42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division
Formation and Higher Command
The 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division is a formation of the Russian Ground Forces subordinate to the 58th Combined Arms Army within the Southern Military District. The division was re-established in 2016 during Russia’s wider shift from brigade-based structures back to divisions and is permanently stationed in the Chechen Republic. Its official status as a Guards formation reflects an honorific designation used by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The division provides combined-arms capabilities under the 58th Combined Arms Army for regional garrison duties and external deployments.
Headquarters and Garrison Footprint
The divisional headquarters (military unit 27777) is located at Khankala on the eastern outskirts of Grozny, Chechen Republic. The division maintains a distributed garrison footprint at established military sites including Shali, Kalinovskaya (Nadterechny District), and Borzoy (Itum-Kale District). These sites host permanent barracks, motor pools, ammunition storage, and training facilities and are connected via paved road networks and regional rail links through Grozny and Kalinovskaya to the Southern Military District logistics system.
Order of Battle (Provided)
According to the provided data, the division’s structure includes: 70th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (military unit 71718; equipment: T-72B3, BMP-2, 2S19 Msta-S, 9K35 Strela-10); 71st Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (military unit 16544; equipment: T-72B3, BTR-80/82A, 2S19 Msta-S, 9K35 Strela-10); 291st Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (military unit 65384; equipment: BTR-82A, BTR-80, 2S1 Gvozdika, 2B14 Podnos); a separate tank battalion equipped with T-72B3; 50th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (military unit 53185; equipment: 2S19 Msta-S and 2S19M1, and 2B26 Grad-K); 245th Separate Anti-Aircraft Missile Division (military unit 81510; equipment: 9K330 Tor); 417th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion (military unit 13242); 378th Separate Communications Battalion (military unit 93987); 539th Separate Engineer-Sapper Battalion (military unit 33952); 474th Separate Logistics Battalion (military unit 43108); 106th Separate Medical Battalion (military unit 73615); 150th Separate Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion (military unit 24566); and the divisional headquarters (military unit 27777).
Armor and Mechanized Platforms
The division fields T-72B3 main battle tanks both within its motor rifle regiments and in a separate tank battalion, forming the core armored maneuver element. The 70th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment operates BMP-2 tracked infantry fighting vehicles, while the 71st and 291st Guards Motor Rifle Regiments employ BTR-80 and BTR-82A wheeled armored personnel carriers. The T-72B3 upgrade incorporates modernized fire control and thermal imaging; the BTR-82A mounts a stabilized 30 mm 2A72 cannon; and the BMP-2 carries a 30 mm 2A42 cannon with optional anti-tank guided missiles, enabling combined tracked and wheeled maneuver tailored to terrain and road networks.
Indirect Fire and Rocket Artillery
Divisional and regimental fires are provided by a mix of 152 mm and 122 mm self-propelled howitzers, 122 mm multiple rocket launchers, and 82 mm mortars. The 50th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment fields 2S19 Msta-S and 2S19M1 (often referred to as Msta-SM) 152 mm systems, as well as 2B26 Grad-K 122 mm multiple rocket launchers on KamAZ chassis. The 291st Guards Motor Rifle Regiment employs 2S1 Gvozdika 122 mm self-propelled howitzers and 2B14 Podnos 82 mm mortars. Typical performance envelopes are on the order of 20+ km for 2S19 series with standard ammunition, up to approximately 15 km for 2S1 with high-explosive rounds, and area-effect salvos from 40-tube 2B26 launchers.
Air-Defense Architecture
The division employs layered short-range air defense. Regimental air defense in the 70th and 71st Guards Motor Rifle Regiments is provided by 9K35 Strela-10 infrared-guided systems, generally effective at ranges up to about 5 km and low altitudes. Divisional air defense is assigned to the 245th Separate Anti-Aircraft Missile Division with the 9K330 Tor family of radar-guided systems; depending on variant, Tor-class systems engage targets at roughly 12–16 km and medium-low altitudes, covering low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and certain classes of unmanned aerial systems.
Reconnaissance and Target Acquisition
The 417th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion (military unit 13242) conducts reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition to support maneuver and fires. Core tasks include route and area reconnaissance, observation post deployment, and cueing of artillery and air-defense fires. This battalion integrates with the division’s command-and-control cycle to provide timely battlefield information to regimental tactical groups.
Engineer and Communications Support
The 539th Separate Engineer-Sapper Battalion (military unit 33952) provides mobility, counter-mobility, and survivability support, including obstacle emplacement and reduction, route preparation, and field fortification. The 378th Separate Communications Battalion (military unit 93987) establishes and maintains tactical communications, ensuring voice and data links between the divisional headquarters and subordinate units across the garrison sites and during field deployments.
Sustainment and Medical Support
The 474th Separate Logistics Battalion (military unit 43108) delivers transport, supply, maintenance, and fuel services across the division, underpinning operational endurance. Medical support is provided by the 106th Separate Medical Battalion (military unit 73615), which furnishes echeloned medical care and evacuation within the division’s operating area. Together, these support units enable the generation and sustainment of combat power from the Chechen garrisons and in external operations.
Anti-Tank Capability
The 150th Separate Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion (military unit 24566) furnishes concentrated anti-armor fires at the divisional level. The specific systems employed by this battalion are not identified in the provided data and are not confirmed in authoritative public sources; Russian anti-tank battalions historically combine towed anti-tank guns and vehicle-mounted anti-tank guided missile systems, but exact equipment for this unit cannot be verified openly.
Command Personnel
According to the provided information, the division is commanded by Colonel Roman Demurchiev. Command appointments can change over time, and open-source references may differ by date; no effective date for this command assignment is included in the provided data.
Primary Garrison Sites
Khankala (Grozny) hosts the divisional headquarters and central support elements, serving as the principal command-and-control and logistics hub. Shali is associated with maneuver and artillery units, including the 70th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment and the 50th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment. Kalinovskaya (Nadterechny District) is associated with the 71st Guards Motor Rifle Regiment and divisional air-defense assets and provides access to regional rail infrastructure. Borzoy (Itum-Kale District) is associated with the 291st Guards Motor Rifle Regiment and constitutes a southern garrison node within Chechnya. These sites collectively form the division’s core military footprint.
Recent Public Reporting of Operations (2022–2024)
Open-source reporting during 2022–2024 has linked elements of the 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division, under the 58th Combined Arms Army, to operations in southern Ukraine, particularly in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Public references have identified the 70th, 71st, and 291st Guards Motor Rifle Regiments operating on that axis during periods in 2023–2024. Specific unit strengths, losses, and current deployment locations vary over time and are not consistently detailed in authoritative public sources.
Information Gaps
Exact personnel strengths, equipment counts, detailed site schematics, ammunition stocks, and current readiness levels for the listed units are not publicly disclosed. Where precise weapon variants, garrison street addresses, or commander tenures are not confirmed by authoritative open sources, they are not asserted here. The order of battle and equipment enumerations reflect the provided data and align with known public reporting on the 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division.