North Caucasus Military District
Encyclopedia
The 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
.
It comprised the Republic of Adygeya, the Republic of Dagestan, the Republic of Ingushetia
, the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, the Republic of Kalmykia
, the Karachayevo-Cherkess Republic
, the Republic of North Osetia-Alaniya
, the Chechen Republic
, Krasnodar Krai
, Stavropol Krai
, and Astrakhan
, Volgograd
, and Rostov
oblasts. It has the same borders as the Southern Federal District
. Its last commander was Lieutenant General
Alexander Galkin, appointed from January 2010.
. The First Cavalry Army was formed in the District in November 1919. The District was reformed in the early 1920s with its headquarters at Rostov
. Kliment Voroshilov
was made district commander. During the 1920s and 1930s the District became home to many training establishments, which were to multiply greatly during World War II
. The 19th Army
was formed in the District in May-June 1941 under former district commander Ivan Konev
and was engaged against the Germans from the beginning of Operation Barbarossa. 50th and 53rd Cavalry Divisions were also formed here, joining the Soviet Western Front
.
Later the District became the site of the battles around Rostov in November 1941 where the Germans suffered defeat, and the Battle of Stalingrad
, which has been described as the most ferocious battle to date. Following the conclusion of the Battle of the Caucasus
, the North Caucasian Front
and the headquarters of the 56th Army were disbanded in accordance with a Supreme Command directive of the 20 November 1943. The Separate Coastal Army
was formed, for the second time, on their base.
Immediately following the war, to demobilise the force, on 9 July 1945 the territory was split into three military districts: Donskoy, Stavropolsky, and Kubansky. The Donskoy Military District was located in the territory of the Rostov
, Stalingrad
, and Astrakhan Oblast
s, the Stavropol military district consisted of Stavropol Krai
, Grozny Oblast
, Kabardino-Balkar ASSR
, and North Ossetian ASSR
, and the Kuban military district comprised the territory of Krasnodar Krai
. The staff of the Donskoy Military District was located in Rostov-on-Don
, and was considered the heir of the traditions of the North Caucasian military district. In 1946 the Donskoy military district was renamed again as the North Caucasian MD. The official Russian military website notes the work of the soldiers of the district in helping repair the ravages of the war.
The important Kapustin Yar
test range was created in the District following the war.
The District was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in 1968.
In 1979 Scott and Scott reported the District's HQ address as Rostov-na-Donu 18, Ulitsa Tekucheva, Dom 135.
from irregular fighters in late 1992.
In 1990, there were three army corps in the district. The 42nd Army Corps at Vladikavkaz commanded the 19th Motor Rifle Division
, the 12th Corps, briefly to become the 49th Army, commanded the 9th MRD
, and the 34th Army Corps commanded the 82nd MRD. Units directly under district command included the 110th Artillery Division at Buynaksk
, a training division at Groznyy, one SSM, one SAM, one artillery, and one pipeline brigade. There were also reserve (no equipment) units : an artillery brigade, an anti-tank brigade, and a SAM brigade.(Duncan JIR 1996) The 58th Army's creation was announced on April 26, 1995; previously there had only been corps headquarters in the District (and the 58th was formed from the previous 42nd Army Corps headquarters).
In 2006 the District included the 42nd Motor Rifle Division
at Khankala
, in the environs of Grozny
in Chechniya, the 20th "Prikarpatsko-Berlinskaya" Guards Motor Rifle Division (which may have absorbed the 56th Guards Separate Air Assault Brigade), the 33rd Separate Motor Rifle Regiment (Volgograd
), the 131st Motor Rifle Brigade
(Maikop
- former 9 MRD), the 58th Army (headquarters at Vladikavkaz
) with the 19th Motor Rifle Division, 136th "Umansko-Berlinskaya" Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade, and other brigades and regiments, the 4th Air Army
, the Transcaucasus Group of Forces, the Caspian Flotilla
, and other formations and units. These other formations and units included the newly forming 33rd and 34th Separate Motor Rifle Brigades (Mountain).
