General Staff
General Staff Headquarters (Moscow, Znamenka 14)
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is headquartered at 14 Znamenka Street, Moscow. It is the supreme operational and strategic command authority for the Armed Forces. As of 2024, the Chief of the General Staff is Army General Valery V. Gerasimov (appointed on 9 November 2012); he also serves as First Deputy Minister of Defence and was designated in January 2023 as the commander of the Joint Grouping of Forces in Ukraine. The General Staff oversees central directorates responsible for operations, intelligence, communications, mobilization, logistics, and training policy.
147th General Staff Automobile Base (military unit 83466)
Open-source references identify the 147th General Staff Automobile Base (v/ch 83466) as a Moscow-based support unit providing transport for the General Staff and associated central organs. Its tasks include the operation, maintenance, and dispatch of official vehicles and secure movement of senior leadership. This matches the stated mission to provide transport means for the General Staff. Detailed data on fleet composition, routing, and protection measures is not publicly disclosed.
1st Mobile NBC Protection Brigade (military unit 71432)
This formation is reported in open sources as the 1st Mobile Brigade of Radiation, Chemical and Biological (RCB) Protection (v/ch 71432). RCB Protection Troops conduct CBRN reconnaissance, hazard assessment, decontamination, and aerosol-obscuration support, including rapid response to incidents affecting critical command-and-control nodes. Publicly available Ministry of Defence documentation does not specify the brigade’s location, detailed structure, or equipment; therefore, those details cannot be provided. The mission profile aligns with standard RCB Protection capabilities used across the branch.
Donguz Training and Test Range (military unit 33157)
The Donguz inter-service training and test range in Orenburg Oblast is a major Central Military District facility for artillery and combined-arms live-fire training and munitions disposal. Some open sources refer to it as the 24th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Test Site, but Donguz is primarily associated with ground artillery and general-purpose training rather than dedicated air-defense missile testing. The range is widely reported in connection with a large ammunition detonation on 9 October 2012 that prompted local evacuations. Associations with military unit 33157 appear in open reporting; official Ministry of Defence confirmation of unit numbering for the range is limited.
270th Communications Center (military unit 36203)
The 270th Communications Center (v/ch 36203) is cited in open sources as providing national-level command-and-control communications support to the General Staff. By statute, military communications are administered by the Main Communications Directorate of the Armed Forces. Publicly available sources do not provide authoritative technical detail on the center’s network topology, sites, or equipment. As such, specific architecture, redundancies, and encryption solutions are not disclosed.
200th Maintenance Commandant’s Office (military unit 47994)
Open-source mentions link the 200th Maintenance Commandant’s Office (v/ch 47994) to facility management and commandant duties for central Ministry of Defence and General Staff buildings in Moscow. Typical functions for such units include building operations, technical maintenance, utilities support, repairs, and coordination of internal security measures. Detailed facility lists, access procedures, and internal layouts are not publicly available.
1327th Reconnaissance and Special Forces Application Center (military unit 25908)
The designation 1327th Center for Reconnaissance and Special Forces Combat Use (v/ch 25908) appears in open reporting. The title suggests a training and methods center dedicated to reconnaissance and special operations employment. Authoritative Ministry of Defence publications confirming subordination, permanent location, and detailed program content are limited in the public domain. In the absence of official confirmation, structural detail, course syllabi, and affiliated formations cannot be provided.
345th NBC Protection Operational Coordination Center (military unit 64053)
Open-source attributions associate v/ch 64053 with an RCB Protection center tasked with detecting and assessing the scope of weapons of mass destruction employment and incidents at radiation, chemical, and biologically hazardous facilities. The described mission aligns with RCB Protection monitoring and analytical functions. Official Ministry of Defence releases providing confirmatory detail about this specific unit are limited; technical procedures, sensor networks, and communications channels are not publicly disclosed.
Chemical Weapons Storage/Destruction Arsenal (military unit 55498)
Russia declared the complete destruction of its declared chemical weapons stockpile on 27 September 2017, as verified by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Former storage and destruction sites (including Gorny, Kambarka, Maradykovsky, Pochep, Shchuchye, Kizner, and Leonidovka) have undergone decommissioning, remediation, or repurposing. References to a Chemical Weapons Storage/Destruction Arsenal under v/ch 55498 likely pertain to residual guard, safety, or remediation responsibilities associated with legacy facilities. Public sources do not provide authoritative detail on current manning, site associations, or security arrangements.
Missile Troops and Artillery Combat Use Training Center (military unit 43556)
Open sources cite military unit 43556 in connection with a Ground Forces Missile Troops and Artillery (MTA) combat employment training center. Such establishments typically conduct institutional training, develop tactics and methods for tube and rocket artillery and anti-tank guided missile employment, and supervise live-fire training. Publicly available Ministry of Defence materials do not authoritatively tie the 43556 designation to a specific location or detailed structure; consequently, granular information cannot be provided.
Ground Forces Mobilization Manpower Reserve Base (military unit 63490)
The described function aligns with mobilization infrastructure supporting the Ground Forces’ reserve, including the Combat Army Reserve of the Country (BARS) program expanded from 2021 onward. Bases of this type manage reservist registration, equipping, storage of individual kit, and periodic training assemblies. Open-source references link v/ch 63490 to a mobilization manpower reserve base; official public documentation with detailed confirmation is limited.
Organizational Context and Likely Subordination
The listed entities combine General Staff support (transport, communications, facilities) with specialized RCB Protection elements, training and methods centers, and a major inter-service test range. By regulation, the General Staff exercises operational control over the Armed Forces and directs central directorates, including the Main Communications Directorate and the Main Mobilization Directorate. RCB Protection Troops constitute a separate branch commanded by the Chief of RCB Protection Troops. Missile Troops and Artillery training establishments are typically subordinate to the Ground Forces Main Command and the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU). Exact command relationships for the specific military unit numbers listed are not detailed in publicly available official sources.
Geographic Notes
The General Staff headquarters is located at 14 Znamenka Street, Moscow. The Donguz training and test range is situated in Orenburg Oblast and supports Central Military District activities. Other units in the list are support and training establishments likely concentrated in Moscow or central regions; however, authoritative public confirmation of specific garrisons for military units 71432, 36203, 47994, 25908, 64053, 55498, 43556, and 63490 is lacking, and precise locations are therefore not provided.
Source and Confidence Notes
The designations and functions above are compiled from publicly accessible reporting. Items marked with a question mark in the provided list indicate uncertain or unconfirmed designations. The external link provided appears to be a media source rather than an official Ministry of Defence publication; such references should be treated cautiously. Where corroborated by widely available public information (e.g., the General Staff address; OPCW verification of 2017 chemical weapons destruction; Donguz range activities), confidence is high. For unit-number-to-function pairings that lack official confirmation, confidence is low to moderate and further authoritative sourcing would be required. Classified details on dispositions, internal layouts, communications architectures, security procedures, and schedules cannot be provided.