2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division
Unit Overview and Subordination
The 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division, commonly referred to as Tamanskaya, is a combined-arms formation of the Russian Ground Forces. It is widely identified as part of the 1st Guards Tank Army within the Western theater command, historically the Western Military District. The divisional headquarters is located at Kalininets in the Naro-Fominsky district of Moscow Oblast. The formation was reconstituted as a division in 2013 after its 2009 reduction to the 5th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. The division is frequently featured in official activities in and around Moscow and regularly participates in large-scale strategic exercises. The current divisional commander is not published in open official sources; the provided identification of Colonel Sergey Medvedev cannot be independently confirmed.
Headquarters and Garrison Location
The headquarters and principal garrison are at Kalininets, a major military site west-southwest of Moscow. The area hosts extensive barracks, motor pools, depots, and training facilities, and lies in proximity to the Alabino training ground used for major field exercises and parade preparations. The garrison cluster benefits from dense regional transport infrastructure and military support establishments typical of the Moscow Oblast defense hub. Exact internal layouts, facility capacities, and restricted-area details are not publicly released.
Reported Order of Battle and Military Unit Numbers
The following subunits and equipment sets are publicly reported for the division. Nomenclature and equipment holdings can change due to rotation and modernization. • Division Headquarters, military unit 23626, Kalininets • 1st Tank Regiment, military unit 58190, equipment T-72B3, BMP-2, 2S1 Gvozdika • 1st Guards Motor Rifle Regiment, military unit 31135, equipment T-72B3, BTR-80 or BTR-82A, 2S1 Gvozdika • 15th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment, military unit 31134, equipment T-72B3, BMP-2, 2S1 Gvozdika • 147th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, military unit 73966, equipment 2S19M2 Msta-SM or SM2 and 9K51M Tornado-G • 1117th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, military unit 51382, equipment 9K331 Tor-M1-U2 and 9K33M3 Osa-AKM • 1174th Separate Anti-Tank Battalion, military unit 51381, equipment 9K123 Khrizantema • 136th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Battalion, military unit 51387 • 211th Separate Engineer-Sapper Battalion, military unit 77707 • 47th Separate Communications Battalion, military unit 56139 • 1063rd Separate Material Support Battalion, military unit 56155 • 370th Separate Medical Battalion, military unit 57062
Equipment Profile and Capabilities
Main battle tanks are reported as T-72B3, a modernization of the T-72B with Sosna-U fire control system and improved sights, 125 mm 2A46M-5 gun with autoloader, and explosive reactive armor. Later T-72B3 variants can feature Relikt ERA and more powerful engines. Infantry fighting vehicles include BMP-2 with a 30 mm 2A42 cannon and anti-tank guided missile capability via 9M113 Konkurs. Wheeled armored personnel carriers include BTR-80 and BTR-82A, the latter mounting a 30 mm 2A72 cannon and improved powerplant. Regimental indirect fire support includes 2S1 Gvozdika 122 mm self-propelled howitzers with typical maximum ranges of approximately 15 to 21 km depending on ammunition. Divisional artillery includes 2S19M2 Msta-S modernized 152 mm howitzers with digital fire control and ability to fire guided munitions such as Krasnopol, with typical ranges around 24 to 29 km for standard rounds and up to roughly 36 to 40 km with extended-range munitions. Rocket artillery is provided by 9K51M Tornado-G, an upgraded 122 mm multiple launch rocket system with automated laying and modern rockets capable of ranges up to approximately 40 km.
Artillery and Rocket Fire Support
The 147th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment furnishes divisional-level fire support with 2S19M2 Msta-SM or SM2 and an associated multiple launch rocket component based on 9K51M Tornado-G. Regimental 2S1 Gvozdika assets provide closer, responsive support to maneuver regiments. The mix enables high-volume area fires, counterbattery engagement, and precision effects using laser-guided munitions where available. Fire control modernization and automated laying systems shorten sensor-to-shooter timelines relative to legacy configurations. Exact battery counts, ammunition stocks, and radar or UAV integration packages specific to this regiment are not publicly disclosed.
