35th Missile Division
Division Overview and Command Relationships
The 35th Missile Division (military unit 52929) is a formation of the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces (RVSN). Its headquarters is in the closed administrative-territorial formation (ZATO) Sibirsky, Pervomaysky District, Altai Krai, near Barnaul. The division operates road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and is subordinated to the 33rd Guards Missile Army, whose headquarters is widely reported to be in Omsk. The division’s mission is strategic nuclear deterrence through the deployment, dispersal, and potential launch of RS-24 Yars mobile ICBMs under RVSN central command (RVSN HQ at Vlasikha, Moscow Oblast).
Order of Battle (Regimental Structure)
Open-source reporting attributes the following regiments to the 35th Missile Division; all are equipped with RS-24 Yars road-mobile ICBM systems: - 307th Guards Missile Regiment — military unit 29532. - 479th Missile Regiment — military unit 29517. - 480th Missile Regiment — military unit 29562. - 867th Guards Missile Regiment — military unit 29551. These regiments constitute the division’s primary combat elements; the “Guards” title denotes historical distinction awarded to specific units.
Location Analysis
The division’s headquarters and regimental garrisons are in and around ZATO Sibirsky and designated positional areas in Altai Krai. The region’s mixed forest-steppe terrain and extensive network of secondary roads support concealment, dispersal, and maneuver of road-mobile launchers. Climatic conditions include severe winters and significant seasonal temperature swings typical of southwestern Siberia; RVSN mobility assets (multi-axle heavy transporters and support vehicles) are built for year-round operations in these conditions. Precise coordinates of regimental deployment areas and patrol routes are not publicly disclosed.
Missile System: RS-24 Yars (SS-27 Mod 2)
The RS-24 Yars is a three-stage, solid-propellant ICBM fielded in both mobile and silo-based configurations; the 35th Missile Division employs the road-mobile variant on an eight-axle MZKT-79221 16x16 transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) with a sealed canister and cold-launch system. Publicly available technical parameters indicate an approximate range of 10,500–11,000 km, a launch mass around 49 metric tons, and multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), commonly reported as 3–4 warheads with penetration aids. Guidance is inertial with astrocorrection, consistent with Russian strategic missile practice. NATO designates the Yars as SS-27 Mod 2.
Infrastructure and Positional Areas
Typical divisional infrastructure for a mobile ICBM formation includes permanent garrison areas (parking-storage shelters, maintenance bays, fuel and lubricant depots for support vehicles), a missile technical base for receipt, inspection, and preparation of missiles, training grounds for field deployments, and a railhead or heavy-transport access for logistics. Mobile launcher shelters and camouflaged covered facilities are used to reduce visual, infrared, and radar signatures when not on patrol. Field deployment sites in designated positional areas include hardened or concealed parking points, pre-surveyed launch positions, and communications nodes. Detailed site layouts are not publicly available.
Operational Readiness and Training
Mobile ICBM regiments of the division conduct regular road marches, dispersal drills, and field deployments in assigned positional areas, practicing concealed movement, rapid occupation of launch positions, and survivability measures (deception, camouflage, and decoy employment). Routine RVSN training cycles include command-staff exercises, combat duty rotations, counter-sabotage drills, engineer route clearance and remote obstacle emplacement, and CBRN defense activities. The division’s Yars units are maintained at continuous readiness levels defined by RVSN regulations; specific alert postures and patrol schedules are not publicly disclosed.
Security, Counter-Sabotage, and Communications
Security of Yars road columns and field sites relies on layered measures: perimeter security, route reconnaissance, engineer obstacle placement, and dedicated counter-sabotage detachments. RVSN mobile formations employ specialized anti-sabotage vehicles such as the Typhoon-M (BPDM 15Ts56M) for route surveillance and reconnaissance; these are widely reported across Yars-equipped divisions. Communications use redundant channels (HF/VHF, satellite, and wired links when established in field sites) integrated into RVSN’s automated battle management systems, with mobile command posts providing control over dispersed battalions. Specific electronic warfare and sensor configurations assigned to this division are not publicly detailed.
Logistics and Warhead Custody
As a solid-propellant system, RS-24 Yars does not require liquid fueling; logistics focus on transporter maintenance, spares, power supply units, communications equipment, and sustainment of support vehicles. Missile preparation and technical operations occur at the division’s missile technical base under RVSN procedures. Nuclear warhead custody and handling across the Russian Armed Forces are the responsibility of the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense (12th GUMO); coordination between RVSN units and 12th GUMO is standard practice. Locations and procedures for warhead storage, transfer, and mating are classified and not publicly disclosed.
Modernization and Historical Context
The 35th Missile Division is a Soviet-era formation that continued in service with the Russian Federation’s RVSN. Historically, units in this division operated RT-2PM Topol (SS-25) mobile ICBMs and subsequently transitioned to the RS-24 Yars during the RVSN’s modernization in the mid-2010s to early 2020s. Russian Ministry of Defense releases and regional reporting over this period documented the progressive rearmament of regiments in Barnaul’s division to Yars. The shift to RS-24 Yars increased survivability and warhead capability relative to legacy single-warhead systems.
Treaty and Transparency Considerations
Under the 2010 New START Treaty, RS-24 Yars missiles and their TELs fall under deployed ICBM and launcher categories; warhead counting under the treaty reflects the actual number of warheads emplaced on deployed missiles at the time of inspection. On 21 February 2023, the Russian Federation announced it would suspend participation in New START; inspections and data exchanges have been halted since 2022. Legally, the treaty remains in force until 5 February 2026 unless superseded. Unit-level counts of deployed launchers and warheads for specific regiments or divisions are not publicly provided under current circumstances.
Regiment Profiles (Capabilities and Roles)
Each regiment in the 35th Missile Division (307th Guards, 479th, 480th, 867th Guards) fields RS-24 Yars road-mobile launchers with associated missile battalions, security elements, engineers, communications units, and logistics support. Their common role is to disperse across designated positional areas on preplanned routes, sustain concealed field operations, and remain capable of prompt launch on command via the RVSN command-and-control network. While organization is standardized across RVSN mobile regiments, detailed tables of organization and equipment and the exact number of launchers per regiment are not publicly disclosed.
Information Availability and Classification
This assessment relies on verifiable, open-source information about the 35th Missile Division (military unit 52929), its regimental components (military units 29532, 29517, 29562, 29551), and the RS-24 Yars system. Specifics that are not publicly available include exact coordinates of garrisons and field launch positions, the number of launchers and warheads by regiment, detailed patrol routes, alert statuses, warhead storage locations, and internal communications or electronic warfare configurations. Those details are classified by the Russian Ministry of Defense and are not released in the public domain.