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25th Combined Arms Army

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.

Russia is forming new military units in its Central and Southern Military Districts, General Staff spokesman Brigadier General Oleksiy Hromov said in an interview with Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform on 05 July 2023. Hromov said that the new units may be used as a "strategic reserve." "We’re currently aware of the enemy's formation of new military units as part of the 25th Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, and the 40th Army Corps of the Southern Military District," Hromov said.

The 25th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Ground Forces is the reserve of the Supreme Commander of the RF Armed Forces and began to form in early June 2023, on the basis of the military administrative unit of the Eastern Military District. It is expected that the strength of the new 25th Army of Russia will be about 30,000 contract soldiers, consisting of at least two motorized rifle divisions, tank battalions and artillery battalions.

At the beginning of June 2023, many official administrative resources of the Primorsky Territory of the Far Eastern Federal District, on social networks, published recruiting materials about recruiting into the new 25th Army of Russia, with a record lump sum payment of 600 thousand rubles for citizens who signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense and with a permanent salary of more than 200 thousand rubles in the special operation zone in Ukraine.

The creation of the 25th CAA [25th Combined Arms Army - 25-ya obshchevoyskova armiya] is a part of Shoigu’s long-term objective previously announced in January 2023 to form several new major ground forces formations. The 25th Army will include a motorized rifle division, two motorized rifle brigades and one tank brigade, while the 40th Army Corps will include a motorized rifle division and a brigade, Hromov said. The units won’t be ready for deployment until at least 2024, Hromov said, after which they may participate in the full-scale war against Ukraine, depending on their "level of readiness."

According to the administration of the city of Dalnegorsk, Primorsky Krai, the military personnel of the 25th Army will undergo combat coordination from September 1 to December 1, 2023, and after that, the unit will be redeployed to the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions in the Russian special operation zone in Ukraine.

The administration of the Ternei district of Primorsky Krai writes in its official release on VK that contract soldiers from 18 to 65 years old are recruited into the 25th Army for the following VUS: a grenade launcher, a driver, a cook, a shooter, a senior electrician driver, a sapper, a telephone operator and a machine gunner, and junior officers and sergeants are also required for the command positions of deputy platoon commander, squad leader, staff instructor and radio station chief.

From the military specialties required by the 25th Combined Arms Army, it becomes clear that the Eastern Military District does not recruit contract soldiers for specializations in tank crews, artillery crews and other technically complex positions. From the official comments of representatives of the administrations of the regions of Primorsky Krai, it may be concluded that many contract soldiers from other military units of the Eastern Military District are being transferred to the 25th Army.

In addition, in the comments, representatives of the regions report that the army is being formed in the Primorsky Territory and the Irkutsk Region, but any Russian citizen can conclude a contract without reference to the region according to passport data. Also, officials in comments on social networks explain to citizens that the 25th Army of Russia is already part of the Southern Military District, despite the fact that it is being formed in the Far East.

The UK Ministry of Defence reported 02 august 2023 that "Over the last two months, Russia has likely started forming up major new formations to add depth to its ground forces. These include the 25th Combined Arms Army. Since its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has mainly deployed mobilised reservists to back-fill established formations, or as part of territorial defence infantry regiments. It has rarely established new, all-arms organisations such as combined arms armies which are designed to be a self-sufficient force. An exception to this was the 3rd Army Corps created in summer 2022, which has generally performed poorly. Russia will likely deploy any new formation as a reserve force in Ukraine. However, in the longer term, Russia aspires to strengthen its forces facing NATO. Without a major new wave of mandatory mobilisation, Russia is unlikely to find enough new troops to resource even one new army.

But Sergei Nakhimov suggested "With a greater degree of probability and judging by the demanded military units (see above), the 25th Army of Russia as an operational unit will consist of 40% of experienced contract soldiers of the active units and subunits of the Eastern Military District, which will occupy both command positions and technically complex regarding the specialty."

At the moment, the Eastern Military District includes the 5th , 29th, 35th and 36th combined-arms armies of the Ground Forces, some units of which are already taking part in Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. From these formations and subunits, it is easy to rotate about 10 thousand military specialists into a new army being formed, without violating the defense capability of the Far East region.

The composition and strength of the formations of the 25th Army is still unclear, which can be small and brigade, as in the Chita 29th Army, or large and divisional with 35,000 soldiers, as in the 58th Army of the Southern Military District .

The official statement about the subsequent front-line deployment of the 25th combined-arms army in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, in the special operation zone, also raised a number of questions. The Kherson region belongs to the zone of responsibility of the Dnipro group , and the Vostok group of the Russian army is located in the Zaporozhye region and in the South Donetsk direction. In this sense, the presence of the 25th Army as an operational formation is possible only in one of the two sectors.

The probable front-line subordination of the 25th Army to the military-administrative unit of the Southern Military District, which we wrote about above, with reference to officials, seems to be the most relevant - this district includes 3 combined arms armies with three army corps and the 7th airborne division , who are fully involved in the special military operation in Ukraine, occupying different sectors of the front.

