36th Combined Arms Army
Formation Overview
The 36th Combined Arms Army (36th CAA) is a field army of the Russian Ground Forces within the Eastern Military District. Its headquarters is located in Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia (military unit 05776). The formation comprises armored, motor rifle, artillery, air defense, missile, CBRN, logistics, and command-and-control units, enabling independent, multi-domain operations at army level. The principal subordinate formations commonly identified in open sources include the 5th Separate Guards Tank Brigade (m/u 46108), 37th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (m/u 69647), 30th Artillery Brigade (m/u 62048), 35th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (m/u 34696), 26th NBC Protection Regiment (m/u 62563), 103rd Missile Brigade (m/u 47130), 75th Command and Control Brigade (m/u 01229), and the 102nd Separate Logistics Brigade (m/u 72155).
Command Status
The statement that Major General Vitaly Gerasimov commanded the 36th CAA is not supported by verifiable public records. Vitaly Gerasimov is documented in open sources as Chief of Staff/First Deputy Commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army (Central Military District) and was widely reported by Ukrainian authorities as killed near Kharkiv in March 2022; the Russian Ministry of Defense has not publicly confirmed those reports. The current commanding officer of the 36th CAA has not been officially published in publicly accessible Russian Ministry of Defense sources. Accordingly, no commander is identified here.
Order of Battle (Major Subordinate Units)
Subordinate units publicly associated with the 36th CAA include: 5th Separate Guards Tank Brigade (m/u 46108) – assessed equipment includes T-72B3 series MBTs, BMP-series IFVs (BMP-1/BMP-2 variants reported), 122 mm MLRS (9K51M Tornado-G) and short-range SHORAD (9K332M Tor-M2U); 37th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (m/u 69647) – T-72B3, BMP-2 IFVs, 122 mm MLRS (9K51M Tornado-G), legacy SHORAD (9A33BM2/3 Osa); 30th Artillery Brigade (m/u 62048) – 152 mm SP howitzers (2S19M2 Msta-S) and 220 mm MLRS (BM-27 Uragan); 35th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (m/u 34696) – medium-range SAM (9K317M Buk-M3); 26th NBC Protection Regiment (m/u 62563); 103rd Missile Brigade (m/u 47130) – 9K720 Iskander-M; 75th Command and Control Brigade (m/u 01229); 102nd Separate Logistics Brigade (m/u 72155). Unit assignments can shift; the list reflects widely cited open-source associations.
Garrison Locations and Key Military Sites
The army’s headquarters and several major units are based in and around Ulan-Ude (Buryatia), notably at the Divizionnaya military area, which has extensive rail spurs and equipment parks conducive to rapid outload. The 5th Separate Guards Tank Brigade (m/u 46108) and the 103rd Missile Brigade (m/u 47130) are widely reported near Ulan-Ude/Divizionnaya. The 37th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (m/u 69647) is stationed at Kyakhta, near the Mongolian border, providing access to the Trans-Mongolian rail corridor via Ulan-Ude–Naushki. The 26th NBC Regiment (m/u 62563) and the 102nd Logistics Brigade (m/u 72155) are located in the Ulan-Ude area. Open sources differ on the permanent garrison of the 35th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (m/u 34696); definitive location data are not publicly confirmed here. Exact coordinates and detailed site layouts are not provided.
Armored and Mechanized Capabilities
The 5th Separate Guards Tank Brigade provides the army’s principal armored mass with T-72B3 series main battle tanks (B3/B3M variants are both observed across the force). The 37th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade adds combined-arms maneuver with T-72B3 and BMP-2 IFVs; some Eastern Military District motor rifle elements have also fielded BMP-1AM (Basurmanin) upgrades. Brigade organic artillery in these formations typically includes 122 mm MLRS (9K51M Tornado-G) and 120 mm mortars, with short-range air defense provided by 9K332M Tor-M2U (in newer brigades) and legacy 9A33 Osa systems (where modernization has not been completed). These mechanized elements enable the 36th CAA to conduct battalion and brigade-level offensive and defensive operations in mixed terrain across Buryatia and adjoining regions.
Artillery and Rocket Fires
The 30th Artillery Brigade (m/u 62048) delivers general-support and reinforcing fires. Its reported equipment includes 2S19M2 Msta-S 152 mm self-propelled howitzers (automated fire control, typical effective ranges 24–29 km with standard ammunition, longer with rocket-assisted/base-bleed rounds) and BM-27 Uragan 220 mm MLRS (16-tube launchers, typical ranges to ~35 km depending on rocket type). Brigade-level artillery reconnaissance usually includes counter-battery radars and UAVs, though specific systems for this unit are not publicly enumerated. The artillery brigade provides deep and counter-fire in support of maneuver brigades and can mass fires at army level when integrated with attached assets.
