III. Geographical Distribution and Mission Assignments of Russian Military Units

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Notes

1 For the sake of brevity, individial units’ coded designators (field post office numbers) and individual footnotes for specific unit information are not provided here, but can be obtained on request from the authors.

2 Rossiyskaya Gazeta [Russian Gazette], ‘Rossiya ukrepit voyska v Krymu, Kaliningrade i Arktike [Russia Will Reinforce Troops in Crimea, Kaliningrad and the Arctic]’, 13 January 2015, <https://rg.ru/2015/01/13/voiska-anons.html>, accessed 21 March 2017.

3 The Krasnaya zvezda [Red Star] Russian Ministry of Defence daily newspaper referred to this formation as the 7^th Brigade, rather than 7^th Regiment, in an article in May 2015; Olga Vorobjeva and Dmitriy Semenov, ‘Muzey eto zvuchit gordo [Museum is the Proud Name]’, Krasnaya zvezda [Red Star], 15 May 2015, <redstar.ru/index.php/component/k2/item/23691-muzej-eto-zvuchit-gordo>, accessed 21 March 2017.

4 Rugrad.eu, ‘S 5 po 10 dekabrya v Kaliningradskoy oblasti byla provedena vnezapnaya proverka boegotovnosti voysk [Snap Test of the Troops’ Combat Readiness Carried Out in Kaliningrad Province from 5 to 10 December]’, 16 December 2014, <http://rugrad.eu/news/733482/>, accessed 21 March 2017.

5 Dmitriy Neratov, ‘Voyska v Kaliningrade podnyali po trevoge [Troops Suddenly Alerted in Kaliningrad]’, Utro.ru [Morning.ru], 16 December 2016, <http://www.utro.ru/articles/2014/12/16/1226073.shtml>, accessed 21 March 2017.

6 Konstantin Bogdanov, ‘Osinoe gnezdo [Wasps’ Nest]’, Novosti VPK [Military-Industrial Complex News], 17 March 2016, <http://vpk.name/news/151517_osinoe_gnezdo.html>, accessed 21 March 2017.

7 PAI – Pskovskoe Agentstvo Informatsii [PAI – Pskov Information Agency], ‘Vnov sozdanniy desantno-shturmovoy polk 76-y divizii VDV poluchit naimenovanie «237-y DShP» [The Newly Established Air-Assault Regiment of the 76^th Airborne Division Will be Named the 237^th Air-Assault Regiment]’, 31 July 2015, <informpskov.ru/news/183743.html>, accessed 21 March 2017.

8 Ibid.

9 TASS, ‘Istochnik: tankovaya armiya pod Moskvoy budet sformirovana k zime [Source: Tank Army Will be Established Near Moscow By Winter]’, 29 July 2015, <tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/2150702>, accessed 21 March 2017; Alexey Ramm, ‘Reformy i resultaty [Reforms and Results]’, Voenno-promyshlenniy kurjer [Military-Industrial Courier], 24 December 2015, <http://vpk.name/news/146871_reformyi_i_rezultatyi.html>, accessed 21 March 2017.

10 LiveJournal, ‘Sformirovana 1-ya gvardeyskaya tankovaya armiya [The 1^st Guards Tank Army Has Been Established]’, 1 June 2015, <http://bmpd.livejournal.com/1324525.html>, accessed 16 January 2016.

11 Lenta.ru [Tape.ru], ‘Istochnik soobschil o razvertyvanii Elninskoy divizii v sostave 1-y tankovoy armii [Source Reported Establishment of Elnya Division in the 1^st Tank Army's Structure]’, 5 July 2016, <https://lenta.ru/news/2016/07/05/elninskaya/>, accessed 21 March 2017. While some Russian sources report subordination of the 144^th Guards to the 20^th Guards OA, this seems unlikely. It is located in Smolensk province, but Russian sources specified that the 20^th Guards OA's formations would be located in Belgorod, Kursk, Lipetsk, Tambov, and Voronezh provinces, and not in Smolensk province. See TASS, ‘Istochnik: pereformiruemuyu 20-yu armiyu razvernut v pyati regionakh na zapade Rossii [Source: Redefined 20^th Army Will be Deployed in Five Regions in Western Russia]’, 13 August 2015, <tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/2184493>, accessed 21 March 2017; Aleksandr Khrolenko, ‘Priuchenie k miru: chto 20-ya armiya delaet u zapadnykh granits Rossii [Acclimatising to Peace: What the 20^th Army is Doing Near Russia's Western Borders]’, RIA Novosti, 18 November 2016, <https://ria.ru/defense_safety/20161118/1481665537.html>, accessed 21 March 2017.

