98th Guards Airborne Division

Last updated
98th Guards Airborne Division
Russian: 98-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная Свирская Краснознамённая, ордена Кутузова дивизия имени 70-летия Великого Октября
Great emblem of the 98th Guards Airborne Division.svg
Great emblem of the 98th Guards Airborne Division [1]
Active1943–present
CountryFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
(1943–1991)
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
(1991–present)
Branch Great emblem of the Russian Airborne Troops.svg   Russian Airborne Forces
Type Airborne forces
Role Light Infantry
Airborne Infantry
Airmobile infantry
Size Division
Part of Medium emblem of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (27.01.1997-present).svg Russian Armed Forces
Garrison/HQ Ivanovo
Motto(s)Честь и Родина превыше всего!
(Honor and Motherland above all!)
AnniversariesMay 3rd
Engagements
Decorations Order of Red Banner.svg   Order of the Red Banner
Order Kutuzov 2.png   Order of Kutuzov
Battle honours Chest badge Guards Russian Federation.png   Guards
Svir
Commanders
Current
commander		Guards Colonel Viktor Igoryevich Gunaza
Insignia
1993 shoulder sleeve insignia [1] Russian 98th Airborne Division patch.svg

The 98th Guards Airborne Division is an airborne division of the Russian Airborne Troops, currently based in Ivanovo.

Contents

History

Second World War

During the Second World War, the formation began its existence as the 98th Guards Rifle Division (ru:98-я гвардейская стрелковая дивизия). It incorporated 296th Guards Rifle Regiment (formerly the 18th Independent Guards Airborne Brigade), 299th GRR (fmr 19 IGAB), 302nd GRR (fmr 20 IGAB). Formed in December 1943-January 1944 at Demitrov in the Moscow Military District. [4] It was part of the 37th Guards Airborne Corps, 9th Guards Army on the Karelian Front (May 1944), on the Svir river (June 1944) and near Budapest in February 1945. The division ended the war near Prague.

Cold War

On 7 June 1946, the division became an airborne unit at Pokrovka, Primorsky Krai. It included the 296th Guards Air-Landing Regiment, the 299th Guards Airborne Regiment and the 17th Guards Artillery Regiment. On 1 October 1948, the 296th was used to form the 13th Guards Airborne Division and was replaced by the new 95th Guards Air-Landing Regiment. In 1949, the 95th became an airborne regiment. [5]

On 1 June 1951, the division relocated to Belogorsk. The 217th Guards Airborne Regiment joined the 98th from the disbanded 13th Guards Airborne Division on 30 April 1955. In April 1956, the 95th was disbanded and replaced by the disbanded 99th Guards Airborne Division's 300th Guards Airborne Regiment. The 17th Guards Artillery Regiment also disbanded and was replaced by the 74th Guards Artillery Regiment of the 99th Division. [5]

In June 1956, the 37th Guards Airborne Corps was disbanded and the division was directly subordinated to the Airborne Headquarters. On 6 January 1959, the 243rd Separate Military-Transport Aviation Squadron was activated with the division, equipped with 10 Antonov An-2 transports. On 15 August 1960, the 74th Guards Artillery Regiment became the 812th Separate Guards Artillery Battalion. The battalion became the 1065th Guards Artillery Regiment on 27 April 1962. [5]

On 22 February 1968, for achievements in combat and political training, and in connection with the 50th anniversary of the USSR Armed Forces, the Division was awarded the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd degree. In August 1969, units of the division relocated to Bolgrad in the Odessa Military District (division headquarters, 217th and 299th Guards Airborne Regiments, part of the services) and Chișinău (300th Guards Airborne Regiment) and Merry Kut, Artsyz Raion (1065th Guards Artillery regiment). [5]

The division became involved in the major exercises "South", "Spring 72 ", " 73 - Crimea ", " Ether -74 ", "Spring -75 ", " Shield -79 ", " Shield -82 "" Summer 90 ".

