49th Combined Arms Army
Organizational Overview
The 49th Combined Arms Army (CAA) of the Russian Ground Forces, subordinated to the Southern Military District, maintains its headquarters in Stavropol (military unit 35181). Open-source order-of-battle reporting attributes to it the following major formations and units: 34th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (mountain) (military unit 01485); 205th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 74814); 227th Artillery Brigade (military unit 13714); 1st Guards Missile Brigade (military unit 31853, equipped with the 9K720 Iskander-M system); 573rd Separate Reconnaissance Artillery Battalion (military unit 55030); 90th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 54821, equipped with 9K317 Buk-M2); 66th Command and Control Brigade (military unit 41600); 32nd Engineer-Sapper Regiment (military unit 23094); 99th Separate Logistics Brigade (military unit 72153); and intelligence elements including the 217th Separate Special Purpose Electronic Intelligence Battalion (GRU) (military unit 87530) and the 689th Command Intelligence Center (GRU) (military unit 87528).
Headquarters and Command Status
Headquarters for the 49th CAA is located in Stavropol, Stavropol Krai (military unit 35181). Lieutenant General Yakov Rezantsev was publicly identified as the army’s commander during early 2022; Ukrainian authorities reported his death near Chornobaivka, Kherson Oblast, in March 2022, while the Russian Ministry of Defense did not issue an official confirmation. Subsequent open-source reporting indicates that other officers have commanded the formation after 2022, but authoritative, publicly confirmed current command data are limited. As such, Rezantsev’s listing as the present commander cannot be verified from public sources.
Geographic Disposition and Sites
Publicly reported garrisons include: 34th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (mountain) at Storozhevaya-2, Zelenchuksky District, Karachay-Cherkess Republic; 205th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade at Budyonnovsk, Stavropol Krai; 1st Guards Missile Brigade near Molkino (Goryachy Klyuch), Krasnodar Krai; 90th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade at Achikulak, Neftekumsky District, Stavropol Krai; 49th CAA Headquarters and the 66th Command and Control Brigade in Stavropol. Open sources commonly place the 99th Separate Logistics Brigade in Maykop (Republic of Adygea). Publicly confirmed locations for the 227th Artillery Brigade, 32nd Engineer-Sapper Regiment, 573rd Separate Reconnaissance Artillery Battalion, 217th Separate Special Purpose ELINT Battalion (GRU), and the 689th Command Intelligence Center (GRU) are less consistent across sources and should be treated as unconfirmed unless corroborated by primary documentation.
Maneuver Brigades
The 34th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (mountain) (military unit 01485) is optimized for operations in mountainous terrain and is reported with lighter armored carriers (MT-LBM 6MB and MT-LB VMK variants), BTR-80 armored personnel carriers, and organic indirect fire assets such as the 122 mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer and 120 mm 2S12 Sani mortars. The 205th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 74814) is a heavier formation with T-72B3 main battle tanks, MT-LB carriers, 152 mm self-propelled artillery (2S3 Akatsiya and 2S19SM2 Msta-S), and organic short-range air defense (9K331 Tor-M1).
Artillery and Rocket Fires
The 227th Artillery Brigade (military unit 13714) provides operational-level fires with a mixed inventory that includes 2S19SM1 Msta-S 152 mm self-propelled howitzers, BM-27 Uragan 220 mm multiple launch rocket systems, 2A65 Msta-B 152 mm towed howitzers, and MT-12 Rapira 100 mm anti-tank guns. The 573rd Separate Reconnaissance Artillery Battalion (military unit 55030) fields artillery reconnaissance and target acquisition systems including AZK-7 acoustic artillery reconnaissance, PRP-4M artillery reconnaissance vehicles, and 1L219 Zoopark counter-battery radar, enabling detection and tracking of enemy indirect-fire systems for counter-battery engagement.
Air Defense Posture
Air defense at the army level is provided by the 90th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 54821), which operates the 9K317 Buk-M2 medium-range surface-to-air missile system. The Buk-M2 (with 9M317 missiles) typically provides engagement ranges up to approximately 45 km and altitudes up to roughly 25 km, depending on missile and target parameters. At the brigade level, systems such as the 9K331 Tor-M1 (as reported with the 205th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade) provide short-range point defense with engagement ranges up to about 12 km and altitudes up to approximately 6 km. These formations are integrated into the Southern Military District’s layered air defense architecture.
Operational-Level Missile Forces
The 1st Guards Missile Brigade (military unit 31853) is equipped with the 9K720 Iskander-M road-mobile short-range ballistic missile system. The 9P78-1 transporter-erector-launcher typically carries two 9M723 ballistic missiles with a publicly stated range up to 500 km and a variety of conventional warheads; the system is dual-capable. Russian sources also describe ground-launched cruise missile capabilities (e.g., 9M728, often referred to as Iskander-K) that can be employed from the same launcher family; exact loadouts by brigade are not publicly disclosed. A Russian missile brigade typically fields 12 launchers, but specific on-hand quantities by unit are not publicly confirmed.