12 The subordination of the 112^th Guards Missile Brigade to the 1^st Guards Tank Army is not clear. The 112^th Guards was directly subordinated to the Western MD command, being the reserve of the District's Commandant. The 448^th Missile Brigade, which was previously subordinated to the 20^th Guards Army (when the army's headquarters was located in Nizhniy Novgorod) will likely remain in the structure of the 20^th Guards after the army's relocation to Voronezh as the 448^th Brigade's location in Kursk, near Voronezh, makes it possible to keep the brigade under the command of the Voronezh-based army.

13 The artillery brigade did not exist in Moscow province until it was established in early 2016. See Rambler News Service, ‘Artilleriyskaya brigada v Moskovskoy oblasti poluchila partiyu ustanovok “Uragan” [Artillery Brigade in Moscow Province Gets Delivery of “Uragan” Rocket System]’, 11 February 2016, <https://rns.online/military/artilleriiskaya-brigada-v-Moskovskoi-oblasti-poluchila-partiyu-ustanovok-Uragan-2016-02-11/>, accessed 21 March 2017.

14 To be established on the base of the existing engineer battalion military unit 11364-2.

15 The military unit 11361 – allegedly the 45^th Engineer-Sapper Brigade – did exist as late as mid-December 2015 regardless of the earlier information that it had been disbanded. See Prizyvnik [Conscript], ‘Inzhenernye voinskie chasti g.Murom [City of Murom's Engineer Military Units]’, 15 December 2015, <http://www.prizyvnik.info/threads/134266-injenernyie_voinskie_chasti_gmurom_v_ch_11361-4_v_ch_11105_v_ch_45445/page19>, accessed 21 March 2017.

16 Ekaterina Zgirovskaya, ‘Shoygu ukreplyaet bryanskiy rubezh [Shoigu Reinforces the Bryansk Frontier]’, Gazeta.ru [Gazette.ru], 1 June 2016, <https://www.gazeta.ru/army/2016/06/01/8276903.shtml#>, accessed 21 March 2017.

17 GorodBRYANSK24 [City-of-Bryansk24], ‘V Klintsakh stroitsya voenniy gorodok dlya 488-go motostrelkovogo polka [The 488^th Motor-Rifle Regiment's Camp is Under Construction in Klintsy]’, 18 August 2016, <www.gorodbryansk.info/2016/08/klintsy_warfare/>, accessed 21 March 2017.

18 TASS, ‘Istochnik: tankovaya armiya pod Moskvoy budet sformirovana k zime [Source: Tank Army Will Be Established Near Moscow by Winter]’.

19 If transferred to the 1^st Guards TA command, the 27^th Guards will lose part of its appeal as a ‘weapon of last resort’ for the Kremlin, as extra links in the chain of command add time to the execution of urgent decisions. At the same time, an indirect chain of command of the unit being used as the last resort in an emergency leads to questions about the unit's reliability. The Russian political elite has not forgotten the experience of 1991, when commanders of two units not subordinated directly to the top Russian military hierarchy – one battalion each of the 137^th Airborne Regiment (106^th Guards Airborne Division) and the 1^st Guards Tank Regiment (2^nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor-Rifle Division) – switched loyalty and defended the then Russian President Boris Yeltsin and his people instead of preparing to storm them by the order of the Soviet government. Therefore, any unit not permanently under central control at the highest levels is not considered reliable by the Kremlin.