The District has been the primary Russian military formation responsible for managing the Chechen conflict throughout the First
and Second Chechen War
s. The Second Chechen War is now (2007) in its ninth year, though insurgent activity is decreasing. Twenty-six soldiers won the star of the Hero of the Russian Federation
in the first war, and 43 in the second.
Today the Armed Forces do not have the primary role in directing the anti-terrorist effort in the North Caucasus region. The Regional Operational Headquarters (ROSh), chaired by the Deputy Director FSB RF (Head of the department for protection of the constitutional structure and the campaign against terrorism) directs and conducts the counter-terrorist operation. Subordinated to it is the Combined Grouping of Troops (OGV) in the North Caucasus drawing on the Armed Forces, the Interior Troops, the FSB, and other agencies.
During the 2008 South Ossetia War
, troops from this MD were involved in combat operations in South Ossetia and inside Georgian territory.
The Southern Military District
was formed on October 22, 2010, and the North Caucasus Military District was disbanded.
North Caucasus Military District 2010:
7th Guards (Mountain) Airborne Division, in Novorossiysk
(under command of the Russian Airborne Troops (VDV) Command in Moscow)
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 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...
, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District
Southern Military District
The Southern Military District is one of the four operational strategic commands of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was formed in accordance with Presidential Decree № 1144 signed on September 20, 2010...
and lately also includes the Black Sea Fleet
Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
and Caspian Flotilla
Caspian Flotilla
The Caspian Flotilla is the oldest Russian military flotilla, stationed in the Caspian Sea. It was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in 1945.-Establishment:...
.
It comprised the Republic of Adygeya, the Republic of Dagestan, the Republic of Ingushetia
Ingushetia
The Republic of Ingushetia is a federal subject of Russia , located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas. In terms of area, the republic is the smallest of Russia's federal subjects except for the two federal cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg...
, the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, the Republic of Kalmykia
Kalmykia
The Republic of Kalmykia is a federal subject of Russia . Population: It is the only Buddhist region in Europe. It has also become well-known as an international chess mecca because its former President, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, is the head of the International Chess Federation .-Geography:*Area:...
, the Karachayevo-Cherkess Republic
Karachay-Cherkessia
The Karachay-Cherkess Republic , or Karachay-Cherkessia is a federal subject of Russia . Population: -Geography:*Area: *Borders:**internal: Krasnodar Krai , Kabardino-Balkar Republic , Stavropol Krai ....
, the Republic of North Osetia-Alaniya
North Ossetia-Alania
The Republic of North Ossetia–Alania is a federal subject of Russia . Its population according to the 2010 Census was 712,877.-Name:...
, the Chechen Republic
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
, Krasnodar Krai
Krasnodar Krai
-External links:* **...
, Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Stavropol. Population: -Geography:Stavropol Krai encompasses the central part of the Fore-Caucasus and most of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major...
, and Astrakhan
Astrakhan Oblast
Astrakhan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Astrakhan.-Demographics:Population: Ethnic groups...
, Volgograd
Volgograd Oblast
Volgograd Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Volgograd. Population: -Geography:*Area: 113,900 km²;*Borders length: 2221,9 km²....
, and Rostov
Rostov Oblast
Rostov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Southern Federal District. Rostov Oblast has an area of and a population of making it the sixth most populous federal subject in Russia...
oblasts. It has the same borders as the Southern Federal District
Southern Federal District
Southern Federal District is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. Its territory lies mostly on the Pontic-Caspian steppe. Its population was 13,856,700 according to the 2010 Census, living on an area of...
. Its last commander was Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant 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 Galkin, appointed from January 2010.
History
The District was originally established on 4 May 1918, and reorganised as a field formation during the Russian Civil WarRussian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
. The First Cavalry Army was formed in the District in November 1919. The District was reformed in the early 1920s with its headquarters at Rostov
Rostov
Rostov is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population:...
. Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov , popularly known as Klim Voroshilov was a Soviet military officer, politician, and statesman...
was made district commander. During the 1920s and 1930s the District became home to many training establishments, which were to multiply greatly during 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...
