35th Combined Arms Army
Formation and Command Overview
The 35th Combined Arms Army (CAA) is a formation of Russia’s Eastern Military District (EMD), with its headquarters reported in Belogorsk, Amur Oblast (military unit 02492). The army was re-established during the 2009–2010 force reforms and commands maneuver, fires, air defense, CBRN defense, communications, intelligence, and logistical elements positioned primarily along the Amur–Ussuri axis near the Chinese border. According to the provided data, the army commander is Major General Sergey Nyrkov; open-source confirmation of this specific appointment is limited and leadership of this formation has rotated over time.
Reported Order of Battle (Units and Equipment)
The following units are identified as associated with the 35th CAA: 38th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 21720; reported equipment: T-80BV, T-72B3, BM-21 Grad, 2S3 Akatsiya); 64th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 51460; commander: Lieutenant Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov; reported equipment: T-80BVM, T-72B3, BMP-1, BM-21 Grad); 69th Separate Covering Brigade (military unit 61424; T-80BV, BMP-2, 2S19 Msta-S); 107th Missile Brigade (military unit 47062; 9K720 Iskander-M); 165th Artillery Brigade (military unit 02901; BM-27 Uragan, 2S7M Malka, 2A65 Msta-B, MT-12 Rapira); 71st Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 01879; 9K37 Buk-M1); 35th NBC Protection Regiment (military unit 59792); 253rd Separate Radio-Technical Battalion GRU (military unit 63554); 54th Command and Control Brigade (military unit 53790); 82nd Separate Repair and Restoration Battalion (reported; military unit 98673); 714th Command Intelligence Center (reported; military unit 32863); and the 35th CAA Headquarters (military unit 02492). The 54th Command and Control Brigade appears twice in the input, likely reflecting a duplicate reference to the same unit.
Garrison and Basing Footprint
Open-source reporting places the 35th CAA headquarters and the 165th Artillery Brigade in the Belogorsk area of Amur Oblast; the 38th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade in Yekaterinoslavka, Amur Oblast; the 64th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade in Knyaze-Volkonskoye (Khabarovsk Krai); the 69th Separate Covering Brigade in Babstovo (Jewish Autonomous Oblast); and the 71st Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade near Birobidzhan (Jewish Autonomous Oblast). The 107th Missile Brigade is based in Ulan-Ude (Republic of Buryatia) and has been historically associated with the EMD; its operational attachment can vary by tasking. Locations for the 54th Command and Control Brigade, the 253rd Separate Radio-Technical Battalion, the 82nd Separate Repair and Restoration Battalion, and the 714th Command Intelligence Center are not publicly confirmed. The footprint is aligned along the Trans-Siberian Railway and the R297 Amur highway, enabling rail and road mobility for rapid inter-theater movement.
Ground Maneuver Brigades
The army’s principal maneuver strength is provided by the 38th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade and the 64th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade. These formations typically field motor rifle battalions mounted on BMP/BTR platforms, a tank battalion (reported tanks include T-72B3 and T-80 variants), organic self-propelled artillery and MLRS, short-range air defense, reconnaissance, engineers, electronic warfare, and logistics support. The 64th formation was awarded the honorary Guards title by presidential decree on 18 April 2022, as publicly announced by Russian authorities. Equipment reported for these brigades spans legacy BMP-1/BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles and upgraded tanks (T-72B3, T-80BV/BVM), reflecting mixed modernization levels common in EMD brigades.
Fires and Long-Range Strike
The 165th Artillery Brigade provides corps-level fires, operating heavy rocket artillery and long-range guns: BM-27 Uragan (220 mm), 2S7M Malka (203 mm), 2A65 Msta-B (152 mm), and MT-12 Rapira (100 mm). These systems enable deep fires, counter-battery, and fortified target reduction. The 107th Missile Brigade fields the 9K720 Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile system; a typical Russian missile brigade structure includes multiple battalions with a total of up to 12 transporter-erector-launchers (TELs), though exact current holdings per unit are not published. Iskander-M provides precision strike capability at operational depth against command nodes, air defenses, logistics, and infrastructure.
Air Defense Posture
Army-level air defense is provided by the 71st Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade equipped with the 9K37 Buk-M1 system. The Buk-M1 employs 9M38-series missiles with an engagement envelope broadly up to approximately 30–35 km in range and up to around 22 km in altitude, with target sets including fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and certain cruise missiles. A brigade-level Buk formation integrates target acquisition radars, command posts, TELARs, and launcher-loaders to provide layered coverage for maneuver and critical sites; modernization status to newer Buk variants for this specific brigade is not publicly confirmed.
