence of the USSR's Pendant for Courage and Military Valour.
On 19 November 1990 the division had the following equipment:
On 1 June 1997 the 59th Guards Motor-Rifle division was reorganised as the 8th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade with four motor-rifle battalions, one tank battalion
, two artillery battalions, and an anti-tank battalion plus other combat support and support units.
From 1 December 1999 two motor-rifle battalions were officially removed from the Russian Ground Forces
organisation and transferred to the Combined Peacekeeping Forces command.
In December 2002 the brigade was disbanded, and the remaining personnel, numbering 5,719 effectives were absorbed into the Peacekeeping Forces command.
As a result of reduction in the strength of the Operational Group (commander General-Major Boris Sergeyev) the remaining strength as of 2006 is about 1,000 - 1,500 troops, and comprises:
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
was initially formed near Krasnodar
Krasnodar
Krasnodar is a city in Southern Russia, located on the Kuban River about northeast of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. It is the administrative center of Krasnodar Krai . Population: -Name:...
in March 1942 as the 197th Rifle Division (2nd formation). On the division's formation Colonel (from 14.10.1942 major-general) M. I. Zaporozhchenko took command, who stayed with the division until February 1943. Its second commander was Major-General G. P. Karamyshev from February 1943 up to the end of the war.
On the formation of the 197th Rifle Division the major subunits were the 828th, 862nd, 889th Rifle, 261st Artillery Regiments, as well as other support units.
Upon becoming Guards the designations of the subunits changed to the 176th, 179th, and 183rd Guards Rifle and 127 Guards Artillery Regiments, and 66th Guards Independent Sapper Battalion.
Combat history
- Until July 1942 the division was part of the 7th Reserve Army of the North Caucasus Military DistrictNorth Caucasus Military DistrictThe North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also includes the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla....
- From July 1942 it joined the 5th Army of the STAVKA Reserve
- On the 10 July 1942 the 5th Army of the STAVKA Reserve was reflagged as the 63rd Army63rd Army (Soviet Union)The 63rd Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army was formed in July 1942, by the order of Headquarters Red Army Supreme Command № 994110, by renaming Stavka's 5th Reserve Army....
of the Stalingrad FrontStalingrad FrontThe Stalingrad Front was a front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. The name indicated the primary geographical region in which the Front first fought, based on the city of Stalingrad on the Volga River.... - From 28 September 1942 assigned to the Don FrontDon FrontThe Don Front was a front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. The name refers to Don River, Russia....
- From 22 October 1942 the division served with the South Western Front during the Battle of StalingradBattle of StalingradThe Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
The division was assigned initially to the 63rd Army
63rd Army (Soviet Union)
The 63rd Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army was formed in July 1942, by the order of Headquarters Red Army Supreme Command № 994110, by renaming Stavka's 5th Reserve Army....
(since November 1942 the 1st Guard Army, and since December 1942 3rd Guard Army), 6th Army
6th Army (Soviet Union)
The 6th Army was a field army of the Soviet Red Army formed four times during World War II and active with the Russian Ground Forces up until 1998...
, and eventually the 46th Army within which it ended the war.
The division saw combat for the first time during the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
from July to December 1942 as part of the 63rd Army
63rd Army (Soviet Union)
The 63rd Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army was formed in July 1942, by the order of Headquarters Red Army Supreme Command № 994110, by renaming Stavka's 5th Reserve Army....
(which became the 1st Guards Army on 1 November 1942). During fierce fighting in the Veshenskaya area, parts of the division along with other Soviet units repelled the approach of which troops?. Having forced the Don river
Don River
- Australia :* Don River , a tributary of the Fitzroy River * Don River in North Queensland* Don River - United Kingdom :* River Don, South Yorkshire, England...
in the El'yanskoye area, the division seized a bridgehead which was subsequently used to stage a Soviet counter-attack. In these engagements the division destroyed up to 2,000 enemy troops, and much military equipment and weapons. The division participated in Operation Little Saturn between 16 and 30 December 1942).
The division, in conjunction with other formations of the 1st Guards Army (which was renamed the 3rd Guards Army on 5 December 1942) traversed over 200 kilometers, liberated 170 settlements, including the city of Voroshilovgrad (now Lugansk) on 14 February 1943, and captured around 8,000 pieces of enemy equipment. For its courage, tenacity, and heroism the division was honored and renamed the 59th Guards
Russian Guards
Guards or Guards units were and are elite military units in Imperial Russia, Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. The tradition goes back to the retinue of a knyaz of medieval Kievan Rus' and the streltsy, the Muscovite harquebusiers formed by Ivan the Terrible by 1550...
