32nd Air Defense Division
Unit Identification
Designation: 32nd Air Defense Division (Russian: 32-я дивизия ПВО). Military unit number: 40963 (в/ч 40963). Service: Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS), Air and Missile Defense Troops. Headquarters: Rzhev, Tver Oblast, Russian Federation. The division was established during the 2014–2015 period of VKS reorganization that reintroduced divisional structures in the Air and Missile Defense Troops.
Command and Subordination
The division is a formation of the Air and Missile Defense Troops of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Open-source Russian reporting places the 32nd Air Defense Division within the operational area of the Western Military District and under the 6th Leningrad Red Banner Air and Air Defense Army (6th AAD Army) of the VKS. Official Ministry of Defense publications do not publicly list a complete, enduring order of battle for the division, and some sources also describe its role as contributing to the broader defense of the Central Industrial Region in coordination with formations of the 1st Special-Purpose Air and Missile Defense Army; exact enduring command relationships are not published in detail.
Headquarters and Geospatial Context
The divisional headquarters is located in Rzhev (approximate coordinates 56.26N, 34.33E), Tver Oblast. Rzhev lies roughly 215–230 km northwest of Moscow along the M9 corridor (E22), with rail links on the Moscow–Velikiye Luki–Riga axis. The location supports oversight of northwestern approaches to the Central Industrial Region and provides road and rail access for the dispersal, resupply, and rotation of surface-to-air missile (SAM) units across Tver and adjacent oblasts.
Mission and Area of Responsibility
Primary tasks include continuous airspace surveillance, combat duty for air defense, and engagement of aerodynamic and, within system limits, certain ballistic threats on the northwestern approaches to the Central Industrial Region. The division contributes to layered air defense coverage in Tver Oblast and adjacent areas, coordinating with regional radio-technical units and fighter aviation for identification, tracking, and engagement of targets.
Organizational Structure (Publicly Known)
Russian Air Defense divisions are typically built around several anti-aircraft missile regiments (equipped with long-range systems such as S-400 and legacy S-300PS), radio-technical (radar) units, a divisional command post with automated control systems, and supporting communications, logistics, and security elements. While this template applies across the VKS Air and Missile Defense Troops, the full, current list of subordinate regiments and battalions of the 32nd Air Defense Division is not officially published in open sources.
Air Defense Systems in Service within the Region
Open-source and Ministry of Defense reporting for the Western Military District indicate the presence and ongoing modernization of S-400 Triumf and the continued operation of some S-300PS systems. S-400 system characteristics include: 91N6 family engagement radar and 92N6 fire-control radar; typical employment of 48N6-series interceptors (engagement ranges commonly cited up to 250 km) and 40N6 interceptors (up to 400 km against select targets), with altitude coverage into the stratosphere. Legacy S-300PS units employ 5V55-series missiles (commonly cited engagement ranges up to approximately 75–90 km). Short-range point-defense systems such as Pantsir-S1 are commonly deployed to protect long-range SAM positions. Specific battery and regiment counts for the division are not publicly disclosed.
Radar and Battle Management
Regional air picture generation and target designation rely on VKS radio-technical units employing three-dimensional surveillance radars such as Nebo-M (55Zh6M), Gamma-S1 (64L6), Podlet-K1 (48Ya6-K1), and Kasta-2E2, with S-400/S-300PS organic radars (e.g., 91N6/92N6 and 96L6 for S-400; 5N63 and associated sensors for S-300PS). Divisional and regimental automated command-and-control is commonly provided by systems reported in service with the VKS, including Baikal-1M/ME and Polyana-D4M1 variants for sector-level coordination. Public sources do not provide a complete inventory of the division’s specific radar sets or C2 configurations.
Infrastructure and Deployment Practices
SAM units in this sector operate from a mix of prepared fixed sites with hardened infrastructure (characteristic circular launch pads and revetments) and field-deployment locations to vary disposition. Sites are linked to road and rail nodes to support mobility, maintenance, and resupply. Units rotate through training ranges for live-fire evaluation and acceptance events; Western Military District and VKS releases regularly note live-fire training at the Ashuluk range (Astrakhan Oblast) for S-300/S-400 crews, as well as field exercises within Tver and neighboring oblasts.
Coordination with Fighter Aviation and Adjacent Forces
Air defense operations in the region integrate with fighter aviation on quick-reaction alert. The 790th Fighter Aviation Regiment at Hotilovo Air Base (Tver Oblast), equipped in recent years with Su-35S and Su-27SM3, falls under the 6th Air and Air Defense Army and provides fighter cover within the same operating area. While the 790th Fighter Aviation Regiment is not subordinate to the division, joint operations are conducted through the VKS regional air defense command-and-control network. The division also coordinates with adjacent air defense formations to the north (St. Petersburg area) and to the east and south toward Moscow’s air defense belt.
Readiness and Activities Reported Publicly
Western Military District and Ministry of Defense communications since 2017 have routinely reported alert-duty rotations, field redeployments, live-fire training events, and combined-arms air defense exercises by SAM units operating in Tver and adjacent oblasts. These reports emphasize readiness tasks such as countering massed missile and UAV raids, engaging low-altitude and high-speed targets, and electronic warfare counter-countermeasures. Specific unit designations and precise site locations are typically omitted from official releases.
Recent Developments (2014–2024)
From 2014 onward, the VKS reintroduced divisional structures, standing up the 32nd Air Defense Division in Rzhev and pursuing progressive replacement of older S-300PS systems with S-400 in the Western Military District. Public announcements from 2018–2023 highlight continued S-400 deliveries into the district and ongoing training cycles. During 2022–2024, various open-source analyses noted rotations and redeployments of some air defense assets across Russia in support of operations; however, official, detailed disclosures about specific unit movements within the 32nd Air Defense Division have not been published.
Security, Access, and Disclosure
Operational details such as the division’s full order of battle, exact dispositions, communications architecture, and alert schedules are not publicly available and would be classified. Open-source reporting and imagery provide only partial insight into garrison locations and equipment types. This analysis is limited to information that has been publicly reported by Russian official sources and recognized open-source defense reporting.
Key Identifiers and Administrative Notes
Military unit 40963 corresponds to the headquarters of the 32nd Air Defense Division at Rzhev and appears in Russian public documentation such as procurement and legal records. No official street address or comprehensive subordinate unit list is published in accessible Ministry of Defense sources. Where open publications conflict on subordination or unit composition, the divergence reflects the absence of authoritative, detailed, up-to-date public disclosures.