Leningrad Military District
Encyclopedia
The Leningrad Military District was a military district
of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District
, the Northern Fleet
and the Baltic Fleet
to form the new Western Military District
.
of 1917 up to the beginning of the formation of the Red Army
. The Petrograd District was established as a part of the RKKA
by order в„– 71 of the Highest Military Council of 6 September, 1918. On 1 February, 1924, by the order в„– 126 the Revolutionary Military Councils of the USSR the Petrograd military district was renamed the Leningrad Military District. Markian Popov was appointed District Commander in 1939. Its main purpose was the defence of the Kola Peninsula and the northern shores of the Gulf of Finland. On the right flank it bordered with the Arkhangelsk MD, on the left — with the Baltic MD. Among the defensive works started in the 1930s to protect the frontiers was the Karelian Fortified Region
.
The Soviet-Finnish War
of 1939-40 prompted a close examination of the combat maturity of the District’s troops, and for the better control of the 7th and 13th Armies the North-Western Front
was formed from the staff of the District on 7 January 1940. Three and a half months later the Front was dissolved back into the District headquarters.
On 22 June 1941 the District comprised the 7th Army
, the 14th Army
, the 23rd Army
, the 1st Mechanised Corps (-), 177th Rifle Division, 191st Rifle Division, 8th Rifle Division
, the 21st, 22nd, 25th, 29th Fortified Regions, Air Forces (six aviation divisions, including the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 39th, 41st, and 55th), and other formations and units.
Two days after the German invasion
of the Soviet Union, on 24 June 1941, the District was reorganised as the Northern Front
, and two months later, on 23 August 1941, it was split into the Leningrad
and Karelian Front
s. The Front’s forces heroic efforts played a major part in resisting the German attacks during the Siege of Leningrad
.
By the joint efforts of troops of the Leningrad Front, Volkhov Front
, and the 2nd Baltic Front during January 1944 the enemy was routed from the environs of Leningrad and Novgorod. Pressing home the attack, the forces of the Leningrad Front in summer and in the fall of 1944 participated in occupying Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
. The Front was reorganized under the Leningrad District into a peacetime status on 9 July 1945. Marshall Leonid Govorov
took command shortly afterwards.
General, later Marshal, Sergei Sokolov assumed command in 1965. On 22 February 1968, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Army and for its successes in combat and in political training, the District was awarded the Order of Lenin
. Marshal Sokolov later became the Minister of Defence in 1984.
In 1949 the 76th Air Army
(76-й Краснознамённой Воздушной армии) became the district's Soviet Air Forces component, after the 13th Air Army was redesignated. General-Colonel of Aviation Fedor Polynin was the first commander of the 76th Air Army. Apart from a brief period when the air army was redesignationed the Air Forces of the Leningrad Military District from 1980 to 1988, the 76th Air Army would be active in the region until 1998.
On 3 June 1968 the District was placed on alert. The Norwegian Army
raised its alert levels in response. Within a couple of days the mobilized forces in the Leningrad region reached 11,000 soldiers, 4,000 marines, 210 tanks, 500 troop transports, 265 self propelled cannons, 1,300 logistics transports, 50 helicopters and 20 transport aircraft
(Antonov AN-12
), all of which were staged in the Petchenga-Murmansk area near Norway.
On the evening of 7 June, the Norwegian Garnisonen i Sør-Varanger
garrison heard the noise of powerful engines coming from the manoeuvres along the entire Soviet front of the Norwegian-Soviet border. Actual observations were not possible over the border in the dark. On that same night the GSV commanding officer ordered all GSV reserve forces to report to their emergency muster locations. The Soviet demonstration of strength lasted until 10 June, when the Soviet forces stood down.
In 1979, Scott and Scott reported the headquarters address as Leningrad, L-13, Pod'ezdnoy Per., Dom 4.
, arrived in the LMD having been withdrawn from the former Baltic Military District
. However since 1992 many formations and units of the District have participated in local conflicts and peace-keeping missions, especially in the North Caucasus
.
The 26th Army Corps at Arkhangelsk
, formed in 1967, disbanded in 1991. It had previously incorporated the 69th (Vologda
) and 77th Guards (Arkhangelsk
) Motor Rifle Divisions.
It also incorporated the 258th Independent Helicopter Squadron at Luostari/Pechenga
airfield near Luostari
.