Rifle Division on 3 January. The division’s next combat participation was in the Donbass Offensive and the Barvenkov – Pavlograd Offensive operation (13.08 - 22.09.1943) in the Don basin and liberating the Donbass region. For it’s efforts in capturing the city of Kramatorsk
Kramatorsk
Kramatorsk is a city in the eastern Ukraine within Donetsk Oblast. Its population is about 200,000 people, including surrounding settlements under Kramatorsk City Council government....
on the 6 September 1943 it was awarded the honorific name ‘Kramator’ on 8 September 1943 by the Order of High Command No.9 on the same day During the liberation of Kramatorsk the division was supported by the 5th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade and the 243rd Independent Tank Regiment
The division also supported clearing the city of Zaporozhye of the enemy on 14 October 1943, in conjunction with other units. For its exemplary battle skills and valour the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
on 14 October 1943.
During the 1944 Nikopolsk-Krivorozhsk Offensive operation (30.01 - 29.02) the division fought first as part of 3rd Guards Army, and then as part of 6th Army
6th Army (Soviet Union)
The 6th Army was a field army of the Soviet Red Army formed four times during World War II and active with the Russian Ground Forces up until 1998...
together with the 61st Guards Rifle, 203rd Rifle, and the 320th Guards Rifle divisions of the 34th Guards Rifle Corps. For the skilful performance of combat tasks and courage of the division's troops it was awarded the Order of Suvorov
Order of Suvorov
The Order of Suvorov is a Soviet award, named after Aleksandr Suvorov , that was established on July 29, 1942 by a decision of the Presidium of Supreme Soviet of the USSR. This decoration was created to award senior army personnel for exceptional leadership in combat operations...
, 2nd degree, on 13 February 1944.
In the following months, the division was part of the attack toward Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, and was the first formation to enter the city on 10 April 1944 despite the bad road conditions, crossing the river lines of the Ingulets, Ingul, and Southern Bug
Southern Bug
The Southern Bug, also called Southern Buh), is a river located in Ukraine. The source of the river is in the west of Ukraine, in the Volyn-Podillia Upland, about 145 km from the Polish border, and flows southeasterly into the Bug Estuary through the southern steppes...
rivers in the process. The division was awarded the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky
Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky
Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky may refer to:* Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky , state military award in the Soviet Union* Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky , state military award in Ukraine...
, 2nd degree on 20 April 1944 for its courage and heroism in clearing the city of Odessa. In the summer of the same year the division, as part of the 46th Army (with which it remained to the end of the war), 3rd Ukrainian Front, the division participated in the Yassy-Kishinev Offensive operation. As part of the offensive the division broke through the Wehrmacht unit defense to the east of Bendery, fighting on the left shore of lake Kitai, and cut off the withdrawal route to parts of 3rd Wehrmacht Army Corps. Pursuing the retreating German troops, the division crossed the Soviet-Romanian border on August, 28th near the city of Reni
Reni
-People:* Guido Reni , Italian Baroque painter* Alan Wren , nicknamed Reni, drummer for The Stone Roses* Reni Mimura, a Japanese pop singer who is known for using cosplay in her performances....
, 25 kilometres to the East of Galats. On 8 September, the Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n border was also crossed as the division was transferred to the 2nd Ukrainian Front for the Belgorod Offensive (28.09 - 20.10). From October 1944 to February 1945 the division took part in the Battle of Debrecen
Battle of Debrecen
The Battle of Debrecen, called by the Red Army the Debrecen Offensive Operation, was conducted by the 2nd Ukrainian Front on the Eastern Front of World War II...
and the initial phase of the Budapest Offensive, the Kechkemet-Budapesht Offensive operation. During this operation the commander of the 179th Rifle Regiment, T.N. Artem’yev was awarded Hero of Soviet Union for heroic performance in combat.
1945
The last stages of the division’s combat path during World War II was the participation in the Vienna Offensive’sVienna Offensive
The Vienna Offensive was launched by the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front in order to capture Vienna, Austria. The offensive lasted from 2–13 April 1945...
