4th Guards Tank Division
Formation Overview and Chain of Command
The 4th Guards Tank Division (military unit 19612), commonly referred to as the Kantemirovskaya Guards Tank Division, is a Russian Ground Forces formation subordinated to the 1st Guards Tank Army. Following the 2023–2024 reorganization of Russia’s Ground Forces, the 1st Guards Tank Army has been aligned under the Moscow Military District, replacing the former Western Military District framework per official announcements. The division’s headquarters is in Naro-Fominsk, Moscow Oblast. The provided data lists Colonel Evgeny Zhuravlev as the division commander; current command assignments are not consistently published in open sources and can change.
Headquarters and Garrison Footprint
The divisional headquarters and primary cantonments are located in and around Naro-Fominsk, Moscow Oblast. The area hosts large motor pools, covered and open vehicle storage, workshops, ammunition and fuel storage areas, and rail-loading facilities that enable rapid movement of heavy armor. The garrison is integrated into the broader Moscow region training and support complex, with ready access to regional ranges and proving grounds. Specific internal layouts, storage capacities, and detailed site security measures are not publicly released.
Order of Battle and Military Unit Numbers
Subordinate units reported for the division include: 12th Guards Tank Regiment, military unit 31985 (T-80U, BMP-2, 2S1 Gvozdika); 13th Guards Tank Regiment, military unit 32010 (T-80U, BMP-2, 2S1 Gvozdika); 423rd Motor Rifle Regiment, military unit 91701 (T-80BV, T-80BVM, BMP-2, 2S19 Msta-S); 275th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, military unit 73941 (2S19M2 Msta-SM, 2B17M Tornado-G); 538th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, military unit 51383 (9K331M Tor-M2); 137th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion, military unit 54919; 413rd Separate Communications Battalion, military unit 56132; 1088th Separate Material Support Battalion, military unit 56164; 165th Separate Medical Battalion, military unit 57069; divisional headquarters element, military unit 19612. The listed equipment reflects reported holdings and may vary over time due to rotations, losses, and reconstitution.
Maneuver Regiments and Armored Vehicle Inventory
The division’s maneuver core comprises two tank regiments and one motor rifle regiment. Reported tank regiment holdings include T-80U main battle tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, and regimental artillery elements equipped with 2S1 Gvozdika 122 mm self-propelled howitzers. The 423rd Motor Rifle Regiment is reported with T-80BV and T-80BVM tanks, BMP-2 IFVs, and 2S19 Msta-S 152 mm SP howitzers. The T-80U fields a 125 mm smoothbore gun with an autoloader and can fire 9M119-series gun-launched ATGMs; it typically mounts Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armor and uses a 1,250 hp gas-turbine engine. The T-80BVM is an upgrade featuring Relikt ERA and improved thermal sights and fire-control; the T-80BV is an earlier variant with Kontakt-1 ERA. The BMP-2 provides a 30 mm 2A42 autocannon and ATGM capability. The 2S1 Gvozdika is an older but mobile 122 mm platform; typical maximum ranges are approximately 15 km with standard HE and more with rocket-assisted projectiles.
Divisional Artillery and Rocket Forces
The 275th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment reportedly fields the 2S19M2 Msta-SM 152 mm howitzer and the 2B17M Tornado-G 122 mm multiple-launch rocket system. The 2S19 family provides indirect fire to approximately 24–25 km with standard HE and near 29 km with rocket-assisted ammunition, with the M2 variant incorporating a modernized fire-control system, automated laying, and higher sustained rates of fire. Tornado-G is the modernized successor to the BM-21 Grad, retaining 122 mm caliber with improved launch vehicle systems and munitions; modern rockets extend engagement ranges to roughly 40 km, subject to rocket type. The 423rd Motor Rifle Regiment is additionally reported to field 2S19 Msta-S in its regimental artillery battalion, consistent with heavier regimental fires in some Russian divisional structures.
Air Defense Coverage
The 538th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment reportedly operates the 9K331M Tor-M2 short-range air defense system. Tor-M2 combat vehicles integrate target acquisition and engagement radars on a single tracked chassis and are capable of engaging multiple targets simultaneously, including aircraft, cruise missiles, precision-guided munitions, and UAVs. Engagement parameters vary by missile, but the 9M338K missile commonly associated with Tor-M2 provides intercepts out to roughly 16 km in range and up to approximately 10 km in altitude. The regiment typically fields multiple batteries; the precise battery count, deployment posture, and missile stocks are not publicly disclosed.
