Garrison Qurghonteppa
Site Overview (Bokhtar/Qurghonteppa Garrison, Tajikistan)
The location identified as Qurghonteppa refers to the city officially renamed Bokhtar in 2018 in Khatlon Region, southwestern Tajikistan. Bokhtar is one of the three principal garrison areas used by the Russian 201st Military Base, alongside Dushanbe and Kulob. The site supports combined-arms formations and associated support units. The user-supplied unit title and equipment set are consistent with the type of forces Russia has long maintained in Tajikistan under bilateral basing agreements.
Unit Identification and Status
The provided designation—191st Separate Motor Rifle Regiment, military unit 83364—cannot be conclusively verified in authoritative open sources as of 2024. Public Russian Ministry of Defence communications typically refer to the 201st Military Base as a whole without publishing full subordinate regimental numbering. Open-source reporting consistently places motor rifle forces and armor-artillery elements of the 201st Military Base in Bokhtar, and the equipment listed (T-72B1, BMP-2, 2S3M Akatsiya, 9K35 Strela-10) aligns with a motor rifle regiment’s standard inventory. The 201st Military Base headquarters is publicly reported in Dushanbe (commonly referenced as military unit 01162), with additional garrisons in Bokhtar and Kulob; however, the specific pairing of the “191st Separate Motor Rifle Regiment” with military unit number 83364 remains unconfirmed in official sources.
Command Subordination and Legal Framework
Russian forces in Tajikistan are organized as the 201st Military Base under Russia’s Central Military District. The basing arrangement derives from bilateral agreements culminating in an October 5, 2012 extension that legally permits Russia to station the 201st Military Base in Tajikistan through 2042. Public figures for the base’s manpower have varied in official statements and media from roughly 5,500 to 7,000 personnel across the 2010s and early 2020s. Specific manning levels at each garrison are not publicly released.
Location and Access
Bokhtar sits in the Vakhsh Valley with road links toward Dushanbe to the north and the Afghan border area to the south and southeast. The urban area hosts Bokhtar (Qurghonteppa) International Airport (IATA: KQT), which is a civilian facility; there is no authoritative public confirmation of a permanent Russian aviation unit based there. Overland sustainment of the 201st Military Base has historically relied on a combination of airlift and rail/road transit corridors from Russia via Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan into Tajikistan, supplemented by in-country movements between the Dushanbe, Bokhtar, and Kulob garrisons.
Infrastructure and Facilities (Assessed)
Typical facilities at the Bokhtar garrison include barracks, motor pools and vehicle parks, maintenance workshops, fuel and lubricant storage, ammunition storage areas under Tajik and Russian regulatory control, and unit-level training support infrastructure. The 201st Military Base conducts field training at Tajik ranges, notably Lyaur and Sambuli (near Dushanbe) and Harb-Maidon (in Khatlon Region). While the exact internal layout and capacity of the Bokhtar site are not publicly disclosed, open-source imagery and official releases confirm enduring basing in the city as part of the 201st Military Base’s tri-garrison posture.
Order of Battle (Typical for a Motor Rifle Regiment on BMP-2/T-72)
Although precise unit tables for the Bokhtar garrison are not publicly released, a Russian motor rifle regiment fielding BMP-2 and supported by T-72 series tanks typically consists of multiple motor rifle battalions (BMP-2), a tank battalion (T-72B/B1), a self-propelled howitzer battalion (e.g., 2S3M), anti-tank elements, an air defense battery/platoon (e.g., 9K35 Strela-10 and guns), reconnaissance, engineer, signals, electronic warfare, NBC defense, medical, logistics, and repair units. The equipment set provided by the user corresponds to this standard combined-arms structure.
Equipment Summary and Capabilities
T-72B1 main battle tank: 125 mm 2A46M smoothbore gun with autoloader, typically with Kontakt-1 explosive reactive armor, V-84 diesel (~840 hp), and 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns. The B1 variant, as originally configured, lacks the in-barrel guided missile firing capability found on some T-72B models. BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle: 30 mm 2A42 cannon, 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, and an ATGM launcher typically for 9M113 Konkurs or 9M111 Fagot; amphibious capability; crew of three plus up to seven dismounts. 2S3M Akatsiya 152 mm self-propelled howitzer: effective range about 18.5 km with standard HE; up to roughly 24 km with rocket-assisted projectiles; typical sustained rate of fire 1–3 rounds per minute; improved ammunition stowage versus the baseline variant. 9K35 Strela-10 short-range air defense system: tracked, IR-guided, line-of-sight SHORAD; engagement range approximately up to 5 km and altitude up to about 3.5 km (variant-dependent), employing missiles such as 9M37 or 9M333 against low-flying aircraft and helicopters.
Training Areas and Exercise Patterns
Elements of the 201st Military Base regularly train at Tajik ranges including Lyaur, Sambuli, and Harb-Maidon. Public reporting in 2021–2023 highlighted numerous Russian–Tajik (and sometimes Uzbek/CSTO) joint exercises in Khatlon Region focusing on counterterrorism and border-security scenarios relevant to the Afghan frontier, with live-fire events involving tanks, BMP-2s, artillery, and short-range air defense assets. Specific exercise schedules and unit-level training calendars for Bokhtar are not published by authorities.
Operational Role and Mission Focus
The garrisons of the 201st Military Base, including Bokhtar, provide forward presence for Russia in Central Asia, supporting Tajikistan’s security under bilateral agreements and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Mission sets emphasized in official communiqués include border security reinforcement, counterterrorism drills, and combined-arms readiness in mountainous and desert conditions. The equipment listed—T-72B1, BMP-2, 2S3M, 9K35—supports armored maneuver, mechanized infantry operations, indirect fire, and point-area short-range air defense required for these tasks.
Recent Open-Source Activity (through 2024)
From 2021 onward, Russian and Tajik authorities reported repeated joint exercises near the Afghan border, including large-scale events at Harb-Maidon in 2021 and follow-on drills in 2022–2023. Open-source media also reported that Russia adjusted some deployments from its foreign bases after February 2022; however, detailed figures and the identities of specific subunits reassigned from Tajikistan have not been published by the Russian Ministry of Defence. There is no authoritative public disclosure listing exact equipment counts by garrison.
Security, Force Protection, and Compliance
Security at Russian garrisons in Tajikistan is managed under Russian military regulations in coordination with host-nation requirements. Force protection measures typically include controlled perimeters, armed guard forces, access control, and secure storage for weapons and ammunition. Environmental, safety, and explosive ordnance handling follow Russian military standards and Tajik legal obligations. Detailed site security procedures are not publicly released.
Assessment of Information Reliability
High confidence: enduring Russian presence at Bokhtar as part of the 201st Military Base; general equipment types and capabilities (T-72B1, BMP-2, 2S3M, 9K35) as representative of a motor rifle regiment. Medium confidence: placement of a regiment-level formation at Bokhtar within the tri-garrison structure. Low-to-medium confidence: the specific designation “191st Separate Motor Rifle Regiment” with military unit number 83364 at this location, as this pairing is not confirmed in authoritative public sources as of 2024. Where official data are not publicly available, this report refrains from asserting details.