98th Guards Airborne Division
Identity
This record matches Russia's 98th Guards Airborne Division (VDV), military unit 65451, with headquarters in Ivanovo. TASS identifies the division HQ as being in Ivanovo, Ivanovo regional authorities say the formation was redeployed there in May 1993, and open EGRUL-derived corporate records list military unit 65451 at ul. Baturina 1, Ivanovo, matching the HQ placemark area. ([tass.ru](https://tass.ru/obschestvo/16865343?utm_source=openai))
Footprint
Open sources place the division across two main garrison cities, Ivanovo and Kostroma, rather than at a single site. Ivanovo regional authorities identify the 217th Guards Parachute Regiment as a principal component in Ivanovo; ISW's Russian order-of-battle compilation places the HQ, 217th Regiment, and 215th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion in Ivanovo, while the 331st Guards Regiment and 1065th Artillery Regiment are in Kostroma; public records also tie unit 62295 to Ivanovo and unit 71211 to Kostroma. ([ivanovoobl.ru](https://ivanovoobl.ru/?id=20861&type=news&utm_source=openai))
Expansion
The divisional footprint is expanding. Russian official reporting said a re-formed 299th Parachute Regiment of the 98th received its battle flag in Ivanovo in December 2024, and Yaroslavl regional reporting in July 2025 said a new military town was being built there for the regiment, pointing to planned expansion beyond the older Ivanovo-Kostroma pattern. ([tass.ru](https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/22589785?utm_source=openai)) TASS also reported in 2015 that 19 aircraft lifted a 98th Division battalion group and more than 60 vehicles from Ivanovo-Severny, showing demonstrated access from the Ivanovo garrison to strategic airlift infrastructure. ([tass.ru](https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/1969062?utm_source=openai))
Operational use
Open-source battlefield reporting links multiple subordinate elements from this garrison to the Chasiv Yar sector. ISW assessed 217th and 331st elements near Chasiv Yar in October 2024, the 215th Reconnaissance Battalion and 5th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment there in March-June 2025, and artillery elements of the 1065th Regiment west of the city in August 2025, suggesting commitment of a broad divisional package rather than only detached companies. ([understandingwar.org](https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-october-21-2024?utm_source=openai)) Russian official and regional reporting also say the division received the Order of Alexander Nevsky in 2024, the 331st Regiment received the Order of Kutuzov in December 2024, and the 1065th Regiment received the Order of Kutuzov in February 2026. ([ivanovoobl.ru](https://ivanovoobl.ru/?id=67816&type=news&utm_source=openai))
Command
The supplied commander field should be treated as unverified. TASS named Maj. Gen. Yevgeny Tonkikh as division commander in May 2024, while later regional reporting in 2024 named Maj. Gen. Ruslan Evkodimov; the open sources reviewed therefore do not corroborate the metadata claim that Col. Viktor Gunaza commands the division. ([tass.ru](https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/20709183?utm_source=openai))