HQ: Rostov-on-Don, Commander: Colonel General Sergei Kuzovlev
This record corresponds to the Southern Military District headquarters complex in central Rostov-on-Don. Russian reporting consistently places the district HQ in Rostov; open-source reporting on the September 7, 2023 drone incident identifies the headquarters at Budennovsky Prospekt 43. ([tass.ru](https://tass.ru/obschestvo/25106117?utm_source=openai))
The Southern Military District was formed in 2010 from the North Caucasus Military District as one of Russia’s operational-strategic territorial commands. A presidential decree dated February 26, 2024 placed the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions within the district’s formal military-administrative boundaries, effective March 1, 2024. ([tass.ru](https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/5174097?utm_source=openai))
Kremlin and TASS reporting show Vladimir Putin using the Rostov command site for war-related consultations in August, October and November 2023, including briefings on the special military operation; this supports the assessment that the site functions as a key command-and-control node for Russia’s southern theater. Rostov’s transport geography also matters: TASS described the city and region as a logistics hub linking central Russia with the North Caucasus, Crimea, Donbas/Novorossiya and the South Caucasus/Central Asia axes. ([kremlin.ru](https://www.kremlin.ru/catalog/persons/426/events?utm_source=openai))
The headquarters has been directly exposed to both internal-security and air-threat events. Wagner forces occupied the Southern Military District HQ in Rostov-on-Don on June 24, 2023 before withdrawing later that day, and on September 7, 2023 Russian authorities reported UAV activity over Rostov with emergency services responding near the SMD headquarters after impacts/debris damaged nearby buildings. ([reutersconnect.com](https://www.reutersconnect.com/item/russian-wagner-fighters-pull-out-of-rostov-on-don/dGFnOnJldXRlcnMuY29tLDIwMjM6bmV3c21sX1JDMldQMUFIRTRQRQ%3D%3D/?utm_source=openai))
The metadata line naming Colonel General Sergei Kuzovlev as district commander appears outdated. TASS identified Kuzovlev as Southern Military District commander in June 2023, Kremlin materials named Gennady Anashkin acting commander in May 2024, and TASS reported Kuzovlev commanding Russia’s West grouping in February 2025; the current Southern Military District commander was not publicly confirmed in the authoritative sources reviewed as of March 12, 2026. ([tass.ru](https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/18051911?utm_source=openai))
military unit 33744, HQ: Rostov Oblast, Novocherkassk, Commander: Lieutenant General Gennady Anashkin
military unit 33166
2A65 Msta-B
military unit 16390
military unit 33744
military unit 35181, HQ: Stavropol, Commander: Lieutenant General Yakov Rezantsev
military unit 01485, Commander: Colonel Andrei Smirnov, (MT-LBM 6MB & MT-LB VMK, BTR-80, 2S1 Gvozdika, 2S12 Sani)
military unit 74814, Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Eduard Shandura, (T-72B3, MT-LB, 2S3 Akatsya & 2S19SM2 Msta-S, 9K331 Tor-M1)
military unit 13714, (2S19SM1 Msta-S, BM-27 Uragan, 2A65 Msta-B, MT-12 Rapira)
military unit 31853, 9K720 Iskander-M
military unit 55030, (AZK-7, PRP-4M, 1L219 Zoopark)
military unit 54821, 9K317 Buk-M2
military unit 41600
military unit 87530
military unit 72153
