62nd Missile Division
Division Overview
The 62nd Missile Division of the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces (RVSN) is a major silo-based intercontinental ballistic missile formation centered on the Uzhur garrison in Krasnoyarsk Krai. Open sources consistently identify the divisional headquarters as military unit 32441. The formation has historically operated the R-36M2 Voevoda (Russian designation 15A18M; NATO reporting name SS-18 Mod 5/6) and is one of the two principal heavy ICBM divisions in Russia. Russian official statements indicate that this division is slated to rearm to the RS-28 Sarmat (15A28) as part of ongoing modernization of heavy silo complexes.
Geographic Location and Garrison
The division is based around the closed garrison associated with Uzhur in southwestern Krasnoyarsk Krai. The garrison area, commonly referenced in Russian sources under the Uzhur and Solnechny locality names, anchors multiple dispersed silo fields extending across the surrounding districts. The location has reliable rail and road access for heavy transport and technical support, and the silo complexes are distributed to reduce vulnerability while remaining within command-and-control reach of the divisional headquarters.
Organizational Subordination
The 62nd Missile Division is subordinate to the Strategic Rocket Forces. Numerous Russian and international open sources place the division under the 33rd Guards Missile Army headquartered in Omsk; however, current official RVSN organizational rosters are not publicly released, and the precise higher command alignment should be treated as open-source attribution rather than formally confirmed by the Ministry of Defence.
Order of Battle and Unit Identification
Open-source reporting attributes the following units to the division: divisional headquarters, military unit 32441; 229th Missile Regiment, military unit 74832 (historically equipped with R-36M2); 269th Missile Regiment, military unit 45832 (historically R-36M2); 302nd Missile Regiment, military unit 14443 (historically R-36M2; public confirmation of any rearmament to RS-24 Yars in silos at Uzhur is lacking); 735th Missile Regiment, military unit 54093 (historically R-36M2); the 632nd Communications Center, military unit 39982; and the 1446th Mobile Command Post, military unit 32441-B. These designations are widely cited in Russian-language sources, but official, current unit-number listings are not published and may change with reorganizations.
Missile Systems Overview
R-36M2 Voevoda (15A18M, SS-18 Mod 5/6) is a silo-based, two-stage liquid-fueled ICBM with an estimated launch mass of over 200 metric tons and a throw weight commonly cited around 8 to 9 metric tons. It has intercontinental range and is designed to carry up to 10 MIRVed reentry vehicles along with penetration aids. RS-24 Yars (15Zh55, SS-27 Mod 2) is a newer solid-fueled ICBM deployed in both mobile and silo configurations, typically assessed with 3 to 4 MIRVs and an intercontinental range. RS-28 Sarmat (15A28) is a new heavy liquid-fueled ICBM intended to replace R-36M2 at Uzhur and Dombarovsky; Russian authorities announced a first flight test in April 2022 and have made subsequent public claims about initial operational status, but comprehensive, independently verifiable deployment details remain limited in open sources.
Silo Complex and Infrastructure
The division’s legacy heavy-missile infrastructure consists of hardened silos and associated underground command posts designed for the R-36M2 system, commonly referred to in Russian documentation as the 15P018M silo complex. The sites include blast-hardened launch facilities, buried cable networks, power and environmental control systems, and protected launch control centers. A divisional technical base supports missile maintenance and warhead handling under stringent safety and security procedures. Ongoing works reported in Russian media indicate refurbishment and adaptation of select silos and support infrastructure associated with the planned transition to the RS-28 Sarmat system.
Command, Control, and Communications
Command and control employs a layered architecture linking RVSN Headquarters to Rocket Army, Division, Regiment, and Launch Control Centers via redundant terrestrial and radio communications. Within the division, the 632nd Communications Center (military unit 39982) is reported to maintain and operate fixed communications assets, ensuring connectivity for routine command, alerting, and launch authorization pathways. The 1446th Mobile Command Post (military unit 32441-B) provides a relocatable backup and continuity-of-command capability to preserve control in the event fixed nodes are degraded. Specific equipment configurations and operating procedures are not publicly disclosed.