. The 19th Army
19th Army (Soviet Union)
The 19th Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, formed in 1941 and active during the Second World War. It was disbanded in 1945 or 1947.-First Formation:...
was formed in the District in May-June 1941 under former district commander Ivan Konev
Ivan Konev
Ivan Stepanovich Konev , was a Soviet military commander, who led Red Army forces on the Eastern Front during World War II, retook much of Eastern Europe from occupation by the Axis Powers, and helped in the capture of Germany's capital, Berlin....
and was engaged against the Germans from the beginning of Operation Barbarossa. 50th and 53rd Cavalry Divisions were also formed here, joining the Soviet Western Front
Soviet Western Front
The Western Front was a Front of the Red Army, one of the Red Army Fronts during the Second World War. This sense of the term is different from the more general usage of military front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front usually operates within designated...
.
Later the District became the site of the battles around Rostov in November 1941 where the Germans suffered defeat, and 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...
, which has been described as the most ferocious battle to date. Following the conclusion of the Battle of the Caucasus
Battle of the Caucasus
The Battle of Caucasus is a name given to a series of German and Soviet operations in the Caucasus area during the Soviet-German War.-1941 operations:...
, the North Caucasian Front
North Caucasian Front
The North Caucasian Front or North Caucasus Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of military front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated...
and the headquarters of the 56th Army were disbanded in accordance with a Supreme Command directive of the 20 November 1943. The Separate Coastal Army
Separate Coastal Army
The Separate Coastal Army was an army-level unit in the Red Army that fought in the World War II. It was ordered to be established on July 18, 1941 by the order of the Southern Front from the forces of 9th Army’s Coastal Group and was stood up on July 20, 1941....
was formed, for the second time, on their base.
Immediately following the war, to demobilise the force, on 9 July 1945 the territory was split into three military districts: Donskoy, Stavropolsky, and Kubansky. The Donskoy Military District was located in the territory of the Rostov
Rostov Oblast
Rostov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Southern Federal District. Rostov Oblast has an area of and a population of making it the sixth most populous federal subject in Russia...
, Stalingrad
Volgograd Oblast
Volgograd Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Volgograd. Population: -Geography:*Area: 113,900 km²;*Borders length: 2221,9 km²....
, and Astrakhan Oblast
Astrakhan Oblast
Astrakhan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Astrakhan.-Demographics:Population: Ethnic groups...
s, the Stavropol military district consisted of Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Stavropol. Population: -Geography:Stavropol Krai encompasses the central part of the Fore-Caucasus and most of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major...
, Grozny Oblast
Grozny Oblast
Grozny Oblast was an administrative entity of the Russian SFSR that was established as Grozny Okrug on March 7, 1944 and abolished on January 9, 1957.-Formation:...
, Kabardino-Balkar ASSR
Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
The Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was an autonomous republic of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in the former Soviet Union, originally part of the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. On 16 January 1922 the region was detached from the Mountain...
, and North Ossetian ASSR
North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
The North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was an autonomous republic of the Soviet Union. Currently it is known as North Ossetia-Alania, a federal subject of Russia....
, and the Kuban military district comprised the territory of Krasnodar Krai
Krasnodar Krai
-External links:* **...
. The staff of the Donskoy Military District was located in Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
, and was considered the heir of the traditions of the North Caucasian military district. In 1946 the Donskoy military district was renamed again as the North Caucasian MD. The official Russian military website notes the work of the soldiers of the district in helping repair the ravages of the war.
The important Kapustin Yar
Kapustin Yar
Kapustin Yar is a Russian rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblast, between Volgograd and Astrakhan. Known today as Znamensk , it was established 13 May 1946 and in the beginning used technology, material, and scientific support from defeated Germany...
test range was created in the District following the war.
The District was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in 1968.
In 1979 Scott and Scott reported the District's HQ address as Rostov-na-Donu 18, Ulitsa Tekucheva, Dom 135.
Commanders 1945-2008
- 1946–48: Colonel General P.A. Belov
- 1948-49: Colonel General V Z Romanovskii
- 1949-53: Colonel General S G TrofimenkoSergei TrofimenkoSergei G. Trofimenko was a Soviet military commander, active in the Russian Civil War and Second World War. His final rank was colonel-general....