Theater Missile Capability (103rd Missile Brigade)
The 103rd Missile Brigade (m/u 47130), based near Ulan-Ude/Divizionnaya, fields the 9K720 Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system. The standard Russian Iskander-M brigade structure includes multiple battalions with 9P78-1 launchers (two missiles per TEL), associated transporter-loaders, command, maintenance, and support elements; open sources commonly cite 12 TELs per brigade as the doctrinal authorization. The 9M723-series ballistic missiles are officially described with ranges up to 500 km and high terminal maneuverability. The system can deliver a spectrum of conventional warheads; nuclear employment parameters, if any, are classified and not publicly detailed.
Air Defense Posture
Army-level medium-range air defense is attributed in open sources to the 35th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (m/u 34696) with 9K317M Buk-M3, a modernized system with canisterized missiles and improved engagement envelopes (commonly cited engagement range up to ~70 km against aerodynamic targets, dependent on missile variant and conditions). At the maneuver-brigade level, 9K332M Tor-M2U provides point/short-range air defense against aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, and PGMs, while legacy 9A33 Osa-AKM variants remain in some units pending replacement. This layered architecture supports area and point defense for maneuver forces, logistics hubs, and critical command nodes.
CBRN Defense, Logistics, and Sustainment
The 26th NBC Protection Regiment (m/u 62563) provides radiation, chemical, and biological reconnaissance, contamination monitoring, decontamination, and smoke/aerosol camouflage support. Typical equipment in such regiments includes reconnaissance vehicles (e.g., RKhM series) and decontamination/smoke systems; specific on-hand systems are not publicly enumerated for this unit. The 102nd Separate Logistics Brigade (m/u 72155) delivers supply (classes I–V), maintenance, transport, and field services. Army-level MTO capabilities support rail and road movements along the Trans-Siberian and regional routes, heavy equipment transport, and repair/recovery, enabling extended operations and rapid redeployment.
Command, Control, and Communications
The 75th Command and Control Brigade (m/u 01229) supports the army’s command-and-control with deployable headquarters nodes, trunk and radio relay systems, and automation suites. Russian ground forces at army level commonly employ integrated C2/automation such as Andromeda-D, along with HF/VHF/UHF radio, troposcatter, and satellite communications for redundancy. This C2 backbone links the 36th CAA headquarters (m/u 05776) with subordinate brigades and adjacent formations, and interfaces with Eastern Military District command and Aerospace Forces where required. Detailed network architectures and frequencies are not publicly disclosed.
Training Areas and Recent Activity
Units associated with the 36th CAA routinely train in Buryatia and adjoining regions. The Tsugol training ground in Zabaykalsky Krai was a primary venue during the Vostok-2018 strategic exercise, in which Eastern Military District formations, including units from Buryatia, participated. Since 2022, multiple independent investigations and visual evidence have documented elements from Buryatia-based brigades (notably the 37th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade and the 5th Separate Guards Tank Brigade) operating in the war in Ukraine; casualty and equipment-loss details vary by source and are not comprehensively confirmed in official Russian releases.
Mobility and Lines of Communication
The Ulan-Ude/Divizionnaya garrison complex lies on the Trans-Siberian Railway, with the Trans-Mongolian branch junction at Ulan-Ude, facilitating strategic east–west and southbound movements. The Kyakhta area provides access toward the Mongolian border via road and rail through Naushki. These lines of communication support rapid assembly, outload, and redeployment of heavy equipment, including tanks, artillery, and missile systems. The presence of large railheads, equipment parks, and ammunition depots in the area underpins the 36th CAA’s ability to surge forces over long distances.
Data Confidence and Gaps
Military unit numbers provided here (e.g., m/u 05776, 46108, 69647, 62048, 34696, 62563, 47130, 01229, 72155) are consistent with widely cited open-source references. Equipment associations (T-72B3, BMP-1/2, 9K51M Tornado-G, 9K332M Tor-M2U, 9A33BM2/3 Osa, 2S19M2 Msta-S, BM-27 Uragan, 9K317M Buk-M3, 9K720 Iskander-M) align with public reporting for the described units. Gaps remain regarding the current named commander of the 36th CAA, the definitive permanent garrison and subordination status of the 35th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (m/u 34696), and detailed tables of organization and equipment by battalion. Where information is not publicly available or is inconsistent across sources, this report refrains from firm assertions.