, image = Great emblem of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division.svg , image_size = 200 , caption = Great emblem of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division , dates = 1 September 1939 – present , country =
(1939–1991)

(1991–present) , allegiance = , branch = , type = Airborne forces , role =

Light Infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often foug ...

Airborne Infantry Airborne forces, airborne troops, or airborne infantry are ground combat units carried by aircraft and airdropped into battle zones, typically by parachute drop or air assault. Parachute-qualified infantry and support personnel serving in a ...

Airmobile infantry Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft—such as the helicopter—to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind e ...

, size = , command_structure = Russian Armed Forces , garrison = Pskov , garrison_label = , nickname = ''Псковские десантники'' ("Pskov Paratroopers") , patron = , motto = ''Мы всюду там, где ждут победу!'' ("We are there, when victory is awaited!") , colors = , colors_label = , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles =

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

* Siege of Odessa (1941) * Defense of Sevastopol * Battle of the Kerch Peninsula * Battle of Stalingrad *

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history ...

* Battle of the Dnieper *

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп ...

*and many others 1990 Black January in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

1991 January Events in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 t ...

First Chechen War

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 Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from August 1999 ...

* Battle for Height 776 Russo-Georgian War * Battle of Tskhinvali Russo–Ukrainian War * Annexation of Crimea * War in Donbas *

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. A ...

* Bucha massacre , anniversaries = 1 September , decorations =
, battle_honours =
Chernigov , battle_honours_label = , disbanded = , flying_hours = , website = , commander1 = Guards Colonel Denis Shishov , commander1_label = , notable_commanders = Gen. Vasily Margelov , identification_symbol = , identification_symbol_label = , identification_symbol_2 = , identification_symbol_2_label = The 76th Guards Air Assault Division is a division of the

Russian Airborne Troops The Russian Airborne Forces (russian: Воздушно-десантные войска России, ВДВ, Vozdushno-desantnye voyska Rossii, VDV) are the airborne forces branch of the Russian Armed Forces. It was formed in 1992 from units ...

based in Pskov. The division traces its lineage back to the 76th Guards Rifle Division, formed in March 1943 from the 157th Rifle Division for that division's actions during the Battle of Stalingrad. The division fought in the

, the Battle of the Dnieper,

, the East Pomeranian Offensive, and the Berlin Offensive. Postwar, it was converted into an airborne division. The division moved to Pskov, its current base, in 1947. The division was involved in Black January and the January Events in Lithuania. After the

Dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

, the division became part of the

. The division fought in the First Chechen War,

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 Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from August 1999 ...

, the Russo-Georgian War, and the

including committing mass murder of civilians in Bucha. The division became an

air assault Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft—such as the helicopter—to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind ...

division in 2006.

History

World War II

The 76th Air Assault Division was originally established in 1939 as the 157th Rifle Division. On 1 March 1943 it became the 76th Guards Rifle Division for its actions in the Battle of Stalingrad. Major General Alexander Kirsanov commanded the division. The division fought in the

, fighting in the northern part of the Kursk Bulge. Until 3 July the division was part of the Bryansk Front in the area of Belyov. On 12 July the division began the crossing of the

Oka Oka or OKA may refer to: Cars * Oka (automobile), a small car designed by AvtoVAZ and produced by ZMA and SeAZ * OKA 4wd, a large 4-wheel-drive vehicle made in Western Australia by OKA Military * 2B1 Oka, Soviet 420 mm self-propelled mort ...

. By the end of the day the division had captured bridgeheads. The division received thanks from the Supreme Commander (Stalin) for this action. On 8 September, the division began to advance from the Oryol area to Chernigov. After three days the division had advanced 70 kilometers and reached the village of Tolstoles on 20 September, three kilometers northeast of Chernigov. The division then helped capture the city and advanced to the west. By an order of the Supreme Commander on 21 September the division was thanked and awarded the honorific "Chernigov". The division then advanced into Belarus. It became part of the 1st Belorussian Front. On 17 July 1944 it began an attack northwest of Kovel. On 21 July the vanguard of the division moved north towards Brest in heavy fighting. On 26 July, troops advancing from the north and south linked up 20 to 25 kilometers west of Brest. German troops in the area were surrounded. For its actions in the capture of Brest, the division was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...

