Yoshkar Ola
14th Kiev-Zhitomir order of Kutuzov III degree missile division
56°38'N 47°51'E

In various years, the Kiev-Zhitomir Order of Kutuzov, III degree missile division was armed with missile systems with R-16U missiles (from 1969 to 1977), RT-2 (from 1971 to 1980), RS-12 (from 1976 to 1994), RS-12M (from 1995 to the present). The famous Kiev-Zhitomir Order of Kutuzov III degree is deployed on the territory of the Mari Republic, which has repeatedly proved its high combat readiness, has been recognized many times as the best formation of strategic missile forces on self-propelled launchers.

The location of the 14th Kiev-Zhitomir Order of Kutuzov Missile Division, or military unit 34096, is the village of Rechnoy near Yoshkar-Ola. The unit includes several sites - signalmen, security guards, sappers, missile bases and regiments on alert. All sites are located in the forest zone and are remote from each other. The division headquarters and training units are located in the village. River, on the 10th site (it is the main one).

In 2020, despite the difficult epidemiological situation and the current restrictive measures, the Divsion honorably held the Victory Parade to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Servicemen of the Yoshkar-Ola missile division once again demonstrated excellent skills and drill training. The personnel of the division and the entrusted equipment have repeatedly assisted in extinguishing large forest fires, carrying out large-scale disinfection of public spaces in settlements during a pandemic, ”the Head of the Republic emphasized, thanking the veterans of the Armed Forces for their service and loyalty to the Fatherland, noting that they serve as a worthy example for the younger generation.

According to the order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation on the approval of the list of shock formations of troops of units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation at the end of 2020, 5 units of the Yoshkar-Ola division were included in the list of "shock" units. The status of "shock" connections assigned to the special order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation in respect of the most combat-ready units that are awarded the distinctive heraldic sign.

Yoshkar-Ola is the capital of the Republic of Mari El. The republic borders on the Tatar and Chuvash republics and the Nizhny Novgorod and Kirov regions. The Volga River flows 50 km to the south. The distance to Moscow is 862 km. Not the best location. Trains run through the city in only two directions: Kazan and Moscow. There is no traffic on the river, as Malaya Kokshaga is a very small river. Only the city of Kozmodemyansk is on the Volga, but sea vessels do not moor there.

The climate in the city is moderately continental. This city will appeal to those people who do not like hot summers and cold winters. The average temperature in summer is +17.2 ° C. But it happens that the temperature rises to + 37, and sometimes it drops to +15. The hottest month is July. The coldest month is January, here the average temperature is -11.7 degrees. Recently, a shift in the beginning of winter has been observed from the beginning of November to the middle.

Yoshkar-Ola can rightfully be called a "green" city. The Mari capital is surrounded by forests on all sides, and parks and squares are located in the very center. At the same time, the quality of water in the Malaya Kokshaga River, flowing through the very center of the city, leaves much to be desired. This is due to the discharge of municipal and industrial wastewater into the river, and the treatment facilities are not as efficient as would be liked.

In Yoshkar-Ola, there are a sufficient number of enterprises that carry out production in the food, chemical-pharmaceutical, machine-building, woodworking industries. Air pollution is uneven, since the industrial area is located in the southern and central zones of the city. Naturally, in the modern world, many residents prefer to travel by car. Yoshkar-Ola is no exception. The number of cars on the roads is growing every year. Accordingly, the state of the atmosphere is deteriorating.

Another environmental problem is soil pollution. Sources of soil pollution are waste from residents of the city, emissions from power plants, cars and rail transport. Irregular garbage collection, landfills in the wrong places, long-decomposing garbage - these are the main problems that must be solved in the city administration. On some streets, the soil pollution index reaches dangerous readings (Karl Liebnecht street).

271,868 people made up the population of Yoshkar-Ola at the beginning of 2019. The population density per 1 square kilometer is 2594.5 people. In terms of ethnic composition, Russians prevail in the city (68%), the second place is taken by the Mari (24%), and the third - by the Tatars (4.3%). Chuvash, Udmurts, Ukrainians and others also live in the city. Naturally, different nationalities have different religions. The city has both Orthodox churches and Muslim mosques.