In early December 1997, President Boris Yeltsin
said in Sweden that Russia would make unilateral reductions to forces in the northwest, which included the Leningrad Military District. He promised that land and naval units would be reduced by 40 per cent by January 1999. In May 1999, when Russian defense minister Marshal Igor Sergeyev
confirmed that the cuts had taken place, Sergeyev said that the personnel of the Leningrad Military District had been drawn down by 52 per cent. In terms of formations, the series of disbandments left the district almost unrecognisable. The 6th Army
’s staff at Petrozavodsk
, the staff of the 30th Guards Army Corps (the former 30th Guards Rifle Corps, with its headquarters at Vyborg
), and all five motor rifle divisions previously in the district disbanded. Left in their place were a number of weapons and equipment storage sites, and two motor rifle brigades.
In terms of air forces, after the collapse of the Soviet Union the 76th Army of the Soviet Air Forces and the 6th Air Army
of the Voyska PVO, the Soviet Air Defence Forces, were left operating in the district. The two forces were merged as the 6th Army of VVS and PVO in 1998.
The 138th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade
at Kamenka was deployed for operations during the Second Chechen War
, in which, along with other Russian Ground Forces
units, its personnel was reported to have behaved badly at times. A 22-year old woman in Ingushetia was shot by drunken soldiers from the brigade scavenging for alcohol. The deployment of a tank battalion of the brigade was apparently halted when it was
discovered that soldiers had been selling the explosive from their tanks' reactive armour
.
The second fully operational brigade in the district, the 200th Motor Rifle Brigade descends from the World War II
-era 45th Rifle Division
, which later became the 131st Motor Rifle Division.
According to Soldat.ru online forum conversation in August 2007, as from 1 December 2006 the 35th Base for Storage of Weapons & Equipment, a former motor rifle division, at Alakurtti
, was disbanded.
The Russian Airborne Troops' 76th Air Assault Division was also based within the district's boundaries, at Pskov
.
Presidential Decree 900 dated July 27, 1998 gave the District's composition as the Republic of Karelia
, the Komi Republic
, Arkhangelsk
, Vologda
, Leningrad
, Murmansk
, Novgorod
, and Pskov
oblasts, Saint Petersburg
, and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug
. The district headquarters is now in the General Staff Building
on Palace Square
in Saint Petersburg
.
The last commander of the district, General Lieutenant Nikolai Bogdanovsky, commanded between March 2009 and September 2010. On the abolition of the district General Bogdansky became Deputy Commander of the Russian Ground Forces
.
Order of Lenin
Leningrad Military District 2010:
Military district
Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle.Navies have also used...
of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are the military services of Russia, established after the break-up of the Soviet Union. On 7 May 1992 Boris Yeltsin signed a decree establishing the Russian Ministry of Defence and placing all Soviet Armed Forces troops on the territory of the RSFSR...
. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District
Moscow Military District
The Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
, the Northern Fleet
Northern Fleet
The Red Banner Northern Fleet is a unit of the Russian Navy that has access to the Barents and Norwegian Seas, the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, and is responsible for the defense of northwestern Russia. It was established in 1937 as part of the Soviet Navy...
and the Baltic Fleet
Baltic Fleet
The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...
to form the new Western Military District
Western Military District
Western Military District is one of the four operational strategic commands of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was formed in Presidential Decree № 1144 signed on September 20, 2010...
.
History
The Leningrad Military District was originally formed as the Petrograd Military District after the October RevolutionOctober Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
of 1917 up to the beginning of the formation of the 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...
. The Petrograd District was established as a part of the RKKA
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...
by order в„– 71 of the Highest Military Council of 6 September, 1918. On 1 February, 1924, by the order в„– 126 the Revolutionary Military Councils of the USSR the Petrograd military district was renamed the Leningrad Military District. Markian Popov was appointed District Commander in 1939. Its main purpose was the defence of the Kola Peninsula and the northern shores of the Gulf of Finland. On the right flank it bordered with the Arkhangelsk MD, on the left — with the Baltic MD. Among the defensive works started in the 1930s to protect the frontiers was the Karelian Fortified Region
Karelian Fortified Region
22nd Karelian Fortified Region is a 60 km wide area of Soviet defensive fortifications to the north of Leningrad that was built in 1928-1932, 1938-1939, 1941-1944 and 1950-1965 in the Soviet part of Karelian Isthmus among other fortified areas constructed around that time in order to protect...
.
The Soviet-Finnish War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
of 1939-40 prompted a close examination of the combat maturity of the District’s troops, and for the better control of the 7th and 13th Armies the North-Western Front
North-Western Front
The Northwestern Front was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-created on June 22, 1941, the first day of the Soviet-German War on the basis of the Baltic Special Military...
was formed from the staff of the District on 7 January 1940. Three and a half months later the Front was dissolved back into the District headquarters.