. On 25 January 1945, the division, as part of the 2nd Belorussian Front, blocked the route out of Toruń, surrounding German forces. In late February, the division attempted to cut the road out of Konitz. German troops were able to escape in the fighting. On 23 March the division captured Sopot and advanced to the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

. By 25 March it had captured Oliwa and was advancing towards Danzig. The division helped captured Danzig on 30 March. The division was moved from Danzig to Germany and on 24 April was concentrated near Kortenhaten, 20 kilometers south of

Stettin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

. On 26 April the division crossed the Rondov canal and broke through the German line. By the end of the day it had captured Pretslavu. On 2 May, the division captured Güstrow. On 3 May, after advancing 40 kilometers, it captured Karow and Butzow. The forward detachments of the 76th Guards Rifle Division reached the Baltic and on the outskirts of

Wismar Wismar (; Low German: ''Wismer''), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar (''Hansestadt Wismar'') is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest cit ...

met with Allied airborne units of the

6th Airborne Division The 6th Airborne Division was an airborne infantry division of the British Army during the Second World War. Despite its name, the 6th was actually the second of two airborne divisions raised by the British Army during the war, the other being ...

. The division was part of the 114th Rifle Corps of the 70th Army of the 2nd Belorussian Front in May 1945.

Cold War

On 6 July 1946, it became the 76th Guards Airborne Division in Novgorod, directly subordinated to Airborne headquarters. In April 1947, it moved to Pskov. Future Soviet Airborne Troops commander Vasily Margelov became the division's commander in April 1948. The division became part of the 15th Guards Airborne Corps in October 1948. It was composed of the 234th Guards Air-Landing Regiment, the 237th Guards Airborne Regiment and the 154th Guards Artillery Regiment. On 18 February 1949 the 234th became an airborne regiment. On 30 April 1955, the 104th Guards Airborne Regiment moved to the division after the 21st Guards Airborne Division was disbanded. On 6 January 1959, the 242nd Separate Military-Transport Aviation Squadron was activated with the division. It included 10 An-2 Colt transports. On 15 August 1960, the 154th Guards Artillery Regiment became the 819th Separate Guards Artillery Battalion. On 27 April 1962, the battalion was upgraded to the 1140th Guards Artillery Regiment. In 1967, the division participated in Exercise "Dnieper". In March 1970, the division participated in the combined arms exercise "Dvina". During the exercise, the division used the Antonov An-22 for the first time. The division participated in Exercise "Autumn-88". Between 1988 and 1992 the division participated in the suppression of interethnic conflicts in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Baltic region, Transdnistria, North Ossetia, and South Ossetia. In 1991, the 104th and 234th Guards Airborne Regiments were awarded the Ministry of Defense Pennant "For Courage and Valor". Earlier, the division and its artillery regiment had been awarded the pennant. The division took part in the August Coup of 1991, when it was sent to Estonia by the Coup's leaders to take over the Tallinn TV Tower.

Russian Airborne Troops

The division fought in the First Chechen War during 1994 and 1995. 120 military personnel of the division were killed during the war. For their actions, ten officers of the division received the title Hero of the Russian Federation, two of them posthumously. The division fought in the Second Chechen War between 1999 and 2004. From 18 August 1999 elements of the division fought in the capture of

Karamakhi Karamakhi (russian: Карамахи; Dargwa: Хъарамахи; kum, Къарамахи юрт, ''Qaramahi yurt'') is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Buynaksky District of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. Population: Overview In 1997-19 ...

Gudermes Gudermes (russian: Гудерме́с; ce, Гуьмсе, ''Gümse'' or , ''Guthermajas'') is a town in the Chechen Republic, Russia, located on the Sunzha River east of Grozny, the republic's capital. Population: 32,000 (1970). History Gud ...

Argun Argun may refer to: * Argun (surname) * Argun, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran *Argun Urban Okrug, a municipal formation which the town of republic significance of Argun in the Chechen Republic, Russia is incorporated as * Argun, ...

