55th Internal Troops Division
Organizational Overview
The 55th Internal Troops Division was a division‑level formation of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (VV MVD). Open sources record its headquarters in Mozhaysk, Moscow Oblast. The division comprised special motorized regiments, a training regiment, separate battalions, and a special purpose detachment. In the Russian system, Internal Troops performed internal security, public order enforcement, protection of critical state facilities, convoy escort of special cargos, and support to counterterrorism operations. On 5 April 2016, Presidential Decree No. 157 established the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops and transferred the Internal Troops to this new structure; on 3 July 2016, Federal Law No. 226‑FZ On the National Guard Troops codified their legal status. After this reform, divisional structures such as the 55th were reorganized under Rosgvardiya; official open publications do not provide a complete one‑for‑one mapping of every legacy unit to current designations.
Reported Order of Battle and Military Unit Numbers
The following unit designations and voyennaya chast (vch) numbers are as reported in the provided list; official confirmation of current status for each specific unit is not publicly issued after the 2016 reorganization. - 55th Internal Troops Division — military unit 5401; headquarters at Mozhaysk, Ulitsa 20 Yanvarya 24 - 102nd Special Motorized Internal Troops Regiment — military unit 5128 - 104th Special Motorized Internal Troops Regiment — military unit 5129 - 107th Special Motorized Internal Troops Regiment — military unit 3747 - 109th Special Motorized Internal Troops Regiment — military unit 5126 - 681st Special Motorized Internal Troops Regiment — military unit 3792 - 547th Training Internal Troops Regiment — military unit 3270 - 33rd Special Purpose Detachment Peresvet — military unit 6796 - 414th Separate Special Motorized Battalion — military unit 2667 - Separate Special Motorized Battalion — military unit 6533
Location Analysis: Mozhaysk Headquarters Area
Mozhaysk is a city in Moscow Oblast approximately 100 km west of central Moscow along the M1 E30 corridor and the Moscow–Smolensk rail line. The reported divisional headquarters address is Ulitsa 20 Yanvarya 24, Mozhaysk. This address appears in open‑source compilations from the 1990s–2010s related to Internal Troops garrisons. Current occupancy, unit composition at that site, and any redesignations after the 2016 transfer to the National Guard Troops are not officially published in open sources.
Unit Types and Functions
Special Motorized Internal Troops Regiment (OSMP) units provided motorized internal security forces for public order operations, facility protection, convoy escort of special cargos under MVD authority, and reinforcement of police during emergencies. A Training Internal Troops Regiment conducted initial military training and specialty instruction for conscripts and contract personnel destined for Internal Troops units. A Special Purpose Detachment (OSN), such as the 33rd Peresvet, was a specialized formation for high‑risk law‑enforcement support and counterterrorism tasks within the MVD system; after 2016, such detachments were integrated into Rosgvardiya special purpose structures. Separate Special Motorized Battalions were smaller garrison units aligned to local security and support tasks under the divisional command.
Infrastructure Capabilities at Garrison Sites
Internal Troops divisional and regimental garrisons typically included headquarters and staff facilities, barracks and cantonment areas, dining and logistics buildings, medical points, vehicle parks and maintenance workshops, fuel and lubricant storage, small‑arms ranges, obstacle courses, and training grounds for riot‑control and convoy‑security drills. Ammunition storage areas and armories were located within controlled perimeters. Precise site layouts, security systems, and storage capacities for the listed locations are not publicly released.
Equipment and Mobility Baseline
Internal Troops special motorized units were commonly equipped with wheeled armored personnel carriers of the BTR‑80 series including later BTR‑82A variants in the 2010s, utility and cargo trucks such as Ural‑4320 and KamAZ‑5350 family vehicles, light vehicles including UAZ and GAZ Tigr variants, and specialized riot‑control equipment. Standard small arms included AK‑74M rifles, RPK‑74 light machine guns, PKM general‑purpose machine guns, SVD rifles, and sidearms; support weapons often included AGS‑17 automatic grenade launchers, 12.7 mm heavy machine guns, and RPG‑7 launchers as authorized. Communications equipment included standard Russian tactical VHF UHF radios fielded by Internal Troops and later Rosgvardiya. Exact tables of organization and equipment for the specific units listed are not publicly available.
Command Relationships and Administrative Changes
Prior to 2010, these units fell within the Moscow District of the Internal Troops. In 2010 the Internal Troops introduced a regional command structure; formations in Moscow Oblast were subordinated to the Central Regional Command of the Internal Troops. On 5 April 2016, Presidential Decree No. 157 created the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops and transferred the Internal Troops to Rosgvardiya. Under Rosgvardiya, forces are organized by territorial districts including the Central District of the National Guard Troops. Publicly available sources do not provide an official one‑to‑one mapping of the legacy 55th Division’s subordinate units to present‑day Rosgvardiya formations.
Legal Authorities and Mandated Tasks
The Internal Troops operated under Federal Law No. 27‑FZ of 6 February 1997 On the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, which defined tasks such as protection of public order, guarding important state facilities and special cargos, participation in territorial defense, and support to counterterrorism operations. Since 2016, Rosgvardiya and its troops operate under Federal Law No. 226‑FZ of 3 July 2016 On the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation, supplemented by Presidential Decree No. 157 of 5 April 2016. Counterterrorism and counter‑extremism tasks are further governed by Federal Law No. 35‑FZ of 6 March 2006 On Countering Terrorism and Federal Law No. 114‑FZ of 25 July 2002 On Combating Extremist Activity.
Operational Employment History Context
From the mid‑1990s through the 2010s, Internal Troops units from across Russia, including formations based in the Moscow region, were regularly deployed to the North Caucasus for internal security and counterinsurgency operations during and after the conflicts in Chechnya. Duties in those theaters typically included convoy security, checkpoint and area security, protection of key sites, patrols, and support to police and federal security services. Open sources document that Internal Troops regiments rotated through these missions; specific deployment records for the units listed are not comprehensively published.
Post‑2016 Status and Successor Structures
With the establishment of Rosgvardiya in 2016, former Internal Troops divisions and regiments were reorganized into National Guard Troops formations. In the Central District of Rosgvardiya, key formations include operational regiments, special purpose centers and detachments, and the Dzerzhinsky Independent Operational Purpose Division in Balashikha. Many legacy special motorized regiments continued under Rosgvardiya with updated designations and equipment. However, an official authoritative conversion table for the 55th Division and each of the listed subordinate units has not been published in open sources; therefore, precise current titles and stationing for each vch number cited cannot be confirmed here.
Information Availability and Limitations
This analysis is based on publicly available information about the Internal Troops and Rosgvardiya and the unit list provided. Where specific details such as current garrison layouts, detailed personnel strengths, security systems, or exact present‑day designations of the listed units are not publicly released or are classified, they are not included. Reported addresses and vch numbers are presented as provided and should be independently verified against official publications for current status.