1st Guards Tank Army
Organizational Overview
The 1st Guards Tank Army (1st GTA) is an armored field army of the Russian Ground Forces subordinate to the Western Military District. Originally formed in 1942, it was withdrawn from Germany after 1991, disbanded in 1999, and re-established in the mid‑2010s; by 2016 it was operational. Its structure includes two Guards divisions (the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division and the 4th Guards Tank Division), the 27th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, and multiple army‑level enabling formations—missile/rocket, artillery, air defense, reconnaissance, command-and-control (C2), logistics (material‑technical support), and nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) protection units.
Headquarters and Command
Headquarters: Moscow Oblast, Odintsovo (Bakovka), military unit (v/ch) 73621. This location serves as the army’s central command node and administrative hub, integrating operational planning and communications for subordinate formations. Leadership: Open sources identify Lieutenant General Sergey Kisel as having commanded the 1st GTA up to May 2022, with multiple reports of his subsequent relief. Post‑2022 leadership is not consistently identified in publicly available sources; a definitive current commander cannot be stated from open data.
Order of Battle (Selected Units)
- 27th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade — military unit 61899 (reported equipment: T‑90A, BMP‑3, BTR‑82A, 2S3 Akatsiya) - 112th Guards Missile (Rocket) Brigade — military unit 03333 (9K720 Iskander‑M) - 288th Artillery Brigade — military unit 30683 (2A65 Msta‑B, BM‑27 Uragan, 9P149 Shturm‑S) - 96th Separate Reconnaissance Brigade — military unit 52634 - 49th Anti‑Aircraft Missile Brigade — military unit 21555 (9K37 Buk, 9K37M1‑2 Buk‑M1‑2) - 60th Command and Control Brigade — military units reported as 73621 and 76736 in open sources - 20th Separate NBC Protection Regiment — military unit 12102 - 69th Separate Material‑Technical Support Brigade — military unit 11385 Note: This is a selected list; the army also includes the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division and the 4th Guards Tank Division and additional support elements.
Headquarters Site Profile (Bakovka, Odintsovo, Moscow Oblast)
The Bakovka headquarters complex (v/ch 73621) serves as the 1st GTA’s primary garrison-level command post. It hosts the main staff, operations and intelligence directorates, and key communications nodes supporting the army’s automated C2 architecture. The site is closely tied to Western Military District command infrastructure in the Moscow region, enabling rapid staff coordination and mobilization processes for army-level deployments.
27th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (v/ch 61899) — Capabilities
Garrisoned in Mosrentgen (Moscow region), the brigade is a combined-arms formation with both infantry fighting vehicles and tanks. Reported equipment includes T‑90A main battle tanks; BMP‑3 infantry fighting vehicles (100 mm + 30 mm armament); BTR‑82A armored personnel carriers (30 mm cannon); and 2S3 Akatsiya 152 mm self‑propelled howitzers. Typical brigade components include motor rifle battalions, a tank battalion, an artillery group, reconnaissance, engineers, short‑range air defense, anti‑tank, electronic warfare, UAV elements, and organic logistics. Open-source reporting places the unit under the 1st GTA for Western‑direction operations and training.
112th Guards Missile (Rocket) Brigade (v/ch 03333) — Iskander‑M
The 112th Guards Missile Brigade is a 1st GTA operational‑tactical missile formation equipped with the 9K720 Iskander‑M system. Open sources place the brigade’s garrison in Shuya, Ivanovo Oblast. Iskander‑M employs road‑mobile launchers (9P78‑1) firing solid‑fuel ballistic missiles (9M723) with an officially stated range up to 500 km. Standard brigade structure in Russian Ground Forces typically includes two missile battalions with a total of 12 launchers, associated transloaders, command vehicles, and maintenance/support elements. Some brigades have also fielded ground‑launched cruise missiles within the Iskander family, but the presence of such missiles with the 112th Brigade is not confirmed in publicly available sources. Following the 2019 collapse of the INF Treaty, range‑related treaty constraints no longer apply.