- 1953–58: Marshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
Andrei Ivanovich YeremenkoAndrei YeremenkoAndrey Ivanovich Yeryomenko or Yeremenko or Eremenko was a Soviet general during World War II, Marshal of the Soviet Union.-Draft and early service:...
(Nov 53-Apr 58) - 1958–68: Army General Issa Alexandrovich PliyevIssa PliyevIssa Alexandrovich Pliyev was a Soviet military commander, Army General , twice Hero of the Soviet Union , Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic . Member of the CPSU since 1926. He was an ethnic Ossetian....
- 1968–70: Army General Alexander Terentyevich AltuninAlexander Altunin-Biography:Alexander Altunin was born to a peasant family in the village of Steklyanka in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ....
- 1970–76: Colonel General D.I. Litovtsev
- 1976–August 1979: Colonel General of Tanks V.A. Belikov
- August 1979–1980: Colonel General S I Postnikov
- 1980–August 1984: Colonel General В К Мерецков
- August 1984–July 1986: Colonel General V V Skokov
- July 1986–June 1993: Colonel General L.S. Shustko
- June 1993–December 1994: Colonel General A.N. Mityukhin
- February 1995–May 1997: Colonel General Anatoly KvashninAnatoly KvashninGeneral of the Army Anatoly Vasiliyevich Kvashnin was the Chief of the Russian General Staff from 1997 to 2004, when he was dismissed by President Vladimir Putin. Kvashnin graduated from the Kurgan Machine-building Institute in 1969 and served in the armed forces from this time...
- July 1997–May 2000: Army General Viktor KazantsevViktor KazantsevViktor Germanovich Kazantsev , born 1946, was an envoy of the Russian president to the Southern Federal District from 2000 to 2004. He performed primary negotiations between the Russian government and the Chechen opposition...
- May 2000–December 2002 Colonel General Gennady TroshevGennady TroshevGennady Nikolayevich Troshev was a Russian Colonel General in the Russian military and formerly the commander of the North Caucasus Military District, including Chechnya, during the Second Chechen War...
- December 2002–July 2004: Army General Vladimir BoldyrevVladimir BoldyrevGeneral of the Army Vladimir Anatolyevich Boldyrev was Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces .Boldyrev was born on 5 January 1949 in Krasnoyarsky, Volgograd Oblast...
- July 2004-May 2008: Army General Alexander Ivanovich Baranov
- May 2008-current: Colonel General Sergey Makarov
Post 1990
The official website underlines the importance of the District as a border formation with the task of securing the southern boundary of the Russian Federation. The first conflict the District became involved in in the post Soviet period was the attempted secession of South Ossetia from Georgia to join North Ossetia, which is a federal subject of the Russian Federation. Soldiers from the District became involved in protecting installation in VladikavkazVladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
from irregular fighters in late 1992.
In 1990, there were three army corps in the district. The 42nd Army Corps at Vladikavkaz commanded the 19th Motor Rifle Division
19th Motor Rifle Division
The 19th Motor Rifle Division appears to have been formed originally in July 1922 at Tambov in the Moscow Military District as a territorial formation. In 1923 it was awarded the 'Tambov' placename and renamed the 19th Voronezh Rifle Division....
, the 12th Corps, briefly to become the 49th Army, commanded the 9th MRD
9th Infantry Division (Soviet Union)
The 9th Kursk Infantry Division was created on the 20 July 1918 as one of the first divisions of the Soviet Union during the Russian Civil War. The division was stationed in the Caucasus region, later the Transcaucasian Military District and soon renamed 9th Infantry, and later 9th Rifle division...
, and the 34th Army Corps commanded the 82nd MRD. Units directly under district command included the 110th Artillery Division at Buynaksk
Buynaksk
Buynaksk is a town in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located at the foothills of the Greater Caucasus on the Shura-Ozen River, southwest of the republic's capital Makhachkala. Population: 40,000 ....
, a training division at Groznyy, one SSM, one SAM, one artillery, and one pipeline brigade. There were also reserve (no equipment) units : an artillery brigade, an anti-tank brigade, and a SAM brigade.(Duncan JIR 1996) The 58th Army's creation was announced on April 26, 1995; previously there had only been corps headquarters in the District (and the 58th was formed from the previous 42nd Army Corps headquarters).