On 22 June 1941 the District comprised the 7th Army
7th Army (Soviet Union)
The Soviet Red Army's 7th Army first saw action in the 1939-40 Winter War against Finland. In November 1939, just before the initial Soviet attack, it consisted of the 19th Rifle Corps , 50th Rifle Corps , 10th Tank Corps, 138th Rifle Division, and an independent tank brigade...
, the 14th Army
14th Army (Soviet Union)
The 14th Army was formed in October 1939 in the Leningrad Military District. It participated in the Soviet-Finnish war, during which its 52nd and 104th Rifle Divisions fought in the Battle of Petsamo.From 24 June 1941 the Army included...
, the 23rd Army
23rd Army (Soviet Union)
The 23rd Army was a Field Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army. It was formed in May 1941 in the Leningrad Military District for the defence of the southernmost part of the Soviet Union's border with Finland, north and northeast of Vyborg...
, the 1st Mechanised Corps (-), 177th Rifle Division, 191st Rifle Division, 8th Rifle Division
8th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 8th Rifle Division was a military formation of the Soviet Union's Red Army in the Winter War, the Soviet invasion of Poland, and World War II...
, the 21st, 22nd, 25th, 29th Fortified Regions, Air Forces (six aviation divisions, including the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 39th, 41st, and 55th), and other formations and units.
Two days after the German invasion
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
of the Soviet Union, on 24 June 1941, the District was reorganised as the Northern Front
Soviet Northern Front
The Northern Front was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War.The Northern Front was created on June 24, 1941 from the Leningrad Military District. Its primary goal was the defense of the Kola Peninsula and the northern shores of the Gulf of Finland. On August 23, 1941, the Front's...
, and two months later, on 23 August 1941, it was split into the Leningrad
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front was first formed on August 27, 1941, by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front, during the German approach on Leningrad .-History:...
and Karelian Front
Karelian Front
The Karelian Front was a Front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II, and operated in Karelia.- Wartime :...
s. The Front’s forces heroic efforts played a major part in resisting the German attacks during the Siege of Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
.
By the joint efforts of troops of the Leningrad Front, Volkhov Front
Volkhov Front
The Front was reformed on the 9 June 1942 from the Volkhov Operational Group of the Leningrad Front and served until 15 February 1944, participating in the relief of the Siege of Leningrad and taking part in other operations including:-Campaigns:...
, and the 2nd Baltic Front during January 1944 the enemy was routed from the environs of Leningrad and Novgorod. Pressing home the attack, the forces of the Leningrad Front in summer and in the fall of 1944 participated in occupying Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. The Front was reorganized under the Leningrad District into a peacetime status on 9 July 1945. Marshall Leonid Govorov
Leonid Govorov
Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov was a Soviet military commander. An artillery officer, he joined the Red Army in 1920. He graduated from several Soviet military academies, including the Military Academy of Red Army General Staff. He participated in the Winter War as a senior artillery officer.In...
took command shortly afterwards.
General, later Marshal, Sergei Sokolov assumed command in 1965. On 22 February 1968, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Army and for its successes in combat and in political training, the District was awarded the Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
. Marshal Sokolov later became the Minister of Defence in 1984.
In 1949 the 76th Air Army
76th Air Army
The 76th Air Army was an air army of the Soviet Air Forces from 1949-1980 and from 1988-98. As the 13th Air Army it was an air army originally formed 25 November 1942 and based on Air Forces of the Leningrad Front....
(76-й Краснознамённой Воздушной армии) became the district's Soviet Air Forces component, after the 13th Air Army was redesignated. General-Colonel of Aviation Fedor Polynin was the first commander of the 76th Air Army. Apart from a brief period when the air army was redesignationed the Air Forces of the Leningrad Military District from 1980 to 1988, the 76th Air Army would be active in the region until 1998.
On 3 June 1968 the District was placed on alert. The Norwegian Army
Norwegian Army
Norway achieved full independence in 1905, and in the first century of its short life has contributed to two major conflicts, the Cold War and the War on Terror. The Norwegian Army currently operates in the north of Norway and in Afghanistan as well as in Eastern Europe. The Army is the oldest of...
raised its alert levels in response. Within a couple of days the mobilized forces in the Leningrad region reached 11,000 soldiers, 4,000 marines, 210 tanks, 500 troop transports, 265 self propelled cannons, 1,300 logistics transports, 50 helicopters and 20 transport aircraft
Military transport aircraft
Military transport aircraft are typically fixed and rotary wing cargo aircraft which are used to deliver troops, weapons and other military equipment by a variety of methods to any area of military operations around the surface of the planet, usually outside of the commercial flight routes in...
