41st Combined Arms Army
Formation Overview and Order of Battle
The 41st Combined Arms Army (41st CAA) is a field army of the Russian Ground Forces subordinate to the Central Military District. Its headquarters is military unit 64128 in Novosibirsk. Based on the data provided and cross-checked against publicly available sources, the army’s principal formations include: the 35th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 41659), the 55th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (mountain) (military unit 55115), the 74th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 21005), the 120th Guards Artillery Brigade (military unit 59361), the 119th Missile Brigade (military unit 49547), the 61st Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 31466), the 10th NBC Protection Regiment (military unit 55121), the 35th Command and Control Brigade (military unit 57849), the 236th Separate Special Purpose Radio-Technical Battalion GRU (military unit 73762), and the 106th Separate Logistics Brigade (military unit 72154).
Headquarters and Command
The 41st CAA headquarters (military unit 64128) is located in Novosibirsk and exercises operational control over subordinate maneuver, fires, air-defense, and support formations deployed across the Siberian region. The provided assertion that the army commander is Lieutenant-General Sergey Ryzhkov cannot be independently corroborated from public, authoritative sources as of October 2024; the position has seen rotations, and current incumbency is not officially posted in open sources. The deputy commander of the 41st CAA reported by Russian media in early 2022 was Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, who was reported killed in March 2022, a fact widely covered in open reporting.
Maneuver Brigades
The army’s maneuver component comprises three separate motor rifle brigades with distinct roles. The 35th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 41659), reported in open sources as garrisoned at Aleysk (Altai Krai), fields tracked mechanized and tank elements; equipment commonly associated with this brigade includes T-72B/B3 series tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, and 152 mm self-propelled artillery such as 2S19 Msta-S. The 55th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (mountain) (military unit 55115), publicly associated with Kyzyl (Tuva Republic), is optimized for rugged terrain and typically uses lighter, wheeled platforms such as BTR-80 armored personnel carriers, GAZ Tigr vehicles, and 2S9 Nona-S 120 mm self-propelled mortars. The 74th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 21005), widely reported at Yurga (Kemerovo Oblast), operates combined arms battalions with T-72B3 tanks, BMP-2 IFVs, BTR-80s, and 2S3 Akatsiya 152 mm SPGs. Note: the mention of 9K37 Buk-M1 in the 35th Brigade’s equipment list is atypical for a motor rifle brigade’s organic air-defense (which is usually short-range); medium-range Buk systems are normally held by dedicated army-level air-defense brigades.
Fires and Missile Forces
Long-range and heavy fires are provided primarily by the 120th Guards Artillery Brigade (military unit 59361) and the 119th Missile Brigade (military unit 49547). The 120th Guards Artillery Brigade fields a mix of rocket and tube artillery documented in open sources, including BM-27 Uragan 220 mm multiple launch rocket systems (typical maximum range around 35 km with standard rockets), 2S19M2 Msta-S 152 mm SPGs (automated fire-control upgrade over earlier variants), 2A65 Msta-B 152 mm towed howitzers, and 2S7M Malka 203 mm SPGs (heavy artillery with ranges commonly cited at approximately 37.5 km with standard ammunition and up to roughly 47.5 km with rocket-assisted projectiles). The 119th Missile Brigade fields the 9K720 Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile system (TEL 9P78-1) using 9M723-series missiles; Russian official figures for Iskander-M cite a range up to 500 km with precision guidance.
Air-Defense Coverage
The 61st Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 31466) provides the army’s medium-range air-defense umbrella, operating Buk family systems documented as 9K317 Buk-M2 and 9K317M Buk-M3. Open-source references attribute engagement ranges on Buk-M2 to approximately 45–50 km against aircraft with altitude envelopes up to around 25 km, while Buk-M3 introduces the 9M317M missile with extended engagement ranges commonly cited up to roughly 70 km under ideal conditions, along with upgraded radar and command systems. These capabilities enable area air defense for maneuver and fires brigades and contribute to countering fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and some classes of UAVs.
Combat Support, Signals, and Intelligence
Combat support elements include the 10th NBC Protection Regiment (military unit 55121), which provides radiological, chemical, and biological reconnaissance, decontamination, smoke/aerosol masking, and related CBRN defense tasks. The 35th Command and Control Brigade (military unit 57849) delivers communications, signal support, and automation for command posts at army and subordinate formation levels; Russian army signal brigades commonly employ mobile command-staff vehicles and multiband communications to establish redundant C2 networks. The 236th Separate Special Purpose Radio-Technical Battalion GRU (military unit 73762) is described in the provided data as a GRU radio-technical unit; publicly available information on this specific battalion is limited, but radio-technical and signals intelligence units typically conduct electronic support measures, direction finding, and signal environment monitoring to support targeting and force protection.
