144th Guards Motor Rifle Division
Division Overview and Alignment
The 144th Guards Motor Rifle Division (GMRD) is a formation subordinated to the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army within Russia’s Western Military District. The division was re-established in 2016 and is publicly associated with headquarters at Yelnya, Smolensk Oblast, with open sources attributing military unit 61423 to the divisional HQ. Reported subordinate elements include the 254th Motor Rifle Regiment (military unit 91704), the 488th Motor Rifle Regiment (military unit 12721), the 59th Guards Tank Regiment (military unit 94018), the 856th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (military unit 23857), the 295th Engineer-Sapper Battalion (military unit 84130), the 1032nd Separate Logistics Battalion (military unit 14370), and the 148th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion (military unit 23872). An additional motor rifle regiment, the 283rd, is referenced in some open reporting, but official confirmation of its unit number and status is limited.
Location Analysis: Smolensk and Yelnya
The division’s principal garrisoning is reported in Smolensk Oblast, with Yelnya serving as a key base and training area. Smolensk is a major rail and road hub on the Moscow–Minsk corridor (M1/E30), facilitating strategic mobility for heavy equipment. Yelnya, located southeast of Smolensk, has an established training area and vehicle parks that have hosted large-scale force assemblies. Publicly available satellite imagery and media reporting documented build-ups in and around Yelnya in late 2021, prior to the expansion of Russia’s operations in Ukraine in February 2022. The region’s transportation infrastructure—mainline rail, regional roads, and proximity to the Belarusian frontier—supports rapid staging and onward movement.
Order of Battle and Unit Identifiers
Public reporting attributes the following unit designations within the division: 254th Motor Rifle Regiment (military unit 91704) with T-72BA tanks, BTR-82A APCs, 2A65 Msta-B towed howitzers, and BM-21 Grad MLRS; 488th Motor Rifle Regiment (military unit 12721) with T-72B3 tanks, BMP-2 IFVs, and 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers; 59th Guards Tank Regiment (military unit 94018); 856th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (military unit 23857) with 2S19 Msta-S/2S19M2 Msta-SM and 9K51M Tornado-G; 295th Engineer-Sapper Battalion (military unit 84130); 1032nd Separate Logistics Battalion (military unit 14370); and 148th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion (military unit 23872). The 283rd Motor Rifle Regiment is sometimes listed with military unit 83590, but this attribution remains weakly sourced in official channels.
254th Motor Rifle Regiment Profile
The 254th Motor Rifle Regiment (military unit 91704) is reported to operate T-72BA main battle tanks, BTR-82A 8×8 armored personnel carriers, 2A65 Msta-B 152 mm towed howitzers, and BM-21 Grad 122 mm multiple rocket launchers. The T-72BA is an upgraded T-72B with improved fire control and ERA; the BTR-82A mounts a 30 mm 2A72 cannon and is amphibious; the 2A65 Msta-B offers approximately 24–28.5 km range depending on ammunition; and the BM-21 Grad (40-tube, 122 mm) fires rockets with ranges typically between ~20 and 40 km depending on the rocket type. The regiment’s exact current manning levels and sub-battalion compositions are not publicly disclosed.
488th Motor Rifle Regiment Profile
The 488th Motor Rifle Regiment (military unit 12721) is reported with T-72B3 main battle tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, and 2S1 Gvozdika 122 mm self-propelled howitzers. The T-72B3 upgrade adds the Sosna-U gunner’s sight, improved fire control, and typically the 2A46M-5 125 mm gun; the BMP-2 carries a 30 mm 2A42 cannon and can employ anti-tank guided missiles (e.g., 9M113 Konkurs from the launcher on many variants); and the 2S1 provides indirect fire support to approximately 15.3 km with standard ammunition. As with other regiments, detailed current subunit dispositions are not officially published.
283rd Motor Rifle Regiment Status
References to a 283rd Motor Rifle Regiment (sometimes linked to military unit 83590) appear in open sources, typically as part of the 144th Division’s intended three-regiment motor rifle structure. However, there is limited official documentation confirming its permanent assignment, garrison, or equipment set. Where cited, the information should be treated as unverified unless corroborated by authoritative releases.