Reconnaissance and Communications Support
The 137th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion provides the division with ground reconnaissance, route and area reconnaissance, target acquisition, and surveillance. Russian reconnaissance units commonly employ a mix of scouts, ground sensors, and small unmanned aerial systems; specific inventories for this battalion are not publicly listed. The 413rd Separate Communications Battalion furnishes divisional command, control, and communications, supporting secure voice and data links between the headquarters and subordinate units and establishing deployable command posts and signal nodes. Detailed communications suites and electronic support measures are not officially published.
Logistics and Medical Support
The 1088th Separate Material Support Battalion provides supply, transport, maintenance, and field services, including fuel and ammunition distribution, spare parts, recovery and repair, and sustainment for prolonged operations. The 165th Separate Medical Battalion furnishes Role 2 echelon medical support, to include triage, stabilization, limited surgery, and medical evacuation to higher echelons. Facility capacities, bed counts, pharmaceutical stocks, and blood supply details are not available in open sources.
Training Areas and Routine Activities
The division routinely trains in the Moscow region, leveraging established ranges and proving grounds. The Alabino training ground and the broader Alabino–Kubinka complex are frequently used for mechanized live-fire, maneuver, and combined-arms training events in this region. Units of the 1st Guards Tank Army, including elements of the 4th Guards Tank Division, have regularly participated in large-scale Western theater exercises such as the Zapad series, in addition to divisional and regimental-level field training exercises. Detailed exercise schedules, training evaluations, and after-action reports are not publicly released.
Mobility and Deployment Infrastructure
The Naro-Fominsk garrison area is linked to the federal road network in Moscow Oblast and to the regional rail system, enabling rail-loading of tanks, IFVs, artillery, and support vehicles for operational deployment. Standard Russian military rail procedures are used to move heavy armor on flatcars to forward staging areas. Road mobility for the division is supported by organic transport assets and divisional material support elements. Specific railhead capacities, ramp counts, and loading timelines are not publicly available.
Operational Employment Since 2022
Elements of the 4th Guards Tank Division have been committed to Russia’s large-scale operations in Ukraine since 2022, as documented by multiple open-source reports and official statements. Public reporting has placed divisional elements in the Kharkiv axis during 2022, with subsequent periods of reconstitution and equipment replacement noted in 2023–2024. The exact current disposition and strength of each subordinate unit are not fully disclosed and can change due to ongoing operations, rotations, and replenishment.
Modernization Status and Equipment Sources
Reported equipment reflects ongoing Russian Ground Forces modernization. T-80BVM upgrades are produced by Omsktransmash and include Relikt ERA and updated sights. The 2S19M2 Msta-SM is a Uraltransmash modernization with improved fire-control and automated functions. Tornado-G systems are produced by NPO Splav as a modernized 122 mm MLRS. Tor-M2 short-range air defense systems are produced by Almaz-Antey. Integration and fielding timelines vary by unit, and combat losses and repairs can alter on-hand mixes of older and modernized variants.
Assessment of Capabilities and Limitations
With two tank regiments and one motor rifle regiment, supported by organic divisional artillery, short-range air defense, reconnaissance, signal, logistics, and medical units, the division is structured for high-tempo combined-arms operations. Its armor fleet centers on T-80-series tanks, which provide good mobility and cold-weather performance. Fires units provide responsive direct-support and general-support artillery and area-saturation rocket fire. Short-range air defense offers point and column protection but relies on higher-echelon assets for medium and long-range coverage. Actual combat effectiveness depends on current manning, training, equipment serviceability, and the outcomes of ongoing reconstitution cycles, which are not fully visible in open sources.
Information Gaps and Classification Caveats
Detailed personnel strengths, precise equipment counts, exact battery and battalion structures, ammunition holdings, internal layouts of garrison facilities, and current operational tasking are not publicly available or are operationally sensitive. Where specific command assignments, equipment variants, or subunit compositions are not affirmed by official releases, they are presented as reported in open sources and may be subject to change.