47th Guards Tank Division
Formation Overview
The 47th Guards Tank Division is reported as a newly formed formation of the Russian Ground Forces with headquarters at Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. The available unit data is incomplete. The “Guards” honorific denotes an elite status historically awarded for distinguished service in the Soviet/Russian armed forces. Public, authoritative announcements detailing the division’s full establishment timelines, end-strength, and complete structure have not been released.
Headquarters and Command
Headquarters location: Mulino (Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russian Federation). Reported commander: Colonel Yevgeny Doroshenko. Independent, official confirmation of the commander’s appointment has not been identified in publicly accessible sources; the name is recorded here as provided. No official personnel orders, biographies, or Ministry of Defence press releases tying this officer to the division have been located in open publications.
Reported Order of Battle
According to the provided data, the division includes: 26th Guards Tank Regiment (T-72B3M), 153rd Tank Regiment (military unit 18425; commander Lieutenant Colonel A. Persaev; equipment: T-72B3M obr. 2022, BMP-2, D-30), 197th Guards Tank Regiment (T-72B3M obr. 2022), and the 63rd Separate Anti-Aircraft Missile Squadron (Tor-M2, Pantsir-S1). Additional divisional elements commonly present in Russian tank divisions (motor rifle regiment, artillery regiment, reconnaissance, engineer, signal, logistics, medical, UAV, EW, and NBC units) are not listed and cannot be confirmed from the provided information.
Location Analysis: Mulino Garrison and Training Complex
Mulino is a major Russian Ground Forces garrison and training area in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. It hosts the 333rd Combat Training Center and extensive combined-arms ranges suitable for armor, mechanized infantry, and artillery live-fire. The main stage of strategic exercise Zapad-2021 was publicly reported by the Russian Ministry of Defence as taking place at the Mulino training ground (10–16 September 2021). The complex’s infrastructure supports formation-level maneuver and live-fire, making it a logical location for forming and training armored divisions.
Tank Fleet and Key Capabilities
The division’s tank regiments are reported to field T-72B3M variants, including the 2022 modification. The T-72B3M is a modernization of the T-72B platform featuring a 125 mm 2A46M-5 smoothbore gun with the capability to fire 9M119-series gun-launched ATGMs, improved fire-control (commonly including Sosna-U thermal sights), upgraded protection, and a more powerful engine (commonly the V-92S2F rated around 1,130 hp). The T-72B3M obr. 2022 adds enhanced protection measures including Relikt explosive reactive armor and additional external/roof protection features intended to mitigate top-attack and close-range threats. These upgrades increase engagement effectiveness, night-fighting capability, and survivability relative to earlier T-72 variants.
Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Towed Artillery (Reported)
The 153rd Tank Regiment is reported to have BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles and D-30 (122 mm) towed howitzers. The BMP-2 mounts a 30 mm 2A42 cannon, a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun, and typically an AT-4/AT-5 ATGM launcher, carrying a dismount squad (commonly seven infantry) in addition to the three-person crew. The D-30 (2A18) is a 122 mm towed howitzer with 360-degree traverse; maximum range is approximately 15.4 km using standard HE shells and up to about 21.9 km with rocket-assisted projectiles. These systems provide mobile infantry support and organic indirect fire at regimental level when self-propelled artillery is unavailable or supplemented.
Air-Defense Assets and Engagement Envelopes
The 63rd Separate Anti-Aircraft Missile Squadron is reported to field Tor-M2 and Pantsir-S1. Tor-M2 provides short-range air defense against aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, guided munitions, and UAVs; with 9M338K missiles it typically carries 16 ready-to-fire rounds, engaging targets at roughly 1–16 km in range and from low altitude up to approximately 10 km, with multi-target engagement capability. Pantsir-S1 combines 12 ready-to-fire command-guided surface-to-air missiles (57E6 series) and twin 30 mm autocannons; engagement ranges are generally cited up to 20 km and altitudes up to about 15 km for missiles, with guns effective to several kilometers. The mixed use of Tor and Pantsir provides layered point and short-range coverage across low to medium altitudes.
