4th Separate Special Police Brigade
Identification Summary
Items referenced: (1) 4th Separate Special Police Brigade, military unit 7404; (2) Separate Police Battalion, military unit 5522; and (3) Separate Police Battalion, military unit 5526. The phrasing and use of a four‑digit “military unit” (в/ч) number indicate units of Russia’s internal security forces (historically the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; since 2016 the National Guard Troops—Rosgvardiya). Open-source materials frequently reference such identifiers in employment notices, court documents, or procurement records; however, authoritative geospatial details (exact garrison addresses, coordinates, or base layouts) for these specific numbers are not publicly consolidated. Without region or city attribution, the above identifiers are insufficient to unambiguously geolocate or describe specific sites, because similar nomenclature appears across multiple formations and historical reorganizations.
Organizational Affiliation and Mandate
The 4th Separate Special Police Brigade (m/u 7404) and the Separate Police Battalions (m/u 5522 and 5526) are consistent with formations subordinated to the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation (Rosgvardiya) or its antecedent, the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (VV MVD). Rosgvardiya was established by Federal Law No. 226‑FZ of 3 April 2016 and related presidential decrees, consolidating VV MVD units and certain MVD special police elements. Core statutory tasks include protection of public order, participation in counterterrorism operations under the National Anti‑Terrorism Committee, protection of critical state facilities, convoy/escort duties, territorial defense, and support to law enforcement in emergencies. “Separate” indicates administrative independence from divisional structures; “police” denotes internal security rather than Ministry of Defense combat forces.
Nomenclature Clarification
English renderings vary: “Special Police Brigade” often translates Russian terms associated with special‑purpose internal security units (spetsialnogo naznacheniya), which historically encompassed VV MVD special‑purpose brigades, OMON/SOBR elements, and operational brigades (OBrON). A “Separate Special Police Brigade” typically indicates a brigade‑level formation with multiple battalions, reconnaissance/support subunits, and organic logistics. “Separate Police Battalion” denotes a battalion‑level internal security unit. Four‑digit military unit numbers (e.g., 7404, 5522, 5526) are administrative identifiers used in official correspondence and on facility signage but are not, by themselves, unique locational descriptors in open sources without corroborating regional information.
Status of Public Information
As of the latest open‑source data available through 2024, no single authoritative public registry confirms the exact garrison locations or site layouts for military units 7404, 5522, and 5526. In Russia, detailed location and infrastructure information for internal security units is generally restricted; disclosures—when they occur—appear in disparate sources such as local press, commercial tenders (e.g., utilities, maintenance, catering), court filings, or social media posts. Unit numbers can be reassigned, and unit titles may change during reorganizations (notably the 2016 transfer from VV MVD to Rosgvardiya), complicating OSINT correlation over time. Consequently, precise site identification for the three units listed cannot be provided solely from the designations given.
Infrastructure Characteristics: Brigade-Level Sites (Applicable to m/u 7404)
A Separate Special Police Brigade commonly occupies a multi‑hectare garrison with perimeter security (fencing/walls, controlled access points, guard posts), administrative and headquarters buildings, barracks, armories, motor pools, repair shops, training facilities (obstacle courses, small‑arms ranges, tactical training areas), communications nodes, and medical support. Larger brigades may have nearby field training areas and, in some cases, rail spurs for heavy transport. Typical internal composition includes several police/special‑purpose battalions, a reconnaissance or special‑purpose company, signals, engineering, logistics, medical, and training elements. Actual layouts, capacities, and on‑site storage arrangements vary by location and are not publicly standardized.
Infrastructure Characteristics: Battalion-Level Sites (Applicable to m/u 5522 and m/u 5526)
Separate Police Battalions generally operate from smaller garrisons or dedicated compounds. Typical infrastructure consists of a headquarters building, barracks, a secure armory, vehicle shelters/motor pool, a maintenance area, a limited training complex (indoor ranges or small outdoor ranges depending on local zoning), storage for riot‑control assets, and communications facilities. Such sites maintain controlled access with perimeter fencing and guard posts. Co‑location with regional Rosgvardiya or MVD facilities is common, enabling shared training grounds, logistics, and medical services. Specific capacities and on‑site capabilities depend on regional assignments and are not uniformly disclosed.