Air Defense Regiment Capabilities
The 1117th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment fields short-range air defense systems reported as 9K331 Tor-M1-U2 and 9K33M3 Osa-AKM. Tor-M1 family systems are designed to counter low-altitude fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and certain guided munitions, with an engagement envelope commonly cited at roughly 12 km in range and up to about 6 km in altitude for the M1 variant. Osa-AKM is an older self-propelled short-range SAM with a typical engagement range of approximately 10 to 12 km and altitude up to about 5 km. These assets provide point and local area air defense around maneuver and key support elements. Details on battery organization, sensor complement, and integration with higher-echelon air defense are not publicly released.
Anti-Armor and Reconnaissance Elements
The 1174th Separate Anti-Tank Battalion is reported with 9K123 Khrizantema, a supersonic anti-tank missile system on a tracked chassis with radar and laser-beam guidance options, designed to defeat modern armor including vehicles with explosive reactive armor. Published performance figures commonly cite engagement ranges of up to approximately 6 km under most conditions. The 136th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Battalion provides tactical reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition; across Russian divisions of this type, reconnaissance battalions are typically observed employing a mix of ground reconnaissance teams, light armored mobility, and small unmanned aerial systems, though unit-specific inventories are not officially published.
Engineering, Signals, Medical, and Logistics Support
The 211th Separate Engineer-Sapper Battalion supports mobility, countermobility, and survivability tasks including obstacle emplacement, breaching, field fortification, and route maintenance. The 47th Separate Communications Battalion provides command-and-control support through radio, satellite, and wired links from battalion to divisional echelons. The 1063rd Separate Material Support Battalion handles supply, transport, maintenance coordination, and materiel distribution including fuel and ammunition. The 370th Separate Medical Battalion provides Role 2 level medical support functions such as stabilization, limited surgery, and evacuation coordination. Specific equipment sets and manning levels for these support units are not published in open official sources.
Personnel and Equipment Strength Baselines
In peacetime, a Russian motor rifle division built around two motor rifle regiments and one tank regiment typically has an authorized strength on the order of ten to twelve thousand personnel, with actual manning subject to operational demands and mobilization. Detailed authorized tables for this specific division, current equipment counts by type, and real-time personnel strength are not publicly disclosed. The observed equipment set aligns with standard patterns for divisions of this type, combining tracked and wheeled infantry carriers, a tank regiment core, organic artillery, air defense, anti-tank, engineer, signals, logistics, and medical support.
Training Areas and Exercise Activity
The division routinely trains in the Moscow Oblast garrison belt that includes the Alabino training area, which is used for both field exercises and preparations associated with state events. Units from the division have been publicly documented participating in strategic-operational exercises such as Zapad iterations, reflecting integration into higher-echelon Western theater training cycles. Specific training schedules, TTPs, and evaluation results are not released to the public.
Operational Activity Since 2014 and 2022
Following its reconstitution in 2013, the division has been a principal formation of the 1st Guards Tank Army. Open-source reporting indicates that elements of the division took part in combat operations during the Russian invasion of Ukraine beginning in 2022, with deployments reported on the northeastern and eastern axes. Public updates from multiple governments in 2022 assessed the 1st Guards Tank Army as having suffered significant attrition. Through 2023 and into 2024, open-source information has continued to place elements of the division in the theater, including activity in sectors of eastern Ukraine. Precise current dispositions, unit manning, and combat effectiveness metrics are not released in official open sources.
Infrastructure and Mobility Considerations
The Kalininets garrison complex supports storage, maintenance, and deployment of heavy equipment. The location is integrated into the broader Moscow region military infrastructure with access to major road and rail networks suitable for strategic mobility of armored units. While general logistics routing and transport modes for Russian divisions are well established, specific railheads, convoy schedules, and movement plans for this division are not publicly available for security reasons.
Data Reliability Notes
The unit designations, military unit numbers, and equipment types listed are drawn from open-source reporting and can change due to rotation, reorganization, modernization, and wartime attrition. Current command appointments, exact equipment counts, and site-specific restricted details are not published in official open sources. Where precise data is not available, this analysis refrains from inference and confines itself to publicly reported, widely corroborated information.