D'er Offensive operation , during which the division’s active and resolute actions to the north of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
led to the Red Army’s capture of the Austrian capital on 13 April 1945. The division’s combat operations finished in the Freistadt
Freistadt
Freistadt is a small Austrian town in the state of Upper Austria in the region Mühlviertel. With a population of approximately 7,500 residents, it is a trade centre for local villages. Freistadt is the economic centre of a district of the same name District Freistadt...
area, north of Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
, in May 1945.
For their performance during the Great Patriotic War over 4,000 soldiers were awarded awards and medals, and 19 given the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
Battle honours
- 1942 Battle of Stalingrad Stalingrad Front
- 1942 Battle of Stalingrad Stalingrad Front
- 1942 Battle of Stalingrad Don Front
- 1942 Southwestern Front
- 1943 3rd Ukrainian Front3rd Ukrainian Front3rd Ukrainian Front was a Front of the Red Army during World War II.It was founded on 20 October 1943, on the basis of a Stavka order of October 16, 1943, by renaming the Southwestern Front. It included 1st Guards Army, 8th Guards Army, 6th, 12th, and 46th Armies and 17th Air Army...
Donbass - 1943 4th Ukrainian Front4th Ukrainian FrontThe 4th Ukrainian Front was a front of the Red Army during World War II...
Yassy-Kishinev - 1944 2nd Ukrainian Front Belgorod
Voroshilovograd, Donbas , Zaporozh'ye, and Nikopol' - Krivoy-Rog, Odessa and Iasi-Kishinev operations, the Battle of Romania
Battle of Romania (1944)
The Jassy–Kishinev Operation, named after the two major cities, Iaşi and Chişinău, in the staging area, was a Soviet offensive against Axis forces, which took place in Eastern Romania from 20–29 August 1944...
and Bulgaria, and finally in the Battle of Debrecen
Battle of Debrecen
The Battle of Debrecen, called by the Red Army the Debrecen Offensive Operation, was conducted by the 2nd Ukrainian Front on the Eastern Front of World War II...
, and the Budapest and Vienna operations.
Cold War era
After the war the division became the 59th Guards Motor Rifle Division (GMRD) in 1957. It joined the 14th Guards Red Banner Army14th Army involvement in Transnistria
The involvement of the Soviet 14th Guards Army in the War of Transnistria was extensive and contributed to the outcome, which left the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic with de facto independence from the Republic of Moldova.-Background:...
and remained at Tiraspol
Tiraspol
Tiraspol is the second largest city in Moldova and is the capital and administrative centre of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic . The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River...
for the next two decades.
In 1974 the 14th Combined Arms Army became a part of the Odessa Military District
Odessa Military District
The Odessa Military District was a military administrative division of the Imperial Russian military, the Soviet Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces and was known under such name from around 1862 to 1998. It was reorganized as part of the Military of Ukraine and the Military of Moldova in...
, which had been awarded the Order of the Red Banner
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
in 1968.
The Army headquarters was in city of Tiraspol
Tiraspol
Tiraspol is the second largest city in Moldova and is the capital and administrative centre of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic . The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River...
, with the 59th GMRD garrisoned in the city as well. In December, 1972, for excellence in protection of Soviet territory and high marks in combat and political preparedness, the division was awarded the Minister of Defence of the USSR's Pendant for Courage and Military Valour.
Order of Battle, late 1980s
- 176th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Tiraspol): 26 Т-64; 18 BTR (12 BTR-70, 6 BTR-60), 6 BMP (4 BMP-2, 2 BRM-1К); 12 - 2S1 "Carnation", 12 - 2S12 "Sled" porteePorteeA portee is a truck that carries a gun on its bed, such that the gun is not affixed permanently to the vehicle, can be quickly unloaded, and can be fired from the truck....