20 RIA-Voronezh, ‘Minoborony perebrosilo shtab 20-y armii v Voronezhskuyu oblast [Ministry of Defence Relocates 20^th Army Headquarters to Voronezh Province]’, 2 June 2015, <http://riavrn.ru/districts/bogucharsky/minoborony-perebrosilo-shtab-20-y-armii-v-voronezhskuyu-oblast/>, accessed 21 March 2017.

21 Ibid.; LiveJournal, ‘SMI objyasnili prichinu sozdaniya tankovoy armii v Rossii [Media Explained the Reasons for the Establishment of a Tank Army in Russia]’, 4 June 2015, <http://birserg-1977.livejournal.com/340441.html>, accessed 16 January 2016.

22 Ivan Petrov, ‘Shoigu rasskazal o postuplenii novoy tekhniki v voyska [Shoigu Told about Arrival of New Equipment to the Troops]’, Russkoe oruzhie/Rossiyskaya Gazeta [Russian Weapons/Russian Gazette], 21 October 2016, <https://rg.ru/2016/10/21/shojgu-rasskazal-o-postuplenii-novoj-tehniki-i-vooruzhenij-v-vojska.html>, accessed 21 March 2017.

23 Gulnara Tagirova, ‘SMI: V Belgorodskoy oblasti razmestyat motostrelkovuyu brigadu [Media: A Motorised Rifle Brigade Will be Deployed in Belgorod Province]’, Fonar.tv [Flashlight.tv], 15 September 2015, <http://fonar.tv/news/2015/09/15/smi-v-belgorodskoy-oblasti-razmestyat-motostrelkovuyu-brigadu>, accessed 21 March 2017. The camp in Valuyki (‘Object T-42/15-122’) accommodates up to 1,500 conscripts and 2,000 professionals as privates/sergeants, plus an unknown number of officers; the planned completion date for construction work was 29 April 2016. See AllTenders, ‘Tender: Vypolnenie proektno-izyskatelskikh rabot po pervomu i vtoromu etapam i stroitelno-montazhnykh rabot pervogo etapa po objektu “Kapitalnoe stroitelstvo objektov voennogo gorodka” [Tender: Design and Survey Work on the First and Second Stages of Construction and Installation Works of the First Phase of the Objects of Capital Construction of a Military Camp]’, <www.alltenders.ru/tender_podrob_new.asp?KodTendera=12963611>, accessed 21 March 2017. In practice internal finishing of buildings was still underway in mid-November 2016.

24 Currently in the structure of the 27^th CBRN Brigade, assigned to the 20^th Combined Arms Army as its CBRN unit.

25 Anton Valagin, ‘Pervymi ‘Armatu’ poluchat tankisty Voronezha i Podmoskovjya [Tankmen in Voronezh and Moscow Regions Will be First to Receive Armata Tanks]’, Rossiyskaya Gazeta [Russian Gazette], 29 July 2015, <http://www.rg.ru/2015/07/29/armata-site-anons.html>, accessed 21 March 2017.

26 Vzglyad [Look], ‘Istochnik: Divizii 1-y tankovoy i 20-y armiy budut imet po shest polkov [Source: Divisions of the 1^st Tank and 20^th Armies Will Have Six Regiments in their Structure]’, 1 April 2016, <http://vz.ru/news/2016/4/1/802954.html>, accessed 21 March 2017.

27 Harold Brown, Department of Defense Annual Report: Fiscal Year 1981, (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office), pp. 99–100.

28 For further discussion of the ‘aura of power’ phenomenon and its implications for Russian policy, see Igor Sutyagin, ‘Driving Forces in Russia's Strategic Thinking’, in Janne Haaland Matlary and Tormod Heier (eds), Ukraine and Beyond: Russia's Strategic Security Challenge to Europe (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016), pp. 85–100.

29 Establishment of the 345^th Guards Air-Assault Brigade was announced in 2013 to be completed by the end of 2016; this was delayed until 2017–18 and then until 2020.