, and the blocking of the Vedeno gorge. The 6th Company of the 104th Guards Airborne Regiment blocked the Argun Gorge in March 2000. For their actions, 22 soldiers were awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation, all but one posthumously. 63 received the

Order of Courage The Order of Courage may refer to: * , a state decoration of the partially recognized republic of Abkhazia * Order of Courage (Iran), a state decoration of Iran * Order of Courage (Russia) The Order of Courage (russian: Орден Мужес ...

posthumously. On 22 June 2001, the 237th Guards Airborne Regiment was disbanded. After an experimental period, the 104th Guards Airborne Regiment of the 76th Airborne Division in 2002 became the first Russian ground forces regiment that was fully composed of professional soldiers (and not of "srochniki" – the conscripted soldiers aged eighteen). The division became the first to move to the contract manning system in 2004. In 2006, the 76th Airborne Division became an Air Assault Division. In 2008 the 76th Air Assault Division was involved in the 2008 South Ossetia war, being deployed to South Ossetia and fought in the Battle of Tskhinvali. Since 27 February 2013, the division has been commanded by Major General Alexey Naumets.

Crimea and the war in Donbas

In 2014 division units spearheaded the 2014 Russian military invasion of Ukraine, and were used in the annexation of Crimea. On 18 August, the division was awarded the

Order of Suvorov The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800). History The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet award established on July 29, 1942 ...

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 ...

for the "successful completion of military missions" and "courage and heroism". On 20 August 2014, two BMD-2s of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division were captured by Ukrainian forces near Lutuhino in the Luhansk region. Ukrainian government officials presented Russian soldiers' IDs and other military documents from the vehicles. Russia's defence ministry denied the claim. Several members of the division, among whom was the platoon commander Anton Korolenko, died on 19–20 August, under circumstances their families would not reveal. A Pskov newspaper reported that nearly an entire company of paratroopers from the 76th Guards Air Assault Division allegedly was lost during combat as part of the war in Donbas, having 80 dead, though without any conclusive proof. In January 2022, elements of the division's 234th Air Assault Regiment and the 124th Tank Battalion were reportedly deployed to

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

in the context of the

Ukraine crisis The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since February 2014. Following Ukraine's Rev ...

2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine

A command post of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division was attacked during the 2022 Chornobaivka attacks of the

on 5 August 2022. The 76th Guards Airborne Assault Division participated in assaults on Kyiv, Izyum, and Popasna. They were responsible of running the cleansing operations during the Bucha massacre arresting, torturing and executing Ukrainian civilians. In September 2022 reports emerged from Ukrainian sources claiming the 237th Guards Air Assault Regiment "no longer exists due to either death or injury of all soldiers."

Subordinated units and fighting strength

Great_emblem_of_the_76th_Guards_Air_Assault_Division

76th Guards Air Assault Division consists of a division headquarters, three air assault regiments, one tank battalion, an artillery regiment, an anti-aircraft missile regiment, a reconnaissance battalion, and several directly subordinated combat support and combat service support battalions and companies. As of 2021, the 76th Air Assault Division consisted of the following units: *Division Headquarters ( Pskov, Western Military District) **175th Reconnaissance Battalion **124th Tank Battalion (T-72B3) **7th Maintenance Battalion **656th Engineering Battalion **728th Communications Battalion **1682nd Material Support Battalion **3996th Military Hospital (Airmobile) **201st Postal Station ** Airborne Support Company **NBC Defense Company **Commandant's Company *104th Guards Air Assault Regiment *234th Guards Air Assault Regiment *237th Guards Air Assault Regiment (reinstated 2018) *1140th Guards Artillery Regiment *4th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment

Commanders (since 2005)

* 2005—2009 Guards Major General Aleksandr Kolpachenko * 2009—2013 Guards Colonel Igor Vinogradskiy * 27.02.2013—February 2018 Guards Major General Aleksey Naumets * February 2018 — July 2020 Guards Major General Igor Kapliy * 19.07.2020 — 2022 Guards Major General Sergey Chubarykin * April 2022 — Guards Colonel Denis Shishov

Gallery

File:Russian 76th Airborne Division patch.svg, 76th Guards Airborne Division shoulder sleeve insignia (1993-2006) File:Заграничная командировка в г. Минск, республика Беларусь.jpg, Troops of the division during a parade in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative stat ...

in 2015. File:BMD-4M 11.jpg, Russian Airborne Forces commander Andrey Serdyukov visiting the 76th Guards Air Assault Division. File:Руководство ВДВ России и Вооруженных сил Белоруссии обсудили в Минске совместную подготовку военнослужащих 05.jpg, Personnel of the division at the 2018 Minsk Independence Day Parade.

Notes

References

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