One of the operational strategic commands of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Military unit
Western Military District HQ at the Saint Petersburg
General Staff Building
The Western Military District (
Russian : Западный военный округ ,
romanized : Zapadnyy voyennyy okrug ) was a
military district of
Russia , in existence from 2010 until its abolishment as a unitary military command on February 26, 2024, succeeded by the newly reconstituted
Moscow Military District and
Leningrad Military District .
[1]
It was one of the five
military districts of the
Russian Armed Forces , with its jurisdiction primarily within the western central region of
European Russia . The Western Military District was created as part of the
2008 military reforms , and founded by Presidential Decree №1144 signed on 20 September 2010, as an amalgamation of the
Moscow Military District ,
Leningrad Military District and
Kaliningrad Special Region .
[2] The district began operation on 20 October 2010, under the command of Colonel-General
Valery Gerasimov .
General Lieutenant
Roman Berdnikov took over command on 3 October 2022,
[3] but two further command changes would take place by the end of the year, under the pressure of the
Russian invasion of Ukraine .
The Western Military District was the second smallest military district in Russia by geographic size. The district contained 26
federal subjects of Russia:
Belgorod Oblast ,
Bryansk Oblast ,
Ivanovo Oblast ,
Kaliningrad Oblast ,
Kaluga Oblast ,
Karelia ,
Kostroma Oblast ,
Kursk Oblast ,
Leningrad Oblast ,
Lipetsk Oblast ,
Moscow ,
Moscow Oblast ,
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast ,
Novgorod Oblast ,
Oryol Oblast ,
Pskov Oblast ,
Ryazan Oblast ,
Saint Petersburg ,
Smolensk Oblast ,
Tambov Oblast ,
Tver Oblast ,
Tula Oblast ,
Vladimir Oblast ,
Vologda Oblast ,
Voronezh Oblast ,
Yaroslavl Oblast . On 1 December 2014, the
Arctic Joint Strategic Command was split off from the Western Military District, removing
Arkhangelsk Oblast ,
Murmansk Oblast ,
Komi Republic , and the
Nenets Autonomous Okrug , as well as the
Russian Navy 's
Baltic Fleet and
Northern Fleet , from the district's command.
[4]
[5]
The Western Military District was headquartered in the
General Staff Building in Saint Petersburg.
The Western Military District, until its abolishment in February 2024, was led by Colonel General
Yevgeny Nikiforov , who was previously Chief of Staff of the
Eastern Military District .
[6]
Military units of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Border Troops of the FSB, as well as units of the
Ministry of Emergency Situations (Russia) and other ministries and departments of the Russian Federation performing tasks on the territory of the district are under its operational subordination.
[7]
History
The Western Military District, "with about 300,000 troops, was formed in 2010 from the Moscow and Leningrad" Military Districts.
[8]
On 26 February 2014, during the
invasion of Crimea , President
Vladimir Putin ordered the
Russian Armed Forces to be "put on alert in the Western Military District as well as units stationed with the 2nd Army
Central Military District Command involved in aerospace defense, airborne troops and long-range military transport." Despite media speculation it was for in reaction to the events in Ukraine, Russian
Defense Minister
Sergei Shoigu said it was unrelated to the unrest in Ukraine.
[9]
After a 15-year hiatus, the
1st Guards Tank Army headquarters was reformed within the district in November 2014.
In April 2017, the Defence Ministry reported that the
14th Army Corps had been transferred to the
Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command .
[11] It appears that this army corps, formed with its number in view of the
Second World War actions of the Soviet
14th Army , includes the
80th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade and the 200th Motor Rifle Brigade.
In the September
Zapad 2017 exercise , a significant portion of troops from the Western Military District numbering 12,700 personnel were involved in
Belarus , the
Kaliningrad Region and Russia's other north-western areas as well.
A December 2018 Russian Ministry of Defense press release said that an independent
Spetsnaz company had been formed in a combined arms army of the district.
