20th Combined Arms Army
Overview and Command Structure
The 20th Guards Combined Arms Army is a field army formation of the Russian Ground Forces historically subordinated to the Western Military District. Its headquarters is in Voronezh (military unit 89425). Open-source reporting in 2023–2024 has identified Major General Sukhrab Akhmedov as a commander of the formation; however, the Russian Ministry of Defense does not consistently publish current command assignments, and senior leadership positions may rotate. The army’s core mission is operational command of combined-arms forces in the western strategic direction, with a footprint along the Voronezh–Belgorod–Kursk axis. In addition to the brigades listed here, widely reported divisional elements under the army include the 3rd Motor Rifle Division (Valuyki/Boguchar area) and the 144th Guards Motor Rifle Division (Yelnya/Klintsy area), reestablished as part of post-2015 reforms.
Headquarters and Garrison Footprint (Voronezh)
The army headquarters (military unit 89425) is located in Voronezh, a major rail and road hub on the M-4 Don corridor with immediate access to multiple railheads supporting rapid force movement. The Pogonovo training area on the southern outskirts of Voronezh is a routine exercise and staging site used by formations of the Western Military District, including elements of the 20th Combined Arms Army. The garrison infrastructure around Voronezh includes staff facilities, communications nodes, vehicle parks, storage depots, and proximity to field camps and training ranges used for force concentration and readiness activities.
Order of Battle (Selected Subordinate Brigades)
- 20th Combined Arms Army Headquarters — military unit 89425; location: Voronezh. - 448th Missile Brigade — military unit 35535; equipment: 9K720 Iskander-M (previously OTR-21 Tochka-U). - 236th Separate Artillery Brigade — military unit 53195; equipment: 2S19M2 Msta-SM/SM2 (152 mm) and BM-27 Uragan (220 mm). - 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade — military unit 32406; equipment: Buk series (9K37 family; Buk-M1 historically, with subsequent modernization reported). - 9th Command and Control Brigade — military unit 31895; role: communications, automation, and field command-post support for the army. - 152nd Separate Logistics Brigade — military unit 80504; role: materiel, fuel, transport, repair, medical, and supply support at army level.
448th Missile Brigade (military unit 35535) — Capabilities
The 448th Missile Brigade is part of the Western theater missile forces and is reported in open sources to be garrisoned in Kursk Oblast (Kursk). The brigade has reequipped from the OTR-21 Tochka-U (9K79-1) to the 9K720 Iskander-M system. The Iskander-M’s ballistic missile (9M723) has a publicly stated range up to 500 km, employs a maneuvering quasi-ballistic trajectory with countermeasure decoys, and is launched from 9P78-1 transporter-erector-launchers on MZKT-7930 chassis. Russian sources also describe a brigade set of support vehicles (transloaders, command-staff vehicles, maintenance, meteorological, and life-support elements). Training and live-fire events for missile brigades are routinely conducted at instrumented ranges such as Kapustin Yar. The brigade’s mission set includes deep operational fires against high-value targets (command posts, airfields, logistics nodes) within the theater.
236th Separate Artillery Brigade (military unit 53195) — Fire Support
The 236th Separate Artillery Brigade provides army-level general support and reinforcing fires. Reported equipment includes 2S19M2 Msta-SM/SM2 152 mm self-propelled howitzers and BM-27 Uragan 220 mm multiple launch rocket systems. The 2S19M2 features an automated fire-control system enabling faster into/out-of-action times, multiple-round simultaneous impact techniques, and precision engagement with guided munitions such as Krasnopol (laser-guided) within typical artillery ranges (approximately 24–30+ km depending on projectile type). The BM-27 Uragan provides heavy rocket fires with warhead variety (HE-fragmentation, cargo submunitions, thermobaric) at ranges out to roughly 35 km. Russian artillery brigades routinely integrate counter-battery radars and small UAVs (e.g., Orlan-10) for target acquisition and adjustment; such employment is widely documented across the Ground Forces.
53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 32406) — Air-Defense Posture
The 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade is based in Kursk (Kursk Oblast) and historically operated the 9K37M1 Buk-M1 system (engagement range roughly up to 35 km against aerodynamic targets, with altitude envelope up to around 22 km using 9M38-series missiles). Russian Ministry of Defense announcements and subsequent open-source imagery in the late 2010s reported deliveries of newer Buk variants (including Buk-M3) to Western Military District formations. Accordingly, multiple public sources have indicated the brigade’s modernization beyond Buk-M1. In its army-level role, the 53rd provides medium-range air defense coverage for maneuver forces and key sites, integrating with higher-echelon air-defense control systems and adjacent short-range systems fielded by maneuver units.
