4th Guards Military Base
Unit Identification
The 4th Guards Military Base, military unit number (v/ch) 66431, is a Russian Ground Forces formation subordinated to the 58th Combined Arms Army within the Southern Military District. It is a permanent brigade-sized base established following the 2008 conflict in Georgia and carries the Guards honorific.
Alternative Designations
The formation is commonly referenced as the 4th Guards Military Base (4th GMB), v/ch 66431. The shorthand MB in the provided material denotes Military Base.
Location and Basing
The base is stationed on the territory of South Ossetia with principal garrisons and facilities in and around Tskhinvali and Java (Dzau). It is positioned along the Transcaucasian Highway that links via the Roki Tunnel to Russia’s Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, enabling secure ground lines of communication to the North Caucasus.
Legal and Treaty Framework
On 7 April 2010, Russia and South Ossetia signed an agreement establishing a Russian military base on South Ossetian territory for an initial 49-year term with automatic 15-year extensions, including provisions for joint protection of the delineated border. Internationally, South Ossetia is recognized as part of Georgia, and Georgia contests the legality of the Russian base.
Command
The provided intelligence lists Colonel Roman Vyazovsky as commander of the unit. This specific command attribution could not be independently corroborated in publicly available sources as of 2024. The unit is subordinated operationally to the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District.
Order of Battle and Subordinate Elements
Open-source descriptions characterize the base as a brigade-like formation comprising motorized rifle battalions, a tank battalion, self-propelled artillery, air-defense units, reconnaissance, engineering, signal, logistics, and medical elements. Detailed current manning levels and precise subunit designations are not publicly released.
Armored Assets
The equipment list for v/ch 66431 includes T-72BM tanks. The T-72B(M) family mounts a 125 mm 2A46M-series main gun capable of firing 9M119 Svir/Refleks guided projectiles, with composite armor augmented by Kontakt explosive reactive armor depending on sub-variant. Typical combat weight is roughly 44–46 tons, engine power 780–840 hp, and maximum road speed about 60 km/h.
Mechanized Infantry Assets
BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles are identified. The BMP-2 carries a crew of three and up to seven dismounts, is armed with a 30 mm 2A42 cannon and a 7.62 mm coaxial PKT machine gun, and employs a 9P135-series launcher for 9M113 Konkurs anti-tank guided missiles. It is amphibious, with a road speed of approximately 65 km/h.
Artillery Assets
The 2S3M Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer (152 mm) is listed. The 2S3M variant offers improved onboard fire control compared to the baseline 2S3, a typical maximum range of about 17–18 km with standard ammunition and beyond 20 km with rocket-assisted projectiles, and a practical rate of fire around 1–3 rounds per minute.
Short-Range Air Defense
The 9K35 Strela-10 is cited as a short-range air-defense system within the base. Strela-10 uses infrared-guided missiles (e.g., 9M37 or 9M333) to engage targets out to roughly 5 km in range and up to about 3.5 km in altitude, providing close protection for maneuver units against low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and certain UAVs.
Medium-Range Air Defense
An Anti-Aircraft Missile Division equipped with the 9K37 Buk-M1 is referenced in the provided intelligence. Buk-M1 employs the 9M38M1 missile with an engagement envelope up to approximately 35 km in range and around 22 km in altitude, supported by the 9S18M1 Kupol target acquisition radar and the 9S470M1 command post. A typical battalion comprises multiple batteries with 9A310M1 TELARs and 9A39 loader-launchers; however, independent open-source confirmation of a permanently based Buk-M1 battalion within v/ch 66431 is limited.
Infrastructure and Facilities
The base maintains garrison complexes, motor pools, ammunition storage, and training areas in the Tskhinvali and Java districts. Installations are arranged to secure the principal north–south axis and support sustained operations and routine training. Specific site layouts, capacities, and storage details are not publicly disclosed.
Logistics and Lines of Communication
Sustainment is enabled primarily by the Transcaucasian Highway and the Roki Tunnel for ground resupply between South Ossetia and the Russian Federation. Proximity to Russian military infrastructure in North Ossetia–Alania facilitates movement and support. Public sources do not detail stockpile levels, throughput, or specific logistics nodes.
Operational Role
The formation provides a permanent Russian ground forces presence in South Ossetia, contributes to border security in coordination with other Russian agencies, and integrates with the 58th Combined Arms Army’s posture. The listed armor, mechanized infantry, artillery, and layered air-defense systems support combined-arms defense and deterrence along the local line of contact.
Security and Access
Independent verification of on-base activities is constrained by access restrictions to South Ossetia. International monitoring missions do not have routine access to Russian installations in the territory, limiting public visibility into force levels, readiness, and equipment rotations.
Analytic Notes
The enumerated equipment types (T-72BM, BMP-2, 2S3M Akatsiya, 9K35 Strela-10, and a Buk-M1-equipped air-defense division) reflect the provided intelligence and align with known Russian combined-arms base structures. Where specific details such as the named commander or permanent basing of Buk-M1 cannot be confirmed from multiple open sources as of 2024, this is explicitly stated.