20th Guards Motor Rifle Division
Division Identification and Status
The entity is identified as the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division, military unit 58550, reportedly reestablished in 2021 with Commander Colonel Igor Kuleba. The 'Guards' title denotes an honorific historically awarded within Soviet and Russian forces. As of October 2024, open-source reporting provides limited corroboration for a formation with this exact designation and military unit number; therefore the reestablishment date, association of m/u 58550 with the headquarters, and the named commander remain unconfirmed and require independent verification.
Reported Order of Battle
According to the provided data, the division comprises the 33rd Motor Rifle Regiment (listed twice in the source), the 255th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment, military unit 34605, the 428th Separate Tank Battalion, the 944th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, and a divisional headquarters designated as military unit 58550. The duplicate listing of the 33rd Motor Rifle Regiment likely indicates a transcription redundancy rather than two distinct regiments with identical designations; confirmation is required. No air-defense, reconnaissance, engineer, signal, electronic warfare, CBRN, medical, or logistics units are mentioned.
Equipment Summary
The force package cited includes T-90A and T-72B3 main battle tanks, BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, and 2S19 Msta-S 152 mm self-propelled howitzers. This mix aligns with a mid-2000s to 2010s modernization baseline typical of Russian motor-rifle formations, combining third-generation main battle tanks, amphibious infantry fighting vehicles, and divisional-level tube artillery capable of employing precision-guided munitions.
T-90A Main Battle Tank Capabilities
The T-90A is an upgraded variant of the T-90 featuring a 125 mm 2A46M-5 smoothbore gun with an autoloader for 22 ready rounds, the ability to fire 9M119M Refleks gun-launched guided missiles, a V-92S2 1,000 hp diesel engine, and Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armor; many vehicles are fitted with the ESSA thermal sight using the Catherine-FC sensor. Typical combat weight is approximately 46 to 48 tonnes, crew is three due to the autoloader, and maximum road speed is around 60 km/h.
T-72B3 Main Battle Tank Capabilities
The T-72B3 is a deep modernization of the T-72B that adds the Sosna-U thermal sight, upgraded fire-control, a 125 mm 2A46M-series gun, and explosive reactive armor, with Contact-5 on early B3 models and Relikt on the B3M variant. Engines range from about 840 hp on early B3 to approximately 1,130 hp on B3M, yielding road speeds typically between 60 and 70 km/h. The platform can fire 9M119-series gun-launched guided missiles and commonly carries 39 to 45 rounds depending on stowage configuration.
BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle Capabilities
The BMP-3 is armed with a 100 mm 2A70 low-pressure gun capable of launching 9M117 Bastion laser-guided missiles, a 30 mm 2A72 autocannon, and 7.62 mm machine guns, providing substantial organic firepower for mechanized infantry. It is amphibious, has a crew of three and typically carries up to seven dismounts, with road speed up to about 70 km/h and water speed around 10 km/h. Protection is based on aluminum alloy hull construction with options for appliqué and explosive reactive armor kits depending on variant and fit.
2S19 Msta-S Artillery Capabilities
The 2S19 Msta-S is a 152 mm self-propelled howitzer with a nominal range of roughly 24.5 km using standard high-explosive shells and up to approximately 28 to 36 km with rocket-assisted or base-bleed munitions, depending on ammunition type. Typical rate of fire is about 6 to 8 rounds per minute, with onboard stowage around 50 rounds. The system can employ Krasnopol family laser-guided projectiles for precision strikes when paired with appropriate target designation.
Functional Roles and Division-Level Integration
In a conventional motor-rifle division construct, motor-rifle regiments equipped with BMP-3 provide maneuver and dismounted infantry capabilities, tank assets such as T-90A and T-72B3 deliver shock action and direct fire support, and the self-propelled artillery regiment supplies deep and close fires, counter-battery capability, and suppression of enemy air defenses. The presence of a separate tank battalion indicates an armored reserve or reinforcement element at division level; exact task organization depends on the specific table of organization and equipment, which is not provided.
Artillery Regiment Composition Considerations
Divisional artillery regiments in Russian formations typically include multiple self-propelled howitzer battalions, a rocket artillery component, target acquisition elements, and fire direction and meteorological support. The input references 2S19 Msta-S but does not specify any multiple launch rocket systems such as BM-21 Grad or Tornado-G, nor counter-battery radars or UAV spotting assets. The lack of such details should be treated as a data gap rather than evidence of absence.
Air Defense, Reconnaissance, and Support Enablers
No air-defense, reconnaissance, engineer-sapper, signal, electronic warfare, CBRN defense, medical, or logistics units are listed. Russian motor-rifle divisions typically field an air-defense regiment with short- to medium-range systems such as Tor-M2 and Buk-M2 or M3, reconnaissance battalions often with organic UAV detachments, engineer-sapper units for mobility and countermobility tasks, and divisional logistics and maintenance battalions. Without explicit data, the composition of these enablers within the division remains unverified.
Command Structure and Subordination
Higher-echelon subordination for the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division is not stated and remains unconfirmed in publicly available sources as of October 2024. Russian naming conventions allow numerical overlaps with army-level formations, for example the 20th Combined Arms Army, so careful source discrimination is required to avoid conflation. Confirmation of subordination would ordinarily come from an official Ministry of Defense order, force structure brief, or federal procurement records.
Locations and Infrastructure
The data provided does not specify garrisons, training ranges, depots, or other infrastructure associated with military units 58550 or 34605. Without confirmed locations, it is not possible to assess rail and road access, ammunition storage capacity, or likely deployment timelines. Verification should prioritize correlating these unit numbers with authoritative registries, official press releases, or imagery-backed open-source intelligence.
Personnel and Leadership
The commander is reported as Colonel Igor Kuleba. As of October 2024 there is no corroborated public record here of an official appointment notice, biography, or decree confirming this assignment. Leadership identification should be validated through authoritative sources such as Ministry of Defense communiqués, presidential appointment decrees, or reliable government registries.
Readiness and Modernization Indicators
The cited equipment set suggests a modernization level consistent with formations fielded from the late 2000s through the mid-2010s, including thermal-sight-capable main battle tanks and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, and artillery based on 2S19 howitzers. The absence of references to more recent upgrades such as T-90M or widespread T-72B3M, 2S19M2, or newer counter-battery and UAV suites in the input prevents any definitive assessment of the formation's current modernization status or combat readiness.
Data Integrity Notes
The duplicate listing of the 33rd Motor Rifle Regiment indicates a likely transcription or aggregation redundancy. The unit identifiers 58550 and 34605 are noted as provided but remain uncorroborated; they should be treated as provisional until matched to official records. No personnel strength, vehicle counts, or detailed tables of organization are present, so quantitative analysis is not offered to avoid unsupported inference.
Verification Priorities
Priority validation steps include confirming the formal reestablishment and current status of the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division; verifying that military unit 58550 corresponds to the divisional headquarters; corroborating the 255th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment and its identifier 34605; establishing the current commander through official appointment records; and confirming the existence and equipment of the 33rd Motor Rifle Regiment, 428th Separate Tank Battalion, and 944th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment using authoritative documentation or imagery-supported open-source intelligence.