The indigenous inhabitants of the republic, the Mari, are pagans. In Yoshkar-Ola, people speak Russian, but in some villages, dialogues are also conducted in Mari. In some schools, children learn the national (Mari) language, but in modern society it is not in demand.

Judging by the geological excavations, primitive people lived on this land even during the Mesolithic period. The ancient Marian tribes (Cheremis) formed around the 11th century AD. The first mention of the Cheremis people dates back to 1584. "Tsarev's city on Kokshaga" (or Tsarevokokshaisk) - this was the name of a small military fortification located on the Malaya Kokshaga river in the 16th century.

The founder is considered to be Ivan Andreevich Nogotkov-Obolensky - the first governor of Tsarevokokshaisk. But over time, peasants and artisans began to come here, forming a trade, not a military center. As time went on, the city expanded: more and more villages began to enter its borders.

During the Soviet period, the city was renamed Krasnokokshaisk, and later received the name Yoshkar-Ola, which in translation from the Mari language into Russian means Red City. In this case, "red" is synonymous with the word "Soviet". During the Great Patriotic War, the citizens of the city sheltered evacuated residents in their homes, factories and institutes with specialists in various fields were transported to the city. Modern Yoshkar-Ola is a developing city, ready to move forward by leaps and bounds, but at the same time trying to preserve its history.

The condition of the roadway is poor. And that's putting it mildly! Drivers can still drive somehow along the central streets: they just need to carefully monitor the road and go around the pits in this way. But going down a small street or into a courtyard, then the whole road there is broken up, consisting of many holes and beaten out. And there is nothing to say about the private sector! There, somewhere there is asphalt, somewhere there is soil. An exception can be called Naberezhnaya Street in the center - here the road has been repaired. In such a situation, the roads on the streets are repaired every year, every year in the same places they make "patches", and every year the road builders violate all technologies and standards!

Mechanical engineering, woodworking, metallurgical production, instrument making and food processing are the main activities in the industrial sector. About 80 enterprises are involved in the city's industry. The largest of them are CJSC Yoshkar-Ola Meat Processing Plant, LLC Makhaon, CJSC NP Zavod Iskozh, OJSC MMZ, MUP Vodokanal, OJSC Contact, OJSC Stroykeramika, OJSC Marigrazhdanstroy and other. The manufacturing industry employs 79% of the average number of people working in large and medium-sized enterprises. Industrial revenues increased by more than 100%. In the chemical industry, the results are also noticeable: the production of pain relievers and antipyretic drugs has increased.

As for crime, incidents happen in Yoshkar-Ola, as in any other city in Russia. Robberies in the streets, at the train station, in the market are not uncommon. At first glance, the city of Yoshkar-Ola looks like a quiet, calm and friendly town. And in general, this is true. Although there are drawbacks here. As elsewhere, there are various groupings. In schools, from an early age, boys are forced to make contributions to the common fund. And when the guys grow up, they have to work for someone, for example, guard cars in the courtyards at night. Moreover, residents of these courtyards do not sign up for such protection. They have to pay for a car per night (no more than 50 rubles). If the amount is not paid for several days, then in the morning thereis broken glass of a car or punctured tires.

The Kiev-Zhitomir Order of Kutuzov, III degree missile division was formed on the basis of the 222nd anti-tank artillery fighter regiment (iptap). 222 Iptap was formed on February 1, 1942 in the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region, and on February 23, 1942, the personnel took the Military Oath and left for the front in the Yasnaya Polyana area with the task of preventing the breakthrough of German tanks to Moscow. The regiment took part in the battles at the Kursk Bulge, in the tank battle at Prokhorovka.

For heroic actions in the battles for the liberation of the cities of Kiev and Zhitomir, 222 Iptap were awarded the honorary names "Kiev" and "Zhitomir". On August 12, 1944, for the exemplary performance of command assignments during the capture of the city of Sambir during the Lvov-Sandomierz operation, 222 Iptap was awarded the Order of Kutuzov, III degree. The regiment took part in the liberation of Prague. In the same place, in Czechoslovakia, the combat path of 222 Iptap ended.

