11th Guards Air Assault Brigade - Ulan-Ude
The 31st Separate Guards Airborne Assault Brigade of the Order of Kutuzov is a tactical formation of the Airborne Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The brigade is deployed on General Margelov Avenue in the New City of Ulyanovsk and in the village of Polivno. Since 2005, the brigade has been transferred to a contract recruiting system. At the end of 2017, the brigade became the best among the airborne assault formations of the Russian Airborne Forces.
11th Separate Guards Airborne Assault Brigade - a formation (until 1988) as part of the Airborne Assault Forces of the USSR Ground Forces, as part of the USSR Airborne Forces (since 1990) and currently a separate unit as part of the Airborne Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (since 1992). Code name - Military unit No. 32364 (military unit 32364). Abbreviated name - 11 Guards. odshbr. Military unit 32364, almost completely transferred to the contract, is deployed in the Republic of Buryatia, in the village of Sosnovy Bor, not far from the city of Ulan-Ude. The number of personnel is about 2500 people. At the moment, the brigade includes two landing battalions (498-1 and 499) and auxiliary units.
On August 1, 1968, in the city of Mogocha, Chita Region, on the basis of the directive of the General Staff of the SV of 06/04/68 and the Headquarters of the Trans-Baikal Military District of 06/21/68, the 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade was formed. The 11th Guards Air Assault Brigade, or military unit 32364, was formed when mobile formations were required for political reasons in the southeast of the USSR to carry out combat missions. The basis of the brigade was the 1st motorized rifle battalion of the 113th Guards Red Banner Novogeorgievsky Order of Kutuzov, 2nd degree motorized rifle regiment of the 38th Guards Motorized Rifle Division, renamed the 617th separate airborne battalion, and a squadron of Mi-8 helicopters that arrived from the Moscow Military District , 656th separate communications company, 49th separate company of airfield technical support, which became the basis of the 211th aviation group.
In November 1968, in the city of Nizhne-Udinsk, Irkutsk region, on the basis of two motorized rifle battalions of the 52nd motorized rifle division, 618 and 619 separate air assault battalions were formed, and in the city of Mogoche, the 284th separate artillery battalion, which became part of the brigade. In April 1969, on the basis of the directive of the headquarters of the Trans-Baikal Military District 617, 618, 619 OVSHB were reorganized into 617, 618, 619 separate air assault battalions (ODSHB).
In July 1971, by the Directive of the General Staff of the SV, the brigade was renamed into the 11th separate airborne assault brigade (ODSHBr). Before the start of the war in Afghanistan, in 1971, the air assault brigade was renamed the 11th separate air assault brigade. In September of the same year, the staff of the unit completely changed, and the motorized rifle uniform was replaced with the uniform of the Airborne Forces.
From 1981 to 1987 pilots of the 307th and 329th helicopter regiments took part in the fighting in Afghanistan. By order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR of December 8, 1987, the 11th separate airborne assault brigade was awarded the pennant of the USSR MINISTER OF DEFENSE "For courage and military prowess", shown in the performance of the task of the Soviet Government and the Minister of Defense of the USSR during exercises in the most difficult Arctic conditions.
After the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 1988, 2 regiments left the formation - 307-1 and 329th. In 1988, by directive of the USSR Ministry of Defense, 11 ODSHB was renamed into 11 OVDBr, and 617, 618, 619 ODSHB were transferred to a new unit and renamed 1, 2, 3 PDB.
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(ex 1st airborne assault bn on BMP-2) (ex 2nd Air Assault Bn on BMP-2) (ex 3rd airborne assault bn on BMP-2) |
In July 1995, the 80th separate tank battalion was accepted from the ground forces into the 11th Airborne Brigade, and 489, 499 separate paratrooper battalions on the BMP-2 were formed on the basis of the 1st and 2nd line airborne battalions. Formed on the basis of the linear howitzer artillery division - 712 separate guards howitzer artillery division of the Order of Alexander Nevsky. In February 1996, on the basis of the 3rd line airborne battalion, the 500th separate paratrooper battalion was formed on the BMP-2. In December 1996, the 226th separate squadron of the BTA was disbanded. In August 1997, the 80th separate tank battalion was disbanded.
In 1997, in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus, the brigade was awarded the Banner of the Republic of Belarus, and from that moment it is called the Presidential. On May 1, 1998, the 11th Airborne Brigade was renamed into the 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade (ODSHB).