Logistics and Sustainment
The 106th Separate Logistics Brigade (military unit 72154) provides the army’s material-technical support (MTO), including supply (classes I–V), transport (road and rail interface), maintenance and recovery, field services, and medical evacuation support. In Russian practice, MTO brigades coordinate closely with civilian rail authorities for strategic movement and sustainment, leveraging major nodes in Novosibirsk and the broader Siberian rail network. Their activities underpin the operational endurance of maneuver and fires units, including fuel distribution, ammunition throughput, and repair of armored and artillery systems.
Infrastructure and Basing Footprint
Publicly reported garrisons for 41st CAA formations concentrate in the Siberian Federal District: the headquarters in Novosibirsk (Novosibirsk Oblast); maneuver and fires units in Kemerovo Oblast (notably Yurga, which hosts the 74th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade and is associated with the 120th Guards Artillery Brigade and the 119th Missile Brigade in open-source reporting); Aleysk in Altai Krai (commonly linked to the 35th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade); and Kyzyl in the Tuva Republic (linked to the 55th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, mountain). The Yurginsky training area near Yurga is a known large training ground used by units in this grouping. These sites are positioned with access to the Trans-Siberian rail network and regional highways, facilitating strategic mobility. Exact facility layouts and detailed site schematics are not publicly released.
Equipment Profile and Capabilities (selected systems)
Selected systems listed in the provided data align with widely reported inventories. T-72B3 main battle tanks field a 125 mm smoothbore gun with modernized fire control and thermal imaging; BMP-2 IFVs mount a 30 mm autocannon and ATGM capability; BTR-80 APCs provide wheeled mobility for infantry. The 2S3 Akatsiya (152 mm) and 2S19/2S19M2 Msta-S (152 mm) are core self-propelled artillery systems; the 2A65 Msta-B is a towed 152 mm howitzer system. The BM-27 Uragan provides 220 mm area-saturation rocket fires; the 2S7M Malka is a heavy 203 mm SPG for long-range, high-caliber fires. The 2S9 Nona-S is a 120 mm self-propelled mortar/howitzer suited to mountain and airborne units. For air defense, Buk-M2/M3 provides medium-range engagement capability, complementing shorter-range systems typically found at brigade level. The Iskander-M system, fielded by the 119th Missile Brigade, provides precision short-range ballistic strike capability with a variety of warhead types as publicly acknowledged by Russian sources.
Recent Operational Activity (public domain)
Public reporting from late 2021 into 2022 documented elements of the 41st CAA relocating westward during the buildup prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including staging in western Russia and Belarus. Since February 2022, multiple formations associated with the 41st CAA—particularly the 35th, 55th, and 74th brigades—have been reported by open sources as participating in operations in Ukraine. The 119th Missile Brigade’s Iskander-M systems have been filmed and photographed in use during the conflict, and Buk systems attributed to army-level air-defense brigades have been observed throughout the theater. Specific unit movements, losses, and current dispositions fluctuate and are not comprehensively documented in official releases; detailed, real-time order of battle and casualty figures are not publicly available.
Notes on Commanders and Unit Identifiers
The provided data includes named commanders—Lieutenant-General Sergey Ryzhkov (41st CAA), Colonel Oleg Kurygin (35th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade), and Colonel Denis Barilo (55th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, mountain). As of October 2024, these individual assignments cannot be conclusively verified in authoritative, up-to-date public sources. Military unit numbers (voyskovaya chast’, v/ch) listed for the 35th (41659), 55th (55115), 74th (21005), 119th (49547), 120th (59361), 61st (31466), and 41st HQ (64128) are consistent with multiple open-source references. The identifiers for the 10th NBC Protection Regiment (55121), 35th Command and Control Brigade (57849), 236th Separate Special Purpose Radio-Technical Battalion (73762), and 106th Separate Logistics Brigade (72154) appear in open reporting, but some of these are less frequently cited; independent confirmation from official publications is limited.
Data Reliability and Gaps
This analysis reflects information available in the public domain as of October 2024. The overall structure of the 41st CAA and the existence and general equipment types of its principal brigades are well documented. Specifics that remain uncertain or variably reported in open sources include current commander assignments, exact sub-unit compositions, on-hand equipment quantities, and precise garrison facility layouts. Where the provided data diverges from standard Russian organizational practice (e.g., medium-range Buk systems listed as organic to a motor rifle brigade), this is noted. Classified details such as restricted site schematics, secure frequencies, or real-time dispositions are not publicly available and are not included.
Modernization and Observed Trends
The 41st CAA’s fires and air-defense components reflect broader Russian Ground Forces modernization: the 2S19M2 upgrade for self-propelled artillery, the reintroduction and modernization of 2S7M Malka heavy guns, and the fielding of Buk-M3 to complement Buk-M2. The 119th Missile Brigade’s Iskander-M provides precision strike capability at the army level. Maneuver brigades employ a mix of legacy platforms (BMP-2, BTR-80, 2S3) and upgraded tanks (T-72B3). Since 2022, open reporting indicates that formations have undergone replenishment and reconstitution actions, consistent with sustained operational commitments. These trends are observable in public imagery and media releases; granular program timelines and procurement figures are not fully disclosed in open sources.