9th Command and Control Brigade (military unit 31895) — Communications and C2
The 9th Command and Control Brigade establishes and maintains the army’s communications architecture and deployable command posts. Typical capabilities at this echelon include mobile command-staff vehicles, HF/VHF/UHF radio networks, secure and trunked communications, satellite-communications terminals, and deployable signal nodes linking subordinate divisions/brigades with the army headquarters and higher commands. The brigade supports automation of command-and-control processes and can erect field command posts with redundancy, ensuring continuity of control during maneuver and under electronic-warfare conditions.
152nd Separate Logistics Brigade (military unit 80504) — Sustainment
The 152nd Separate Logistics Brigade provides army-level sustainment, including transport of materiel and personnel, supply (ammunition, fuel, rations), field maintenance and repair, medical support, and establishment of logistics points near railheads and forward distribution hubs. Standard Russian Ground Forces logistics practice at this level uses mixed fleets of trucks (e.g., Ural/Kamaz families), field refuelers, water purification and distribution assets, mobile workshops, and evacuation/recovery vehicles, enabling the 20th Combined Arms Army to maintain operational tempo and depth along multiple axes.
Infrastructure and Mobility
The Voronezh–Kursk–Belgorod region is dense in rail lines and federal highways, facilitating rapid movement and concentration of forces. Voronezh and Kursk host major rail yards used for military loading/unloading, with onward lines to Moscow, Stary Oskol, Belgorod, and Bryansk. The proximity of army and brigade garrisons to such nodes enables swift strategic rail deployment and tactical road march dispersion. Established garrisons include hardened vehicle parks, covered storage, ammunition and fuel depots, maintenance bays, and training polygons supporting year-round readiness.
Training Areas and Deployment Hubs
The Pogonovo training area (Voronezh) is a principal site for battalion-to-brigade-level live-fire and maneuver training for units aligned with the 20th Combined Arms Army. Additional forward garrison and training locales reported for the army’s maneuver divisions include Boguchar (Voronezh Oblast) and Valuyki/Soloti (Belgorod Oblast), which expanded after 2015 as part of force posture adjustments. Missile and air-defense brigades routinely conduct technical training and test launches at specialized ranges (e.g., Kapustin Yar for missile troops), while combined-arms formations of the army regularly participate in Western theater exercises such as the “Zapad” series.
Equipment Notes and Technical Specifications (selected)
- 9K720 Iskander-M (ballistic missile 9M723): publicly stated range up to 500 km; maneuvering quasi-ballistic trajectory; TEL 9P78-1 on MZKT-7930; conventional and nuclear warhead options are claimed in Russian sources. Associated cruise missile 9M728 (R-500) is fielded with brigade sets. - OTR-21 Tochka-U (9K79-1): legacy system with range up to approximately 120 km; superseded in missile brigades by Iskander-M. - 2S19M2 Msta-SM/SM2 (152 mm SPH): automated fire-control, improved rate of fire (up to about 10 rds/min under optimal conditions), compatibility with guided munitions (e.g., Krasnopol); typical effective ranges 24–30+ km depending on projectile. - BM-27 Uragan (220 mm MLRS): 16-tube launcher; multiple warhead types; range roughly 10–35 km depending on rocket. - 9K37 Buk family: Buk-M1 (9M38) engagement range up to ~35 km; Buk-M2 (9M317) up to ~45–50 km; Buk-M3 (new missile family) reported with extended ranges on the order of ~70+ km; actual performance is scenario- and missile-dependent.
Identification and Military Unit Numbers
The listed military unit numbers (voinskaya chast’, v/ch) are administrative identifiers used by the Russian Ministry of Defense. They appear in official correspondence, garrison signage, and logistical documentation and are commonly used in open-source reporting to attribute units: v/ch 89425 (20th Combined Arms Army HQ), v/ch 35535 (448th Missile Brigade), v/ch 53195 (236th Separate Artillery Brigade), v/ch 32406 (53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade), v/ch 31895 (9th Command and Control Brigade), and v/ch 80504 (152nd Separate Logistics Brigade).
Operational Context Since 2022
Units subordinated to the 20th Combined Arms Army have been widely reported by governments and open-source organizations as participating in operations related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine beginning in February 2022, particularly along axes linked to Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk, Kharkiv, and Luhansk directions. Public reporting has included the employment of Iskander-M systems for operational-level strikes and the use of artillery and air-defense assets in support of maneuver formations. Detailed current operational dispositions, plans, and effectiveness assessments are not publicly available or are classified and are therefore not provided here.
Organizational Changes and Caveats
In 2023–2024, Russian authorities announced the reestablishment of the Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts, implying a redistribution of formations previously under the Western Military District. While open sources have suggested that the 20th Combined Arms Army aligns with the Moscow Military District under this reform, authoritative, comprehensive, and current official documentation on all reassigned chains of command has been limited in the public domain. Command appointments and equipment holdings can change due to rotations, losses, and modernization; where specific details are not confirmed by official releases or corroborated imagery, they are noted here as open-source reporting rather than definitive.