The transfer of the 25th Army in December 2023 to the special operation zone, in an estimated number of about 30 thousand people with tank battalions and artillery battalions as part of brigades or divisions, can strengthen the Dnepr grouping (Kherson direction) with motorized rifle units. Now, in the Kherson sector of the front, only numerous units of the Airborne Forces, the 61st Kirkenes Marine Brigade of the Northern Fleet, the 126th Separate Guards Coastal Defense Brigade, as well as the Storm detachments are fighting .

Also, there is a possibility of front-line deployment of the 25th Army in the zone of responsibility of the Vostok grouping in the Zaporozhye and South-Donetsk directions, where there is already (judging by the reports) a high density of formations of the RF Armed Forces and heavy armored vehicles. Probably, the deployment of the 25th Army as part of the Vostok group will serve as a motivation for the RF Ministry of Defense to begin the liberation in this sector and the rotation of numerous marine corps units , which, with the arrival of the new army at the front, can take part in the airborne offensive operation in Nikolaevskaya and Odessa regions of Ukraine.

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.

The Institute for the Study of War [ISW] reported 01 September 2023 The Russian military command appeared to have deployed elements of the newly formed and likely low quality or understrength 25th CAA to Luhansk Oblast to free up the relatively more effective 41st CAA elements for southern Ukraine. Budanov added that elements of the 25th CAA are already participating in hostilities in Luhansk Oblast. ISW reported the 25th Combined Arms Army was "unlikely to be combat effective at scale given its rushed deployment, ahead of a previously reported intended deployment date of December 2023."

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) formed a “reserve army” at the end of June, likely referencing the 25th CAA, which began recruiting personnel from the Russian Far East in mid-May. The 25th CAA will reportedly consist of 30,000 contract personnel in two motorized rifle divisions as well as an unspecified number of tank and artillery battalions, although it is unclear what elements have actually formed to date. Budanov stated that Russian forces formed the 25th CAA as a ”strategic“ reserve and did not intend for the formation to be combat ready before October or November 2023.

A Russian administrator in Dalnegorsk, Primorsky Krai posted a recruitment ad for the 25th CAA on June 5 that claimed that the 25th CAA would train personnel from September 1 to December 1 and then deploy to either Zaporizhia or Kherson Oblast - ISW had not independently observed reporting of the October or November date Budanov cited but has no reason to question this statement. Ukrainian Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Department Oleksii Hromov stated on July 5 that the 25th CAA would not be combat ready until at least 2024.

Budanov noted that the 25th CAA elements that had arrived in Luhansk Oblast were understaffed and lacked training, unsurprising due to their accelerated deployment. ISW cannot initially verify that elements of the 25th CAA are operating in Luhansk Oblast, and the scale of the 25th CAA’s commitment is unclear from Budanov’s comments. The current size and capabilities of the elements of the 25th CAA deployed to Ukraine five months prematurely are unclear. The formation is likely either severely understaffed and not near the paper strength of two divisions, or is poorly trained much like initial Russian mobilized units in fall 2022, or both.

The 25th Army (25 A) was a combined arms army as part of the Armed Forces of the USSR from June 20 , 1941 to October 1945 in the Far East. First formed on June 20, 1941 as part of the Far Eastern Front. It included the 39th Rifle Corps, the 105th Rifle Division, 106th, 107th, 108th, PO and 111th fortified areas, artillery and other units. Carried out the task of defending the state border of the USSR in Primorye.

From August 10, 1943, it was part of the Primorsky Group of Forces, subordinate to the Far Eastern Front until April 20, 1945, then directly to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.

On August 5, 1945, having received the 393rd Rifle Division, the 7th and 113th fortified areas, the 25th Army entered the 1st Far Eastern Front. During the Soviet-Japanese war, during the Harbino-Girin offensive operation (August-September 1945), by the end of August 10, army formations overcame the enemy’s tactical defense zone and captured the Tungning, Dunxin-zheng and Hunchun fortified areas, cut the Dongning - Tumynzza-Hunchun, advanced into the enemy defenses to a depth of 15-20 km.

On August 11, the advancing army troops captured the cities of Laoheishan and Hunchun, and on August 12, in cooperation with the amphibious assault forces of the Pacific Fleet, they captured the ports of Yuki (Ungi) and Rasin (Najin) on the east coast of Korea. In connection with the successful development of the offensive in the 25th Army zone, on August 11, the commander of the front troops transferred to it the 17th Rifle Corps from the 5th Army, the 88th Rifle, 10th Mechanized Corps from his reserve and set the task of developing the offensive in the south - in the western direction, cut the communications of Japanese troops from the ports of North Korea to Central and Eastern Manchuria, in cooperation with the ships and marines of the Pacific Fleet, liberate cities and ports on the east coast of Korea.

In carrying out this task, the army troops defeated the units of the Japanese 3rd and 34th armies and liberated the cities and ports of Wanqing (August 15), Seishin (August 16), Ranan and Yanji (August 17) and others. From 18 to 20 August, the 25th Army disarmed the capitulating Japanese troops. At the end of August, army formations were redeployed to the Pyongyang region.

On October 1, 1945, the 25th Army became part of the Primorsky Military District. In 1958 , the 25th combined arms army was disbanded (its headquarters was located in the village of Shkotovo near Vladivostok) and eight motorized rifle divisions.