2nd Guards Combined Arms Army
Organizational Overview
The 2nd Guards Combined Arms Army is a field army of the Russian Ground Forces subordinate to the Central Military District. Its headquarters is located in Samara (military unit 22223). Public reporting as of 2024 identifies Major General Vyacheslav Gurov as the army commander. The formation comprises multiple maneuver brigades, long-range fires and missile units, air defense assets, and enabling regiments providing engineering, CBRN defense, communications, and signals intelligence.
Order of Battle and Subordinate Units
Subordinate elements reported for the 2nd Guards Combined Arms Army include: the 15th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (peacekeeping), military unit 90600; the 21st Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (heavy), military unit 12128, including its engineer-sapper battalion; the 30th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, military unit 45863; the 92nd Missile Brigade, military unit 30785; the 385th Guards Artillery Brigade, military unit 32755; the 950th Rocket Artillery Regiment, military unit 92190; the 297th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, military unit 02030; the 39th Engineer Regiment, military unit 53701; the 2nd NBC (CBRN) Protection Regiment, military unit 18664; the 234th Separate Special Purpose Radio-Battalion (GRU), military unit 73759; and the 91st Command and Control Brigade, military unit 59292.
Maneuver Brigades and Core Equipment
The maneuver component centers on three motor rifle brigades with differing equipment sets. The 15th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (peacekeeping) fields T-72BM tanks, BTR-82AM armored personnel carriers, 2B9 Vasilek 82 mm automatic mortars, and 9K33 Osa short-range SAMs. The 21st Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (heavy) fields T-72B3/BA tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, 2S19 Msta-S and 2S19M2 Msta-SM 152 mm self-propelled howitzers, and 9K331 Tor-M1 point air-defense systems; an engineer-sapper battalion is organic to the brigade. The 30th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade is reported with T-72B3 tanks, BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, 2B14 Podnos 82 mm mortars, and D-30 122 mm towed howitzers.
Missile and Long-Range Fires
Operational- and army-level fires are provided by the 92nd Missile Brigade (9K720 Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile system) and by artillery formations. The 385th Guards Artillery Brigade fields 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled howitzers, BM-27 Uragan 220 mm multiple rocket launchers, and 9P149 Shturm-S anti-tank guided missile carriers; open sources also report MT-12 Rapira 100 mm towed anti-tank guns within the brigade. The 950th Rocket Artillery Regiment provides additional BM-27 Uragan MLRS capacity, augmenting massed area fires at ranges beyond standard tube artillery.
Air Defense Posture
Army-level air defense is furnished by the 297th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade with 9K317 Buk-M2 and 9K317M Buk-M3 medium-range surface-to-air missile systems, providing area coverage against aircraft, cruise missiles, and certain unmanned systems. Brigade-level point defense is layered beneath this: the 21st Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade employs 9K331 Tor-M1 for short-range, low-altitude protection, while the 15th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade’s 9K33 Osa systems provide legacy short-range capability. This structure supports a tiered air defense network from army down to brigade level.
Engineering and CBRN Enablers
The 39th Engineer Regiment provides mobility, countermobility, and survivability support, including route clearance, obstacle breaching, fortification, and bridging tasks in support of maneuver brigades and the army headquarters. The 2nd NBC Protection Regiment delivers chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense, including detection, monitoring, decontamination, and smoke/flame troops support typical of Russian CBRN units. Additionally, the 21st Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade maintains an organic engineer-sapper battalion to execute combat engineering tasks at brigade level.
Command, Control, and Signals Intelligence
The 91st Command and Control Brigade ensures army-level communications, establishing fixed and mobile command posts, secure and non-secure voice/data networks, and long-haul links to higher and adjacent echelons. The 234th Separate Special Purpose Radio-Battalion (GRU) conducts radio reconnaissance and electronic intelligence (COMINT/DF) in support of operational planning and targeting. Together these units underpin the army’s C2 resilience and contribute to the intelligence cycle alongside district-level and national assets.
Garrisons and Training Areas
The army headquarters (military unit 22223) is in Samara. The 15th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 90600) is based in Roshchinsky, Samara Oblast. The 21st Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 12128), the 92nd Missile Brigade (military unit 30785), and the 385th Guards Artillery Brigade (military unit 32755) are based in the Totskoye/Totskoye-2 area, Orenburg Oblast. The 297th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 02030) is based in Yoshkar-Ola, Mari El Republic. Totskoye is a major training area historically used for large-scale exercises, and Roshchinsky hosts extensive training facilities for Samara-based units. Stationing details for some listed support units are not consistently published in open sources.
Equipment Capabilities Summary
Key systems fielded by the army include: 9K720 Iskander-M SRBM (9M723 ballistic missile, declared range up to approximately 500 km, multiple conventional warhead options); BM-27 Uragan MLRS (220 mm rockets, typical maximum range around 35 km depending on munition); 2S19 Msta-S/Msta-SM 152 mm SPH (approximate ranges 24–29 km with standard/ER ammunition); D-30 122 mm towed howitzer (about 15–22 km depending on ammunition); 9P149 Shturm-S ATGM carrier (AT-6 Spiral, engagement out to roughly 5–6 km); MT-12 Rapira 100 mm towed AT gun (direct-fire anti-armor and indirect HE employment). Air defense assets include 9K317 Buk-M2 (engagement range up to about 50 km, altitude up to ~25 km), 9K317M Buk-M3 (range up to about 70 km, altitude up to ~35 km), 9K331 Tor-M1 (short-range, up to ~12 km), and 9K33 Osa (short-range, up to ~10–12 km). Maneuver fleets feature T-72B3/BA/BM tanks, BMP-2 IFVs, and BTR-82A/82AM APCs, complemented by 82 mm mortars (2B9 Vasilek, 2B14 Podnos).
Recent Activities and Notable Deployments
Elements of the army have been publicly documented in significant operations since 2020. The 15th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade formed the core of the Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh following the 9 November 2020 ceasefire; Russian authorities reported the contingent’s withdrawal was completed in 2024. Open-source reporting since 2022 has also identified elements of the 2nd Guards Combined Arms Army engaged in combat operations related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Specific unit dispositions and current strengths are operationally sensitive and not fully disclosed in official channels.
Identifiers and Data Notes
Russian military unit (в/ч) numbers associated with this army include: 22223 (HQ, Samara); 90600 (15th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade); 12128 (21st Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade); 45863 (30th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade); 30785 (92nd Missile Brigade); 32755 (385th Guards Artillery Brigade); 92190 (950th Rocket Artillery Regiment); 02030 (297th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade); 53701 (39th Engineer Regiment); 18664 (2nd NBC Protection Regiment); 73759 (234th Separate Special Purpose Radio-Battalion, GRU); and 59292 (91st Command and Control Brigade. Some entries in the provided list duplicate the same formations (e.g., the 21st and 385th) and refer to organic subunits (e.g., the engineer-sapper battalion of the 21st). Where precise stationing, strength, or equipment quantities are not publicly available, they are omitted.