military unit 72153
military unit 23094
military unit 87528
military unit 35181
military unit 47084, Commander: Lieutenant General Denis Lyamin
military unit 63354, (T-90A, BMP-3, 2S3 Akatsiya, 9A331 Tor-M1)
military unit 25788, 9K720 Iskander-M
military unit 64670, (2S19 Msta-S, BM-27 Uragan, 2S7M Malka, 2S4 Tyulpan, 2A65 Msta-B, MT-12 Rapira, 9K123 Khrizantema-S)
military unit 32383, 9K37 Buk-M1
military unit 23511, GAZ-2975 Tigr
military unit 16383
military unit 29202
military unit 31777
military unit 30656
military unit 47084
military unit 04436, HQ: Gyumri, Armenia, Commander: Colonel Konstantin Gaponenko
military unit 04436, (T-72B, BMP-2, BM-21 Grad, 2S5 Giatsint-S, 2S1 Gvozdika, BTR-70/80)
military unit 04436, (T-72B, BMP-2, BM-21 Grad, 2S5 Giatsint-S, 2S1 Gvozdika, BTR-70/80)
military unit 81594, (S-300V4, 9K37M1-2 Buk-M1-2)
military unit 63530, (9x MiG-29, 1x MiG-29A, 1x MiG-29S, 2x MiG-29UB, 4x Mi-24P, 5x Mi-8, 2x Mi-8MTPR-1, 1x Mi-8MSV)
military unit 04436
military unit 61756, Commander: Colonel Alexander Kornev
military unit 42091, (BMD-2, BTR-D, BTR-ZD Skrezhet, 2S9 Nona-S)
military unit 54801, (BMD-2, BTR-D, BTR-ZD Skrezhet, 2S9 Nona-S)
military unit 81505
military unit 40515, (D-30, 2S9 Nona-S)
military unit 94021, (9K35 Strela-10, BTR-ZD Skrezhet)
military unit 61756
military unit 40911, HQ: Rostov-on-Don, Commander: Major General Vladimir Kutsenko
military unit 41497, (1x An-148, 7x An-12BK, 6x An-26, 2x Il-20M, 1x Mi-24V, 9x Mi-24P, 1x Mi-26T3, 2x Mi-26T, 5x Mi-26)
military unit 35666, (4x Ka-52, 10x Mi-35M, 12x Mi-28N, 17x Mi-8AMTSh)
military unit 41767, (9x Mi-8AMTSh, 21x Mi-28N, 3x Mi-8PP)
military unit 44936, (17x Mi-35M, 17x Mi-28N, 4x Mi-8AMTSh, 4x Mi-8MTV-5, 12x Mi-8MTV-5-1, 2x Forpost UAV)
military unit 62467, Being used jointly by the Aerospace Forces (helicopters and UAVs of the 487th Separate Helicopter Regiment and other units), aviation of the Rosgvardia and the FSB.
military unit 65246
military unit 83477
military unit 83477
HQ: Volgograd
military unit 51473
military unit 01228
military unit 01228
military unit 21483
military unit 98539
military unit 57229
military unit 57229-3
military unit 57229-6
military unit 57229-9
military unit 57229-14
military unit 57229-16
military unit 57229-17/18
military unit 57229-19
military unit 57229-21
military unit 57229-25
military unit 57229-27
military unit 57229-31
military unit 57229-32
military unit 57229-38
military unit 57229-40
military unit 57229-43
military unit 57229-44
military unit 57229-51
military unit 11384
military unit 11384
military unit 51532, (BTR-80, GAZ-233014 STS Tigr, Ural-63095 Typhoon-U)
military unit 11659, (BTR-80, GAZ-233014 STS Tigr, KamAZ-63968 Typhoon)
military unit 11659, (BTR-80, GAZ-233014 STS Tigr, KamAZ-63968 Typhoon)
military unit 05525, (GAZ-233014 STS Tigr)
military unit 31681, (GAZ-233014 STS Tigr, Ural-63095 Typhoon-U)
military unit 48315, (9K58 Smerch/9K515 Tornado-S)
military unit 33742, (S-300V4)
military unit 25688
military unit 65363
military unit 45767
military unit 25356
military unit 01957
military unit 71609
military unit 47187
military unit 13204
military unit 68889
military unit 62829
military unit 01704
military unit 90091
military unit 52205
military unit 42751
military unit 73420
military unit 69674
military unit 42286
military unit 42286
military unit 46027
military unit 45278
military unit 40880
military unit 76853
military unit 03128
military unit 29235