Command, Control, and Communications
The 66th Command and Control Brigade (military unit 41600) provides operational-level communications, command-post support, and signal security for the 49th CAA, enabling distributed command posts, battlefield communications networks, and data links to supporting formations (fires, air defense, and logistics). The army headquarters (military unit 35181) in Stavropol acts as the central node for planning, coordination, and integration with Southern Military District higher headquarters.
Electronic and Signals Intelligence Elements
The 217th Separate Special Purpose Electronic Intelligence Battalion (GRU) (military unit 87530) and the 689th Command Intelligence Center (GRU) (military unit 87528) are assessed in open sources to provide electronic intelligence, signals collection, and analytical support at operational level. Due to classification, detailed locations, equipment specifics, and tasking for these GRU-linked units are not publicly released; only their existence and general mission functions are widely referenced in available sources.
Engineering Capabilities
The 32nd Engineer-Sapper Regiment (military unit 23094) provides mobility, countermobility, and survivability support, including route clearance, mine and unexploded ordnance disposal, obstacle emplacement, field fortification, and bridging operations. Specific equipment holdings and precise garrison details for this regiment are not consistently disclosed in public sources.
Logistics and Sustainment
The 99th Separate Logistics Brigade (military unit 72153) supports supply, transport, maintenance and repair, fuel distribution, medical evacuation and support, and field services for the 49th CAA. Open-source references commonly associate the brigade with Maykop (Republic of Adygea), though official, detailed site information (e.g., depot locations, ammunition storage sites, and pipeline assets) is not publicly released.
Infrastructure and Training Sites
The 49th CAA’s formations utilize garrison facilities and training areas across the North Caucasus and southern Russia. Notable publicly reported sites include Molkino in Krasnodar Krai, associated with the 1st Guards Missile Brigade and frequently used for combined-arms training, and Achikulak in Stavropol Krai, associated with the 90th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. Air-defense live-fire events for Southern Military District units are commonly conducted at district ranges such as Ashuluk (Astrakhan Oblast), although unit-specific schedules and results are not publicly disclosed.
Equipment Capability Notes
Representative system characteristics, as reported in open sources, include: 2S19 Msta-S 152 mm self-propelled howitzer (typical ranges about 24–29 km with standard and base-bleed projectiles); 2S3 Akatsiya 152 mm (approximately 17–24 km, munition dependent); 2S1 Gvozdika 122 mm (about 15–22 km with rocket-assisted projectiles); 2A65 Msta-B 152 mm towed howitzer (comparable ballistic performance to 2S19 with appropriate ammunition); BM-27 Uragan 220 mm MLRS (typical ranges around 35–40 km depending on rocket type); MT-12 Rapira 100 mm anti-tank gun (direct-fire effective range on armored targets typically within a few kilometers, with indirect fire capability to several kilometers); 2S12 Sani 120 mm mortar (approximately 7–9 km depending on ammunition); 9K317 Buk-M2 medium-range SAM (engagement out to roughly 45 km and up to ~25 km altitude under favorable conditions); 9K331 Tor-M1 short-range SAM (up to ~12 km range, ~6 km altitude). Exact performance depends on ammunition, fire-control, and environmental conditions.
Operational Employment (2014–2024)
Elements of the 49th CAA have been documented by open sources operating in southern Ukraine since 2022, including in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia directions. The army-level command, the 205th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, the 34th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (mountain), and district missile and air-defense assets associated with the 49th CAA have been cited in reporting, imagery, and captured documents. Russian Iskander units have repeatedly been reported in the theater since 2022; while the 1st Guards Missile Brigade is part of the 49th CAA structure, specific launch events are not routinely attributed to individual brigades in public releases. Detailed strength, loss, or deployment timelines by unit are not officially disclosed.
Data Integrity and Noted Anomalies
The 99th Separate Logistics Brigade (military unit 72153) appears as a duplicate entry in the provided unit list; open sources refer to a single brigade with that designation within the 49th CAA’s support structure. Commander data for the 49th CAA are inconsistent across public sources after March 2022. Several unit garrisons (notably the 227th Artillery Brigade, 32nd Engineer-Sapper Regiment, 573rd Separate Reconnaissance Artillery Battalion, and the GRU-linked units) are variously reported and not uniformly confirmed by authoritative public records.
Information Availability and Limitations
Precise unit strengths, current commanders (unless officially announced), readiness levels, ammunition stocks, deployment schedules, and sensitive facility coordinates are not publicly available or are classified. The analysis above relies on open-source reporting that can change as new information emerges; where sources conflict or lack official confirmation, no definitive assertion is made.