In 2006 the District included the 42nd Motor Rifle Division
42nd Motor Rifle Division
The 42 Guards Motor Rifle Division was formed originally as the 111th Rifle Division in Vologda in 1940, and became 24th Guards Rifle Division in March 1942 Based in the North Caucasus following World War II, it seems to have become 42nd Guards MRD in 1957, while at Grozny.In 1987 it became 173...
at Khankala
Khankala
Khankala is a settlement in Groznensky District of the Chechen Republic, Russia, located to the east of Grozny, the republic's capital. Population:...
, in the environs of Grozny
Grozny
Grozny is the capital city of the Chechen Republic, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 271,596; up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Census. but still only about two-thirds of 399,688 recorded in the 1989...
in Chechniya, the 20th "Prikarpatsko-Berlinskaya" Guards Motor Rifle Division (which may have absorbed the 56th Guards Separate Air Assault Brigade), the 33rd Separate Motor Rifle Regiment (Volgograd
Volgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
), the 131st Motor Rifle Brigade
9th Infantry Division (Soviet Union)
The 9th Kursk Infantry Division was created on the 20 July 1918 as one of the first divisions of the Soviet Union during the Russian Civil War. The division was stationed in the Caucasus region, later the Transcaucasian Military District and soon renamed 9th Infantry, and later 9th Rifle division...
(Maikop
Maikop
Maykop or Maikop may refer to:*Maykop, capital of the Republic of Adygea, Russia*Maykop culture, prehistoric culture of the northern Caucasus, ca. 3500 BCE–2500 BCE...
- former 9 MRD), the 58th Army (headquarters at Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
) with the 19th Motor Rifle Division, 136th "Umansko-Berlinskaya" Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade, and other brigades and regiments, the 4th Air Army
4th Air Army
The 4th Air Army was a Soviet Air Force formation and from 1992 to 2009 was part of the Russian Air Force. From 1998 the army was designated the 4th Army of Air Forces and Air Defence. It was first established on 22 May 1942 from the Air Forces of the Soviet Southern Front, and fought on the...
, the Transcaucasus Group of Forces, the Caspian Flotilla
Caspian Flotilla
The Caspian Flotilla is the oldest Russian military flotilla, stationed in the Caspian Sea. It was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in 1945.-Establishment:...
, and other formations and units. These other formations and units included the newly forming 33rd and 34th Separate Motor Rifle Brigades (Mountain).
The District has been the primary Russian military formation responsible for managing the Chechen conflict throughout the First
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
and 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 ....
s. The Second Chechen War is now (2007) in its ninth year, though insurgent activity is decreasing. Twenty-six soldiers won the star of the Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation is a Russian decoration and the highest honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen by the Russian Federation. The President of the Russian Federation is the main conferring authority of the medal, which is bestowed on those committing actions or deeds that...
in the first war, and 43 in the second.
Today the Armed Forces do not have the primary role in directing the anti-terrorist effort in the North Caucasus region. The Regional Operational Headquarters (ROSh), chaired by the Deputy Director FSB RF (Head of the department for protection of the constitutional structure and the campaign against terrorism) directs and conducts the counter-terrorist operation. Subordinated to it is the Combined Grouping of Troops (OGV) in the North Caucasus drawing on the Armed Forces, the Interior Troops, the FSB, and other agencies.
During the 2008 South Ossetia War
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
, troops from this MD were involved in combat operations in South Ossetia and inside Georgian territory.
The Southern Military District
Southern Military District
The Southern Military District is one of the four operational strategic commands of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was formed in accordance with Presidential Decree № 1144 signed on September 20, 2010...
was formed on October 22, 2010, and the North Caucasus Military District was disbanded.
Subordinate Units
Order of the Red StarOrder of the Red Star
Established on 6 April 1930, the Order of the Red Star was an order of the Soviet Union, given to Red Army and Soviet Navy personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union in both war and peace". It was established by Resolution of the Presidium of the CEC of the...
