28th Guards Missile Division
Division Overview
The 28th Guards Missile Division, military unit 54055, is a formation of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces headquartered in the Kozelsk area of Kaluga Oblast. The division was reequipped from legacy UR-100NUTTH silo systems to the silo-based RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile and commands multiple regiments and support units within the Kozelsk missile field.
Composition and Units
Subordinate combat regiments are the 74th Missile Regiment, military unit 77193, the 168th Missile Regiment, military unit 97689, and the 214th Missile Regiment, military unit 95834, all operating RS-24 Yars in silos. Supporting elements include the 292nd Communications Unit, military unit 03086, the 3854th Combat and Communications Regulation Base, military unit 26027, and the 2506th Technical Missile Base, military unit 95855.
Location and Site Dispersion
The division controls a dispersed complex of hardened silo launch sites, command posts, depots, workshops, and garrisons across rural areas around Kozelsk in Kaluga Oblast. The deployment footprint largely follows the legacy UR-100NUTTH silo field, with refurbished launchers, upgraded command and control nodes, and modernized security infrastructure added during the Yars conversion program.
Missile System RS-24 Yars (silo)
RS-24 Yars is a solid propellant intercontinental ballistic missile derived from the Topol M line, fielded by Russia in both road mobile and silo based variants. The silo based variant employed at Kozelsk is MIRV capable, has intercontinental range in excess of 10,000 km, and uses cold launch from hardened silos; Russia has not publicly disclosed exact warhead loadouts, guidance accuracies, or throw weight for the silo variant.
Program Status and Modernization Timeline
The transition of the Kozelsk formation from UR-100NUTTH to silo based RS-24 Yars proceeded in phases through the 2010s and early 2020s. The Ministry of Defense reported that a Kozelsk regiment with silo based Yars assumed combat duty in December 2018, with additional regiments entering operational status in subsequent years; official sources have not released total silo counts per regiment or final completion dates for the conversion of all sites.
Unique Role Within the RVSN
As reflected in publicly available reporting through 2024, Kozelsk is the publicly acknowledged site for silo based RS-24 Yars deployment, distinguishing the 28th Guards Missile Division from other Strategic Missile Forces formations that field road mobile Yars or other missile systems. This confers a fixed site, hardened component to the land based leg of the deterrent in western Russia.
74th Missile Regiment, military unit 77193
The 74th Missile Regiment operates silo based RS-24 Yars within the Kozelsk missile field as a combat regiment subordinate to the 28th Guards Missile Division. Open sources identify its role and affiliation; detailed order of battle, launcher totals, crew manning levels, and precise launch site coordinates are not publicly disclosed.
168th Missile Regiment, military unit 97689
The 168th Missile Regiment is a Kozelsk based combat unit operating RS-24 Yars in hardened silos. Public reporting places the regiment within the division's reequipped structure; granular deployment data, individual silo assignments, and real time readiness metrics are not released in official channels.
214th Missile Regiment, military unit 95834
The 214th Missile Regiment forms part of the division's silo based RS-24 Yars force and contributes to the restoration and modernization of the former UR-100NUTTH silo network. Specific command post locations, the number of operational silos, and alert status details are not publicly available.
292nd Communications Unit, military unit 03086
The 292nd Communications Unit provides fixed and deployable command and control communications for the division, sustaining wired, radio, and satellite links and ensuring protected connectivity between regimental command posts and higher headquarters. Equipment suites, network topology, and cryptographic arrangements are not disclosed in open sources.
3854th Combat and Communications Regulation Base, military unit 26027
The 3854th Base supports maintenance, calibration, and repair of combat control and communications assets across the division, ensuring functional readiness of command post hardware, switching equipment, and field communications systems. Detailed inventories, facility layouts, and test procedures are not published.
2506th Technical Missile Base, military unit 95855
The 2506th Technical Missile Base receives, stores, and services missiles and associated components for the division and prepares missiles for emplacement into silos in accordance with established safety and custody procedures. Warhead handling and custody are governed by national regulations and dedicated custodial formations; specific storage locations and protocols remain classified.
Infrastructure and Site Protection
Kozelsk silo complexes incorporate hardened launchers with blast resistant enclosures, underground cableways, buried power and communications lines, on site power generation, and layered perimeter security with fencing, sensors, patrol routes, and controlled access points. Support areas include maintenance shops, garages, and accommodations; engineering specifications and security system details are not public.
Command and Control
Division and regimental command posts are integrated into the Strategic Missile Forces national command and control architecture, with redundant communications paths and established procedures for receipt, authentication, and execution of orders. Technical architecture, automation details, and failover logic are not available in official public reporting.
Training and Readiness Activities
The formation conducts routine training cycles characteristic of the Strategic Missile Forces, including command post drills, communications reliability checks, periodic equipment servicing, and security exercises against diversionary and sabotage threats. Specific alert levels, duty rosters, and exercise after action results are not published.
Arms Control Context
Silo based Yars launchers at Kozelsk fell under New START accountability prior to Russia's announced suspension of participation in cooperative measures in 2023. While the treaty formally remains in force until 2026, bilateral inspections and data exchanges have been halted, so current verified launcher and warhead counts for this division are not available from treaty mechanisms.
Information Sources and Gaps
Public understanding of the division and its units is derived from Russian Ministry of Defense statements, official media, defense procurement records, local reporting, and commercial satellite imagery. The Ministry of Defense does not publish silo coordinates, launcher counts per regiment, garrison layouts, or warhead loadouts for the Kozelsk division; such operational details remain classified.
Strategic Role
The 28th Guards Missile Division provides a hardened fixed site capability within the land based component of Russia's nuclear forces in the western part of the country, complementing road mobile Yars units deployed elsewhere. Its silo based configuration emphasizes survivability, rapid launch readiness, and assured command connectivity within the Strategic Missile Forces.