288th Artillery Brigade (v/ch 30683) — Fires Support
Open sources associate the 288th Artillery Brigade with Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. Reported equipment reflects a general‑support and anti‑armor fires role: 2A65 Msta‑B 152 mm towed howitzers (typical maximum range approximately 24–29 km depending on ammunition); BM‑27 Uragan 220 mm multiple launch rocket systems (ranges to roughly 35 km with standard rockets); and 9P149 Shturm‑S anti‑tank guided missile carriers (launching 9M114 ATGMs). The brigade provides reinforcing fires, counter‑battery capability, and anti‑armor coverage for 1st GTA operations.
49th Anti‑Aircraft Missile Brigade (v/ch 21555) — Medium‑Range Air Defense
The 49th Anti‑Aircraft Missile Brigade is equipped with Buk family systems (9K37 Buk and 9K37M1‑2 Buk‑M1‑2). Open‑source locations place the brigade in the Western Military District, commonly associated with the Smolensk region. Buk‑M1 typically employs 9M38M1 missiles (engagement ranges up to ~35 km), while Buk‑M1‑2 can employ 9M317 missiles (engagement ranges up to ~45–50 km), guided by systems such as the 9S18M1 Kupol (Snow Drift) surveillance radar and associated fire-control radars. The brigade provides medium‑range, mobile air‑defense coverage for army-level formations.
96th Separate Reconnaissance Brigade (v/ch 52634) — ISR Role
The 96th Separate Reconnaissance Brigade provides intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) support to the 1st GTA. Open sources identify Colonel Valery Vdovichenko as a commander associated with this unit; current leadership cannot be independently confirmed post‑2022. Publicly available reporting variably places the brigade in the Western Military District without a consistently confirmed garrison after 2022. Typical reconnaissance brigade capabilities include human reconnaissance elements, ground surveillance radars, signals collection teams, and tactical UAV detachments (e.g., Orlan‑10), enabling target acquisition, route reconnaissance, and battle damage assessment for army-level operations.
60th Command and Control Brigade — Army‑Level C2
The 60th Command and Control Brigade provides the 1st GTA with deployable communications infrastructure and automated command‑and‑control. Open sources reference the brigade under military units 73621 and 76736; such dual listings can reflect sub‑elements, relocations, or administrative linkages. Typical capabilities include HF/VHF/UHF radio relay, satellite communications, secure digital networks, and mobile command posts (e.g., R‑149 family command‑staff vehicles), supporting continuity of command from fixed garrisons to field deployments.
20th Separate NBC Protection Regiment (v/ch 12102) — CBRN Support
The 20th Separate NBC Protection Regiment provides chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) detection, decontamination, and smoke/aerosol camouflage support to the 1st GTA. Typical equipment in such regiments includes decontamination vehicles (e.g., ARS‑14KM), aerosol smoke systems (e.g., TDA‑3), CBRN reconnaissance vehicles, and specialized laboratories. Russian NBC formations may also field flamethrower units within RChBZ troops; however, the specific presence of TOS‑1A heavy flamethrowers in this regiment is not confirmed in publicly available sources.
69th Separate Material‑Technical Support Brigade (v/ch 11385) — Logistics
The 69th Separate Material‑Technical Support (MTO) Brigade provides supply, transport, maintenance, recovery, and field services for the 1st GTA. Open sources associate the brigade with the Western Military District; some reporting places it in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (e.g., Dzerzhinsk). Typical MTO brigade components include automotive transport battalions, repair and recovery units, materiel depots, field bakeries, medical support, and (in some cases) field pipeline elements to sustain fuel distribution during operations.
Geographic Disposition and Infrastructure
The 1st GTA’s units are dispersed across the Moscow region and adjacent oblasts to the east and west. Key nodes identified in open sources include: HQ at Odintsovo (Bakovka, Moscow Oblast); the 27th Brigade at Mosrentgen (Moscow region); the 112th Guards Missile Brigade at Shuya (Ivanovo Oblast); the 288th Artillery Brigade at Mulino (Nizhny Novgorod Oblast); and the 49th Air‑Defense Brigade associated with the Smolensk region. This distribution provides ready access to major rail and road corridors in western Russia, facilitating rapid movement toward western strategic directions. Training and mobilization infrastructure in the Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod regions underpins readiness cycles.
