79th Internal Troops Division
Identification and Context
The following formations are identified from the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (VV MVD): 79th Internal Troops Division, military unit 6676, with headquarters in Kirov; 428th Separate Internal Troops Battalion, military unit 3730; 448th Separate Special Motorized Internal Troops Battalion, military unit 6659; and 739th Separate Special Motorized Internal Troops Battalion, military unit 6575. In 2016, the VV MVD were transferred to the Federal National Guard Troops Service (Rosgvardiya), and many units continued using their established military-unit numbers under the new service.
Organizational Role and Missions
Internal Troops formations (and, since 2016, National Guard Troops) are statutorily tasked with maintaining public order and public safety, protecting important state facilities and special cargoes, assisting in counter-terrorism and territorial defense measures, and supporting emergency regimes. These functions are codified in Federal Law No. 27-FZ of 6 February 1997 on the Internal Troops (in force prior to 2016) and Federal Law No. 226-FZ of 3 July 2016 on the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation. Separate battalions and divisional echelons provide scalable internal-security capabilities rather than combined-arms maneuver functions typical of Ministry of Defense ground forces.
Command Relationships and Reorganization
Prior to April 2016, the listed units belonged to the Internal Troops under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. By Presidential Decree No. 157 of 5 April 2016, the Federal National Guard Troops Service (Rosgvardiya) was established and the VV MVD were transferred into it. Since that transition, troop formations have been grouped into National Guard districts aligned with Russia’s federal districts. Kirov Oblast is within the Volga District of the National Guard Troops. While unit numbering commonly persisted, detailed internal command alignments and any post-2016 re-designations of the specific units listed are not officially published in comprehensive open sources.
Location Analysis: Kirov Headquarters
Kirov (capital of Kirov Oblast; approximately 58.6°N, 49.7°E) is a regional hub in the Volga Federal District served by the Trans-Siberian Railway and multiple regional and federal road links to Perm, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, and the Middle Volga. A divisional headquarters in Kirov benefits from robust rail connectivity for personnel movement and materiel flow, as well as access to regional training areas typical of the surrounding oblast. The city’s infrastructure supports sustained garrison operations, including logistics, repair, and medical support functions for subordinate internal-security units.
Unit Typology and Functions
The 79th Internal Troops Division denotes a divisional-level internal-security formation, historically providing command, control, and support to subordinate regiments and separate battalions. The 428th Separate Internal Troops Battalion is a line internal-security battalion suited to facility protection, public-order tasks, and convoy or area security. The 448th and 739th Separate Special Motorized Internal Troops Battalions are specialized motorized formations configured for mobility in urban and semi-urban environments, with roles including patrol, rapid reinforcement for public-order contingencies, escort of special cargoes, and support to counter-terrorism operations. The descriptor “separate” indicates direct subordination to higher headquarters rather than organic attachment to a regiment.
Personnel and Structure (Typical Profiles)
Typical peacetime authorized strengths for separate internal-security battalions are in the several-hundred range; open sources on VV MVD/Rosgvardiya structures commonly indicate on the order of 400–700 personnel per battalion, subject to period, mission, and staffing. A standard internal-security battalion structure includes a headquarters and staff, several motorized companies, and support elements (communications, engineer, medical, maintenance, supply). Fire support within such units is generally light, centered on machine guns, automatic grenade launchers, and anti-armor grenade launchers; heavy indirect fire and armor are not characteristic of this force type.
Equipment and Mobility (Typical for VV/Rosgvardiya Battalions)
Internal-security battalions typically employ wheeled armored personnel carriers of the BTR-80 family (with some units receiving upgraded BTR-82A variants), protected and soft-skin trucks such as Ural-4320- and KamAZ-5350-series vehicles, and a range of patrol and utility vehicles. Small arms commonly include the AK-74M family, PK-series general-purpose machine guns, SVD designated marksman rifles, RPG-7-series antitank grenade launchers, and AGS-17/30 automatic grenade launchers, along with riot-control equipment (ballistic shields, helmets, body armor, less-lethal munitions). Communications and command-and-control means are consistent with standard Russian tactical VHF/UHF radio suites used by internal-security forces.
Infrastructure Capabilities
Garrisons for internal-security battalions and division headquarters typically comprise barracks, headquarters and administrative facilities, guarded armories, motor parks with maintenance bays, fuel and lubricant storage, and training infrastructure such as small-arms ranges, assault courses, and urban-training mockups. Divisional-level installations add staff facilities, larger logistics depots, medical clinics, and potentially dedicated communications and training centers. Perimeter security is generally robust, with controlled access points, perimeter fencing, and surveillance consistent with protection of arms and special cargoes.
Operational Employment (General Patterns)
Historically, Internal Troops deployed battalion-sized elements in rotations to internal-security and counter-terrorism missions, including reinforced public-order operations, protection of critical infrastructure, and support to security operations in the North Caucasus (1990s–2000s). Under Rosgvardiya, similar deployments continue within the framework of national guard tasks, including area security, rapid reinforcement during heightened security regimes, and coordinated operations with other agencies such as the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Federal Security Service, in accordance with applicable federal law.
Administrative Identifiers and Data Availability
Military unit numbers (for example, 6676, 3730, 6659, 6575) serve as administrative and postal identifiers in Russian practice and are commonly used in official correspondence and documentation. Authoritative, comprehensive open publication of exact garrison addresses, current peacetime strengths, detailed equipment holdings, and current command personnel for these specific units is limited; such details are often restricted or appear only incidentally in public records. Where not explicitly released by official sources, those particulars cannot be confirmed here.