End of the Soviet era

In summer 1991, the division received instructions from the Government of Ukraine to swear allegiance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The division staff and most of the troops refused the order; the division had a large number of ethnic Ukrainians but loyalty to the division and the VDV took precedence over ethnic roots. [6]

In February 1992, the division's regiments were ordered by VDV headquarters to prepare for a deployment to Chechnya. However, the commander of the Odesa Military District Vitaliy Radetsky arrived at the division headquarters and disputed the deployment, ordering Ukrainian Army pontoon-laying trucks to block the division's airfields. Divisional commander Valery Vostrotin ended up defusing the situation, as the pontoon truck unit's chief of staff was Vostrotin's acquaintance from Soviet Army days, and did not want want the confrontation to escalate. Eventually the Chechnya deployment was canceled. [7]

On 1 October 1992, the 300th Guards Airborne Regiment left the division and became a separate unit. It was replaced by the 106th Guards Airborne Division's 331st Guards Airborne Regiment. [5]

The division was relocated from Bolgrad in Ukraine to Ivanovo after the fall of the Soviet Union during early 1993, following an agreement between Russia and Ukraine over dividing the division's equipment. A significant number of ethnic Ukrainian paratroopers (around 40% of the division's manpower) transferred to the Ukrainian military and formed the 1st Airmobile Division. The rest of the formation moved to Ivanovo in the spring of 1993 and by April the division was transferred to the Russian military. [6]

98th Guards Airborne Division in April 2012 13April-Rehersal-Alabino-09.jpg
98th Guards Airborne Division in April 2012

In October 1992, the 300th Guards Parachute Regiment was detached and sent to Abakan in the Siberian Military District. In the city of Abakan, four years later, the 300th Guards Parachute Regiment was reorganised as the 100th independent Guards Airborne Brigade, but was then disbanded circa 1998. [8]

In December 1997, the 299th Guards Airborne Regiment was absorbed into the 217th Guards Airborne Regiment. [5]

Present

Today, its two regiments, the 217th and 299th, are stationed near the Ivanovo Severny military-transport airfield. [9] However another source lists the two constituent regiments as the 217th and 331st, the later having transferred from 106th 'Tula' Guards Airborne Division in 1998. [10]

It took part in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War in the Battle of Tskhinvali of the South Ossetian theatre.

98th Guards Airborne Division in November 2016 Boitsy 98-i VDD.png
98th Guards Airborne Division in November 2016

On 26 August 2015, 18-year-old Pavel Bakhtin — about three months short of being demobilised — was a sentry for the 331st Guards Airborne Regiment at a field camp near Pesochnoye on the border between Yaroslavl and Kostroma Oblasts. [11] After duty, Bakhtin went back to the guard house without returning his weapon, and unleashed it on his comrades, killing six including himself and wounding three, one of whom later died of their wounds in hospital. [12]

War in Ukraine

In August 2014, 10 members of the division were captured, amidst the War in Donbas, [13] near the Russia–Ukraine border; according to Ukraine while conducting operations in Ukraine, after having crossed the border illegally; according to Russia they had "crossed the border by accident on an unmarked section". [14] Russia has been accused of, and has denied, supporting the pro-Russian separatists who battled the Ukrainian army in the war in Donbass. [15] [16] [17] [18] A battalion tactical group of the division's 331st Guards Regiment allegedly participated in the August fighting. In February 2015, its 217th Guards Regiment and 1065th Guards Artillery Regiment were allegedly participating in the war. [19]

In January 2022, elements of the division's 217th Airborne Regiment were reportedly deployed to Belarus in the context of the Ukraine crisis. [20]

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, [2] the division participated in the Kyiv offensive. One of its regiments, the 331st Guards Airborne Regiment, suffered heavy losses; [21] its commander, Colonel Sergei Sukharev [22] was allegedly killed in action. [23] [24] The division's commander Colonel Viktor Gunaza was dismissed by end of March. The division was involved in defensive operations around Klishchiivka alongside the 76th Guards Air Assault Division and Storm-Z detachments during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive. [3]

On August 1, 2023, officials from the Yaroslavl Oblast announced the re-formation of the retired 299th Guards Parachute Regiment, which was later confirmed by Sergei Shoigu on September 26. Due to operational security the exact composition of this new Regiment is unknown, however, Russian military commentator Aleksei Sunonkin speculated that it was a support regiment of either motorized or regular infantry and not a VDV trained and equipped unit. [25]

Since February 2024, parts of the division that performed defensive actions around Klishchiivka are involved in the storm of Ivanivske, Donetsk Oblast and Bohdanivka, Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast. Starting April 4th, they became part of the battle of Chasiv Yar.

