Central Orsha-Khingan National Guard District
Unit Identification
Official designation: Central Orsha-Khingan Order of the Red Banner District of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation (commonly: Central National Guard District). It is one of the territorial commands of the National Guard Troops (Rosgvardiya), formed during the 2016 reorganization of the former Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs into the National Guard Troops.
Command and Headquarters
Headquarters: Moscow, Ivanteevskaya Street 5 (reported official location). Commander: Colonel General Igor Golloyev. The district is subordinate to the Main Command of the National Guard Troops; the Commander-in-Chief of Rosgvardiya is General of the Army Viktor Zolotov. The headquarters functions as the operational and administrative command node for planning, coordination, training oversight, logistics prioritization, and secure communications within the district.
Area of Responsibility
The district’s operational area corresponds to the Central Federal District of the Russian Federation. This includes the federal city of Moscow and the oblasts of Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kostroma, Kursk, Lipetsk, Moscow Oblast, Oryol, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tambov, Tver, Tula, and Yaroslavl. Rosgvardiya’s territorial structuring aligns with federal districts for command and control, public-order missions, and support to federal and regional authorities.
Mandate and Legal Basis
The National Guard Troops operate under Federal Law No. 226-FZ of 3 July 2016 On the National Guard Troops and Presidential Decree No. 157 of 5 April 2016 establishing Rosgvardiya. Core tasks include maintaining public order and public safety; protecting important state facilities and special cargo; assisting counter-terrorism and counter-extremism operations (in coordination with the FSB and MVD); participating in territorial defense and special legal regimes (state of emergency, martial law); ensuring security during mass events; and overseeing aspects of civilian arms turnover and private security regulation. The district executes these functions within its geographic area through its troop formations and regional directorates.
Organizational Structure
The district comprises a headquarters in Moscow and a mix of operational-purpose formations, special-purpose units, and units responsible for guarding important state facilities and special cargo. It also coordinates with Rosgvardiya’s territorial directorates in each federal subject for OMON and SOBR forces. The precise, complete order of battle, including all unit numbers and garrison locations, is not comprehensively published in open sources.
Key Subordinate Formations (Publicly Known)
Publicly identified high-profile formations within the district include: 1) the Separate Operational Purpose Division named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky (ODON), based in Balashikha, Moscow Oblast, a large operational-purpose formation with legacy honors and diverse mission sets; and 2) the 604th Special Purpose Center (Vityaz), drawing lineage from the former MVD special units Vityaz and Rus, with facilities in the Moscow–Balashikha area. Additional operational brigades, battalions, and special-purpose elements operate across the district’s oblasts; detailed listings are not fully disclosed publicly.
Headquarters Site Description
The headquarters at Ivanteevskaya Street 5, Moscow, functions as an administrative and command facility supporting planning, staffing, communications, and liaison with federal and regional bodies. As a controlled government site, it is subject to access restrictions and security protocols. Specific building layouts, internal security systems, and guard procedures are not public information.
Infrastructure and Facilities
District infrastructure typically includes administrative complexes, barracks, motor pools, maintenance depots, training ranges, and secure storage for arms and special equipment. The ODON complex in Balashikha is widely reported to include extensive training areas, including ranges in the Medvezhi Ozera vicinity. Exact capacities, inventories, and facility schematics are not publicly released.
Equipment Profile
Rosgvardiya units in the district employ a mix of military and law-enforcement equipment suited to public-order and security missions: armored personnel carriers (notably BTR-80 and BTR-82A in service with National Guard troops), armored cars such as GAZ Tigr-M, Ural and KamAZ trucks (including specialized Ural-VV variants), patrol vehicles, riot-control vehicles, engineering and EOD support assets, and secure communications systems. Standard small arms include AK-74M family rifles (with localized adoption of newer AK-12 in some elements), RPK light machine guns, PKM general-purpose machine guns, and SVD rifles, alongside riot-control gear (helmets, shields, body armor, non-lethal munitions). Since 2022, National Guard units have publicly reported the use of small unmanned aircraft systems for reconnaissance and security tasks. Detailed equipment holdings by unit are not publicly itemized.
Personnel and Training
The district fields both contract personnel and conscripts within the National Guard Troops framework. Training emphasizes urban security operations, convoy and facility protection, counter-terror support, and public-order tactics, with specialized instruction for special-purpose units. Large formations such as ODON conduct combined-arms style training adapted to internal security missions, including live-fire, mobility, communications, and interagency coordination drills. Specific course syllabi, training throughput, and readiness ratings are not publicly disclosed.
Operational Activities (Public Reporting)
Within Moscow and surrounding oblasts, the district’s forces regularly support security for mass events, high-visibility ceremonies, and critical infrastructure protection, in coordination with regional authorities. Since February 2022, Russian official statements and open-source reporting have indicated National Guard deployments in the theater of operations in Ukraine for security, checkpoint control, convoy and site protection, and law-enforcement support tasks. Comprehensive unit-by-unit deployment details, timelines, and force levels remain undisclosed.
Interagency Coordination
The district coordinates routinely with the Ministry of Internal Affairs (including regional Main Directorates), the Federal Security Service (FSB), EMERCOM, regional and municipal authorities, and, as required, the Ministry of Defense. Coordination mechanisms include participation in regional counter-terrorism commissions and operational headquarters for major events, ensuring unified command relationships and deconfliction during joint operations.
Historical Background and Honors
The honorific Orsha-Khingan and the Order of the Red Banner derive from Soviet and Russian Internal Troops heritage recognized for actions in the Second World War, including operations around Orsha (Belarus) in 1944 and in the Khingan region during the 1945 Far Eastern campaign. The Central district inherits and preserves these honors from predecessor formations in the Moscow district of the Internal Troops. The 2016 reforms transferred this lineage into the National Guard Troops structure.
Legal and Command Relationships
Rosgvardiya is a federal executive body reporting to the President of the Russian Federation through the Director and Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard Troops. The Central National Guard District is subordinated to the Main Command of the National Guard Troops for operational-tasking and administration, while cooperating with federal and regional authorities under applicable federal laws and decrees governing public security, counter-terrorism, and territorial defense.
Security and Access Posture
District facilities, including the Moscow headquarters and major garrisons, are controlled-access sites with continuous guard and security procedures commensurate with their designation as National Guard military facilities. Specific guard rosters, internal sensor systems, communications configurations, and response protocols are not publicly available and are treated as sensitive information.
Recent Organizational Developments
Following the 2016 establishment of Rosgvardiya, the district absorbed internal troops and regional law-enforcement elements under a unified command. Subsequent public statements and legislative changes since 2023 have expanded National Guard authorities and equipment allowances for certain missions, including the use of unmanned systems and heavier weapons when mandated by operational requirements. Publicly observable modernization has included fielding of BTR-82A and Tigr-M platforms, updated communications, and enhanced counter-UAS capabilities at the unit level. Specific procurement quantities and delivery schedules are not fully disclosed.
Information Gaps and Classification Considerations
The complete order of battle, detailed lists of subordinate units and their garrison addresses, force strengths, building schematics, communications architectures, and security procedures are not comprehensively available in open sources and are likely restricted. Where only partial public information exists, this assessment confines itself to widely reported, verifiable details and acknowledges the absence of official disclosures for sensitive aspects.