Since the beginning of 2005, the brigade has taken part in the transfer of the RF Armed Forces to the contract method of manning. In 2010, during the exercises "VOSTOK-2010" conducted by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, the personnel of the 11th separate air assault brigade showed high training and military skills, professionalism and strong military discipline, for which he was awarded the pennant of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation "For military valor".
In 2010, as a result of reforms carried out in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the brigade became part of the 36th OA of the VVO. On August 24, 2011, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief - President of the Russian Federation D.A. Medvedev unit was awarded the St. George Banner. In the period from October 18 to October 30, 2013, the personnel of the formation took part in the international exercises "INDRA-2013" taking place on the territory of the Republic of India.
The Russian Airborne Forces (VDV - Vozdushno Desantnie Voyska) have been replenished with three brigades, previously under operational control of the Southern and Eastern military districts, Lieutenant Colonel Yevgeny Meshkov, spokesman for the Airborne Forces, told RIA Novosti on 21 October 2013. "The command of the Airborne Forces will now have all the landing units and formations stationed on the territory of Russia under a single control. The new brigades will operate, like other formations of the troops, in the interests of the defense of the state according to a single operational plan," Meshkov said.
The fact that three units stationed in Ussuriisk, Ulan-Ude and Kamyshin (Volgograd region) could be part of the Airborne Forces was reported to RIA Novosti at the end of July 2013 by the commander of these troops, Colonel-General Vladimir Shamanov. “In accordance with the presidential decree of October 11 and the directive of the Chief of the General Staff, the Airborne Forces included three airborne assault brigades deployed in the cities of Ussuriysk, Ulan-Ude and Kamyshin, which were previously part of the Eastern and Southern military districts,” the lieutenant colonel said.
In December 2013, the airborne brigade withdrew from the 36 OA VBO and became part of the Airborne Forces. By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated March 25, 2015 No. 159, the brigade was given the honorary name "Gvardeiskaya".
Those who served in the military unit note that there are practically no conscripts left here - the unit is being transferred to a contract basis. The monetary allowance of the fighters depends on the position they hold; a bonus and compensation for sanatorium treatment are paid once a quarter. When entering a contract for service in the 11th separate air assault brigade, a soldier is paid a lump sum "lifting" amount.
With regard to material and living conditions, employees are accommodated in dormitories of the cubicle type, equipped with showers, kitchens, laundry, storerooms and a recreation room. On the territory of the part there is a library and a first-aid post. Military personnel with families are provided with service housing on a first-come, first-served basis. Until that moment, they are allowed to rent an apartment in the village. Sosnovy Bor or Ulan-Ude. Contract employees receive monthly compensation for renting housing, depending on the number of family members.
Eyewitnesses say that the military camp is distinguished by a fairly developed infrastructure. It houses a hospital, a clinic, a House of Creativity, a post office, a sports complex (a stadium and a playground), a laundry and garrison hotels. There is a store, called among the locals "glass", where the system of payment by bank cards operates. In the headquarters building there is a round-the-clock ATM of Rosgosstrakh-bank. The commission for withdrawing money from cards of other banks is withheld according to the agreement with the bank.
The daily routine of the fighters of military unit 32364 is standard for all formations of the Armed Forces: classes in military affairs, physical training, combat exercises in the field, alarms, outfits and guards. On the territory of the unit there is a parachute jumping tower and a helicopter simulator. Soldiers are allowed to jump only if they pass all the standards and have a medical certificate. The fighters themselves recall that the leadership of the unit allows civilians who have received appropriate training to jump.
Regarding the conclusion of the contract, the servicemen note the following: in order to get into the ranks of the "blue berets", in a place such as military unit 32364, you need to write an application to the military registration and enlistment office of your locality indicating the desired place of service. After that, the candidate brings a health certificate form A-1; the level of his physical fitness and the presence of a civilian specialty are checked. Additional training of fighters in the military specialty is carried out both in the unit itself and in special courses.
The 11th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade, which is stationed in Ulan-Ude, was among the first to "come to the aid of the Donbass" during the special operation in Ukraine. On 25 February 2022, the brigade made a forced march to the bridge across the Dnieper River near the ancient city of Kakhovka, in the Kherson region. This line was supposed to become a springboard on which the main forces of Russian units would be deployed. In total, the paratroopers repelled seven attacks.