59th Guards Tank Regiment Profile
The 59th Guards Tank Regiment (military unit 94018) is the divisional tank regiment. Public sources identify it as equipped with T-72-series main battle tanks; specific variant mixes (e.g., T-72B3 vs. T-72B3M) have not been consistently published. A Russian tank regiment typically fields multiple tank battalions and supporting elements (motor rifle, artillery, air defense, engineer, and logistics), but exact current organization and equipment counts for the 59th are not officially disclosed.
856th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment Capabilities
The 856th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (military unit 23857) is reported to operate 2S19 Msta-S (and the 2S19M2 Msta-SM upgrade) 152 mm self-propelled howitzers and 9K51M Tornado-G 122 mm MLRS. The 2S19 family provides rates of fire suitable for massed fires and ranges commonly cited at ~24–29 km with standard/base-bleed projectiles, with extended ranges depending on ammunition. The Tornado-G is a digitalized successor to the BM-21 Grad, retaining a 40-tube 122 mm launcher with improved fire-control and extended-range munitions (up to around 40 km, depending on rocket type). Exact battery counts and ammunition holdings are not publicly available.
Combat Support and Service Support Elements
The 295th Engineer-Sapper Battalion (military unit 84130) provides mobility, countermobility, and survivability support, including breaching, mine warfare, and field fortifications. The 1032nd Separate Logistics Battalion (military unit 14370) supports transport, supply (fuel, ammunition, rations), maintenance, and medical evacuation at divisional level. The 148th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion (military unit 23872) conducts reconnaissance and target acquisition; Russian reconnaissance battalions typically employ a mix of ground scouts, reconnaissance vehicles, and small unmanned aerial systems, though specific inventories for this unit are not published.
Infrastructure and Training Areas
The Yelnya garrison area includes a training range, motor pools, and storage/maintenance parks suitable for armor and artillery. Smolensk’s rail infrastructure facilitates heavy-equipment loading and onward movement, and its logistics footprint supports the division’s sustainment. Public imagery and media documented temporary field camps, equipment parks, and tented accommodations at Yelnya during 2021–2022 buildups, indicating the site’s capacity to host sizable force concentrations and rotation cycles.
Mobility and Lines of Communication
Strategic mobility is supported by Smolensk’s position on the RZD mainline between Moscow and Belarus/Western Europe and by the M1/E30 trunk road. From these nodes, forces can move to regional railheads and road corridors serving Yelnya and other Smolensk Oblast sites. The availability of rail sidings for flatcars, heavy-equipment transporters, and staging yards is a key enabler for rapid deployments; however, detailed schedules, capacities, and exact loadout points for the division are not disclosed publicly.
Operational Employment Since 2022
Units attributed to the 144th Guards Motor Rifle Division have been publicly reported operating in the Russian invasion of Ukraine since early 2022. The Yelnya area served as a staging location ahead of the February 2022 escalation, as documented by commercial satellite imagery and media reports. Subsequent open-source reporting and visual documentation have linked elements of the division’s motor rifle and tank regiments to combat operations in Ukraine. Precise current dispositions, casualty figures, and equipment holdings by unit are not comprehensively available in official releases.
Command Information
Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov was publicly identified as a senior commander associated with the division in the past and later as Deputy Commander of Russia’s Southern Military District. He was reported killed on 11 July 2023 in Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine. Current officially confirmed command assignments for the 144th Guards Motor Rifle Division have not been comprehensively published in open sources following his death.
Data Reliability and Gaps
The unit designations and equipment sets above are derived from publicly available reporting and imagery-based assessments. Certain details—such as up-to-date manning, exact equipment counts by variant, precise garrison addresses, ammunition stocks, and full internal tables of organization and equipment—are not publicly released or are subject to wartime changes and operational security. Where specific attributions (e.g., the 283rd Motor Rifle Regiment and military unit 83590) lack authoritative confirmation, they are noted as unverified.