39th Guards Missile Division
Unit Overview
The 39th Guards Missile Division (military unit 34148) is a formation of the Strategic Missile Forces (Raketnye Voiska Strategicheskogo Naznacheniya, RVSN) of the Russian Federation, stationed in Novosibirsk Oblast. It operates road‑mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) as part of Russia’s strategic nuclear deterrent, fielded through its missile regiments equipped with RS‑24 Yars systems.
Command Subordination and Headquarters
The division is subordinate to the 33rd Guards Rocket Army, whose headquarters is in Omsk. Open-source reporting places the division headquarters and main garrison in the Pashino district of Novosibirsk; the headquarters military unit number is 34148.
Subordinate Regiments and Military Unit Numbers
The division’s regimental structure includes: 357th Missile Regiment (military unit 54097) – RS‑24 Yars; 428th Guards Missile Regiment (military unit 73727) – RS‑24 Yars; 382nd Missile Regiment (military unit 44238) – RS‑24 Yars. These regiments are documented in open sources as components of the 39th Guards Missile Division and operate road‑mobile Yars launchers with associated command, security, engineering, and logistics elements.
RS‑24 Yars System Overview
The RS‑24 Yars (NATO reporting name: SS‑27 Mod 2) is a solid‑propellant, three‑stage ICBM developed by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, deployed in road‑mobile and silo configurations. Initial operational deployment occurred in 2010 with the Teikovo formation. Open-source estimates place maximum range around 11,000–12,000 km. The road‑mobile variant uses the MZKT‑79221 16×16 transporter‑erector‑launcher. The missile is capable of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs); Russia has not officially disclosed the specific warhead loading per missile.
Historical Equipment and Modernization
Prior to rearmament, the division fielded RT‑2PM Topol (SS‑25) road‑mobile ICBMs. During the 2010s, the division transitioned to RS‑24 Yars across its regiments. By the early 2020s, Russian Ministry of Defense communications and open reporting indicated the Novosibirsk missile formation had completed its conversion to Yars.
Location and Geography
The division’s positional areas are located in Novosibirsk Oblast within the Siberian Federal District. The region provides extensive forested and steppe terrain, a cold‑continental climate, and access to major road and rail corridors, including the Trans‑Siberian Railway through Novosibirsk. These features support road‑mobile dispersal, concealment, and sustainment for ICBM operations.
Infrastructure and Deployment Mode
Road‑mobile RVSN regiments operate from permanent bases that include covered shelters for transporter‑erector‑launchers, missile‑technical facilities, maintenance and fuel depots, training infrastructure, and layered security perimeters. From these bases, units conduct patrols along pre‑surveyed routes and can deploy to field launch positions to increase survivability. Precise site layouts, launcher counts per base, and detailed dispersal areas for the 39th Guards Missile Division are not publicly disclosed.
Organization and Typical Launcher Counts
RVSN road‑mobile regiments are generally organized into several battalions (diviziony), each with multiple TELs, command vehicles, and support elements. Open-source assessments commonly cite approximately nine road‑mobile launchers per regiment in current Yars configurations; however, official, regiment‑specific launcher totals for the 357th, 428th Guards, and 382nd regiments have not been published.
Operations and Training
Russian Ministry of Defense announcements regularly reference Yars mobility exercises and patrols conducted by the Novosibirsk missile formation, covering alert movements, camouflage and concealment, counter‑sabotage security training, and command‑and‑control drills. Such activities occur within annual training cycles. Detailed schedules, patrol routes, and operational readiness states are not released publicly.
Arms Control Context
Under the New START Treaty, road‑mobile ICBMs, including RS‑24 Yars, are accountable as deployed or non‑deployed ICBMs and associated launchers. In 2023, Russia announced suspension of treaty inspections and notifications; as a result, current verified public counts at specific bases or regiments are not available. The treaty remains in force through February 2026 unless superseded or otherwise altered.
Known Public Identifiers
Publicly reported identifiers for this formation are: 39th Guards Missile Division headquarters – military unit 34148 (Novosibirsk); 357th Missile Regiment – military unit 54097 (RS‑24 Yars); 428th Guards Missile Regiment – military unit 73727 (RS‑24 Yars); 382nd Missile Regiment – military unit 44238 (RS‑24 Yars). Russian‑language references frequently use “Novosibirsk missile formation” (Новосибирское ракетное соединение) and “39‑я гвардейская ракетная дивизия.”
Security and Support Elements
Each missile regiment is supported by organic security, engineering, signals, medical, and logistics subunits responsible for convoy protection, route clearance, camouflage and deception, and base defense. At divisional level, additional support units provide technical maintenance, communications, and infrastructure security. Specific subunit designations and manning levels are not consistently available in open sources.
Information Availability
Details such as exact coordinates of positional areas, the number of TELs per regiment, warhead loading, alert procedures, communications architecture, and nuclear warhead storage arrangements are classified or not publicly released; therefore, they are not provided.