Unidentified Unit Bases (UUB)
Scope and Key Findings
A set of 42 unique Russian military unit postal identifiers (v/ch) was identified in the provided list. Two numbers are duplicated (10860 appears twice; 13965 appears twice). Four entries carry source annotations indicating possible affiliation or status: 3433 is annotated as Rosgvardiya; 10860, 54295, and 28267 are annotated as GRU?; 15054 is annotated as reportedly disbanded. Without corroborating public documentation (for example, formal procurement records, court filings, corporate registry extracts, or official addresses), definitive naming or geolocation of these units cannot be asserted here. The sections below detail what can be stated with confidence and outline verifiable pathways to attribute these identifiers to specific sites and formations.
Understanding Russian Military Unit Numbers (v/ch)
Military unit numbers (voyskovaya chast, abbreviated v/ch) are postal identifiers used by Russian armed formations, including the Ministry of Defense (Ground Forces, Aerospace Forces, Navy, Strategic Rocket Forces), the National Guard (Rosgvardiya), and certain other militarized services. These identifiers commonly appear in official correspondence and public procurement documentation. The numbering scheme is not officially published, numbers can be reassigned after disbandment or reorganization, and a single formation may operate multiple sub-unit numbers. Therefore, v/ch numbers must be attributed using documentary corroboration rather than numbering heuristics alone.
Data Integrity Observations
The list contains 42 unique v/ch identifiers with two duplicates. Annotated entries indicate proposed affiliations or status but require verification. Observed anomalies: (1) Duplicate entries: 10860 (listed twice) and 13965 (listed twice). (2) Annotation flags: Rosgvardiya for 3433; GRU? for 10860, 54295, 28267; reportedly disbanded for 15054. These are noted as source-provided annotations; no independent confirmation is presented here.
Organizational Affiliation Indicators
Typical patterns observable in open sources include the widespread use of five-digit v/ch numbers by Ministry of Defense formations and the legacy use of four-digit v/ch numbers by Internal Troops and, since 2016, Rosgvardiya units. The presence of 3433 (a four-digit identifier) is consistent with Rosgvardiya numbering practice. The entries annotated as GRU? (10860, 54295, 28267) are standard five-digit v/ch identifiers; attribution to the Main Directorate of the General Staff (GU, historically GRU) requires corroboration via documentary sources. Notably, widely publicized GU unit identifiers such as 26165, 74455, and 29155 are not present in this set.
Current Attribution Status
No specific unit names or site locations are assigned here to the listed v/ch identifiers due to the absence of verifiable open-source documentation in this analysis. If such documentation exists but is not publicly accessible or is classified, those details cannot be provided. Where the list includes annotations (Rosgvardiya, GRU?, reportedly disbanded), these remain unverified indicators pending documentary confirmation.
Deduplicated Unit List and Flags
- v/ch 06984 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 10860 — appears twice; annotated as GRU?; verification required - v/ch 11227 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 11309 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 11958 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 13180 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 15054 — annotated as reportedly disbanded; verification required - v/ch 20477 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 20603 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 22636 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 26962 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 28267 — annotated as GRU?; verification required - v/ch 28616 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 31360 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 3433 — four-digit; annotated as Rosgvardiya; verification required - v/ch 40056 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 42699 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 42791 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 42914 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 43536 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 44085 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 45308 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 52527 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 52545 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 54295 — annotated as GRU?; verification required - v/ch 54314 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 59003 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 61564 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 61960 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 62779 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 63184 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 64656 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 65387 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 68128 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 71585 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 75368 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 80368 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 83417 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 92515 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 95504 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 38651 — unattributed here; verification required - v/ch 13965 — appears twice; verification required
Infrastructure and Site Typologies Relevant to Attribution
Physical site characterization can enable functional attribution when paired with a v/ch identifier. Common typologies include: (1) Combined arms or motor rifle formations: extensive motor pools, heated vehicle storage sheds, tank or IFV parks, POL storage, rail spurs, small-arms ranges, and driver training tracks. (2) Artillery or missile brigades: revetments for SP artillery or MRL systems, ammunition storage with earth berms, and specialized maintenance facilities. (3) Air defense regiments or brigades: radar sites, missile TEL storage and readiness pads, generator shelters, and protected munitions depots. (4) Strategic Rocket Forces garrisons: secured cantonments with restricted perimeters, training silos or infrastructure for TEL-based missile regiments, and distinct warhead storage managed by the 12th Main Directorate. (5) Aerospace Forces bases: airfields with hardened aircraft shelters or open parking, fuel farms, ground support equipment lines, and munitions storage. (6) Naval and coastal defense sites: piers or berthing for auxiliaries, coastal missile batteries, and naval infantry cantonments. (7) Rosgvardiya units: urban or peri-urban garrisons with parade grounds, training polygons, vehicle pools, and detention support facilities.
