94th Internal Troops Division
Summary of Provided Unit Data
The dataset identifies a 94th Internal Troops Division with a headquarters designated as military unit (v/ch) 3274, associated with the address Sarov, ulitsa Zernova 63. It lists four regiments as subordinate elements: Internal Troops Regiment (unit 3452), 43rd Internal Troops Regiment (unit 3450), 561st Internal Troops Regiment (unit 3424), and 911th Internal Troops Regiment (unit 3451). The headquarters entry for military unit 3274 appears twice. The nomenclature reflects the terminology of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (VV MVD), which were reorganized in 2016 into the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation (Rosgvardiya).
Unit Numbering and Designations
The Russian military commonly identifies formations by voinskaya chast (v/ch) numbers that function as official postal and administrative identifiers (e.g., v/ch 3274, 3450, 3451, 3452, 3424). These are frequently used in contracts, court records, and official notices. Regimental ordinal titles (e.g., 43rd, 561st, 911th) are unit designations separate from the v/ch numbers; a regiment typically carries both an ordinal title and a distinct v/ch identifier.
Location Analysis: Sarov (ZATO)
Sarov is a closed administrative-territorial formation (ZATO) in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and hosts the Russian Federal Nuclear Center – All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics (RFNC-VNIIEF). The city has restricted access and controlled information disclosure regarding facilities inside its perimeter. The address ulitsa Zernova 63 falls within this restricted locality. Open-source confirmation directly linking a specific military garrison to that exact address is limited due to the ZATO regime and associated information controls.
Organizational Structure Indicators
A divisional headquarters with multiple regiments is consistent with the organizational model of Internal Troops operational divisions, which typically controlled several operational regiments alongside divisional support elements such as artillery, engineer, signal, reconnaissance, medical, and logistics units. The listing of four regiments is compatible with such structures. Exact chains of command and subordination between the named regiments and the stated divisional headquarters cannot be confirmed from the provided data alone and remain unverified in open sources.
Administrative Status and Reforms (2016–present)
In April 2016 the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were reorganized into the National Guard Troops (Rosgvardiya). Units previously titled Internal Troops became part of Rosgvardiya while retaining many missions and, often, their v/ch identifiers. Current official usage refers to these forces as National Guard troops; legacy Internal Troops terminology persists in historical references and some public discourse.
Typical Roles and Capabilities of Internal Troops Regiments
By statute, core missions include protection of important state facilities and special cargo, support to public order and public security, and participation in counterterrorism and territorial defense in coordination with other federal agencies. Convict-escort and prison-guard functions were transferred to the Ministry of Justice’s penitentiary system by the late 1990s. Typical equipment for operational regiments includes standard Russian small arms (AK-74 family rifles, PKM machine guns, SVD rifles), automatic grenade launchers (e.g., AGS-17), man-portable anti-armor weapons (RPG-7), riot-control gear, and light armored vehicles such as BTR-80/82 series, supported by utility vehicles (Ural and KamAZ trucks, GAZ Tigr). Specific holdings for the units listed are not publicly disclosed.
Security and Access Considerations for Sarov
Sarov’s ZATO status entails perimeter security, entry-permit regimes, and restrictions on information about sites and units within the city. Security responsibilities in and around Sarov involve multiple federal entities, including Rosgvardiya units, the Federal Security Service (FSB), and departmental security services. Detailed layouts of garrison areas, unit cantonments, and exact addresses are generally not published, and disclosures are tightly controlled.
Open-Source Confirmation Status
Authoritative public records directly associating military unit 3274 with ulitsa Zernova 63, Sarov are limited. Similarly, independent open-source confirmation of the current locations and command relationships of units 3450, 3451, 3452, and 3424 is sparse. Consequently, the specific linkages between the listed regiments and the stated divisional headquarters and address should be treated as unverified pending corroboration from reliable sources.
Data Consistency Notes
The headquarters entry military unit 3274 appears twice, which likely reflects duplication in the source rather than distinct entities. The regiments are presented with both ordinal titles and v/ch numbers, which is a standard dual-labeling practice in Russian military administration. One regiment (unit 3452) lacks an ordinal title in the provided data. V/ch numbers do not inherently encode geographic information; geolocation requires corroboration through external records.
Legal Context
The missions and authorities of the National Guard Troops are established by Federal Law No. 226-FZ of 3 July 2016 On the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation. The legal regime for closed administrative-territorial formations is defined by the Law of the Russian Federation No. 3297-1 of 14 July 1992 On Closed Administrative-Territorial Formations. Together these frameworks explain both the roles of Rosgvardiya units and the restricted public availability of detailed information about sites within Sarov.
Regional Command Context
Rosgvardiya is organized into regional districts aligned with Russia’s federal districts. Sarov lies within the Volga Federal District. Rosgvardiya’s Volga District headquarters is located in Nizhny Novgorod and exercises administrative oversight over National Guard forces in the region. While this provides the relevant regional context, specific assignment of the listed units to the Volga District or to particular subordinate commands has not been publicly confirmed.
Information Gaps and Priority Indicators for Verification
Credible confirmation would include: official Rosgvardiya district publications or orders listing subordinate units by v/ch; government procurement records explicitly naming v/ch 3274, 3450, 3451, 3452, or 3424 with Sarov references; court rulings, staffing notices, or municipal documents that cite these v/ch numbers; and media coverage of public ceremonies or events where unit identifiers are visible. Given Sarov’s ZATO status and the sensitivity of its facilities, such disclosures may be infrequent.
Overall Assessment
The provided unit identifiers and naming conventions are consistent with Russian Internal Troops and Rosgvardiya administrative practices, and the presence of security forces in Sarov is compatible with the city’s status as a closed nuclear research center. However, specific associations between v/ch 3274 and the address ulitsa Zernova 63, as well as the precise subordination of regiments 3450, 3451, 3452, and 3424 under a 94th Internal Troops Division headquarters in Sarov, are not confirmed in publicly accessible, authoritative sources. Further corroboration is required to validate the detailed linkages.