The 16th Separate Guards Spetsnaz Brigade (Russian: 16-я отдельная гвардейская бригада специального назначения) is a

spetsnaz Spetsnaz are special forces in numerous post-Soviet states. (The term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or .) Historically, the term ''spetsnaz'' referred to the So ...

military formation Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a nation ...

of the Russian Federation subordinate to the Spetsnaz GRU. It is garrisoned in Tambov, Tambov Oblast. Its

military unit number A Military Unit Number (Russian: Войсковая часть) is a numeric alternate designation for military units in the armed forces and Internal Troops, internal troops of post-Soviet states, originally used by those of the Soviet Union. Fo ...

is 54607. On January 26, 2019, the unit was given the title of "Guards" by presidential decree.

History

The unit was formed on January 1, 1963, in Chuchkovo,

Ryazan Oblast Ryazan Oblast ( rus, Рязанская область, r=Ryazanskaya oblast, p=rʲɪˈzanskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities ...

. During the Soviet-Afghan War at least one special purpose detachment was active from March 1985 to August 1988. They participated in the

First Chechen War The First Chechen War, also known as the First Chechen Campaign,, rmed conflict in the Chechen Republic and on bordering territories of the Russian FederationФедеральный закон № 5-ФЗ от 12 января 1995 (в реда� ...

from late 1994 onwards and in the

Second Chechen War The Second Chechen War (russian: Втора́я чече́нская война́, ) took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russia, Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from Augus ...

from 1999 to 2006. In 2003 the unit changed garrison from Chuchkovo to Tambov. The unit participated in a peacekeeping mission in

Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...

shortly after the

Russo-Georgian War The 2008 Russo-Georgian WarThe war is known by a variety of other names, including Five-Day War, August War and Russian invasion of Georgia. was a war between Georgia, on one side, and Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of Sou ...

. They were deployed there from December 2008 to October 2009.

Commanders

Structure

Structure of the unit as of 2019: * 273rd Special Purpose Detachment * 370th Special Purpose Detachment * 379th Special Purpose Detachment * 664th Special Purpose Detachment * 669th Special Purpose Detachment

References

{{Brigades of the Spetsnaz GRU Spetsnaz brigades of the Soviet Union Spetsnaz brigades of Russia Military units and formations established in 1963