CBRN Defense
The 35th NBC Protection Regiment (military unit 59792) provides chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear reconnaissance, decontamination, smoke/obscurant operations, and hazardous material response in support of the army’s formations. Typical RChBZ assets in such regiments include specialized reconnaissance vehicles, decontamination systems, and smoke generation equipment; specific subunit composition and equipment tables for this regiment are not publicly available.
Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I)
The 54th Command and Control Brigade (military unit 53790) establishes and operates fixed and mobile command posts, radio/satellite communications, and data networks for the army headquarters and subordinate formations. The 253rd Separate Radio-Technical Battalion (military unit 63554), identified as a GRU radio-technical unit, is assessed to conduct signals intelligence and radio-electronic reconnaissance; detailed tasking, locations, and equipment for this battalion are not public. The 714th Command Intelligence Center (military unit 32863) is reported in the provided data; open-source confirmation of its structure and role remains limited. Sensitive specifics on C3I nodes, frequencies, cryptographic systems, and collection methods are not publicly released.
Logistics, Maintenance, and Recovery
The 82nd Separate Repair and Restoration Battalion (military unit 98673) is reported in the provided data; open-source confirmation is limited. Such battalions typically conduct battlefield recovery, maintenance, and depot-level repair coordination for armored vehicles, artillery systems, and support equipment, integrating evacuation assets, mobile repair teams, and spare-parts distribution. The broader sustainment network leverages the Trans-Siberian Railway and regional depots in Amur Oblast, Khabarovsk Krai, and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast for ammunition, fuel, and materiel flows.
Selected Equipment Technical Notes
Reported armored assets include T-72B3 (125 mm 2A46M-5 gun, Sosna-U fire control; engine power varies by sub-variant, typically 840–1,130 hp) and T-80BV/BVM (gas-turbine 1,100–1,250 hp; BV with Kontakt-1 ERA; BVM upgrade with Relikt ERA and improved FCS). Infantry fighting vehicles include BMP-1 (73 mm 2A28 Grom, legacy ATGM) and BMP-2 (30 mm 2A42, 9M113 Konkurs ATGM). Tube artillery: 2S3 Akatsiya 152 mm (approx. 18–24 km with conventional rounds), 2S19 Msta-S 152 mm (approx. 24–29 km with conventional/base-bleed; longer with rocket-assisted), 2A65 Msta-B 152 mm (approx. 24–29 km). Heavy gun: 2S7M Malka 203 mm (up to roughly 47+ km with specialized projectiles). MLRS: BM-21 Grad 122 mm (approx. 20–40 km depending on rocket type) and BM-27 Uragan 220 mm (approx. 35 km). Anti-tank gun: MT-12 Rapira 100 mm (direct-fire anti-armor role). Air defense: 9K37 Buk-M1 (engagement range roughly 30–35 km, altitude up to ~22 km). Missile forces: 9K720 Iskander-M (ballistic missile system; official range up to 500 km; conventional warhead options publicly acknowledged; the system is described by Russian sources as dual-capable).
Operational Activity Since 2022
Units of the 35th CAA participated in the February–March 2022 northern Ukraine operation toward Kyiv, with elements operating in Kyiv Oblast (including the Bucha–Irpin area). The 64th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade’s presence in that sector was extensively reported, and on 18 April 2022 the unit was formally awarded the Guards title by Russian authorities. Lieutenant Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov, identified as the 64th’s commander, has been named in international sanctions related to alleged war crimes; investigations and legal proceedings are a matter of public record. Following the Russian withdrawal from northern Ukraine by early April 2022, open-source reporting indicated subsequent redeployments of Eastern Military District elements to other fronts; comprehensive, verifiable unit-by-unit disposition for the 35th CAA after that period is limited in the public domain.
Notes on Subordination and Verification
The 107th Missile Brigade (military unit 47062) is based in Ulan-Ude and has been historically associated with the EMD; open sources place it under different army-level commands at various times, and operational tasking can lead to cross-attachment. The 54th Command and Control Brigade was listed twice in the input; this appears to be a duplicate reference to a single unit (military unit 53790). Commander attribution for the 35th CAA as Major General Sergey Nyrkov is taken from the provided data and remains unconfirmed in broadly accessible public sources. The existence, numbering, and garrisons of the 82nd Separate Repair and Restoration Battalion (military unit 98673) and the 714th Command Intelligence Center (military unit 32863) are not conclusively documented in open sources. Where details are not publicly available or remain classified, they cannot be provided.