30 The 2^nd and 16^th Detached Spetsnaz (special purpose) Brigades are directly subordinated to the 2^nd (Main Intelligence) Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff, but operate in the area of responsibility of the Western MD in the latter's interests. They are responsible for the western and southwestern sectors of the Western MD's operational area, respectively; one battalion of the 2^nd Spetsnaz Brigade is deployed on a rotational basis to the Northern Fleet's area to cover the reconnaissance/Spetsnaz tasks on the Russia–Finland border.

31 The divisional camps will be at the Kadamovskiy, Kuzminskiy and Millerovo training grounds. The 150^th Motor-Rifle Division's units will also be deployed in two other locations – in camps in the town of Millerovo and at the Kadamovskiy training range, all in Rostov province. Kadamovskiy is the major rear base of Russian troops operating in eastern Ukraine.

32 RIA56, ‘Kiev zanervnichal: Rossiya vossozdala 8 armiyu na yugo-zapade [Kiev Got Nervous: Russia Has Re-established the 8^th Army in the Southwest]’, 17 March 2017, <http://www.ria56.ru/posts/4956945695469546955469.htm>, accessed 21 March 2017.

33 Ibid.

34 Newsland, ‘VDV mogut razvernut desantno-shturmovoy polk v Krymu [Airborne Troops May Establish an Air-Assault Regiment in Crimea]’, 30 July 2015, <http://newsland.com/news/detail/id/1582597/>, accessed 21 March 2017. See Kherson tipichniy [Typical Kherson], ‘Rossiya perebrasyvaet shturmovikov v Severniy Krym – SNBO [Russia Relocating Assault Troops to the Northern Crimea – NSDC]’, 24 November 2015, <www.t.ks.ua/rossiya-perebrasyvet-shturmovikov-v-severnyy-krym-snbo>, accessed 21 March 2017.

35 Bogdanov, ‘Osinoe gnezdo [Wasps’ Nest]’.

36 !NFormer, ‘Voennaya infrastruktura Kryma – vse pod kontrolem! [Crimean Military Infrastructure – Everything is Under Control!]’, 4 September 2015, <ruinformer.com/page/voennaja-infrastruktura-kryma-vsjo-pod-kontrolem>, accessed 21 March 2017; Kherson tipichniy [Typical Kherson], ‘Rossiya perebrasyvaet shturmovikov v Severniy Krym – SNBO [Russia Relocating Assault Troops to Northern Crimea – NSDC]’.

37 One or two tank brigades, one or two additional brigades of marines, and so forth.

38 Mikhailov, ‘V rossiyskom Voenno-morskom flote poyavilsya “pribrezhniy spetsnaz” [Coastal Spetsnaz Established in the Russian Navy]’.

39 Alexander Vasilyev, ‘My pritormazhivaem protsess ekspansii na Ukrainu [We are Slowing Down the Process of Expansion to Ukraine]’, Lenta.ru, 14 October 2015, <http://lenta.ru/articles/2015/10/14/khodakovski/>, accessed 12 January 2016.

40 Ibid.

41 Seabreeze, ‘Raskryty imena ofitserov vooryzhennykh sil Rossiyskoy Federatsii – koordinatorov DNR i LNR [The Names of the Russian Federation Armed Forces’ Officers Coordinating DNR and LNR are Disclosed]’, 27 April 2015, <http://seabreeze.org.ua/raskryityi-imena-ofitserov-vooruzhyonnyih-sil-rossiyskoy-federatsii-koordinatorov-dnr-i-lnr/>, accessed 12 January 2016; Gulyay Pole [Gulyay Pole], ‘Rossiya ispolzuet na Donbasse model fashistskoy Germanii – Waffen SS [Russia Uses Nazi Germany's Waffen SS Model for Donbass]’, 30 August 2015, <http://politua.su/2015/08/30/3984/>, accessed 12 January 2016; Informatsioonoe Soprotivlenie [Informational Resistance], ‘Svodka IS: rossiyskie kuratory proveryat «2-y armeyskiy korpus LNR» [The IC Report: Russian Military Curators Check the “2^nd Army Corps of the LNR”]’, 4 November 2015, <http://sprotyv.info/ru/news/kiev/svodka-rossiyskie-kuratory-proveryat-2-y-armeyskiy-korpus-lnr>, accessed 12 January 2016; Liga.Novosti, ‘Identifitsirovan esche odin ofitser RF, komanduyuschiy boevikami – GRU [Another Russian Federation Officer, the Commander of Rebels, Identified – Main Intelligence Directorate]’, 7 January 2016, <http://news.liga.net/news/politics/8214038-identifitsirovan_eshche_odin_ofitser_rf_komanduyushchiy_boevikami_gur.htm?utm_source=bigmir&utm_medium=blocknovostei&utm_campaign=informer>, accessed 12 January 2016.