Personnel and Structure (Typical Profiles)
Brigade-level formations of this type commonly field several thousand personnel across multiple battalions and support companies, though exact figures are unit‑specific and not publicly released. Battalion-level formations generally field several hundred personnel organized into companies/platoons with headquarters and service elements. Training encompasses public‑order tactics, convoy/escort procedures, urban operations, small‑unit tactics, marksmanship, detainee handling per internal regulations, communications, medical first response, and coordination with other security organs (e.g., FSB, MVD police). Actual manning, peacetime/field strength, and rotation cycles are controlled information and vary by unit and operational tasking.
Equipment and Materiel (Common to Rosgvardiya Internal Security Units)
Standard small arms typically include 5.45×39 mm rifles (e.g., AK‑74M/AK‑12 variants), 7.62×54R machine guns (PKM/PKP), 12.7 mm heavy machine guns (Kord) for vehicle mounts, designated marksman rifles (SVD/SVDS), grenade launchers (RPG‑7 variants), automatic grenade launchers (AGS‑17/30), and non‑lethal crowd‑control equipment (shields, batons, irritant agents). Vehicle fleets commonly feature light/medium trucks (Ural/KamAZ), utility vehicles (UAZ), protected mobility (GAZ Tigr‑M, Federal/Patrol armored vehicles), and—in some brigades—8×8 armored personnel carriers (BTR‑80/82‑series). Communications kits, night‑vision/thermal imagers, and small unmanned aerial systems are increasingly fielded. Specific inventories for m/u 7404, 5522, and 5526 are not publicly enumerated.
Operational Employment (Publicly Reported Patterns, 2010s–2024)
Internal security brigades and battalions of Rosgvardiya and VV MVD have been publicly reported as performing: public‑order duties; protection of critical facilities; convoy and detention transport; participation in counterterrorism operations in the North Caucasus under the National Anti‑Terrorism Committee; security and filtration tasks in areas of military operations; and support to law enforcement during emergencies. Since 2022, Russian official statements and media have noted Rosgvardiya deployments in rear‑area security, critical infrastructure protection, and law‑enforcement support roles in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. These descriptions are general to the force; open sources do not attribute specific, verified deployments to m/u 7404, 5522, or 5526 without additional corroboration.
Legal and Regulatory Context
Rosgvardiya’s mandate and organization are defined principally by Federal Law No. 226‑FZ (3 April 2016) and subsequent presidential decrees approving the service’s regulations and structure. Police duties and interactions are governed by Federal Law No. 3‑FZ “On Police” (7 February 2011), among other normative acts. Internal service regulations prescribe access control, weapons storage, and guard‑duty procedures for garrisons designated as regime facilities. Detailed site layouts, armory specifications, and guard rosters are not public information and are generally treated as restricted or classified under Russian law.
Geospatial Considerations and Data Gaps
The designations provided lack region/city identifiers necessary for unambiguous site attribution. Four‑digit military unit numbers have, at times, been reused or altered during reorganizations, and similar numbering conventions exist in several post‑Soviet internal‑security services, creating potential for cross‑jurisdictional confusion if relying on the number alone. No authoritative open‑source evidence was identified in the available public domain that ties m/u 7404, 5522, or 5526 to specific geographic coordinates or garrison addresses. Without additional corroborating details (e.g., locality, associated higher headquarters, or documented street addresses), precise site analysis cannot be completed from the identifiers alone.
Assessment Boundaries
This analysis confines itself to verifiable, general characteristics of Russian internal‑security formations corresponding to the provided designations. Specific classified details—such as exact base locations, detailed site plans, unique equipment serial inventories, personnel rosters, or operational tasking orders for military units 7404, 5522, and 5526—are not publicly available. Where open‑source confirmation is lacking, no assumptions are made. Additional reliable identifiers (region, city, adjacent landmarks, or official publications naming the unit with location) would be required to produce a definitive site‑level assessment.