68th Army Corps
Overview
The 68th Army Corps is a combined-arms formation of the Russian Ground Forces subordinate to the Eastern Military District, with headquarters in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast. Its primary mission is the defense of Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands archipelago, including denial of hostile amphibious landings, protection of maritime approaches in the Sea of Okhotsk and North Pacific, and coordination with the Pacific Fleet’s coastal defense troops and supporting aviation.
Command and Headquarters
Headquarters is located in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russian Federation. Open-source reporting in 2024–2025 has attributed command of the corps to Lieutenant General Dmitry Glushenkov; official assignment details and timelines are subject to change and are not consistently published. The corps reports to the Eastern Military District (HQ Khabarovsk).
Area of Responsibility and Strategic Context
The corps’ area of responsibility encompasses Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, controlling access to the Sea of Okhotsk via straits including La Pérouse (Soya) and key passages in the southern Kurils. The region’s geography, harsh climate, and limited transport corridors shape force posture, with emphasis on coastal defense, air and sea domain awareness, and rapid reinforcement across island garrisons.
Order of Battle (Confirmed Elements)
Confirmed ground elements include the 39th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 35390) based on Sakhalin and the 18th Machine-Gun Artillery Division garrisoning the southern Kuril Islands. The division’s regiments are stationed on Iturup and Kunashir. The corps also fields typical supporting units (artillery, air defense, engineer, logistics, and signals) appropriate to a corps-level formation; detailed composition and strengths are not fully disclosed publicly.
39th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (Unit Profile)
The 39th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 35390) is a combined-arms brigade on Sakhalin Island. Open sources and unit reporting associate it with T-72B main battle tanks, MT-LB tracked carriers, BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket systems, and 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled guns. Its mission set includes island defense, rapid reaction within Sakhalin Oblast, and reinforcement of Kuril garrisons in coordination with Pacific Fleet sealift and army aviation.
Equipment Profile: T-72B Main Battle Tank
The T-72B is a 125 mm smoothbore-armed main battle tank with an autoloader (typical crew of three), powered by an approximately 840 hp V-84 series diesel, road speed up to ~60 km/h, and road range on internal fuel around 460 km (extended with external tanks). The T-72B is commonly fitted with Kontakt-1 explosive reactive armor and fires APFSDS, HEAT, and HE-FRAG ammunition; some variants can launch gun-launched ATGMs. Exact variant mix and counts within the brigade are not publicly confirmed.
Equipment Profile: MT-LB Armored Carrier
The MT-LB is a tracked, amphibious multi-purpose armored carrier widely used in motor rifle units for troop transport and artillery towing. It is lightly armored, typically armed with a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun in a small turret, and offers good cross-country mobility and amphibious capability at low water speed. Numerous MT-LB variants exist for command, communications, EW, and specialist roles.
Equipment Profile: BM-21 Grad MLRS
The BM-21 Grad is a 122 mm, 40-tube truck-mounted multiple launch rocket system capable of delivering area fires with standard ranges of roughly 20 km (legacy rockets) to 40+ km (extended-range munitions). It is used for suppression of enemy positions, interdiction, and counter-mobility fires. Battery-level employment provides rapid massed fires; precise munition stocks and subtypes in the brigade are not disclosed.
Equipment Profile: 2S5 Giatsint-S Self-Propelled Gun
The 2S5 Giatsint-S is a 152 mm self-propelled gun with a typical maximum range of about 28–30 km with standard HE-FRAG shells and up to roughly 33–37 km with rocket-assisted projectiles. It provides long-range counter-battery and general support fires. The system features high mobility for its class and a sustained rate of fire suited to interdiction and suppression missions.
Kuril Garrison Forces (18th Machine-Gun Artillery Division)
The 18th Machine-Gun Artillery Division garrisons the southern Kurils, with open sources consistently identifying regimental presences on Iturup (Kurilsk area) and Kunashir (Yuzhno-Kurilsk area). Its mission emphasizes coastal defense, protection of straits and landing sites, and security of military infrastructure. The division’s organization includes fixed defenses, artillery, air-defense assets, and supporting units; detailed tables of organization are not fully public.
Infrastructure and Basing
Key infrastructure includes garrisons and depots in and around Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, ports at Korsakov and Kholmsk that enable military sealift, and airfields such as Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (dual-use) and facilities supporting Kuril garrisons (e.g., Burevestnik on Iturup and the civilian Iturup Airport opened in 2014 near Kurilsk). The Russian Ministry of Defense announced construction of new modern barracks and support facilities on Iturup and Kunashir during 2016–2018 to improve habitability and readiness.
Logistics and Mobility
Force sustainment relies heavily on sea and air transport. The Vanino–Kholmsk ferry line provides a vital link between mainland Khabarovsk Krai and Sakhalin for railcars and vehicles, while Pacific Fleet amphibious assets and auxiliary transports enable movement to the Kurils. Weather, sea state, and port capacity can constrain throughput; prepositioned stocks and local depots mitigate some risks.
Air and Air-Defense Integration
Air-defense coverage in Sakhalin Oblast and the Kurils combines Aerospace Forces assets (regional long-range SAM coverage has been publicly associated with S-300/S-400 family systems in the Far East) and army air-defense within ground units (short- to medium-range systems such as Tor or Buk are typical). Specific battery locations and readiness levels are not consistently disclosed, but joint air-maritime domain awareness is a stated priority.
Coastal Defense Missiles (Navy Coordination)
Coastal missile forces in the region belong to the Pacific Fleet’s coastal troops and operate in coordination with the 68th Army Corps. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced deployments of Bal (Kh-35) and Bastion (P-800 Oniks) coastal missile systems to the southern Kurils in 2016, a Bastion detachment to Matua Island in 2021, and Bastion systems to Paramushir Island in 2022. These systems contribute to anti-ship denial over straits and adjacent seas.
Training and Exercises
The corps and attached units regularly participate in Eastern Military District activities and strategic exercises, including the Vostok series (e.g., 2018 and 2022), which have featured island-defense scenarios, coastal missile employment, live-fire artillery and MLRS events, and amphibious operations with the Pacific Fleet. Routine unit-level drills on Sakhalin and the Kurils emphasize rapid deployment, counter-landing operations, and inter-service coordination.
Recent Organizational Developments
The 68th Army Corps was re-established in the mid-2010s following earlier reforms that had reduced or reorganized Sakhalin–Kuril ground forces structures. Since then, the Ministry of Defense has publicized infrastructure upgrades on Iturup and Kunashir, continued coastal missile deployments in the Kurils, and recurring large-scale exercises integrating ground, naval, and air components in the region.
Constraints and Environmental Factors
Operations are shaped by severe weather, frequent storms, and seismic activity, which affect logistics and infrastructure. Limited all-weather ports, constrained road networks on islands, and reliance on sea lines of communication necessitate forward stockpiles, robust engineering support, and flexible sealift scheduling for sustained readiness.
Legal and Political Context
The southern Kuril Islands (Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and Habomai) are administered by Russia and disputed by Japan, which affects diplomatic context but does not alter the current basing and garrison posture described in open sources. Military deployments in the area have been regularly announced by Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
Information Availability and Confidence
The locations of major garrisons, unit designations such as the 39th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit 35390), and system types (T-72B, MT-LB, BM-21 Grad, 2S5 Giatsint-S) are publicly reported. Specific quantities, exact sub-variants, readiness states, and detailed tables of organization and equipment are not consistently available in the public domain and may be classified; where such details are not published, they are not included here.