102nd Military Base
Site Overview and Legal Framework
The 102nd Military Base (military unit 04436) is a permanent Russian garrison headquartered in Gyumri, Armenia. It operates under the Russia–Armenia Agreement on the status and conditions for the deployment of the Russian military base signed on 16 March 1995, with a protocol signed in August 2010 extending basing rights until 2044 and tasking the base with contributing to Armenia’s security. The formation belongs to Russia’s Southern Military District and comprises ground forces in Gyumri, an air-defense regiment, and an aviation component at Erebuni Air Base in Yerevan.
Location Analysis
The main garrison in Gyumri (Shirak Province) lies close to the Armenia–Turkey border, approximately 10–15 km east of the frontier, enabling coverage of northwestern Armenia and border-adjacent terrain. The aviation element operates from Erebuni Air Base in Yerevan, roughly 120 km southeast of Gyumri, providing rapid air access over central and southern Armenia. Training activities are routinely conducted at Armenian ranges including Alagyaz (near Mount Aragats) and Kamkhud (Lori Province).
Command and Unit Structure
Command: Colonel Konstantin Gaponenko. Principal components include the 102nd Military Base headquarters (military unit 04436) at Gyumri; the 988th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 81594) equipped with S-300V4 and 9K37M1-2 Buk-M1-2 surface-to-air missile systems; and the 3624th Air Base (military unit 63530) located at Erebuni Air Base, Yerevan. The ground element fields combined-arms capabilities, while the regiment and air base provide air-defense and aviation support.
Ground Forces Equipment and Capabilities
Reported equipment holdings at the 102nd Military Base include T-72B main battle tanks; BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles; BM-21 Grad 122 mm multiple-launch rocket systems; 2S5 Giatsint-S 152 mm self-propelled guns; 2S1 Gvozdika 122 mm self-propelled howitzers; and BTR-70/80 armored personnel carriers. These assets enable combined-arms maneuver and fires: the T-72B mounts a 125 mm smoothbore gun; the BMP-2 combines a 30 mm cannon with anti-tank guided missile capability; the BM-21 provides area fires to roughly 20–40 km depending on rocket type; the 2S5 typically engages to approximately 28–33 km (longer with specialized ammunition); and the 2S1 to roughly 15–21 km with extended-range rounds.
Air Defense Units and Capabilities
The 988th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment fields S-300V4 long-range and 9K37M1-2 Buk-M1-2 medium-range SAM systems, providing layered air-defense coverage. The S-300V4 is designed to engage aircraft, cruise missiles, and certain ballistic targets; reported maximum engagement ranges can reach up to 300–400 km when employing the longest-range missiles (e.g., 9M82MD class), with engagement altitudes in the tens of kilometers. The Buk-M1-2, employing the 9M317 missile, provides medium-range coverage with engagements out to approximately 42–45 km and altitudes up to around 25 km. These systems support area defense of key facilities and approach corridors in Armenia.
Aviation Assets and Roles
The 3624th Air Base (military unit 63530) at Erebuni operates Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft for air-defense and support tasks. Reported holdings include 9 MiG-29, 1 MiG-29A, 1 MiG-29S, and 2 MiG-29UB fighters/trainers; 4 Mi-24P attack helicopters; 5 Mi-8 utility helicopters; 2 Mi-8MTPR-1 electronic warfare helicopters; and 1 Mi-8MSV command/communications variant. The MiG-29 family supports air policing and interception (with the MiG-29S variant capable of employing active-radar air-to-air missiles), the Mi-24P provides armed rotary-wing support with a fixed twin-barrel 30 mm cannon, the Mi-8MTPR-1 carries the Richag-AV electronic jamming system intended to degrade adversary radar and air-defense sensors, and the Mi-8MSV provides airborne command-and-control and communications.
Regional Air Defense Integration
Russian air-defense and aviation forces in Armenia are employed in coordination with Armenia under the Joint Regional Air Defense System in the Caucasus direction, established by a bilateral agreement signed in December 2015 and subsequently ratified. Within this framework, the 988th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment and the 3624th Air Base contribute to airspace surveillance, interception, and missile-defense tasks alongside Armenian air-defense assets.
Infrastructure and Training Areas
The Gyumri garrison comprises cantonments, motor pools, maintenance and storage facilities, and unit-level training infrastructure. Erebuni Air Base is a military airfield in Yerevan suitable for fighter and rotary-wing operations, with support facilities for aircraft maintenance, fuel, and ordnance handling. Ground units from the 102nd conduct live-fire and field exercises at Armenian ranges including Alagyaz and Kamkhud, supporting mechanized maneuver, artillery, and air-defense training.
Logistics and Lines of Communication
Sustainment of the 102nd Military Base relies on land and air lines of communication. Due to closed borders between Armenia and Turkey/Azerbaijan, overland movement from Russia typically transits Georgia via the Verkhniy Lars–Kazbegi crossing and then enters Armenia through the Sadakhlo–Bagratashen checkpoint. Airlift is conducted via military flights to Erebuni Air Base and, when necessary, through nearby civilian infrastructure in Yerevan. Within Armenia, the base uses national rail and road networks to move personnel and materiel between Gyumri, Yerevan, and training areas.
Administrative Identifiers
Identified units and designations are: 102nd Military Base (military unit 04436; headquarters in Gyumri); 988th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 81594; S-300V4 and Buk-M1-2); and 3624th Air Base (military unit 63530; Erebuni Air Base, Yerevan). Reported commander: Colonel Konstantin Gaponenko. The 102nd Military Base headquarters is military unit 04436.
Information Gaps and Caveats
Exact personnel strength, detailed readiness status, precise equipment counts by sub-variant, radar site coordinates, and alert postures are not comprehensively disclosed publicly. Reported equipment holdings and aircraft inventories can change due to rotations, maintenance, and modernization. Any classified details—such as command-and-control network configurations, cryptographic procedures, or operational plans—are not publicly available and are therefore not included.