Moscow Military District
Strategic Overview
Russia reestablished the Moscow Military District in 2023–2024 by separating it from the former Western Military District. The district headquarters is in Moscow. The unit set provided spans formations historically subordinated to the Western Military District and those likely aligned to the reformed Moscow Military District; comprehensive official manning lists are not publicly released. The force mix reflected here concentrates on capital-area command-protection, heavy artillery and long-range rocket capabilities, substantial engineer and bridging assets, army-level air and missile defense, large nuclear-biological-chemical protection forces, and a dense electronic warfare and signals intelligence infrastructure.
Headquarters and Command Support
The list includes the 1st Command and Control Brigade (military unit 55338), a district- and army-level headquarters support formation that provides deployable command posts, communications, and automated command-and-control services. Designations for the 61st Command Intelligence Center GRU HQ (military unit 42676) and the 61st Command Intelligence Center GRU (military unit 42626) indicate GRU command-level intelligence nodes, though detailed functions and locations are not officially disclosed. The 65th Communications Troops Interspecific Regional Training Center (military unit 41516) and the Communication Troops Equipment Warehouse (military unit 41101) support signals force training and materiel. The inclusion of Western Military District HQ (military unit 11000) points to a legacy or transitional reference; the Western Military District headquarters is located in St. Petersburg.
Security of Central Command Facilities
The 1st Separate Rifle Regiment (military unit 75384) is responsible for the defense and protection of the facilities of the central military command bodies, the main headquarters of the branches of the Armed Forces in Moscow, and the main and central departments of the Ministry of Defense; its Training Center (military unit 83421) prepares personnel for these tasks. The 154th Separate Commandant's Regiment (military unit 01904) serves as the official honor guard regiment of the Russian Armed Forces and also performs garrison commandant functions within the Moscow garrison.
Special Operations Forces (Spetsnaz) Disposition
The 2nd Separate Spetsnaz Brigade (military unit 64044) and the 16th Separate Guards Spetsnaz Brigade (military unit 54607) are long-established GRU special purpose formations; the equipment noted for these units includes BTR-80 armored personnel carriers, GAZ-3937 Vodnik vehicles, and GAZ Tigr-M armored vehicles, which support mobility and reconnaissance tasks. Leadership details for such formations are not consistently published; the named commander cannot be independently confirmed from open official sources. The 90th Separate Special Search Battalion (military unit 11115) is a specialized formation tasked with search and recovery missions, including the recovery and identification of remains and battlefield clearance, rather than direct-action roles.
Ground-Based Air and Missile Defense
The 202nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 43034) fields the S-300V family of army air defense systems, designed to provide area air defense and ballistic missile defense for army-level formations. The S-300V series integrates surveillance radars and track-via-missile guidance to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and aircraft, supporting protected maneuver of large ground groupings in the Western strategic direction.
Rocket and Heavy Artillery Capabilities
The 45th High-Power Artillery Brigade (military unit 31969) operates 2S7M Malka 203 mm self-propelled guns and 2S4 Tyulpan 240 mm self-propelled mortars, providing very long-range and high-caliber fires suited to counter-battery, interdiction, and fortified target engagement. The 79th Guards Rocket Artillery Brigade (military unit 53956) fields the 9K515 Tornado-S multiple launch rocket system, a modernized Smerch variant capable of precision-guided strikes at extended ranges (open sources report up to roughly 120 km with appropriate munitions). Collectively, these assets enable deep fires and high-volume salvo capability across the theater.
Engineer Troops and Bridging Assets
Engineer capacity is extensive: the 1st Guards Engineer-Sapper Brigade (military unit 11105) provides general engineer support including breaching, obstacle emplacement, route clearance, and field fortification; the 28th Guards Pontoon-Bridge Brigade (military unit 45445) and the 462nd Separate Bridge Battalion (military unit 36194) provide river crossing and bridge construction capabilities; the 45th Guards Camouflage Engineer Regiment (military unit 11361) focuses on camouflage and deception engineering tasks. Supporting infrastructure includes the 96th Engineering Base (military unit 51522), the 2066th Central Engineer Troops Base (military unit 55237), the 2490th Central Engineer Troops Equipment Base (military unit 22226), and the 1263rd Engineer Troops Arsenal (military unit 42754), which store and maintain engineer equipment and materiel. Typical Russian pontoon formations employ pontoon parks and mechanized bridges suitable for heavy tracked vehicles, but equipment specifics for individual units are not detailed in the provided data.
Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) Protection Forces
The 27th NBC Protection Brigade (military unit 11262) alongside the 12th Separate NBC Protection Battalion (military unit 55105), the 200th Separate NBC Protection Detachment (military unit 83536), and the 282nd NBC Protection Troops Interspecific Regional Training Center (military unit 19889) provide radiological, chemical, and biological reconnaissance, decontamination, smoke and aerosol masking, and specialized training. These formations increase force survivability under CBRN conditions and enable rapid restoration of combat power after contamination events.
Electronic Warfare Forces
The electronic warfare component is anchored by the 16th Separate EW Brigade (military unit 64055) and several subordinate or associated formations: the Separate EW Battalion (military unit 81261), the 49th Separate EW Battalion (military unit 54916), the 172nd Separate EW Battalion (military unit 84713), the 841st Separate EW Center (military unit 09643), and the 1084th Interspecific Center for Training and Combat Use of EW Troops (military unit 61460). The mention of Murmansk-BN indicates the presence of a long-range high-frequency communications disruption system designed to target HF networks at ranges of several thousand kilometers; its appearance in the list denotes capability rather than a distinct unit. Direction finding and emissions geolocation are represented by the 876th Separate Radio Emission Direction Finding Point (military unit 41480) and the 918th Separate Synchronous Direction Finding Battalion (military unit 51551).
Signals Intelligence (GRU Radio-Technical) Infrastructure
Special purpose radio-technical units attributed to the GRU include the 82nd Separate Special Purpose Radio-Technical Brigade (military unit 48886, repeated in the source list), the 146th Separate Special Purpose Radio-Technical Brigade GRU (military unit 75752, with a separate command post entry), and the 312th Separate Special Purpose Radio-Technical Regiment (military unit 73582). These osnaz-type formations undertake signals intelligence and electronic intelligence tasks, including radio interception, direction finding, and technical reconnaissance in support of strategic and operational-level commanders. Publicly available official details on exact locations, subordinate structure, and equipment sets are limited.
Training and Specialized Centers
Training and doctrine nodes include the 19th Research Training Center (military unit 33491), the 56th Guards District Junior Specialists Training Center (military unit 71717), the 333rd Combat Training Center (military unit 74036), the 65th Communications Troops Interspecific Regional Training Center (military unit 41516), the 210th Guards Engineer Troops Interspecific Regional Training Center (military unit 64120), the 1084th Interspecific Center for Training and Combat Use of EW Troops (military unit 61460), and the 470th Methodological and Cynological Center (military unit 32516) for military working dog training and methodology. The International Mine Action Center (military unit 33246) provides specialized humanitarian demining training and has publicly documented deployments to foreign mine action missions. These facilities generate and maintain specialist skills across engineer, EW, communications, NBC, and related domains.
Logistics, Storage, and Repair Infrastructure
The logistical backbone is represented by multiple storage, repair, and support units: the 10th Armament Base (military unit 18558), the 216th Storage and Repair Base (military unit 63452), the Equipment and Vehicle Storage Base (military unit 30778), the 3494th Automotive Equipment Repair and Storage Base (military unit 96507), the 137th NBC Protection Troops Repair and Storage Base (military unit 42732), the 4998th Military Equipment Storage and Repair Base (military unit 41734), the 6532nd Weapons and Equipment Base (military unit 34112), the 309th Central Storage Base (military unit 55248), the 2227th Technical Base (military unit 11291), the 1263rd Engineer Troops Arsenal (military unit 42754), the 22nd Tank Reserve Center (military unit 42713), the 101st Armored Property Warehouse (military unit 68076), the 1236th Artillery Ammunition Depot (military unit 01540), the 212nd Support Regiment (military unit 34035), and transport units such as the 609th Separate Automobile Battalion (military unit 62896) and the 484th Separate Automobile Battalion (military unit 73410). These establishments ensure stockpiling, maintenance, vehicle fleet readiness, ammunition storage, and mobilization support.
