29th Combined Arms Army
Identification
This record matches the Russian Ground Forces’ 29th Combined Arms Army, redesignated the 29th Guards Combined Arms Army in March 2024, under the Eastern Military District. An October 2023 ISW order-of-battle lists the formation as military unit 32853 in Chita, and local reporting in December 2025 placed its headquarters on Lermontova Street in Chita. ([understandingwar.org](https://understandingwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/October20122C20202320Russian20Orbat_Final.pdf))
Confirmed footprint
The clearest public confirmation of the army’s core subordinate combat formations is the ISW October 2023 ORBAT: 36th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade in Borzya, 200th Artillery Brigade in Gorny, 3rd Missile Brigade in Gorny, and 140th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade in Domna. Taken together, those publicly identified subordinates indicate organic maneuver, army-level artillery, missile-strike, and ground-based air-defense functions distributed across southeastern Zabaykalsky Krai. ([understandingwar.org](https://understandingwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/October20122C20202320Russian20Orbat_Final.pdf))
HQ character
Open-source reporting indicates the Chita site is an administrative and command node rather than a field cantonment. In December 2025, the Eastern Military District press service said a memorial for personnel killed in the war had been opened at the army headquarters on Lermontova Street, and public registry data for v/ch 32853 also lists a Lermontova address in Chita. ([chita.ru](https://www.chita.ru/text/gorod/2025/12/02/76150605/))
War posture
Open-source local reporting ties the army’s forces to sustained combat in Ukraine, especially through the 36th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade. Chita.ru reported mass casualties after a February 2024 strike involving 36th Brigade personnel, later reported a memorial at the Chita HQ for personnel killed in the war, and in 2025 carried regional-official claims crediting Zabkalsky-based forces from this army with actions around Konstantinopol and Otradnoye in Donetsk oblast. These reports indicate the formation remained an active source of forces and command support for the war through at least late 2025, although local media claims about battlefield gains are not independent confirmation. ([chita.ru](https://www.chita.ru/text/tags/29-ya-armiya/))
Command picture
The current commander is not cleanly verifiable from the authoritative public sources reviewed. Chita.ru reported in September 2022 that Major General Aleksandr Ignatenko was taking command of the army, while an Eastern Military District press-service report from December 2025 identified Major General Ivan Shkanov only as acting commander at a HQ ceremony. I therefore cannot confirm the permanent commander as of 12 March 2026, and the supplied commander name is not corroborated here. ([chita.ru](https://www.chita.ru/text/society/2022/09/13/71649851/))