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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Russian ground units either deployed to or activated near Ukraine |
| 2021-04-12 |
| [VK] Several Russian motorized and air assault formations have been placed on high alert either near the Russian borders with Ukraine or in Crimea, according to Russian news sources. The information comes from the V Kontakte page of retired FSB Colonel Igor Girkin, one of the first and main leaders of the Russian speaking separatists in Ukraine in 2014. According to the post, the Russian 58th Army, the main command component which participated in the War in South Ossetia is slated to be involved in any combat in Ukraine. The report does not indicate which subordinate units could be involved. Note the Russian 58th Army was the main command component of the Russian counterinsurgency efforts in Chechna in 2000. Deployed in Crimea itself are two air assault brigades, the 56th Air Assault Brigade and the 7th air Assault Brigade. The 56h Brigade was most recently involved in the war in south Ossetia in 2008. Also said to be deployed in Crimea is the Russian 76th Guards Air Assault Division. The formation was involved in the takeover of Crimea and some units reported to have been wounded in Ukrainian artillery attacks the Donbas region in 2014. In Voronezh, some 80 kilometers from the Ukraine border, are elements of the Russian 20th Army, of which two divisions are deployed: the 4th Guards Tank Division (Kantemirovskaya) and the 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division (Taman). Both divisional formations are part of the Russian Western front, but apparently are there to reinforce the army. The army already was composed of two motorized rifle divisions and a variety of other maneuver and combat brigades. Another army formation, based in Volgograd, has been reestablished. The Russian 8th Guards Army, which included the 150th Motorized Rifle Division, a maneuver brigade (20th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade) and a rocket artillery brigade (464th Rocket Brigade) was been reactivated in 2017. The 8th Guards Army has a long distinguished past, having originally been the 62th Army commanded by the hero of the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943, Soviet Marshal Vasily Chuikov. The unit was disbanded in 1998. There has been no indication in either Russian or English language sources that new formations have been added to the Russian 8th Guards army unit. The report also stated that Belarus special forces formations are placed on high alert. All of this new activity by the Russians is reportedly because of statements made by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy about attacking the separatists in the Donbas region. |
| Posted by:badanov |