(Antonov AN-12
Antonov An-12
The Antonov An-12 is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10.-Design and development:...
), all of which were staged in the Petchenga-Murmansk area near Norway.
On the evening of 7 June, the Norwegian Garnisonen i Sør-Varanger
Garnisonen i Sør-Varanger
The Sør-Varanger Garrison is a military camp located next to Høybuktmoen Airport near Kirkenes in Sør-Varanger, Norway. The Garrison is under the control of the Norwegian Army and is organized as a battalion. The garrison...
garrison heard the noise of powerful engines coming from the manoeuvres along the entire Soviet front of the Norwegian-Soviet border. Actual observations were not possible over the border in the dark. On that same night the GSV commanding officer ordered all GSV reserve forces to report to their emergency muster locations. The Soviet demonstration of strength lasted until 10 June, when the Soviet forces stood down.
In 1979, Scott and Scott reported the headquarters address as Leningrad, L-13, Pod'ezdnoy Per., Dom 4.
Commanders 1945-91
- Marshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
, Leonid GovorovLeonid GovorovLeonid Aleksandrovich Govorov was a Soviet military commander. An artillery officer, he joined the Red Army in 1920. He graduated from several Soviet military academies, including the Military Academy of Red Army General Staff. He participated in the Winter War as a senior artillery officer.In...
(July 1945 - April 1946) - Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
, Dmitry Gusev (April 1946 - 1949), - Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
, Alexander Luchinski (1949 - May 1953) - General of the Army, Matvei ZakharovMatvei ZakharovMatvei Vasilevich Zakharov Marshal of the Soviet Union, Chief of General Staff, Deputy Defense Minister, was born in Tver, to peasant parents. Zakharov joined the Red Guards in 1917. He served under Kliment Voroshilov during the Russian Civil War...
(May 1953 - October 1957) - General of the Army, Nikolay KrylovNikolay Ivanovich KrylovNikolai Ivanovich Krylov was a Marshal of the Soviet Union . He was commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces from 1963 to 1972....
(January 1958 - October 1960) - General of the Army, Mikhail Kazakov (October 1960 - October 1965)
- Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
, Sergei Sokolov (October 1965 - April 1967) - Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
, Ivan Shavrov (May 1967 - January 1973) - Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
, Anatoly GribkovAnatoly GribkovAnatoly Ivanovich Gribkov was at Soviet Army High Command during the Cold War era. Gribkov was born in the village of Dukhovoye , Russian SFSR on March 23, 1919, to father Ivan Vasilyevich Gribkov and mother Serafima Kuzminichna Gribkova...
(February 1973 - September 1976) - M. Sorokin (October 1976 - October 1981)
- General of the Army - E. Snetkov (November 1981 - December 1987)
- V. Ermakov (December 1987 - December 1991)
Post-Cold War
The fall of the Soviet Union caused much reassessment of the Russian Federation’s military situation. Economic constraints have greatly hampered military effectiveness. Several formations, such as the 25th Motor Rifle Brigade, formed on 1 January 1993 from the disbanding 24th Tank Training Division at RigaRiga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, arrived in the LMD having been withdrawn from the former Baltic Military District
Baltic Military District
The Baltic Military District was a military district of the Soviet armed forces, formed briefly before the German invasion, and then reformed after World War II and disbanded after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991....
. However since 1992 many formations and units of the District have participated in local conflicts and peace-keeping missions, especially in the North Caucasus
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
.
The 26th Army Corps at Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...
, formed in 1967, disbanded in 1991. It had previously incorporated the 69th (Vologda
Vologda
Vologda is a city and the administrative, cultural, and scientific center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the Vologda River. The city is a major transport knot of the Northwest of Russia. Vologda is among the Russian cities possessing an especially valuable historical heritage...
) and 77th Guards (Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...
) Motor Rifle Divisions.
It also incorporated the 258th Independent Helicopter Squadron at Luostari/Pechenga
Luostari/Pechenga
Luostari Pechenga, located just two kilometres of former Ala-Luostari village, adjacent to the village developed around Petsamo Monastery, is a military air base, served by the 258 OVE flying Mi-24, Mi-35, and Mi-8 helicopters...
airfield near Luostari
Luostari
Luostari is a rural locality in Pechengsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia located near the Norwegian border. Before World War II, Luostari was part of Finland. It was occupied by the German army during World War II. Luostari/Pechenga airfield is located nearby....