153rd Tank Regiment (military unit 18425) Profile
Reported commander: Lieutenant Colonel A. Persaev. Reported equipment: T-72B3M obr. 2022 main battle tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, and D-30 122 mm towed howitzers. The presence of both tanks and BMP-2 indicates an integral motorized/mechanized component within the regiment, consistent with Russian regimental structures that include an organic motor rifle battalion. The D-30 indicates availability of towed indirect fire at regimental level. Stationing specifics (garrison facilities, depots, and exact training allocations) are not provided and cannot be confirmed here.
26th Guards Tank Regiment Profile
The 26th Guards Tank Regiment is reported to field T-72B3M tanks. No further details on battalion count, supporting companies, or attached support assets are provided. The “Guards” honorific indicates award of elite status in Russian military tradition. Without official disclosure, the regiment’s full table of organization and equipment (TO&E), personnel strength, and garrison locations beyond division-level headquarters remain unconfirmed in public sources.
197th Guards Tank Regiment Profile
The 197th Guards Tank Regiment is reported to operate T-72B3M obr. 2022 tanks. Specific data on the regiment’s internal structure, supporting artillery, air-defense battery, reconnaissance, engineer, and logistics subunits are not provided. No official military unit number (в/ч) or garrison details are available in the provided information, and independent public confirmation has not been identified.
Doctrinal Structure Versus Reported Composition
Russian Ground Forces tank divisions are generally organized around three tank regiments and one motor rifle regiment, supported by a divisional artillery regiment, an air-defense regiment, reconnaissance and UAV elements, engineer-sapper, signal, EW, NBC defense, medical, maintenance-repair, and logistics units, plus rocket artillery and anti-tank assets. The provided data lists three tank regiments and a separate air-defense element but does not include a motor rifle regiment or the full suite of divisional support units. Absence of data does not confirm absence of those units; it indicates incomplete open-source visibility.
Infrastructure and Support Considerations
Mulino’s training complex includes combined-arms ranges suitable for tank gunnery, maneuver corridors, and coordinated live-fire with infantry fighting vehicles and artillery. Such infrastructure supports the force-generation and collective training requirements of a tank division. Specific divisional support infrastructure—such as dedicated railheads, ammunition storage areas, POL facilities, heavy maintenance workshops, and medical facilities—are not enumerated in the provided information and are not detailed in official public releases for this formation.
Subordination and Higher Command
The higher-echelon assignment for the 47th Guards Tank Division is not specified in the provided data. Mulino is within the Western Military District. Without an official Russian Ministry of Defence announcement or a verifiable public order of battle, the division’s placement under a particular army (e.g., 1st Guards Tank Army or another formation) cannot be asserted here.
Recent Activity Indicators (Publicly Reported for the Site)
Mulino has been publicly used for large-scale exercises, including the main stage of Zapad-2021 (10–16 September 2021) as reported by the Russian Ministry of Defence. Routine training footage from the Mulino ranges is periodically published by official channels, indicating sustained use of the facility for combined-arms training. No official, detailed training schedule specific to the 47th Guards Tank Division has been released.
Information Gaps and Confidence Assessment
Confirmed: Headquarters location at Mulino and the general role of the site as a major combined-arms training complex. Reported but unconfirmed in open official sources: division commander (Colonel Yevgeny Doroshenko), the full set of subordinate regiments, the 153rd Tank Regiment’s military unit number (18425) and commander (Lt. Col. A. Persaev), and the 63rd Separate Anti-Aircraft Missile Squadron designation. Equipment types listed (T-72B3M/obr. 2022, BMP-2, D-30, Tor-M2, Pantsir-S1) are widely documented Russian systems with the stated general characteristics; their assignment to the specific units listed is based on the provided information and lacks official public confirmation. Additional divisional elements, personnel strengths, exact garrison locations for subordinate units, and detailed TO&Es remain unverified.