Structure

Airborne Exercise 2019 AirborneExercise2019-18.jpg
Airborne Exercise 2019

In 2014, the subordinate units of the division were as follows:

Commanders

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian Airborne Forces</span> Separate-troops branch of the Russian Armed Forces

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Guards Tank Army</span> Russian Ground Forces formation

The 1st Guards Tank Red Banner Army is a tank army of the Russian Ground Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BTR-D</span> Soviet armoured personnel carrier

The BTR-D is a Soviet airborne multi-purpose tracked armoured personnel carrier. It was introduced in 1974 and first seen by the West in 1979 during the Soviet–Afghan War. BTR-D stands for Bronetransportyor Desanta. It is based on the BMD-1 airborne IFV. NATO gave it the designation BMD M1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moscow Military District</span> One of the operational strategic commands of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District is a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Originally it was a district of the Imperial Russian Army until the Russian Empire's collapse in 1917. It was then part of the Soviet Armed Forces. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010, it was merged with the Leningrad Military District to form the new Western Military District. In December 2022, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu proposed to reestablish it along with the Leningrad Military District, a decision confirmed in June 2023 by Deputy Chief of the General Staff Yevgeny Burdinsky. The district was formally reconstituted on 26 February 2024 by a Presidential Decree №141, after the Western Military District was split.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">106th Guards Airborne Division</span> Military unit

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. в/ч 55599

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soviet Airborne Forces</span> Branch of the Soviet armed forces

The Soviet Airborne Forces or VDV was a separate troops branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. First formed before the Second World War, the force undertook two significant airborne operations and a number of smaller jumps during the war and for many years after 1945 was the largest airborne force in the world. The force was split after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, with the core becoming the Russian Airborne Forces, losing divisions to Belarus and Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">25th Airborne Brigade (Ukraine)</span> Ukrainian Air Assault Forces formation

The 25th Separate Airborne Brigade "Sicheslav" is an airborne formation of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine)</span> Military unit

The 1st Airmobile Division was a formation of the Ukrainian Airmobile Forces from January 1, 1993, until it was disbanded in 2003. The formation was located in Bolhrad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">242nd Training Centre</span> Military unit

The 242nd Training Centre of the Airborne Forces is a brigade-sized training formation of the Russian Airborne Troops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division</span> Russian Airborne Troops formation

The 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division is the only elite guards division of the Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) responsible for mountain warfare and jungle warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Military District</span> Former operational strategic command of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

The Western Military District was a military district of Russia, in existence from 2010 until its abolishment as a unitary military command on February 26, 2024, succeeded by the newly reconstituted Moscow Military District and Leningrad Military District.

The 13th Guards Airborne Division was a division of the Soviet Airborne Troops.

The 105th Guards Airborne Division was an airborne division of the Soviet Airborne Troops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">247th Guards Air Assault Regiment</span> Russian Airborne Troops unit

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 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">217th Guards Airborne Regiment</span> Military unit

The 217th Guards Airborne Regiment is an airborne regiment of the Russian Airborne Troops. It was formed in 1948 from elements of the 296th Guards Airlanding Regiment. Currently based in Ivanovo, it is part of the 98th Guards Airborne Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">331st Guards Airborne Regiment</span> Military unit

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">45th Air Assault Brigade (Ukraine)</span> Ukrainian Air Assault Forces unit

The 45th Air Assault Brigade was a brigade of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, formed twice. The brigade was first formed in 1993 from elements of the 299th Guards Airborne Regiment of the 98th Guards Airborne Division. Part of the 1st Airmobile Division, the brigade was disbanded. The brigade was reformed from an airmobile battalion in 2016. The brigade was disbanded again in 2020.

The 1st Guards Glukhov Order of Lenin, Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov, Kutuzov, and Bogdan Khmelnitsky Breakthrough Artillery Division was the formal name of the 1st Guards Breakthrough Artillery Division, a division of the Red Army that existed during World War II and the early period of the Cold War. The division was formed under the reorganisation of the Soviet artillery forces in 1943, becoming an active heavy artillery formation during the Second World War. However, following cuts to the army in the later 50s, the division was disbanded.