North Caucasus Military District 2010:
- Combat formations:
- 8th Guards Independent (Mountain) Motor-Rifle Brigade "Shavlinskayy", in Borzoy equipped with BMPBMP-In computing:* BMP file format, the file name extension for the Bitmap image file format.* Basic Multilingual Plane, related to the Unicode character set.* Beep Media Player, a multimedia player.-Biology:...
- 10th Independent SpetsnazSpetsnazSpetsnaz, Specnaz tr: Voyska specialnogo naznacheniya; ) is an umbrella term for any special forces in Russian, literally "force of special purpose"...
Brigade, in Molkino - 17th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade, in ShaliShaliShali is a town and the administrative center of Shalinsky District of the Chechen Republic, Russia. Population: On January 3, 1995, during the course of the First Chechen War, Shali was repeatedly bombed with cluster bombs by Russian jet aircraft....
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... - 18th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade, in KhankalaKhankalaKhankala is a settlement in Groznensky District of the Chechen Republic, Russia, located to the east of Grozny, the republic's capital. Population:...
and Kalininskaya equipped with BTRBTRBTR may refer to:* BTR plc, formerly BTR Industries, one of the predecessor companies of Invensys plc* BTR Aerospace Group* BTR Industries* BTR-EMS-AKG Janakeeya Vedi, a political group in India... - 19th Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade "Voronezh-Shumlinskaya", in VladikavkazVladikavkaz-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
- 20th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade "Carpathian-Berlin", in VolgogradVolgogradVolgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
equipped with BMP - 22nd Guards Independent SpetsnazSpetsnazSpetsnaz, Specnaz tr: Voyska specialnogo naznacheniya; ) is an umbrella term for any special forces in Russian, literally "force of special purpose"...
Brigade, in BatayskBatayskBataysk is a city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Rostov-on-Don. Population: Bataysk has gained international attention since unveiling a "monument that shows a man's hand gripping a nubile female breast", which officials say "will bring family happiness to men who touch... - 33rd Independent (Mountain) Reconnaissance Brigade, in Botlikh equipped with MT-LBV
- 34th Independent (Mountain) Motor-Rifle Brigade, in ZelenchukskayaZelenchukskayaThe Special Astrophysical Observatory , or SAO RAS for short, is an astronomical observatory, set up in 1966 in the USSR, now operated by the Russian Academy of Sciences. Based in the Bolshoi Zelenchuk Valley of the Greater Caucasus near the village of Nizhny Arkhyz, the observatory houses the...
equipped with MT-LBV - 56th Guards Independent Airborne Brigade, in KamyshinKamyshinKamyshin is a city in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volgograd Reservoir of the Volga River, in the estuary of the Kamyshinka River. Population: 101,000 ; 24,000 ....
- 100th Independent (Experimental) Reconnaissance Brigade, recently formed in MozdokMozdokMozdok is a town and the administrative center of Mozdoksky District of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania in southern Russia, located on the left shore of the Terek River, north of Vladikavkaz, the republic's capital. The name of the town literally means "dense forest" in the Kabardian language...
- 136th Guards Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade "Uman-Berlin", in BuynakskBuynakskBuynaksk is a town in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located at the foothills of the Greater Caucasus on the Shura-Ozen River, southwest of the republic's capital Makhachkala. Population: 40,000 ....
equipped with BMP - 205th Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade, in BudyonnovskBudyonnovskBudyonnovsk , also spelled Budennovsk, is a town in Stavropol Krai, Russia. Previously, it was named Svyatoy Krest and Prikumsk...
equipped with MT-LBV - 4th Guards Military Base "Vapnyarsko-Berlin", in South OssetiaSouth OssetiaSouth Ossetia or Tskhinvali Region is a disputed region and partly recognized state in the South Caucasus, located in the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic....
- 7th Military Base "Krasnodar", in AbkhaziaAbkhaziaAbkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
- 102nd Red Order Military Base, based in ArmeniaArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
- 73rd Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade, in YerevanYerevanYerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
- 76th Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade, in GyumriGyumriGyumri is the capital and largest city of the Shirak Province in northwest Armenia. It is located about 120 km from the capital Yerevan, and, with a population of 168,918 , is the second-largest city in Armenia.The name of the city has been changed many times in history...
