The Russian Airborne Forces is the airborne forces branch of the Russian Armed Forces. It was formed in 1992 from units of the Soviet Airborne Forces that came under Russian control following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Colonel Vladimir Ivanovich Glebov is a Russian military officer who participated in the Soviet–Afghan War and the First Chechen War. Vladimir Glebov was mentioned by mass media as "the lieutenant-colonel who was simultaneously recommended to receiving the Hero of the Russian Federation for his bravery, despite being known for vast war crimes during the First Chechen War.
The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Armed Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also included the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla.
The 106th Guards Tula Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Airborne Division, more generally referred to as the Tula Division, is one of the four airborne divisions of the Russian Airborne Troops, the VDV. Based in the city of Tula, to the south of Moscow, it is administratively located within the Western Military District.
The Battle for Height 776, part of the larger Battle of Ulus-Kert, was an engagement in the Second Chechen War that took place during fighting for control of the Argun River gorge in the highland Shatoysky District of central Chechnya, between the villages of Ulus-Kert and Selmentauzen.
The 5th Guards Tank Division was an armored division of the Soviet Ground Forces and Russian Ground Forces, active from 1945 to 2009, in two different formations.
The 131st Separate Motor Rifle Brigade was a motorised infantry unit of the Soviet Army and of the Russian Ground Forces.
The 76th Guards Chernogov Red Banner Air Assault Division is a division of the Russian Airborne Troops based in Pskov. The division traces its lineage back to the 76th Guards Rifle Division, formed in March 1943 from the 157th Rifle Division for that division's actions during the Battle of Stalingrad. The division fought in the Battle of Kursk, the Battle of the Dnieper, Operation Bagration, the East Pomeranian Offensive, and the Berlin Offensive. Postwar, it was converted into an airborne division.
Mark Nikolayevich Yevtyukhin was a Russian Lieutenant-Colonel and Commander of the Pskov-based 2nd Battalion, 104th Guards Airborne Regiment, 76th Guards Airborne Division, who was killed in action during the Battle for Height 776.0 near Ulus-Kert, Chechnya. For his actions in that battle, he was posthumously honoured as a Hero of the Russian Federation.
The 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division is an elite guards division of the Russian Airborne Troops.
The 31st Separate Guards Order of Kutuzov 2nd class Air Assault Brigade is an airborne infantry brigade of the Russian Airborne Troops, based in Ulyanovsk. The brigade was formed in 1998 from the 104th Guards Airborne Division. The brigade fought in the Second Chechen War and the Russo-Georgian War. During the Crimean crisis 2014 elements of the brigade entered Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. In August 2014 brigade's units participated in the war in Donbas. The brigade fought in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, beginning with the Battle of Antonov Airport in which they suffered heavy losses.
The 56th Guards Air Assault Regiment is an airborne regiment of the Russian Airborne Troops (VDV). Based at Feodosia in Crimea, the regiment is part of the 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division. It was formed in 2021 from the 56th Guards Airborne Brigade, based at Kamyshin. The brigade was first formed in 1979 and fought in the Soviet–Afghan War, the First Chechen War and the Second Chechen War.
The 104th Guards Airborne Division was a division of the Soviet Airborne Troops during the Cold War that briefly became part of the Russian Airborne Forces after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It was originally formed as the 11th Guards Airborne Division during World War II. In December 1944, the 11th Guards Airborne Division became the 104th Guards Rifle Division. On 7 June 1946, the division was renamed the 104th Guards Airborne Division. It was reduced to the 31st Guards Airborne Brigade in May 1998.
The General V.F. Margelov Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne twice Red Banner Order of Suvorov Command School (RGVVDKU) is a military educational institute of the Russian Ministry of Defense, situated in Ryazan, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) southeast of Moscow. It was first formed as the Ryazan Infantry Courses on 13 November 1918 – thus it is one of the oldest active military academies in modern day Russia.
The 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment is a regiment of the Russian Airborne Troops, currently part of the 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division. It was first formed in 1973 as the 21st Air Assault Brigade and was transferred to the Soviet Airborne Troops in 1990, becoming the 21st Airborne Brigade. The brigade was renamed the 247th Air Assault Regiment in 1998. In 1998, it also gained the title 'Caucasian Cossack', although it is not all composed of Cossacks. In 2013 it became a Guards regiment. The unit fought in the First Chechen War, the War of Dagestan, the Second Chechen War, the Russo-Georgian War, the war in Donbas, and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Alexey Vasilievich Naumets is a Russian Airborne Troops major general. He served with the airborne troops from 1986 and fought in the Second Chechen War and Russo-Georgian War. Naumets was severely injured in a car accident with Russian Airborne Troops commander Vladimir Shamanov in October 2010 while acting commander of the 106th Guards Airborne Division. In February 2013, he was appointed commander of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division at Pskov. He was promoted to major general in June 2014. Naumets was placed on the European Union sanctions list in September 2014 for his command of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division in Crimea.
The 331st Guards Airborne Regiment is a formation of the Russian Airborne Troops. The regiment, a part of the 98th Guards Airborne Division, was considered to be one of Russia's elite units, but suffered large losses during the Russian invasion of Ukraine that started in February 2022.
The 36th Guards Rifle Division was a Guards infantry division of the Red Army during World War II. It was formed from the 9th Airborne Corps in August 1942 as a result of the Soviet need for troops to fight in the Battle of Stalingrad. The division was awarded the honorific Verkhnedneprovsk for its crossing of the Dnieper in September 1943 near that town, later receiving the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class, for its actions in the Uman–Botoșani Offensive in March 1944. It fought in the siege of Budapest during late 1944 and early 1945, receiving the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class, for its actions. In late 1945, it was converted into the 24th Guards Mechanized Division. Stationed in Romania, it was disbanded in early 1947.
The 38th Guards Communications Brigade is a signals brigade in the Russian Airborne Forces. It is currently located near Bear Lake, Moscow.
The 205th Separate Cossack Motor Rifle Brigade is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Russian Ground Forces. Part of the 49th Combined Arms Army, the brigade is based in Budyonnovsk, Stavropol Krai.
Soviet Union (1948–1991)
Russia (1992–present)
Russian Airborne Troops (1992–present)
Order of the Red Star