mortars; 3 - 1V18, 1 - 1V19, 1 PRP-3; 3 Р-145B, 1 PU-12; 1 МТ-55А - 179th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Tiraspol): 22 Т-64; 21 BMP (6 BMP-2, 12 BMP-1, 3 BRM-1К), 13 BTR-70; 10 - 2S1 "Carnation", 2 BМ-21 "Град"; I BMP-1KSh, 1 PRP-3, 1 RKhM, 1 RKhM-4; 5 Р-145BМ, 1 PU-12; 1 МТ-55А
- 183rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Tiraspol): 20 Т-64; 140 BTR (129 BTR-70, II BTR-60), 6 BMP (6 BMP-2, 2 BRM-1К); 12 - 2S1 "Carnation", 12 - 2S12 "Sled"; 5 BMP-1KSh, 1 PRP-3, 1 RKhM, 3 BREM-2, 3 R-145BМ, 1 PU-12; 1 МТU-20
- 356th Tank Regiment (Тирасполь): 87 Т-64; 16 BMP (14 BMP-2, 2 BRM-1К); 1 - 2S1 "Carnation"; 5 BMP-1KSh, 1 PRP-3, 3 RKhM, 2 Р-145BМ, 1 PU-12; 3 МТU-20
- 328th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (Tiraspol): 34 - 2SЗ "Acacia"; 12 BМ-21 "Hail"; 3 - 1V18, 1 - 1V19, 3 PRP-3, 2 Р-145BМ, and 1 BTR-70
- 1162nd Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment (Tiraspol): 6 PU-12, 3 Р-145BМ
- 1299th Independent Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion (Tiraspol): кроме противотанкового вооружения - 15 МТ-LBT ??or is a letter derived from the Latin alphabet. Both glyphs of the majuscule and minuscule forms of this letter are based on the rotated form of a minuscule e; a similar letter with identical minuscule is used in the Pan-Nigerian Alphabet and some alphabets based on the African reference...
- 102-й Independent Reconnaissance Battalion (Tiraspol): 17 BMP (10 BMP-1, 7BRM-1К), 6 BTR-70
- 201-й Independent Signal Battalion (Tiraspol): 11 Р-145BМ, 3 Р-156BTR
- 66-й Independent Engineer-Sapper Battalion (Tiraspol’): 3 UR-67
- 896-й Independent Material Support Battalion
- 275-й Independent repair-regenerative battalion
On 19 November 1990 the division had the following equipment:
- 155 Т-64 tanks
- 180 BTR (169 BTR-70, 17 BTR-60);
- 66 BMP (38 BMP-2, 12 BMP-1, 16 BRM-1К);
- 82 SP guns (46 - 2S1 "Carnation", 36 - 2SЗ "Acacia");
- 2 D-30 towed guns;
- 36 минометами (2S12 "Sled");
- 14 РСЗО BМ-21 "Hail"
1990s
Two former battalions of 179th Guards Motor-Rifle Regiment, (now independent) located at Dubossary and Bendery have carried out peacekeeping functions together with Moldavian and Transnistrian soldiers since May 1996.On 1 June 1997 the 59th Guards Motor-Rifle division was reorganised as the 8th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade with four motor-rifle battalions, one tank battalion
Tank Battalion
Tank Battalion is a multi-directional shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in 1980. It was later ported to the Japanese Famicom and Game Boy, but for unknown reasons was retitled Battle City...
, two artillery battalions, and an anti-tank battalion plus other combat support and support units.
From 1 December 1999 two motor-rifle battalions were officially removed from the Russian Ground Forces
Russian Ground Forces
The Russian Ground Forces are the land forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed from parts of the collapsing Soviet Army in 1992. The formation of these forces posed economic challenges after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and required reforms to professionalize the force...
organisation and transferred to the Combined Peacekeeping Forces command.
8th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade
The reorganised 8th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade comprised the following units:- 82nd Independent Guards Motor Rifle Battalion;
- 113th Independent Guards Motor Rifle Battalion;
- 145th Independent Guards Motor Rifle Battalion;
- 238th Independent Guards Motor Rifle Battalion;
- 48th Independent Tank Battalion;
- 896th Independent Battalion of Material Maintenance.
In December 2002 the brigade was disbanded, and the remaining personnel, numbering 5,719 effectives were absorbed into the Peacekeeping Forces command.
As a result of reduction in the strength of the Operational Group (commander General-Major Boris Sergeyev) the remaining strength as of 2006 is about 1,000 - 1,500 troops, and comprises:
- 82nd and 113th Separate Peacekeeping Motor-Rifle battalions
- Independent security and support battalion
- A helicopter detachment
- Several small administrative detachments
Sources
- Soldat.ru
- Keith E. Bonn (ed.), Slaughterhouse : The Handbook of the Eastern Front, Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2005
- Chmelev, A.M., “Traversed with combat”, Kishinev, 1983
- Glantz, D.M., Soviet Military Deception in the Second World War, Frank Cass, London, 1989