David Ignatius wrote : "Putin’s real strategy was a lightning, decapitating strike on Kyiv by a relatively small group of elite special forces. The Russians planned to seize Antonov Airport in Hostomel, west of the capital, and then use it to quickly pump troops into Kyiv. The Ukrainians knew the Russians were coming. Burns had secretly traveled to Kyiv in January to brief Zelensky on the Russian plan, according to two knowledgeable officials. The Ukrainians used the U.S. intelligence to devastate the attacking force at Hostomel, in what may turn out to be the decisive battle of the war. “The Russians had no Plan B,” explained Marek Menkiszak, a Polish intelligence analyst with the Centre for Eastern Studies in Warsaw. Menkiszak explained the significance of the intelligence coup that revealed the decapitation plan: “The Russians trapped themselves. … It was not meant to be a full-scale war but a special operation” that would topple Zelensky’s government and install a pliant, pro-Moscow regime."
Even though Ukraine had been made aware that Hostomel was a target by CIA director William J. Burns in January 2022, the speed with which Russia's heliborne operation was conducted still appears to have caught Ukrainian troops by surprise. A force of Mi-8 ‘Hip’ assault transports carryied up to 300 elite Russian airborne soldiers. Reportedly the paratroopers may have come from the 11th Guards Air Assault Brigade. If the Russian assault went as planned, Antonov could be used to land thousands of additional airborne soldiers and their light armored vehicles by cargo plane. Russia’s ambitious airborne assault was a high-risk affair. The Battle of Hostomel was a battle of the Russo-Ukrainian War which was fought from 25 February to 31 March 2022. On 25 February, the Russian Army recaptured the Antonov Airport from the Ukrainian army. Russian airborne troops initially seized control of the Gostomel airfield on the northern outskirts of Kyiv as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed that they would be defeated. The next day Ukraine’s General Staff stated that Hostomel airport was controlled by Kyiv forces.
The Ukrainian National Guard, which occupied the defense on the runway, and other special forces worked together with the SSO in Gostomel. The special forces had Igla MANPADS and several missiles to shoot down a Russian military transport plane at a distance. "Everything was as we planned. There were no serious problems, except that, according to information, there should have been IL, but a lot of (Russian - ed.) Helicopters arrived. We were not ready for that . , but all the same the task was fulfilled to the maximum", - the special forces officer told.
When the first Russian helicopter was shot down, Russian saboteurs entered the battle with small arms. However, the Ukrainian military suppressed them and forced them to retreat. Subsequently, another group of Ukrainian special forces shot down the second Russian Ka-52 "Alligator" helicopter, forcing the occupying aircraft to change tactics and throw out so-called "tricks". " Three helicopters were shot down by our forces - two Ka-52s and one Mi-8," the fighter said. Units of the National Guard "dismantled" the runway from mortars , because they understood that Russian helicopters could be followed by an airplane. Other units helped curb attacks by Russian DRGs in the area and suppress a landing party that had already begun landing.
"The landing we saw landed in the middle of the field. Other helicopters did not support, circling around the airport, trying to find someone there. In fact, there was a circle they were flying in, and everything behind the circle they controlled, and inside - it was not under their control, which we took advantage of, "said the SSO fighter.
The first contact with the Russian occupiers took place after the Ukrainian forces shot down the first Ka-52 helicopter, thus revealing their positions. Russian troops were relatively close and opened fire with a machine gun. So the Ukrainian fighters quickly retreated to regroup and replenish their ammunition. After defending the object, the key task was completed. "I think it demoralized them a lot because they were not ready for such strong resistance. They planned to just land and take up positions, dig in or move on," he said.
The governor of the Ulyanovsk region, Alexei Russkikh, said on 01 March 2022 that during a special operation in Ukraine, two servicemen of the 31st airborne brigade were killed. "Our president decided to conduct a special operation… The decision to recognize the independence of the DPR and LPR and the subsequent deployment of troops to Ukraine was the only right decision of the head of state. This is a matter of national security and the protection of the lives of our fellow citizens... You all know that our 31 brigade is taking part in the special operation. There are losses. So far, two people," said the head of the region.
In a heavy battle, 41-year-old Denis Shishov was wounded, but continued to command the landing unit. His brigade destroyed 20 tanks and infantry fighting vehicles and 60 "neo-Nazis". For courage and heroism, he was awarded the title of Hero of Russia and the Golden Star. During the defense of the bridge across the Dnieper River, the crew of Anton Starostin distinguished himself . The soldiers held the crossing for days. Being shell-shocked, Anton accepted the battle with superior Ukrainian forces, for which he received the title of Hero of Russia. Another Russian warrior, battalion commander Sergei Panov, single-handedly covered the retreat of his soldiers, causing panic in the Ukrainian detachment. He was only 33 years old. And the 23-year-old paratrooper Roman Pilyavsky covered a mine in battle, saving his comrades.
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