Modernization and Rearmament Status
Russian officials have stated that the Uzhur-based division is a primary site for the introduction of the RS-28 Sarmat, replacing R-36M2. Publicly accessible imagery and official statements indicate infrastructure work at Uzhur’s silo complexes consistent with modernization. In December 2023, Russian authorities announced that Sarmat had entered combat duty; open-source analytical communities have noted that independently verifiable details on the number of missiles, regimental assignment, and operational readiness remain limited. As of the latest public information, there is no authoritative confirmation that any regiment at Uzhur has been reequipped with RS-24 Yars in silos; Kozelsk is the publicly documented site for silo-based Yars deployment.
Operations and Readiness
Silo-based regiments in the division maintain continuous combat duty, with crews conducting regular training, equipment checks, and periodic command-staff and comprehensive readiness exercises announced by the Ministry of Defence. The hardened silo basing confers high survivability and rapid response within established RVSN procedures. Routine activities include communications drills, command-and-control validation, and participation in broader RVSN strategic exercises that test readiness and connectivity across echelons.
Arms Control Context
R-36M2, RS-24, and RS-28 fall under intercontinental ballistic missile categories addressed by the New START Treaty framework. Russia announced a suspension of participation in New START implementation in 2023, and on-site inspections and data exchanges have not resumed. Nevertheless, the treaty remains in force unless it expires or is superseded. Historically, the Uzhur-based silo ICBMs formed part of Russia’s declared accountable forces under New START, but current deployed numbers and warhead loadings at this division are not publicly disclosed.
Security and Access Measures
The division’s facilities are protected by multilayered physical security, including perimeter fencing, controlled entry points, patrols, and dedicated security subunits typical of RVSN silo formations. Silo areas are dispersed and access-restricted under federal regulations governing sensitive military installations and closed garrisons. Detailed security arrangements, response protocols, and internal layouts are not publicly available.
Logistics and Technical Support
Heavy ICBM operations at Uzhur rely on dedicated rail and road logistics for delivery of large components and consumables, divisional technical bases for maintenance and inspection, and specialized handling for warheads and guidance units under strict safety rules. The R-36M2 uses storable liquid propellants and is maintained in a preserved, silo-based configuration; field fueling procedures and detailed technical processes are not publicly disclosed. Modernization to RS-28 entails reconfiguration and validation of support infrastructure and handling procedures within existing protected facilities.
Assessment of Capabilities
The division provides a high-survivability, silo-based component of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces. R-36M2 offers substantial payload capacity with multiple independently targetable warheads and penetration aids. Transition to RS-28, if and as realized, would preserve a heavy ICBM capability with updated systems. The basing mode enables sustained alert status, rapid retargeting within established doctrine, and integration into national-level command-and-control, contributing significantly to the overall deterrent posture.
Data Reliability and Open-Source Corroboration
Unit designations, military unit numbers, and regiment-level equipment attributions provided here are drawn from widely cited Russian-language reporting and international open-source analyses. The Russian Ministry of Defence does not publish comprehensive, current order-of-battle details for the RVSN, and specific regimental equipment transitions are not always officially announced. In particular, public confirmation of any silo-based RS-24 Yars regiment at Uzhur is lacking; the division is broadly associated with R-36M2 legacy systems and the planned RS-28 Sarmat rearmament. Exact counts of deployed missiles and warheads at the division are not publicly available.
Identified Information Gaps
The following points lack authoritative public confirmation: the current higher-command assignment of the division in official documentation; real-time regimental equipment status at the 229th, 269th, 302nd, and 735th regiments; whether the 302nd Regiment has reequipped to RS-24 Yars in silos at Uzhur; the number of RS-28 missiles, if any, operationally deployed and their precise regimental alignment; and current, official military unit number listings for all subunits. Where details are classified or otherwise not published, they are not included.