90th Guards Tank Division
Formation Overview
The 90th Guards Tank Division is a formation of the Russian Ground Forces within the Central Military District. It was re-established in 2016 as part of the Russian Ministry of Defense’s return to divisional structures. The division’s headquarters is located at Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk Oblast (Russian Federation). The formation follows the standard Russian tank division model of three tank regiments, one motor rifle regiment, and divisional-level combat support and combat service support units.
Headquarters and Command
Headquarters unit: military unit (v/ch) 86274, Chebarkul. The provided commander name is Colonel Ramil Ibatullin; however, the current commanding officer is not consistently identified in open public sources as of October 2024, and this specific attribution cannot be independently confirmed. Russian official outlets do not routinely publish up-to-date commander rosters for all formations.
Order of Battle (Subordinate Units and Identifiers)
The following subordinate units and military unit numbers have been reported for the 90th Guards Tank Division: - 6th Tank Regiment (v/ch 93992) - 80th Tank Regiment (v/ch 87441) - 239th Tank Regiment (v/ch 89547) - 228th Motor Rifle Regiment (v/ch 22316) - 400th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (v/ch 15871) - 288th Separate Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (v/ch 54824) - 30th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion (v/ch 17654) - 351st Separate Engineer Battalion (v/ch 84975) - 33rd Separate Communications Battalion (v/ch 94015) - 1122nd Separate Logistics Battalion (v/ch 25481) - 26th Separate Medical Battalion (v/ch 86000) - Division Headquarters (v/ch 86274) Note: Russia’s Ministry of Defense does not maintain a publicly accessible, authoritative register of v/ch numbers; these identifiers are widely referenced in open-source materials but cannot always be independently verified against official publications.
Garrison and Facilities
The primary garrison and command infrastructure are concentrated in and around Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk Oblast. The area hosts established barracks, motor pools, maintenance parks, ammunition and materiel storage areas, and a rail-loading capability typical of division-level formations. The Chebarkul combined-arms training area (Chebarkulsky poligon) supports unit-level through large-unit field training, live-fire exercises, and force-on-force drills. Specific facility locations and detailed internal layouts are not publicly disclosed.
Higher Command Alignment
The 90th Guards Tank Division is subordinated to the Central Military District (TsVO). Open-source reporting has at times associated the division with army-level headquarters within the district (e.g., the 41st Combined Arms Army), but current detailed alignment is not officially published in open sources and cannot be confirmed here.
Armored and Mechanized Capabilities
Open-source imagery and official Russian statements since 2019–2021 indicate the division fields modernized main battle tanks including T-72B3/B3M, and has been documented operating T-90M "Proryv" in the 2022–2024 period. The motor rifle regiment is equipped with infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers typical of Russian motor rifle units (e.g., BMP-family vehicles in Russian service), though the exact model mix and quantities for the 228th Motor Rifle Regiment are not officially disclosed. Exact inventory totals by regiment are not publicly available.
Artillery Capabilities
The 400th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment provides divisional fire support. Russian tank divisions are typically equipped with 152 mm self-propelled howitzers (2S19 Msta-S family) and include tube and, in some structures, a rocket artillery component (e.g., BM-21 Grad). While open-source imagery from Central Military District training in the Chebarkul area shows 2S19 systems, the precise table of organization and equipment for the 400th Regiment and its exact system variants and quantities have not been officially detailed.
Air Defense Capabilities
The 288th Separate Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment is the divisional air-defense unit. Divisional SAM regiments in the Russian Ground Forces commonly operate medium-range surface-to-air missile systems from the Buk family; however, the specific system types, variants, and battery structure assigned to the 288th Regiment are not officially published in open sources. Short-range air-defense at regimental and battalion levels is typically provided by combined gun-missile systems and MANPADS teams organic to subordinate units; exact allocations are not publicly disclosed.