[12]
Almost the whole forces of the district became involved in the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , suffering considerable losses (see
Casualties of the Russo-Ukrainian War ). A new army corps, the
3rd Army Corps , then began forming within the district. The 3rd Army Corps' main base and training centre was identified by Ukraine in August 2022 as being located in
Mulino ,
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast .
[13] The new
72nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade , intended to form part of the 3rd Army Corps, was reported by
Penza Oblast authorities to be forming at
Totskoye ,
Orenburg Oblast .
[14]
Much of the
Russian Airborne Forces is located within the district's boundaries but not under its command. These forces include the
45th Guards Spetsnaz Brigade (
Kubinka , Moscow); the
76th Guards Air Assault Division (
Pskov ); the
98th Guards Airborne Division (
Ivanovo ); the
106th Guards Airborne Division (
Tula ), and the VDV signals regiment, the 38th Airborne Signal Regiment (n. Bear Lake,
Moscow Oblast ). In addition, there are two formations of the
Russian Aerospace Forces within the district's boundaries but under central command: the
1st Special Purpose Air and Missile Defense Army (Moscow SAM and ABM defences) and
15th Special Aerospace Forces Army [
ru ] (space operations, the former
Russian Space Command ).
The
Main Directorate of Intelligence (Ukraine) of the
Ministry of Defence (Ukraine) on 26 December 2022 that General
Yevgeny Nikiforov was appointed as commander, Western Military District, and commander of the Russian western grouping of forces in Ukraine.
[15] He had been transferred from the post of first deputy commander,
Eastern Military District . In this transfer, Colonel-General
Sergey Kuzovlev was removed from the position of commander of the troops of the Western Military District, after having only been in post for about a month.
[6] "The reason for Kuzovlev's dismissal was the failure of preparations for an offensive in the Lyman [area], but [Ukrainian intelligence assessed it also as a] internal political struggle.. because from the Shoigu-Gerasimov orbit changing for a candidate from the Surovikin-Prygozhin group.
[6]
Formations and units
Russia's Comprehensive Security System Center in Saint Petersburg
Direct reporting units and formations
Muzyka 2020 lists a total of 21 direct reporting units and formations, but does not include the OGRF in Moldova, but does include Land Forces Command HQ, Moscow, and Joint Strategic Command - West at St Petersburg.
Operational Group of Russian Forces in the
Transnistrian region of the
Republic of Moldova (
Tiraspol ,
Transnistria )
82nd Motorized Rifle Battalion
113th Motorized Rifle Battalion
540th Command Battalion
1st Command Brigade (
Sertolovo ,
Leningrad Oblast ) (
ru:1-я бригада управления )
45th Guards Berlin Engineering Brigade,
Russian Engineer Troops (
Murom )
29th (
Bryansk ), 34th (
Yaroslavl ) and 38th Railway Brigades of the
Russian Railway Troops
1st Guards Engineer-Sapper Brigade (
Murom )
27th Brigade,
Russian NBC Protection Troops (
Shikhany )
79th Guards Rocket Artillery Brigade (
Tver )
45th High-Power Artillery Brigade "Svir" (
Tambov )
15th Electronic Warfare Brigade (
Stroitel )
16th Electronic Warfare Brigade (Plavsk, says Galeotti 2017, Kursk-MZS, says Muzyka 2020)
146th Special Purpose Radio Engineer Brigade (
Bugry )
45th Separate Engineer-Camouflage Regiment (HQ located in
Vladimir Oblast ; in late 2020 reported at Inzhenernyy 1, 55.793785, 37.192298).
Military Unit Number 58142. The regiment's formation was completed in June 2017; as well as the ability to quickly camouflage key facilities, it has "“inflatable models of tanks, guns, infantry fighting vehicles, PVO [air defense] systems, and other weapons systems."
[21]
Muzkya 2020 does not include the:
1st Guards Tank Army
HQ:
Odintsovo ,
Moscow Oblast (reinstated 2014)
6th Combined Arms Army
HQ:
Saint Petersburg
20th Guards Combined Arms Army
The bands of the Western Military District in their various uniforms.
