110th Separate Special Motorized Internal Troops Brigade
Unit Identification and Current Status
The 110th Separate Special Motorized Internal Troops Brigade is identified with military unit number 5556 and is headquartered in St. Petersburg. These designations originate from the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (VV MVD). Following the establishment of the National Guard of the Russian Federation (Rosgvardiya) by presidential decree on 5 April 2016 and the subsequent Federal Law No. 226-FZ of 3 July 2016, Internal Troops formations, including special motorized units, were transferred into the National Guard Troops. In official and open-source usage, the legacy nomenclature and military unit numbers (v/ch) continue to identify these formations administratively and in public records.
Headquarters Site
Headquarters location: St. Petersburg, Kurlyandskaya Street 27. This urban garrison address is associated with the brigade’s command and administrative functions. Typical facilities at such headquarters include command staff offices, personnel barracks, a motor pool/vehicle park, logistics warehouses, communications nodes, and training areas suitable for drill and small-unit instruction. Detailed internal layouts, access control measures, and specific security infrastructure at this address are not publicly disclosed.
Subordinate Elements and Unit Numbers
The brigade’s reported structure includes: the 2nd Special Motorized Internal Troops Regiment (military unit 5402); the 406th Separate Special Motorized Internal Troops Battalion (military unit 2659); the 418th Separate Special Motorized Internal Troops Battalion (military unit 5491); the 421st Separate Special Motorized Internal Troops Battalion (military unit 6718); the 422nd Separate Special Motorized Internal Troops Battalion (military unit 5547); and the 28th Separate Special Purpose Detachment "Ratnik" (military unit 6832). These titles and v/ch identifiers are consistent with the long-standing administrative numbering scheme used for Internal Troops/Rosgvardiya formations.
Missions and Legal Framework
Under Federal Law No. 226-FZ (3 July 2016), the National Guard Troops are tasked with: assisting in the protection of public order and public safety; participating in territorial defense and in counterterrorism and counterextremism activities; protecting important state facilities and special cargo; supporting border protection; and cooperating with law-enforcement bodies during emergencies and special operations. Special motorized units are organized for rapid deployment in urban and suburban environments to support these missions, including crowd and riot control, convoy escort, facility protection, and reinforcement of police operations.
Command Relationships
Rosgvardiya organizes its forces by regional troop districts. As a St. Petersburg–based formation, the brigade aligns with the Northwestern District of the National Guard Troops. In routine operations, such units coordinate closely with the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ regional directorates and other federal services, as stipulated by the National Guard law and interagency agreements. The brigade’s special-purpose detachment is part of the Rosgvardiya special forces structure and can be tasked at the district or higher level for specialized missions.
Typical Personnel Strengths and Composition
Exact personnel figures for the listed units are not publicly released. Historically, Internal Troops/Rosgvardiya special motorized battalions often field several hundred personnel (commonly in the 400–600 range), while special motorized regiments may number in the low thousands, and brigades aggregate multiple battalions/regiments with supporting companies and battalions (engineer, signals, medical, logistics). Special purpose detachments generally comprise a few hundred operators organized into assault, reconnaissance, and support elements. Actual strengths vary by period, funding, mission load, and current mobilization or augmentation status.
Equipment and Mobility (Formation Type)
Special motorized formations in Rosgvardiya typically employ wheeled armored personnel carriers from the BTR-80 series (including BTR-80/82 variants) and light armored vehicles such as the GAZ Tigr (VPK-23314), supported by Ural and KamAZ family trucks, buses, and utility vehicles. Units maintain small arms common to Russian security forces (e.g., AK-74M series; selected elements may field updated rifles such as AK-12; PKM/Pecheneg machine guns; SVD designated marksman rifles), non-lethal crowd-control equipment, and standard communications and engineering kits. The exact table of organization and equipment (TO&E) for v/ch 5556 and its listed subordinate units is not publicly available.
Site and Infrastructure Capabilities
Brigade- and regiment-level garrisons generally include motor pools with maintenance bays, POL (petroleum, oil, and lubricants) storage, armories, quartermaster warehouses, and medical and training facilities, enabling sustained urban security operations and short-notice deployments. Due to space constraints typical of central-city sites, heavy field training and live-fire activities are usually conducted at external ranges and training areas, while the garrison supports administration, readiness, and staging. Specific infrastructure details for each listed unit’s garrison beyond the provided headquarters address are not publicly documented in open sources.
28th Separate Special Purpose Detachment "Ratnik" (v/ch 6832)
The 28th Separate Special Purpose Detachment (OSN-28), codenamed "Ratnik," is a special operations element within the Rosgvardiya force structure. Such detachments train for high-risk tasks including direct-action support to counterterrorism operations, high-value target apprehension, building entry and breaching, and reinforced security of sensitive facilities and special cargo. They typically maintain enhanced marksmanship, tactical medicine, EOD support from attached specialists, and advanced communications. Precise manpower, training locations, and equipment holdings for OSN-28 remain undisclosed in public sources.
Operational Activities Context (2016–2025)
Since the 2016 transition to Rosgvardiya, special motorized units and special purpose detachments have been active in public order duties across the Russian Federation and in counterterrorism operations under legal mandates. Open sources have documented National Guard Troops’ participation in security operations and facility protection in multiple regions. However, unit-specific operational timelines, deployments, or combat tasking for the 110th Brigade and its enumerated subunits are not publicly confirmed in authoritative sources.
Administrative Traceability of Military Unit Numbers
Military unit numbers (v/ch) such as 5556, 5402, 2659, 5491, 6718, 5547, and 6832 are used in Russian administrative, legal, and procurement documentation to identify formations and their addresses. These identifiers commonly appear in public procurement notices, court records, and corporate registries for support enterprises, enabling open-source confirmation of a unit’s existence and, in some cases, its garrison locality. Detailed operational data, personnel rosters, and secure facility schematics are not published and are considered sensitive.
Security and Information Gaps
Specific details such as current exact manning levels, full equipment inventories by unit, internal security measures, detailed floor plans, guard rotations, and any classified operational tasking are not publicly available. Where this analysis references typical structures, roles, or equipment, it reflects established patterns for Internal Troops/Rosgvardiya special motorized formations and special purpose detachments, not unit-specific classified data. Assertions beyond the provided headquarters address and enumerated unit identifiers would require access to restricted information, which is not available in open sources.