Geospatial Verification Workflow
A structured GEOINT procedure improves attribution confidence: (1) Identify candidate locations via documentary leads (addresses from procurement or court records mentioning the v/ch number). (2) Use historical imagery to establish timeframes of construction, expansion, or mothballing, noting any indicators of disbandment or reactivation. (3) Confirm function through equipment signatures, layout, and training areas consistent with known force types. (4) Cross-reference with local reporting, municipal planning documents, and environmental impact filings where available. (5) Monitor logistics signatures such as new rail spurs, POL tank additions, or ammunition storage expansion that align with unit mission sets. (6) Validate persistence by observing regular activity patterns, including seasonal field deployments and returns to garrison.
Procurement, Legal, and Financial Trails for Attribution
Russian public procurement portals and legal records frequently reference v/ch identifiers. Verifiable steps: (1) Search the Unified Information System in Procurement by the phrase voyskovaia chast followed by the number; contract notices often list the customer name as Military unit number, sometimes including a mailing address. (2) Extract tax identifiers (INN and KPP) and registered addresses if the unit operates through a service organization or as a budgetary customer. (3) Review court decisions and arbitration filings; logistics disputes, housing claims, and contractor litigation often cite full postal addresses for v/ch customers. (4) Examine regional government registries and cadastral records for state property listings that mention v/ch numbers. (5) Correlate any address found with imagery to confirm that the site characteristics match the implied mission.
Context on Rosgvardiya and GU (GRU)
Rosgvardiya was established by presidential decree on 5 April 2016, consolidating the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs into the National Guard of the Russian Federation. Its units routinely use legacy four-digit v/ch identifiers in public documentation. The Main Directorate of the General Staff (GU), historically known as GRU, is the military intelligence directorate of the Armed Forces; GU formations and support units use standard five-digit v/ch identifiers similar to other Ministry of Defense entities. Publicly documented GU units include identifiers such as 26165 and 74455, which have appeared in foreign indictments and sanctions. Attribution of any v/ch in this list to Rosgvardiya or GU requires documentary confirmation.
Prioritized Collection and Verification Tasks
- Validate the annotation Rosgvardiya for v/ch 3433 by locating procurement or legal documents listing the unit as a customer and extracting the registered address, then corroborate via imagery. - For v/ch 10860, 54295, and 28267 annotated as GRU?, search procurement records and court filings for mentions of the Main Directorate or associated support centers; confirm the physical site aligns with GU support functions if found. - For v/ch 15054 annotated as reportedly disbanded, attempt to locate the last procurement activity date, property transfer notices, or municipal records indicating base closure or reassignment; verify via imagery whether the site shows deactivation indicators. - For all other identifiers, apply the procurement and legal records workflow to obtain addresses and then conduct GEOINT confirmation; prioritize those with recent contract activity or significant capital construction, which often indicates active operational sites.
Constraints and Confidence Assessment
Attribution of Russian v/ch identifiers requires documentary corroboration because numbering alone does not reliably encode organization, location, or function. Official rosters of military unit numbers and addresses are not published. Numbers may be reassigned after organizational changes, including the substantial force expansions and reorganizations observed since 2016 and especially after early 2022. The identities and locations of the listed v/ch entries are not asserted here due to the absence of verifiable open-source documentation in this analysis. Any future updates should be based on primary-source documents and independently corroborated geospatial evidence.