.
In early December 1997, President Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
said in Sweden that Russia would make unilateral reductions to forces in the northwest, which included the Leningrad Military District. He promised that land and naval units would be reduced by 40 per cent by January 1999. In May 1999, when Russian defense minister Marshal Igor Sergeyev
Igor Sergeyev
Igor Dmitriyevich Sergeyev was the Defense Minister of the Russian Federation from 22 May 1997 until 28 March 2001...
confirmed that the cuts had taken place, Sergeyev said that the personnel of the Leningrad Military District had been drawn down by 52 per cent. In terms of formations, the series of disbandments left the district almost unrecognisable. The 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...
’s staff at Petrozavodsk
Petrozavodsk
Petrozavodsk is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It stretches along the western shore of the Lake Onega for some . The city is served by Petrozavodsk Airport. Municipally, it is incorporated as Petrozavodsky Urban Okrug . Population:...
, the staff of the 30th Guards Army Corps (the former 30th Guards Rifle Corps, with its headquarters at Vyborg
Vyborg
Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, to the northwest of St. Petersburg and south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...
), and all five motor rifle divisions previously in the district disbanded. Left in their place were a number of weapons and equipment storage sites, and two motor rifle brigades.
In terms of air forces, after the collapse of the Soviet Union the 76th Army of the Soviet Air Forces and the 6th Air Army
6th Air Army
The 6th Red Banner Leningrad Army of Military-Air Forces and Air Defence was an Air Army of the Russian Air Force active from 1998 to 2009. 6th Air Army was redesignated in 1949...
of the Voyska PVO, the Soviet Air Defence Forces, were left operating in the district. The two forces were merged as the 6th Army of VVS and PVO in 1998.
The 138th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade
138th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade
The 138th Guards Separate Motor Rifle Brigade is a formation of the Russian Ground Forces. It is stationed in the Leningrad Military District, in the village of Kamenka, Vyborgsky District, Leningrad Oblast. It is Military unit No. 02511...
at Kamenka was deployed for operations during the Second Chechen War
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
, in which, along with other 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...
units, its personnel was reported to have behaved badly at times. A 22-year old woman in Ingushetia was shot by drunken soldiers from the brigade scavenging for alcohol. The deployment of a tank battalion of the brigade was apparently halted when it was
discovered that soldiers had been selling the explosive from their tanks' reactive armour
Reactive armour
Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected. It is most effective in protecting against shaped charges and specially hardened long rod penetrators...
.
The second fully operational brigade in the district, the 200th Motor Rifle Brigade descends from the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era 45th Rifle Division
45th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 45th Rifle Division was a Red Army infantry division formed originally during the Russian Civil War that fought in World War II and then served through the Cold War in the Leningrad Military District....
, which later became the 131st Motor Rifle Division.
According to Soldat.ru online forum conversation in August 2007, as from 1 December 2006 the 35th Base for Storage of Weapons & Equipment, a former motor rifle division, at Alakurtti
Alakurtti
Alakurtti may refer to:* Alakurtti , a naval air base in Murmansk Oblast, Russia* Alakurtti, Murmansk Oblast, a rural locality in Murmansk Oblast, Russia...
, was disbanded.
The Russian Airborne Troops' 76th Air Assault Division was also based within the district's boundaries, at Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
.
Presidential Decree 900 dated July 27, 1998 gave the District's composition as the Republic of Karelia
Republic of Karelia
The Republic of Karelia is a federal subject of Russia .-Geography:The republic is located in the northwestern part of Russia, taking intervening position between the basins of White and Baltic seas...
, the Komi Republic
Komi Republic
The Komi Republic is a federal subject of Russia .-Geography:The republic is situated to the west of the Ural mountains, in the north-east of the East European Plain...
, Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk Oblast
Arkhangelsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It includes the Arctic archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, as well as the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea....
, Vologda
Vologda Oblast
Vologda Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is Vologda. The largest city is Cherepovets.Vologda Oblast is rich in historic monuments, such as the magnificent Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Ferapontov Convent , medieval towns of Velikiy Ustyug and Belozersk, baroque...
, Leningrad
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...
, Murmansk
Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the northwestern part of Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Murmansk.-Geography:...
, Novgorod
Novgorod Oblast
Novgorod Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, are located there...