This is the order of battle for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It should not be considered complete; up-to-date; nor fully accurate, being based on open-source press reporting.

References

  1. 1 2 "ведомственные эмблемы Российской Федерации". www.heraldicum.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 @mrkovalenko (17 March 2022). "The media in Kostroma province, Russia confirmed that five servicemen from their region were killed while at war in #Ukraine. The most high ranked among the dead is a commander of the 331st paratroopers' regiment Col. Sergei Sukharev (on a photo)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. 1 2 "Institute for the Study of War".
  4. ↑ "9th Guards Army - Axis History Forum". forum.axishistory.com. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Holm, Michael. "98th Guards Airborne Division". ww2.dk. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  6. 1 2 Zaloga, Steven J. (1995). Inside the Blue Berets: A Combat History of Soviet and Russian Airborne Forces, 1930-1995. Novato, CA: Presidio Press. p. 295. ISBN   0891413995.
  7. ↑ Schofield, Carey (1993). The Russian Elite: Inside Spetsnaz and the Airborne Forces. London: Greenhill Books. pp. 236–237. ISBN   978-1853671555.
  8. ↑ Holm, Michael (1 January 2015). "300th Guards Parachute Regiment [300-й гвардейский парашютно-десантный ордена Кутузова полк] Military Unit: 40390; from 10.92: 00000". Soviet Armed Forces 1945-1991. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  9. ↑ Moscow Moskovskiy Komsomolets in Russian 8 July 2003
  10. ↑ Baumgardner, Neil. "Russian Armed Forces Order of Battle". Archived from the original on 19 October 2009.
  11. ↑ "Страшные вещи происходили там, где расстреляли шестерых" [Six shot in terrible event]. Sobesednik (in Russian). 28 August 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  12. ↑ "После расстрела сослуживцев ефрейтор Бахтин открыл огонь по разведроте" [After shooting colleagues Efreitor Bakhtin opened fire indiscriminately]. LifeNews (in Russian). 29 August 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  13. ↑ Ukraine crisis: President calls snap vote amid fighting, BBC News (25 August 2014)
    Ukraine conflict: Donetsk rebels parade captured soldiers, BBC News (24 August 2014)
  14. ↑ Captured Russian troops 'in Ukraine by accident', BBC News (26 August 2014)
  15. ↑ Kramer, Andrew E. (9 June 2014). "Russians Yearning to Join Ukraine Battle Find Lots of Helping Hands". The New York Times.
  16. ↑ Putin Taunts US And Ukraine Leaders Ahead Of D-Day Anniversary Meeting, Business Insider', 4 June 2014.
  17. ↑ CNN, Ukraine: Photos show undercover Russian troops, by Arwa Damon, Michael Pearson and Ed Payne, 22 April 2014.
  18. ↑ The Guardian, Does US evidence prove Russian special forces are in eastern Ukraine?, by Ewen MacAskill, 22 April 2014.
  19. ↑ Sutyagin, Igor (March 2015). "RUSI Briefing Paper: Russian Forces in Ukraine" (PDF). Royal United Services Institute. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  20. ↑ "Rondeli Russian Military Digest: Issue 118, 24 January - 30 January 2022".
  21. ↑ "The heavy losses of an elite Russian regiment in Ukraine". BBC News. 2 April 2022.
  22. ↑ "The VDV's 98th Airborne Division's 331st Guards Airborne Regiment conducted a change-of-command today. Colonel Sergei Sukharev took command from Colonel Oleg Shmelev" . Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  23. ↑ @RALee85 (15 October 2021). "The VDV's 98th Airborne Division's 331st Guards Airborne Regiment conducted a change-of-command today. Colonel Sergei Sukharev took command from Colonel Oleg Shmelev, who took command in September 2019" (Tweet). Retrieved 17 March 2022– via Twitter.
  24. ↑ "Анатолій Штірліц". Telegram. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  25. ↑ Hird, Karolina. "Russia's Military Restructuring and Expansion Hindered by the Ukraine War". Institute for the Study of War . Retrieved 13 November 2023.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.