HQ:
Voronezh , Voronezh Oblast
Intelligence/Spetsnaz units and formations
Naval Forces
Naval Infantry and Coast Defense
Aerospace Forces
6th Air and Air Defence Forces Army (HQ: St.Petersburg)
[42]
105th Guards Composite Aviation Division
Naval Aviation (drawn from 132nd Mixed Aviation Division - Kaliningrad)
689th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (Two Squadrons:
Sukhoi Su-27 P - planned to re-equip with the Su-35
[43]
4th Naval Attack Aviation Regiment (One Squadron:
Sukhoi Su-30 SM; One Squadron: Su-24M)
2nd Air Defence Division (St. Petersburg region)
[24]
1488th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (
Zelenogorsk -
S-400 SAM system)
1489th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (
Vaganovo - S-400/
Pantsir SAM systems)
1490th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (
Ulyanovka - S-400 SAMs)
500th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (
Gostilitsy - S-400/Pantsir SAMs)
1544th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (
Vladimirsky Lager - S-400 SAMs)
32nd Air Defence Division
[24]
42nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Izhitsy -
S-300 PM2 surface-to-air missile system)
108th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (
Voronezh - S-300PM2 SAMs)
44th Air Defence Division of the
Baltic Fleet (
Kaliningrad region)
[24]
183rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (
Gvardeysk - S-400/S-300/Pantsir SAMs)
1545th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Kruglovo - S-400 SAMs)
Russian Aerospace Forces - Not Subordinate to Western Military District
Neither of these Russian Aerospace Forces armies are subordinated to the Western Military District.
1st Air Defence and Missile Defence Army (air defence of Moscow)
[24]
4th Air Defence Division
584th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Mar'ino - S-300PM SAMs)
210th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Dubrovki - S-400/Pantsir SAMs)
93rd Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Fun'kovo - S-400/S-300/Pantsir SAMs)
612th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (
Krasnoznamensk - S-300 SAMs)
202nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (
Naro-Fominsk - S-300 SAMs)
5th Air Defence Division
549th Ant-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Il'inskoye - S-400/Pantsir SAMs)
614th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (
Pestovo - S-300 SAMs)
629th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (
Elektrostal - S-300 SAMs)
606th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Elektrostal - S-400/S-300/Pantsir SAMs)
9th Anti-Ballistic Missile Defence Division (
A-135 anti-ballistic missile system )
[44]
15th Special Aerospace Forces Army (Moscow-based special Command of Russian Aerospace forces and responsible for cosmodromes and space-monitoring stations) reportedly receiving
S-500 SAM/ABM system as of summer 2021
[45]
[46]
[47]
Leadership
Colonel General
Yevgeny Nikiforov , commander of the Western Military District since December 2022
Commanders
Chiefs of Staff - First Deputy Commanders
See also
References
^
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^
"Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 20 сентября 2010 года № 1144 "О военно-административном делении Российской Федерации" " . Archived from
the original on 2012-03-31. Retrieved 2014-11-29 .
^
"Russia sacks commander of Western military district - reports" . 2022-10-03.
^
"В России создано новое стратегическое командование" . Российская газета (in Russian). 2014-12-01. Retrieved 2024-02-05 .
^
"Северный флот возьмет Арктику под постоянный контроль" . Российская газета (in Russian). 2017-05-31. Retrieved 2024-02-05 .
^
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"Russia Appoints New Commander Of Troops Of Western Military District - Defense Intelligence" .
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^
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^ Dyner, Anna Maria (13 June 2016).
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^ Alpert, Lukas I. (27 February 2014).
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^ bmpd (2017-04-22).
"В составе объединенного стратегического командования "Север" сформирован 14-й армейский корпус" . bmpd . Retrieved 2017-06-16 .
^
"В состав общевойсковой армии ЗВО вошло подразделение специального назначения" [Spetsnaz unit included in Western Military District combined arms army] (in Russian). Press Service of the Western Military District. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018 .