42 Khvylya [Wave], ‘V “DNR” i “LNR” pomenyalos voennoe rukovodstvo – razvedka [Military Commanders of the “DNR” and “LNR” Have Been Changed – Intelligence]’, 24 November 2015, <http://hvylya.net/news/digest/v-dnr-i-lnr-pomenyalos-voennoe-rukovodstvo-razvedka.html>, accessed 12 January 2016.

43 Novosti Donetskoy Respubliki [Donetsk Republic News], ‘Forma upravleniya voyskami v DNR izmenena na operativnoe komandovanie [Command and Control of the DNR Troops Changed to Operational Command]’, 3 May 2016, <dnr-news.com/dnr/32301-forma-upravleniya-voyskami-v-dnr-izmenena-na-operativnoe-komandovanie.html>, accessed 21 March 2017.

44 Espreso, ‘Polnaya rasshifrovka dopsosa SBU rossiyskogo ofitsera, zaderzhannogo na Donbasse [Full Transcript of the Interrogation of Russian Officer Taken Prisoner in Donbass by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU)]’, 29 July 2015, <http://ru.espreso.tv/article/2015/07/29/polnaya_rasshyfrovka_doprosa_sbu_rossyyskogo_ofycera__zaderzhannogo_na_donbasse>, accessed 12 January 2016.

45 President of Russia, ‘Presidentu Rossii predstavlen plan oborony Rossiyskoy Federatsii [Russian Federation Defense Plan Presented to President of Russia]’, 29 January 2013, <http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/17385>, accessed 12 January 2016.

46 The Southern MD's press service, ‘V Yuzhnom voennom okruge naznachen komanduyuschiy 12-go komandovaniya reserva [Commander of the 12^th Reserves Command Appointed in the Southern Military District]’, in Armyman.Info, 25 July 2014, <http://armyman.info/novosti/29646-v-yuzhnom-voennom-okruge-naznachen-komanduyuschiy.html>, accessed 12 January 2016; Alexander Pasmurtsev, ‘Tankist v tretjem pokolenii [Third-Generation Tankmen]’, Krasnaya zvezda [Red Star], 22 August 2014, <http://www.redstar.ru/index.php/syria/item/18128-tankist-v-tretem-pokolenii?tmpl=component&print=1>, accessed 12 January 2016; Interfax-AVN, ‘V Rossii na strategicheskikh napravleniyakh sozdayutsya komandovaniya rezerva [Commands of Reserves Established in Russia on the Strategic Axis]', 20 January 2015, <http://www.militarynews.ru/Story.asp?rid=1&nid=363477>, accessed 12 January 2016.

47 Gordon.ua, ‘Ukrainskie razvedchiki identifitsirovali polkovnika is Tuly, commanduyuschego boevikami “DNR” v Novoazovske [Ukrainian Intelligence Services Have Identified the Russian Colonel from Tula as the Commander of the “DNR” Rebels in Novoazovsk]’, 7 January 2016, <gordonua.com/news/war/Ukrainskie-razvedchiki-identificirovali-polkovnika-iz-Tuly-komanduyushchego-boevikami-DNR-v-Novoazovske-114411.html?utm_source=bigmir.net&utm_medium=informer&utm_campaign=gordon_on_bigmir#>, accessed 12 January 2016.

48 Khvylya [Wave], ‘V “DNR” i “LNR” pomenyalos voennoe rukovodstvo - razvedka [Military Commanders of the “DNR” and “LNR” Have Been Changed – Intelligence]’.