On May 25, 1960, on the basis of 222 Iptap in the city of Saransk, the formation of the 201st missile brigade began. On May 13, 1961, the 201st missile brigade was reorganized into a missile division with a station in the city of Yoshkar-Ola. On April 17, 1961, in order to preserve military traditions and memory of military merits, the 222nd Iptap Division was given the honorary name "Kiev-Zhitomir Order of Kutuzov, 3rd Class Missile Division".

On February 12, 1962, the division for the first time took up combat duty on the 15 P 06CH missile system, the first missile division (commander Major A.D. Penko) consisting of 20 and 21 BRPs (Major V.A.Chizhikov and Captain M.M. Shchiry) , two combat crews of the 1st assembly brigade (SBRB) of RTB took up combat duty. This day went down in the history of the formation as the day the division took up combat duty, and is celebrated annually. On March 19, 1962, the division was awarded the Battle Banner.

In the summer of 1972, the entire personnel of the division, free from combat duty, were sent to extinguish forest fires. For courage, courage and dedication in extinguishing fires, 203 servicemen of the division were awarded the medal "For Courage in the Fire". On July 4, 1984, the division was awarded the pennant of the USSR Minister of Defense "For Courage and Military Valor" for courage shown in fulfilling government assignments, as well as high field training.

In 1985-1995. the division was re-equipped with the Topol missile system (RK). On July 23, 1985, the first missile regiment in the Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces) under the command of Lieutenant Colonel V.V. Dremova, armed with the Topol RC. According to the results of 1997 and 2001. the division was recognized as the best among the mobile-based divisions in the Strategic Missile Forces. In 2001, the compound was checked by the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces. Based on the results of the check, the state of combat and mobilization readiness of the division was assessed as "good". During the inspection, the personnel of military unit 93876 carried out the sixtieth combat training launch of the missile since the beginning of the division's existence, with a rating of "good".

On November 5, 1997, the division was awarded the pennant of the Strategic Missile Forces High Command "The best SPU formation." Since July 2002, the division is organizationally part of the Vladimir Missile Army. According to the results of 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011 school years, the division was again recognized as the best strategic missile forces formation on self-propelled launchers. In August 2010, the personnel of the division took an active part in extinguishing forest fires on the territory of the republic, 5 military personnel were awarded the Orders of Courage.

On November 3, 2011 at 10:45 am from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, servicemen of the Yoshkar-Ola formation carried out an excellent combat training launch of the Topol intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile hit a conventional target with high accuracy at the Kura training ground in Kamchatka. The combat crews coped with the task with honor, showed a high result of training and professionalism.

From 20 August to 31 August 2012 , on the basis of the Tatishchevsky (Saratov region) and Yoshkar-Olinsky (the Republic of Mari El) missile formations, the final stage of the competition is held for the title of the best combat crew for the launch of a missile regiment of a separate start (OS), for the best combat crew for the launch of a missile division, calculation combat control and launch of a missile regiment of self-propelled launchers (SPU) on the scale of the Strategic Missile Forces.

Competitions for the best combat crews of the launch are held annually, and once every two years another stage is included in the competition, where you can compete for the title of the best combat crew on the scale of the Strategic Missile Forces, as is the case this year. About 20 of the best combat crews are involved in the competition, which, according to the results of competitions in missile formations and associations, took prizes.

The main emphasis, in addition to theoretical training, will be placed on practical exercises, during which the competitors will demonstrate their skills and abilities in the process of performing the main tasks of carrying out combat duty, working out introductory and standards when working on combat control equipment.

The purpose of the activities is to improve special training, stimulate the service activities of officers on alert, as well as generalize and disseminate in the troops the positive experience of commanders, headquarters and instructor groups of missile formations in preparing combat crews for combat duty, as the main activity of strategic missile men.

While in the settlement for the residence of military personnel there are barracks of a standard type and a room for visitors at the checkpoint is fairly well equipped, then conditions at other sites are much worse. For example, on the 1st site, the role of the checkpoint is played by a military tent, heated by a stove-stove. Relatives of the fighters are advised to bring a thermos with hot drinks and food for a snack. Nevertheless, practically all barracks are equipped with showers. Bath day - on Saturdays (soldiers are taken to the village), bed linen and underwear are changed once a week. Soldiers wash their uniforms on their own; there are no washing machines in the barracks of some sites of military unit 34096.