Training and Exercises
1st GTA formations routinely use regional training areas and combined‑arms ranges. Open sources frequently reference the Alabino training ground (Moscow Oblast) for armor and mechanized gunnery, and the Mulino training complex (Nizhny Novgorod Oblast) for larger combined‑arms and fires activities. Elements of the army have been documented participating in major Western Military District exercises, including iterations of the Zapad series (e.g., 2017 and 2021), which emphasize joint maneuver, integration of fires, air‑defense coordination, and C2 interoperability across echelons.
Operational Employment Since 2022 (Open‑Source Summary)
Open‑source reporting indicates that elements of the 1st GTA participated in the Russian Federation’s 2022 full‑scale invasion of Ukraine, with subsequent reconstitution and rotation cycles noted across multiple 1st GTA formations. Media and government assessments in 2022–2024 describe significant attrition to Western Military District units, including 1st GTA elements, and the employment of Iskander‑M strikes by missile brigades operating within the theater. Precise current order of battle, losses, and deployment locations of specific subunits are not fully documented in publicly available sources and cannot be stated definitively.
Equipment Technical Notes (Selected Systems)
- T‑90A MBT: 125 mm smoothbore main gun, modernized fire control, explosive reactive armor; designed for improved survivability and engagement accuracy compared to earlier T‑72 variants. - BMP‑3 IFV: 100 mm gun/launcher (capable of HE‑FRAG and guided munitions) plus 30 mm autocannon and 7.62 mm MG; amphibious, with high firepower for infantry support. - BTR‑82A APC: 8×8 wheeled APC with 30 mm 2A72 autocannon; used for motorized infantry mobility and security tasks. - 2S3 Akatsiya: 152 mm self‑propelled howitzer; indirect fire support with standard ranges exceeding 17 km, depending on ammunition. - 2A65 Msta‑B: 152 mm towed howitzer; typical maximum range approximately 24–29 km with conventional/ERFB‑BB ammunition. - BM‑27 Uragan: 220 mm MLRS; area‑saturation fires with rocket ranges to roughly 35 km (standard ammunition). - 9P149 Shturm‑S (9K114): tracked ATGM carrier launching 9M114 missiles; typical engagement ranges up to ~5 km. - 9K37 Buk / 9K37M1‑2 Buk‑M1‑2: medium‑range SAM system; M1 variant engages out to ~35 km (altitudes up to ~18 km); M1‑2 variant with 9M317 missile extends range to ~45–50 km (altitudes up to ~25 km), subject to specific missile/radar pairing. - 9K720 Iskander‑M: road‑mobile operational‑tactical missile system; ballistic missile (9M723) with an officially stated range up to 500 km; brigade sets include launchers, transloaders, command and maintenance vehicles.
Nomenclature and Data Clarifications
The 112nd Guards Missile Division entry should be corrected to 112th Guards Missile (Rocket) Brigade; in Russian Ground Forces usage, operational‑tactical missile formations at army level are brigades, not divisions. The anti‑tank system listed as 9K114 Shturm in an artillery context refers to the ground‑launched 9K114 Shturm‑S carried by 9P149 vehicles; 9K114 Shturm also exists as a helicopter‑launched system. The 60th Command and Control Brigade appears in open sources under two military unit numbers (73621 and 76736); such duplication may reflect sub‑element administration or changes over time. Duplicate references to 1st Guards Tank Army HQ (v/ch 73621) likely denote the same headquarters formation.
Data Confidence and Gaps
Core unit identifications, military unit numbers (v/ch), and major equipment types cited above are drawn from open‑source reporting and established reference compilations. Specific details that are not consistently available in public sources include: current (post‑2022) named commanders for several formations; precise present‑day garrison addresses; exact on‑hand equipment quantities; and current deployment locations. Where information was not publicly available or conflicted across sources, this report either omits the detail or explicitly flags the uncertainty. No classified or restricted data are included.