49 For more detailed discussions on Russian incorporation of information warfare into military operations, see authors’ other publications, for example Igor Sutyagin, ‘Russian Forces in Ukraine’, RUSI Briefing Paper, March 2015.

50 For the DNR, the sources, if not stated otherwise, are: Garmata, ‘Sostav i struktura terroristicheskoy armii DNR/LNR [Composition and Structure of the DNR/LNR's Terrorist Army]’, 21 March 2015, <http://garmata.org/razvedka/info/item/321>, accessed 12 January 2016; LiveJournal, ‘Noviy oblik VSN (uslovno, 2-e pereformirovanie) v zimney kampanii 2015 goda, na osnove fotosvidetelstv [The New Face of the VSN (Relatively Speaking, the 2^nd Reorganisation) in the 2015 Winter Campaign, Based on Visual Evidence]’, 26 February 2016, <http://ce48.livejournal.com/3073.html>, accessed 12 January 2016.

51 Anna Gromova, ‘Zdes net mesta nesoglasnym [There is No Place For Dissenters Here]’, Rosbalt News Agency, 12 January 2016, <http://www.rosbalt.ru/exussr/2016/01/12/1478772.html>, accessed 14 January 2016.

52 Ibid.

53 Gordon.ua, ‘Ukrainskie razvedchiki identifitsirovali polkovnika is Tuly, commanduyuschego boevikami “DNR” v Novoazovske [Ukrainian Intelligence Services Have Identified the Russian Colonel from Tula as the Commander of the “DNR” Rebels in Novoazovsk]’.

54 For the composition of the LNR 2^nd Army Corps, the source, if not stated otherwise, is Livejournal, ‘Istoriya armii LNR [History of the LNR Army]’, 7 April 2015, <http://yadocent.livejournal.com/697892.html>, accessed 12 January 2016.

55 StopTerror, ‘Svodniy spisok nezakonnykh vooruzhennykh formirovaniy na okkupirovannoy territorii Luganskoy oblasti [Summary of Illegal Armed Groups in the Occupied Territory of Luhansk Province]’, 12 January 2016, <https://stopterror.in.ua/info/2016/01/svodnyj-spisok-nezakonnyh-vooruzhennyh-formirovanij-na-okkupirovannoj-territorii-luganskoj-oblasti/>, accessed 12 January 2016.

56 StopTerror, ‘Otdelnaya mechanizirovannaya brigada osobogo naznacheniya «Odessa» [The “Odessa” Special Purpose Mechanised Brigade]’, 28 November 2015, <https://stopterror.in.ua/info/2015/11/otdelnaya-mehanizirovannaya-brigada-osobogo-naznacheniya-odessa/>, accessed 12 January 2016.

57 Gulyay Pole, ‘Rossiya ispolzuet na Donbasse model fashistskoy Germanii – Waffen SS [Russia Uses Nazi Germany's Waffen SS Model for Donbass]’.

58 While not formally in the composition of the Southern MD, PMCs are discussed here in the interest of consistency as they participate in the operations centrally controlled and executed according to the plans of the Russian military command, including those of the Southern MD.

59 StopTerror, ‘Chastnye Voennye Kompanii Rossii na Donbasse [Russian Private Military Companies in Donbass]’, 18 January 2016, <https://stopterror.in.ua/info/2016/01/chastnye-voennye-kompanii-rossii-na-donbasse/>, accessed 19 January 2016.

60 Sergey Gulyaev, ‘Donbass. Gryaz i krov «bratskoy voyny» [Donbass. Mud and Blood of “Fratricide War”]’, Rosbalt, 19 January 2016, <http://www.rosbalt.ru/exussr/2016/01/19/1481267.html>, accessed 19 January 2016; Gromova, ‘Zdes net mesta nesoglasnym [There is No Place For Dissenters Here]’.

61 Ibid.

62 Sputnik International, ‘Russia May Consider Establishing Private Military Companies’, 13 April 2012, <http://sputniknews.com/analysis/20120413/172789099.html>, accessed 12 January 2016. Emphasis added.