Reconnaissance and Target Acquisition
The 30th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion conducts ground reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition to support divisional maneuver and fires. Functions normally include reconnaissance patrols, observation posts, and integration of optical, thermal, and acoustic sensors. Russian reconnaissance units widely employ small UAVs for ISR; specific UAV types and detachment structures within this battalion are not officially listed in public sources.
Engineer Support
The 351st Separate Engineer Battalion provides mobility, counter-mobility, and survivability support, including route clearance, obstacle emplacement, minefield breaching, expedient construction, and field fortification. Russian divisional engineer units commonly field bridge-laying systems, armored engineering vehicles, and mine-clearing equipment; detailed holdings and exact subunit composition for this battalion are not publicly disclosed.
Signals and Command-and-Control
The 33rd Separate Communications Battalion establishes and maintains the division’s communications architecture, supporting command-and-control across echelons. It typically operates HF/VHF/UHF radio, troposcatter, and satellite communications assets consistent with Russian Ground Forces practice. Specific equipment sets (e.g., particular command-staff vehicles and radio complexes) and network topologies are not detailed in public sources.
Logistics and Medical Support
The 1122nd Separate Logistics Battalion provides supply, transport, maintenance, and materiel management across classes of supply. The 26th Separate Medical Battalion delivers role-1/role-2 medical care, casualty stabilization, and medical evacuation support, and establishes deployable medical facilities as required. Precise stockage levels, maintenance capacity, and medical bed spaces are not publicly disclosed.
Personnel and Readiness
Official personnel strengths and current readiness levels for the 90th Guards Tank Division are not publicly released. In general, Russian tank divisions’ peacetime establishments have historically ranged roughly from about 8,500 to 12,000 personnel, depending on manning policies and ongoing operations. Actual current manning for this formation is not verifiable in open sources.
Infrastructure and Mobility
The Chebarkul garrison cluster provides road access and rail connectivity for heavy equipment movements, enabling rapid rail-loading for long-distance redeployment, consistent with Russian reliance on the national rail network for strategic mobility. Training infrastructure in the area supports armor and artillery live-fire, combined-arms tactical training, and sustainment activities. Specific rail-head capacities, ammunition storage protocols, and movement schedules are not publicly available.
Operational Activity Since 2022 (Open-Source Reporting)
Multiple open-source reports and imagery since February 2022 indicate deployments of elements associated with the 90th Guards Tank Division to operations in Ukraine, including documented use of T-90M tanks by units linked to the division. Official Russian sources have not released comprehensive, regiment-by-regiment deployment details, and independently verifiable, unit-marked attributions vary across sources. Real-time positions, current task organization, and operational plans are not publicly disclosed.
Notes on Military Unit Numbers (v/ch)
The military unit numbers listed (e.g., v/ch 86274 for the divisional HQ and the various regimental and battalion identifiers) are widely used in Russian administrative and logistical documentation and are frequently cited in open-source research. However, there is no single official, open, authoritative registry for v/ch identifiers, and changes or reassignments may occur without public notice. Accordingly, they should be treated as open-source identifiers unless corroborated by primary documentation.
Information Not Publicly Available
The following details are not publicly available or are classified and therefore cannot be provided: exact current personnel strength by unit; precise equipment counts and variant breakdowns by regiment or battalion; current readiness levels; detailed facility schematics and storage locations; communications plans, frequencies, and cryptographic details; real-time or near-real-time unit locations, movement schedules, or operational tasking.
Assessment of Provided Details
The structural composition listed—three tank regiments (6th, 80th, 239th), one motor rifle regiment (228th), and divisional support units (artillery, air defense, reconnaissance, engineer, signals, logistics, medical)—matches the standard template for a Russian tank division and is consistent with open-source reporting on the 90th Guards Tank Division’s organization. The headquarters location at Chebarkul and the HQ military unit number (v/ch 86274) are also consistent with open-source references. The specific commander name provided (Colonel Ramil Ibatullin) cannot be confirmed from publicly available, authoritative sources as of October 2024.