Ceremonial and Salute Duties
Ceremonial and protocol functions are provided by the 154th Separate Commandant's Regiment (military unit 01904), the official honor guard regiment that executes state ceremonies in Moscow, and the 449th Separate Guards Salute Squadron (military unit 48428), which conducts state salutes with ceremonial artillery. These units support military protocol and public ceremonial events in the capital.
Data Integrity, Duplications, and Gaps
Several inconsistencies are present in the provided list. The 82nd Separate Special Purpose Radio-Technical Brigade (military unit 48886) appears multiple times (with spelling variants such as 82th), suggesting duplication rather than distinct units. The 146th Separate Special Purpose Radio-Technical Brigade GRU (military unit 75752) is listed twice, including a separate command post entry; such entries likely refer to the same brigade and a subordinate node. The 45th Guards Camouflage Engineer Regiment and the 66th Guards Pontoon-Bridge Regiment are both attributed military unit 11361, which is unlikely given the uniqueness of Russian military unit numbers, indicating a probable data error. The 74th Separate Repair and Maintenance Battalion has an atypical number format (military unit 11385-9), which is not standard for v/ch identifiers. The 2279th Engineer Troops Depot is flagged as former, but current status is not confirmed in open official sources. Murmansk-BN is an equipment designation rather than a unit. Finally, the presence of the Western Military District HQ entry indicates that the dataset spans pre- and post-reform structures.
Geospatial Notes on Select Units
Certain garrisons are widely reported in open sources: the International Mine Action Center (military unit 33246) in Nakhabino, Moscow Oblast; the 28th Guards Pontoon-Bridge Brigade (military unit 45445) and the 1st Guards Engineer-Sapper Brigade (military unit 11105) in Murom, Vladimir Oblast; the 16th Separate Guards Spetsnaz Brigade (military unit 54607) in Tambov, Tambov Oblast; the 45th High-Power Artillery Brigade (military unit 31969) in Tambov Oblast; the 79th Guards Rocket Artillery Brigade (military unit 53956) in Tver, Tver Oblast; the 2nd Separate Spetsnaz Brigade (military unit 64044) near Pskov, Pskov Oblast; the 1084th EW Troops training and combat use center (military unit 61460) in Tambov Oblast; and the 202nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 43034) reported in the Naro-Fominsk area of Moscow Oblast. The Western Military District headquarters is in St. Petersburg. Precise boundaries and final unit-to-district alignments under the 2023–2024 reform have not been comprehensively published.
Operational Implications of the Listed Force Mix
The combination of capital-area security units, robust command-and-control support, army air and missile defense, long-range rocket and heavy artillery brigades, extensive engineer and bridging formations, large NBC protection units, and layered EW and GRU radio-technical capabilities indicates a posture designed to protect central command institutions, sustain high-intensity operations with deep fires, enable river crossing and mobility support, preserve force survivability under CBRN and electronic threat conditions, and maintain strong operational intelligence and electromagnetic control in the Western strategic direction. The breadth of storage, repair, and training infrastructure provides the sustainment and human capital needed to generate and regenerate combat power at scale.
Limitations and Classification Considerations
Official, comprehensive orders of battle, exact current unit locations, and detailed equipment tables for the Moscow Military District and GRU-associated formations are not publicly released. Where garrisons or equipment are mentioned, they derive from widely available open-source reporting and may reflect changes not yet acknowledged in official publications. Leadership data, internal structures, and command relationships for special-purpose and intelligence units are especially restricted; without authoritative publication, such details cannot be confirmed.