63 Reid Standish, ‘Captured Russian Special Forces Soldier Describes His Unit Fighting in Eastern Ukraine’, Foreign Policy, 18 May 2015, <http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/05/18/captured-russian-special-forces-soldier-describes-his-unit-fighting-in-eastern-ukraine/>, accessed 18 May 2017.

64 Newsli.ru, ‘Molniya! Rossiaya srochno razvorachivaet 58-yu armiyu. Ukraina i Turtsiya gotovyat provokatsiyu [Flash! Russia Urgently Deploys the 58^th Army. Ukraine and Turkey are Preparing for Conflict]’, 29 November 2015, <http://www.newsli.ru/news/world/politika/18807?utm_campaign=transit&utm_source=mirtesen&utm_medium=news&from=mirtesen>, accessed 12 January 2016; Political kaleidoscope, ‘SMI: tysyachi rossiyskikh voennykh razvertyvayutsya na armyano-turetskoy granitse [Media: Thousands of Russian Troops are being Deployed to the Armenian–Turkish Border]’, 29 November 2015, <http://k-politika.ru/smi-tysyachi-rossijskix-voennyx-razvyortyvayutsya-na-armyano-tureckoj-granice/>, accessed 12 January 2016; News2.ru, ‘Na turetsko-armyanskoy granitse razvernuta 58-ya rossiyskaya armiya – bolee 7000 voennosluzhaschikh [The Russian 58^th Army is Deployed on the Armenian–Turkish Border – More than 7,000 Troops]’, 30 November 2015, <http://news2.ru/story/477736/>, accessed 12 January 2016.

65 Minval.az, ‘V Armenii usilivaetsya strakh pered Turtsiey – zakulisje vnezapnoy suety vraga [Fear of Turkey Intensifies in Armenia – Behind the Scenes of the Enemy's Sudden Activity]’, 18 January 2016, <http://minval.az/news/123536729>, accessed 21 January 2016.

66 Jennifer Griffin and Lucas Tomlinson, ‘Russians Survey New Airbase on Syria–Turkey Border, US Officials Concerned’, Fox News, 21 January 2016.

67 The base, expanded to division size, was reduced back to brigade size less than a year later.

68 SKFO News, ‘V Chechne budet vossozdana legendarnaya 42-ya motostrelkovaya diviziya [Legendary 42^nd Motor-Rifle Division to be Re-established in Chechnya]', 30 September 2016, <http://skfonews.info/news/6462>, accessed 23 October 2016.

69 There are contradicting ideas on the fate of the 15^th Guards. On the one hand, it was permanently located in Samara (Central MD) and its presence there was confirmed by local publications as late as September 2016. However, General Major Andrey Gurulev, the 58^th OA Commander, reported about the 15^th Guards as one of the 58^th OA's formations participating in the Southern MD's exercises in February 2016. The authors lean towards the conclusion that the 15^th Guards are still permanently deployed in the Central MD. Russian President, ‘Doklad Ministerstva oborony o khode ucheniy v Yuzhnom voennon okruge [Ministry of Defence Report on the Progress of Exercises in the Southern Military District]’, 1 February 2016, <http://special.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/51300>, accessed 12 August.

70 Ibid.

71 Vladimir Mukhin, ‘Rossiya gotovit voennye bazy dlya zaschity Arktiki [Russia Prepares Military Bases to Defend the Arctic]’, Nezavisimaya Gazeta [Independent Gazette], 17 October 2013, <http://www.ng.ru/armies/2013-10-17/1_arctica.html>, accessed 25 October 2016.

72 Ibid.

73 Aleksandr Emeljyanenkov, ‘Minoborony sozdaet strategicheskoe komandovanie “Sever” [Ministry of Defence Establishes Strategic Command in the “North”]’, Rossiyskaya Gazeta [Russian Gazette], 10 September 2014, <https://rg.ru/2014/09/10/sever-site.html>, accessed 24 October 2016.

74 Murmansk and Arkhangelsk provinces, Nenets Autonomous province, Karelia, and Komi. The Northern Fleet is the peacetime structure that will be raised to OSC status in the event of hostility.