- 73rd Independent Motor-Rifle Brigade, in Yerevan
- 8th Guards Independent (Mountain) Motor-Rifle Brigade "Shavlinskayy", in Borzoy equipped with BMP
- Missile and Artillery formations:
- 1st Guards Missile Brigade "Orsha", in KrasnodarKrasnodarKrasnodar 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:...
- 291st Artillery Brigade, in MaykopMaykopMaykop is the capital city of the Republic of Adygea, Russia, located on the right bank of the Belaya River . Population: -History:...
- 439th Guards MLRS Brigade "Perekop", in ZnamenskZnamensk, Astrakhan OblastZnamensk is a closed town in Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. It is the center of the Kapustin Yar missile test range. Population: It was granted town status in 1962.Railway station "Razyezd 85th km" on the Volgograd-Astrakhan railway branch....
- 943rd Multiple Rocket Launcher Regiment, in Maykop
- 7016th Artillery Reserve Base, in Maykop
- 573rd Independent Artillery Reconnaissance Battalion
- 1st Guards Missile Brigade "Orsha", in Krasnodar
- Air defence formations:
- 67th Air-defence Missile Brigade, in Volgograd equipped with the Buk missile system
- 1138th Air-defence Command Center
- Radar formations:
- 131st Independent Radio-technical Brigade, in Rostov-on-DonRostov-on-Don-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
- 48th Independent Radio-Technical Battalion, in Vladikavkaz
- 131st Independent Radio-technical Brigade, in Rostov-on-Don
- Engineering formations:
- 11th Engineer Regiment, in ProkhladnyProkhladnyProkhladny is a town and the administrative center of Prokhladnensky District of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, Russia, located on the Malka River, north of Nalchik. Population:...
- 57th Independent Engineer Battalion
- 11th Engineer Regiment, in Prokhladny
- NBC-defence formations:
- 118th Independent NBC-defence Battalion, in FrolovoFrolovoFrolovo is a town in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located on the Archeda River , north of Volgograd. Population: Frolovo was founded in 1868 as a settlement servicing the construction of the Gryazi–Povorino–Tsaritsyn railroad. It was granted town status in 1936....
- 860th Independent Flamethrower Battalion, in OktyabrskyOktyabrsky District, Volgograd OblastOktyabrsky District is an administrative and municipal district of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. Its administrative center is the urban locality of Oktyabrsky. District's population:...
- 118th Independent NBC-defence Battalion, in Frolovo
- Signal formations:
- 175th (Communications Hub) Signal Brigade "Luninetsko-Lipskaya"
- 176th (Territorial) Signal Brigade
- 234th Independent Signal Regiment
- 148th Independent (Rear) Signal Battalion
- 395th Independent Signal Battalion
- 97th Independent Electronic Warfare Battalion, in Vladikavkaz
- 1270th Independent Electronic Warfare Center, in Kovalevka
- Other formations:
- 32nd Material Support Regiment, in StavropolStavropol-International relations:-Twin towns/sister cities:Stavropol is twinned with: Des Moines, United States Béziers, France Pazardzhik, Bulgaria-External links:* **...
- 474th Transport Battalion, in MillerovoMillerovoMillerovo is a town and the administrative center of Millerovsky District of Rostov Oblast, Russia. Population: It was founded in 1786 and named after its founder, the army officer Ivan Abramovich Müller...
- 32nd Material Support Regiment, in Stavropol
7th Guards (Mountain) Airborne Division, in Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is the country's main port on the Black Sea and the leading Russian port for importing grain. It is one of the few cities honored with the title of the Hero City. Population: -History:...
(under command of the Russian Airborne Troops (VDV) Command in Moscow)
- 108th Guards Airborne Regiment, in Novorossiysk
- 247th Guards Air-Assault Regiment "Caucasian Cossacks", in StavropolStavropol-International relations:-Twin towns/sister cities:Stavropol is twinned with: Des Moines, United States Béziers, France Pazardzhik, Bulgaria-External links:* **...
- 1141st Guards Artillery Regiment, in AnapaAnapaAnapa is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov. It was originally a seaport for the Natkhuay tribe of the Adyghe people. Population: The town boasts a number of sanatoria and hotels...