, and Pskov
Pskov Oblast
Pskov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Pskov Oblast borders the countries of Estonia and Latvia, as well as Belarus. It is the westernmost federal subject of contiguous Russia . Its major cities are the administrative center Pskov and Velikiye Luki . Area: 55,300 km²...
oblasts, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug
Nenets Autonomous Okrug
Nenets Autonomous Okrug is a federal subject of Russia .It has an area of 176,700 km2 and population of 42,628 as of the preliminary results of the 2010 Census , 21,296 of whom live in Naryan-Mar, the administrative center.-Geography and ecology:The arctic ecology of this...
. The district headquarters is now in the General Staff Building
General Staff Building (Saint Petersburg)
The General Staff Building is an edifice with a 580 m long bow-shaped facade, situated on Palace Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in front of the Winter Palace.The building was designed by Carlo Rossi in the Empire style and built in 1819-1829...
on Palace Square
Palace Square
Palace Square , connecting Nevsky Prospekt with Palace Bridge leading to Vasilievsky Island, is the central city square of St Petersburg and of the former Russian Empire...
in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
.
The last commander of the district, General Lieutenant Nikolai Bogdanovsky, commanded between March 2009 and September 2010. On the abolition of the district General Bogdansky became Deputy Commander of 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...
.
Subordinate Units
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
Leningrad Military District 2010:
- Combat formations:
- 25th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade "Sevastopol - Latvian Rifles", in Vladimirsky LagerVladimirsky LagerVladimirsky Lager is a rural locality in Strugo-Krasnensky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia.Administratively, it is subordinated to the urban-type settlement of Strugi Krasnye. Municipally, it is a part of Strugi Krasnye Urban Settlement....
equipped with MT-LBVMT-LBThe MT-LB is a Soviet multi-purpose fully amphibious auxiliary armoured vehicle which was first introduced in the late 1960s... - 138th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade "Krasnoselskaya", in KamenkaKamenkaKamenka may refer to:People*Eugene Kamenka, an Australian philosopher, socialistPlaces*Kamenka, Russia, name of several inhabited localities in Russia*Kamenka, an alternative name of the town of Taskala, Kazakhstan...
equipped with MT-LBV] (former 45th Guards MRD) - 200th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade "Pechenga", in PechengaPechenga RiverPechenga is a river in Murmansk Oblast, Russia . It is the namesake for the Pechenga settlement, Pechenga Monastery and the Pechenga District. The river discharges into the Pechenga Bay by the Barents Sea coast....
equipped with MT-LBV - 216th Reserve Base (4th Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade), in PetrozavodskPetrozavodskPetrozavodsk is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It stretches along the western shore of the Lake Onega for some . The city is served by Petrozavodsk Airport. Municipally, it is incorporated as Petrozavodsky Urban Okrug . Population:...
- 2nd Independent SpetsnazSpetsnazSpetsnaz, Specnaz tr: Voyska specialnogo naznacheniya; ) is an umbrella term for any special forces in Russian, literally "force of special purpose"...
Brigade, in Cherekhi - 56th Guards District Training Center "Krasnoselskyy"
- 25th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade "Sevastopol - Latvian Rifles", in Vladimirsky Lager
- Missile and Artillery formations:
- 26th Missile Brigade "Nemanskaya", in LugaLugaLuga is a town and the administrative center of Luzhsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Luga River south of St. Petersburg. Population:...
- 9th Guards Artillery Brigade "Kelecko-Berlin", in Luga
- 7014th Artillery Reserve Base, in Luga
- 26th Missile Brigade "Nemanskaya", in Luga
- Air-defence formations:
- 5th Air-defence Brigade equipped with the Buk missile system
- 1013th Air-defence Center
- Engineering formations:
- 140th Guards Engineer Regiment "Kingisepskyy", in Kerro Vsevolozhskyy
- 7022nd Engineer Reserve Base
- NBC-defence formations:
- 10th Independent NBC-defence Battalion, in SertolovoSertolovoSertolovo is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located north of St. Petersburg. Population: It was founded in 1936 on the place of a former settlement of Ingrian Finns, whose inhabitants were deported. Urban-type settlement status was granted to it in 1977 and town status—in 1999.-External...
- 10th Independent NBC-defence Battalion, in Sertolovo
- Signal formations:
- 95th (Communications Hub) Signal Brigade "50th years of USSR"
- 132nd (Territorial) Signal Brigade "Konstancskaya"
- 60th Signal Center
- 1269th Independent Electronic Warfare Center
- 140th Independent (Rear) Signal Battalion