75 Russian Ministry of Defence, ‘Military District’, <eng.mil.ru/en/index.htm>, accessed 24 October 2016.

76 Ivan Petrov, ‘Kurs na Arktiku [Heading for the Arctic]’, Rossiyskaya Gazeta [Russian Gazette], 26 November 2014, <http://www.rg.ru/2014/11/26/flot-site.html>, accessed 12 January 2016.

77 TASS, ‘Dlya arkticheskoy gruppirovki voysk RF sformiruyut dve motostrelkovye brigady [Two Motor-Rifle Brigades Will be Established for the Russian Troops’ Arctic Grouping]’, 1 October 2014, <http://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/1478121>, accessed 12 January 2016.

78 Pravda-TV, ‘Arkticheskiy trilistnik ili chto stroyat rossiyskie voennye v Arktike [Arctic Trefoil or What the Russian Military Are Building in the Arctic]’, 3 May 2015, <http://www.pravda-tv.ru/2016/05/03/227282/arkticheskij-trilistnik-ili-chto-stroyat-rossijskie-voennye-v-arktike>, accessed 25 October 2016.

79 Ibid.; TASS, ‘Spetsstroy sdal v ekspluatatsiyu v Arktike tretiy voennyy gorodok [Special Construction Trust has Delivered the Third Arctic Military City]’, 3 December 2014, <http://tass.ru/spb-news/1620782>, accessed 25 October 2016.

80 Lenta.ru [Tape.ru], ‘Rossiyskie voennye poluchili gorodok v 900 kilometrakh ot Severnogo polyusa [Russian Military has Received Town 900 Kilometres from North Pole]’, 3 December 2014, <http://lenta.ru/news/2014/12/03/polar/>, accessed 12 August 2016.

81 TASS, ‘Dlya arkticheskoy gruppirovki voysk RF sformiruyut dve motostrelkovye brigady’ [Two Motor-Rifle Brigades will be Established for the Russian Troops’ Arctic Grouping]’.

82 Ibid.

83 Argumenty i fakty [Arguments and Facts], ‘Massovuyu vysadku desantnikov vpervye v istorii RF proveli v Arktike [Massive Paradrop in the Arctic Carried Out for the First Time in the Russian Federation's History]’, 14 March 2014, <http://www.aif.ru/society/army/1124149>, accessed 12 January 2016.

84 Aleksey Ramm, ‘V Rossii sformiruyut chasti beregovoy oborony [Coastal Defence Units will be Established in Russia]’, Izvestiya, 16 January 2017, <http://izvestia.ru/news/656353>, accessed 21 March 2017.

85 Dmitriy Evstafjev, ‘”Kamchatskaya lodzhiya“ ostanovit NATO [“Kamchatka Loggia” Will Stop NATO]’, Izvestiya, 11 July 2016, <http://izvestia.ru/news/621607>, accessed 25 October 2016.

86 Aleksey Volynets, ‘Atomnaya bomba dlya Chukotki [Atomic Bomb for Chukotka]’, DV.land, 31 July 2016, <http://dv.land/history/atomnaya-bomba-dlya-chukotki>, accessed 25 October 2016.

87 Ramm, ‘V Rossii sformiruyut chasti beregovoy oborony’ [Coastal Defence Units will be Established in Russia]’.

88 Electronic tender for contract to maintain four Ministry of Defence camps in the Arctic zone (Kotelny Island, Aleksandra Land, Wrangel Island, Cape Shmidt) in 2016–17, <http://zakupki.gov.ru/epz/order/notice/printForm/view.html?regNumber=0173100004516001879>, accessed 25 October 2016.

89 Kasparov.ru, ‘Rogozin: programmy v Arktike v blizhayshie 5 let potrebuyut 222 milliarda rubley [Rogozin: The Arctic Programmes Require 222 Billion Roubles for the Next 5 Years]’, 14 April 2015, <http://www.kasparov.ru/material.php?id=552D043153298>, accessed 25 October 2016.