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41st Combined Arms Red Banner Army, military unit 64128 (Novosibirsk)

On or about 01 September 2023 the recently formed 25th Combined Arms Army [roughly equivalent to an American Corps] began a relief-in-place operation to enable the battle hardened 41st Combined Arms Army to redeploy from the Kupyansk-Svatove salient at the very north of the Eastern Front, to the Orikhiv salient on the Southern Front. This movement came days after the experienced 76th Air Assault Division [VDV] was also redeployed to the Orikhiv salient. Over the early days of September. Ukrainian forces had brushed aside the initial echelon of the Surovikin Line, and embarked on a deep penetration of temporarily occupied territory, leading towards the Sea of Azov and severing Russian ground lines of communication. The relatively weak 25th CAA would either serve to defend a line which Ukraine did not seek to assault, or might possibly serve as bait to the Ukrainian forces to replicate their rapid advance into Luhansk Oblast in late 2022.

The field command of the 41st Army in accordance with the directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command of May 14, 1942 was deployed on the basis of the headquarters of the operational group of troops of the Kalinin Front with the deployment of the army headquarters on the day of formation in the n. Red Hill, 13 km northwest of the city of White Kalinin (now Tver) region.

At the time of formation, the army consisted of the 17th Guards, 134th, 135th and 234th Rifle Divisions, 21st Panzer Brigade, 109th and 204th Separate Guards Mortar Divisions. Subsequently, the 24th Cavalry Division, 127th Communication Regiment, 883th Mixed Aviation Regiment, 104th Tank Brigade, 452nd and 592nd Fighter Anti-Tank Artillery Regiments, 93rd and 238th I am infantry divisions, 1st mechanized and 6th infantry corps, 150th infantry division, 83rd corps artillery regiment.

The main task of the 41st Army, which was part of the Kalinin Front, was to prevent the advance of the enemy north and northeast of the city of Bely and to deprive him of the opportunity to threaten the rear of the 39th Army. In March-April 1943, the army completed the task assigned to it, and its formations and military units were transferred to the 39th and 43rd armies of the Kalinin Front. For the period from May 1942 to March 1, 1943, for the courage and heroism shown in the struggle against the Nazi invaders, 22593 military personnel of the army were awarded orders and medals of the USSR.

On the basis of Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of July 27, 1998, No. 900 and the order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, on the basis of the command of the Siberian Military District on December 1, 1998, the command of the 41st combined arms army was re-formed with headquarters in Novosibirsk.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Directive of the Minister of Defense of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation dated January 19, 2009 No. D-08, the command of 41 armies was reorganized into the command of 41 combined arms army (operational command).

On the basis of Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of July 6, 2010 No. 843 and the directive of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation on September 1, 2010, 41 army from the troops of the Siberian Military District were transferred to the troops of the Central Military District.

Units and military units of the 41st Army are deployed on the territory of 5 constituent entities of the Russian Federation: Novosibirsk, Omsk, Kemerovo, Irkutsk Regions, Altai Territory.

On February 28, 2022, while performing a combat mission during a special operation in Ukraine, the deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army, Major General ANDREY ALEKSANDROVICH SUKHOVETSKY, heroically died. Graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School in 1995. He went from the commander of an airborne platoon to the chief of staff of the guards airborne assault unit. In 2009 he graduated from the Frunze Military Academy, and in 2018 from the General Staff Academy. In the period from 2019 to 2021, he commanded the 7th Guards Red Banner Airborne Assault Division (mountain). In November 2021, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District. He was awarded two Orders of Courage, the Order of Military Merit, the Medal of Courage, and other medals.

According to analysts, in an attempt to achieve success, by April 2023 the Russians brought to the Donbass at least three armies from two military districts, including the Airborne Forces, which had TOS-1A flamethrower systems at their disposal. The Russian occupiers failed the offensive in the Lugansk region, where they have not been able to achieve any success since the beginning of the year. This is stated in the report of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) for 23 April 2023.

According to analysts, the Russian Federation sent units from its two military districts to the Lugansk region, where they were supposed to attack. At the same time, it turned out that it was inefficient and unsuccessful, so it was decided to end it. This is the territory along the Svatovo-Kremennaya line of the Luhansk region, where the possibilities of the invaders were limited.

In the Svatovo-Kremenny direction, the following units of the invaders fought:

• 20th Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District (ZVO);
• 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District (TsVO);
• airborne forces;
• GRU forces;
• irregular "D/LNR";
• various special irregular formations.

“Given that most of these elements actively participated in offensive operations on the active front for most of the four months, they are probably exhausted and significantly degraded,” the analysts concluded. By the way, the Russians used the forces of the Central Military District in the area west of Kremennaya, but the 35th separate guards motorized rifle brigade of the 41st combined arms army made an unsuccessful attack on Ukrainian positions using improvised explosive devices.

The ISW came to the conclusion that the forces of the Central Military District had degraded enough and the current grouping consists of the restored remnants of several units. All because of the next appointment of Alexander Lapin as commander of the troops. "The exact hierarchy of command and control in this sector of the front is unclear - Lapin was fired after the fall of Liman, but then, apparently, was reappointed as commander of the Lugansk direction from April 18," analysts noted.

Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence (GUR) Head Kyrylo Budanov reported that the Russian military deployed elements of a newly created “reserve army” (the 25th CAA) to enable units currently on the frontline in Luhansk Oblast to laterally redeploy to defend against the Ukrainian counteroffensive in southern Ukraine. Budanov stated on 31 August 2023 that the Russian military deployed elements of the newly formed 25th Combined Arms Army (reportedly formed under the Eastern Military District) to replace elements of the 41st Combined Arms Army (Central Military District) in the Kupyansk direction, and that these elements of the 41st Combined Arms Army (CAA) began a “slow” redeployment to an unspecified area in southern Ukraine.