Northwest National Guard District
Organizational Overview and Legal Foundation
The Northwestern National Guard District (Severo-Zapadny okrug voysk Natsionalnoy gvardii) is a regional command of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation (Rosgvardiya). Rosgvardiya was established by Presidential Decree No. 157 dated 5 April 2016, and its missions and authorities are set by Federal Law No. 226-FZ of 3 July 2016. The District exercises operational command over National Guard troop units in its area of responsibility, conducting tasks defined by law: protection of public order and public safety; security of important state facilities, special cargo, and designated infrastructure; assistance to counterterrorism and counter-extremism operations (in coordination with the Federal Security Service); territorial defense tasks; convoy escort; and support to internal affairs bodies.
Area of Responsibility
The District’s area of responsibility aligns with the Northwestern Federal District and includes Saint Petersburg; Leningrad, Kaliningrad, Murmansk, Novgorod, Pskov, Vologda, and Arkhangelsk oblasts; the Nenets Autonomous Okrug; and the Republics of Karelia and Komi. This region contains critical maritime nodes (Saint Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Murmansk), major land border crossings, and dense urban centers, necessitating a mix of urban public-order capabilities, critical-infrastructure security, and riverine/coastal support.
Headquarters Location and Functions
The District headquarters is located in Saint Petersburg. Open-source reporting places the address at 33 Millionnaya Street, Saint Petersburg. The headquarters provides command-and-control, planning, logistics coordination, training oversight, and communications support for subordinate formations and units across the District. Detailed internal layouts, security measures, and staffing levels of the headquarters are not publicly disclosed.
Order of Battle (Selected Units and Identifiers)
Open sources attribute the following units to the Northwestern National Guard District: the 33rd Separate Internal Troops Brigade (military unit 3526), the 124th Internal Troops Regiment (military unit 3705), and the 2nd Internal Troops Naval Detachment (military unit 3798). The terms Internal Troops and military unit numbers (voyskovaya chast’, v/ch) reflect historical designations under the former Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; these formations were transferred into Rosgvardiya in 2016 while retaining their military unit identifiers. Official, detailed current tables of organization and equipment for these units are not published.
Unit Profile: 33rd Separate Brigade (military unit 3526)
The 33rd Separate Brigade is an operational-purpose formation associated with Saint Petersburg. Operational-purpose brigades in Rosgvardiya provide rapid-reaction public-order forces, reinforce security at state facilities, escort special cargo, and support counterterrorism operations alongside security services. Typical brigade-level structures include several maneuver battalions with organic reconnaissance, communications, engineer, logistics, and medical elements. Such formations commonly employ wheeled armored personnel carriers for protected mobility and riot-control assets for crowd-management tasks. Specific subunit composition, manning, and equipment holdings of v/ch 3526 are not publicly released.
Unit Profile: 124th Regiment (military unit 3705)
The 124th Regiment is reported as an operational-purpose regiment within the District. Operational-purpose regiments perform missions similar to brigades on a smaller scale, including urban public-order duties, facility security augmentation, convoy escort, and support to special operations conducted by authorized agencies. Regimental structures generally include maneuver battalions/companies with support elements (signals, engineer, medical, logistics). Precise authorized strength, detailed structure, and inventory for v/ch 3705 are not publicly disclosed.
Unit Profile: 2nd Naval Detachment (military unit 3798)
The 2nd Naval Detachment is a waterborne unit associated with Saint Petersburg’s riverine and coastal environment (Neva River and eastern Gulf of Finland). Naval detachments in Rosgvardiya provide small-boat mobility, patrol, and security support for waterways and port-adjacent infrastructure, and they enable transport, insertion, and extraction of security elements along inland and coastal waters. Typical capabilities include operation of small patrol craft and rigid-hull inflatable boats suitable for rivers and near-coastal zones. Specific vessel types, basing berths, and crewing details for v/ch 3798 are not publicly released.
Location Analysis: Saint Petersburg and Maritime Access
Saint Petersburg is a major political, industrial, and maritime hub with extensive inland waterways and port facilities. The co-location of a regional Rosgvardiya headquarters, an operational-purpose brigade and regiment, and a naval detachment in or near the city aligns with mission requirements: sustained public-order presence in a large urban center, protection of high-value state sites, and waterborne mobility for security operations on rivers, canals, and coastal approaches. This posture supports rapid reinforcement within the city and along key lines of communication to Leningrad Oblast.
Infrastructure and Facilities
Garrison complexes for operational-purpose units typically comprise administrative buildings, barracks, vehicle parks and maintenance shelters, armories, training halls, obstacle courses, and unit-level firing ranges or access to regional ranges. Naval detachment facilities usually include secured piers or slips, boat storage and maintenance areas, fuel handling points, and communications/command posts with access control. Exact site layouts, storage locations, and protective systems for the named units are not available in open public sources.
Capabilities and Equipment (Typical for Rosgvardiya Operational Units)
Operational-purpose brigades and regiments in Rosgvardiya are commonly equipped with wheeled armored personnel carriers (e.g., BTR family), armored utility vehicles (such as GAZ Tigr-class), and medium/heavy trucks (KamAZ and Ural families) for mobility and logistics. Standard small arms include 5.45 mm assault rifles (AK-74M/AK-12 series), light/medium machine guns, sniper/designated marksman rifles, and service pistols; units also hold riot-control gear (helmets, shields, batons, less-lethal munitions), communications suites, and engineering/breaching tools. Indirect fire assets in operational formations often include 82 mm and 120 mm mortars. Assignment of specific models and quantities to the listed units has not been officially published.
Training and Readiness
District units routinely train for urban public-order operations, convoy and facility security, small-unit tactics in built-up areas, live-fire marksmanship, communications, engineering support, first aid, and CBRN protection. Naval detachment personnel conduct boat handling, navigation, boarding procedures, and waterborne insertion/extraction training on rivers and coastal waters. Exercises are conducted at unit garrisons, regional training sites, and in coordination with other federal bodies as required. Exact training schedules, readiness metrics, and evaluation results for the named units are not publicly disclosed.
Operations and Public Activities
Rosgvardiya publicly reports participation in security for major public events and high-profile gatherings in large cities, including Saint Petersburg, and supports counterterrorism and public-order operations under Russian law. Within the Northwestern region, such activities typically include event security, reinforcement of facility protection, and targeted operations in support of authorized agencies. Unit-specific operational histories for the 33rd Separate Brigade, the 124th Regiment, and the 2nd Naval Detachment are not comprehensively detailed in official public sources.
Interagency Coordination and Wartime Role
In routine operations, District units coordinate with the Ministry of Internal Affairs for public-order tasks and with the Federal Security Service for counterterrorism and counter-extremism operations, as provided by Federal Law No. 226-FZ. The law also provides for participation of National Guard troops in territorial defense. In periods of heightened threat or wartime, the employment of Rosgvardiya units is determined by federal legislation and presidential acts, with coordination mechanisms established alongside the Armed Forces General Staff. Specific command arrangements and contingency plans are not publicly disclosed.
Information Availability and Classification Notes
The unit designations and military unit numbers provided (33rd Separate Brigade, v/ch 3526; 124th Regiment, v/ch 3705; 2nd Naval Detachment, v/ch 3798) appear in open-source reporting associated with the Northwestern National Guard District. However, detailed orders of battle, precise garrison addresses beyond publicly noted headquarters information, internal layouts, manning levels, equipment inventories, and readiness statuses are not officially published and may be classified. The analysis above reflects publicly verifiable, non-sensitive information consistent with applicable legal and security constraints.