^
"Russia forming 3rd Army Corps for war in Ukraine – ISW" . 6 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022 .
^
"Олег Мельниченко напутствовал направленных в именные подразделения добровольцев" . Пенза-Обзор - новости Пензы и Пензенской области (in Russian). 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2022-08-31 .
^ Kateryna Stepanenko; Karolina Hird; George Barros; Frederick W. Kagan.
"Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 26 [2022]" .
^ Ramm, Alexey; Andreev, Evgeny (22 September 2017).
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
"Rondeli Russian Military Digest: Issue 77, 1 March - 7 March 2021" .
^
"Baltic Fleet to set up new division in response to NATO's build-up near Russian borders" .
^
a
b
c
"Rondeli Russian Military Digest: Issue 81, 29 March - 9 May 2021" .
^
a
b
"Rondeli Russian Military Digest: Issue 82, 10 May - 23 May 2021" .
^
"Танковый полк Балтфлота привлечён к манёврам в Калининградской области -" .
^ Maria Domańska, Szymon Kardaś, Marek Menkiszak, Jadwiga Rogoża, Andrzej Wilk, Iwona Wiśniewska, Piotr Żochowski (2019-11-07).
"Fortress Kaliningrad: Ever Closer to Moscow" . OSW Centre for Eastern Studies . pp. 73, 76. Retrieved 2022-09-14 . {{
cite web }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
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^
"Russia increases number of tanks in Kaliningrad" . 28 January 2019.
^
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^
"Rondeli Russian Military Digest: Issue 72, 25 January - 31 January 2021" .
^
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^
"В тылу сражений: Калининград защитят сверхдальние разведчики" . 10 March 2021.
^
"Baltic Fleet's Tor-M2 missile systems down maneuvering fast-speed targets in drills" .
^
a
b
c
"A look at the Baltic Fleet and the defense of Kaliningrad" . 6 April 2020.
^
"Modernized Artillery for Russian Forces in Kaliningrad" . 2 October 2019.
^
"Russian Forces in Kaliningrad: Implications of the newly formed 18th Guards Motor Rifle Division" . 22 March 2021.
^
"Побережье России прикрыли "ракетные монстры" " . 7 January 2018.
^
"Russian Air Force - Today" .
^
"Russia strengthens its forces on the Baltic Sea" . 30 January 2018.
^
"Missile Defense Becomes Part of Great Power Competition" . U.S. Department of Defense .
^
"Rondeli Russian Military Digest: Issue 99, 13 September - 19 September 2021" .
^
"First regiment of S-500 air defense systems to defend Moscow — source" .
^
"Files" (PDF) . wsb.edu.pl .
^ Milenin, Andrei (20 September 2016).
"Александр Дворников назначен командующим войсками ЮВО" [Aleksandr Dvornikov appointed commander of the Southern Military District]. Isvestia (in Russian). Retrieved 2 October 2016 .
^
"Бывший командующий российскими войсками в Сирии возглавил Западный военный округ" (in Russian).
Kommersant . 10 November 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2019 .
^
a
b
"Ukraine-Niederlagen trotz brutalem Vorgehen – Putin schasst wohl nächsten Top-General" . 29 June 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022 .
^ Mironenko, Dmitry (5 September 2022).
"Цимбалюк назвал топ-генералов российской армии, которые полетели со своих должностей из-за Украины" . Dialog.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 9 September 2022 .
^ Karolina Hird, Kateryna Stepanenko, Riley Bailey, Katherine Lawlor, and Frederick W. Kagan (2022-10-03).
"RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, OCTOBER 3" . {{
cite news }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link )
^
"Russia Appoints New Commander Of Troops Of Western Military District - Defense Intelligence" . Retrieved 26 December 2022 .
^
"Адмирал Николай Максимов назначен начштаба Западного военного округа" . Российская газета (in Russian). 2011-03-30. Retrieved 2024-01-24 .
References
59°56′17″N 30°19′02″E / 59.9381°N 30.3172°E / 59.9381; 30.3172