The 2nd Guards Separate Special Purpose Brigade () is a

Spetsnaz GRU Spetsnaz GRU or Spetsnaz G.U. (formally known as Special Forces of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces () is the special forces (''spetsnaz'') of the G.U., the foreign military-intelligence agency of the Armed ...

brigade of the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...

based in Promezhitsy,

Pskov Oblast Pskov Oblast (russian: Пско́вская о́бласть, ') is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the west of the country. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, ...

History

As part of increases to the GRU's Spetsnaz, on July 19, 1962, General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces Directive No. 140547 was issued, by which the 2nd Spetsnaz Brigade was to be formed in the Leningrad Military District. The creation of the brigade began on September 17, 1962 and ended on March 1, 1963. Until 2008 or 2013,

Dmitry Utkin Dmitry Valerievich Utkin (russian: Дмитрий Валерьевич Уткин; born 11 June 1970) is a Russian army officer. He served as a special forces officer in the GRU, where he held a rank of lieutenant colonel. He is alleged to ha ...

served as lieutenant colonel and brigade commander of a unit of

special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

of Russia's

Main Intelligence Directorate Main Intelligence Directorate may refer to: * Main Directorate of Intelligence (Ukraine), the military intelligence service of Ukraine * GRU The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, rus, Гла́� ...

(GRU), the 700th Independent Spetsnaz Detachment of the 2nd Independent Brigade.Из Молькино в Пальмиру: как тренируют российских наемников
31 March 2016. The Brigade is reportedly taking part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On July 11, 2022, Russian president

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

awarded the unit the honorific unit status ''Guards'' for its actions in Ukraine.

Composition

The brigade comprises:{{Cite web, url=http://vdvloknya.ucoz.ru/news/1_dekabrja_den_rozhdenija_2_obr_specnaz_gru/2012-11-30-776, title = 1 Декабря День Рождения 2 ОБр.СпецНаз ГРУ. - 30 Ноября 2012 - "Союз десантников" г.Локня * Headquarters * Signals Battalion (2x Company) * Support Company * 70th Special Purpose Detachment (roughly battalion equivalent) * 329th Special Purpose Detachment * 700th Special Purpose Detachment * Training Battalion (2x Company)

References

Military units and formations established in 1962 Military units and formations of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Spetsnaz brigades of Russia