The Transcaucasian Military District, a
military district
Military districts (also called military regions) are formations of a state's armed forces (often of the Army) which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and ...
of the
Soviet Armed Forces
The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and th ...
, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
,
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 ...
, and
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
into the Soviet Union. It was disbanded by being redesignated as a Group of Forces in the early 1990s after the Soviet Union collapse. The military district formed as a basis of the modern day armed forces of
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
,
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 ...
, and
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
as well as unrecognized polities of
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 ...
, the
Republic of Artsakh
Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh () or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (),, is a list of states with limited recognition, breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan ...
and
South Ossetia
South Ossetia, ka, სამხრეთი ოსეთი, ( , ), officially the Republic of South Ossetia – the State of Alania, is a partially recognised landlocked state in the South Caucasus. It has an officially stated populat ...
.
History
The Transcaucasian Military District was originally formed from the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
's Separate Caucasian Army, which became the Red Banner Caucasian Army in August 1923. On 17 May 1935, the
Red Banner Caucasus Army The Red Banner Caucasus Army (russian: Краснознамённая Кавказская армия) was a Soviet army existing from 1921 to 1935. The army was named the Independent Caucasus Army on its creation, and carried this name until August ...
was redesignated the Transcaucasian Military District. The Georgian, Armenian, and Azerbaijani national formations, plus units from the
11th Soviet Red Army, all joined the new district about this time.
In July 1936 the District's formations and units received designations according to the countrywide numbering scheme and became: the
9th
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Arabic digit
In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
(formerly 1st Caucasus) Mountain Rifle Division, named for the Central Executive Committee of the
Georgian SSR
The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (Georgian SSR; ka, საქართველოს საბჭოთა სოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა, tr; russian: Грузинская Советская Соц ...
; the
20th (formerly 3rd Caucasus) Mountain Rifle Division; the
47th (former 1st) Georgian Mountain Rifle Division, named for Joseph Stalin; the
63rd (former 2nd) Georgian Mountain Rifle Division, named for Mikhail Frunze; the
76th Armenian Mountain Rifle Division, named after Comrade Voroshilov, and the
77th Аzerbaijani Mountain Rifle Division, named for Grigoriy Ordzhonikidze.
On 22 June 1941 the District consisted of the
3rd
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (d ...
(
4th,
20th, and
47th Rifle Division The 47th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army. It was first formed in 1922 as the Georgian Rifle Division. In 1924, it became the 1st Georgian Mountain Division. The division became the 47th Georgian Mountain Rifle Division in 193 ...
s),
23rd Rifle Corps
The 23rd Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the 4th Army. It took part in the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939.
On 22 June 1941 it was part of the Transcaucasian Military District comprising the 136th and 138th Rifl ...
(
136th and
138th Rifle Divisions) and
40th Rifle Corps (
9th
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Arabic digit
In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
and
31st Rifle Division), the
28th Mechanised Corps, which included the 6th and 54th Tank Divisions and the
236th Motorised Division, five unattached divisions – the 63rd,
76th, and
77th Rifle, the
17th Mountain Cavalry Division
17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number.
Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers.
In mathematics
17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as ...
and the
24th Cavalry Division, and three fortified regions.
On 1 August 1941 the
46th Army was formed from the 3rd Rifle Corps headquarters.
45th Army was formed from the 23rd Rifle Corps. 45th and 46th Armies guarded the Turkish border. The
44th Army was formed from the 40th Rifle Corps and the
47th Army The 47th Army (russian: 47-я армия) of the Soviet Union's Red Army was an army-level command active from 1941 to 1946.
History
The 47th Army was formed in late July 1941 in the Transcaucasian Military District as part of the Soviet Union's ...
formed from the
27th Mechanized Corps. Both armies were deployed on the Iranian border. On 23 August, the military district became the
Transcaucasus Front
Transcaucasian Front or Transcaucasus Front (russian: Закавказский Фронт) was a front of the Soviet Red Army—a military formation comparable to an army group, not a geographic military front—during the Second World War.
Th ...
. District headquarters was subordinated to the front's military council and directed the formation of new units. It was disbanded on 14 September 1941.
On 28 January 1942, the military district was reformed when the
Caucasian Front was divided into the Transcaucasian Military District and the
Crimean Front
The Crimean Front ( uk, Кри́мський фронт, Krýms’kyj front) was one of the Red Army fronts of World War II, which existed from January-May 1942.
Composition
It was commanded throughout its existence by Dmitr Timofeyevich Ko ...
. The district was commanded by
Ivan Tyulenev
Ivan Vladimirovich Tyulenev (; 28 January 189215 August 1978) was a Soviet military commander, one of the first to be promoted to the rank of General of the Army in 1940.
Biography
Tyulenvev was born into a soldier's family in the Simbirsk Go ...
and included the 45th and 46th Armies, as well as 4 rifle divisions and a rifle brigade. On 28 April 1942, the district became the second formation of the Transcaucasian Front.
On 9 July 1945, the Tbilisi and Baku Military Districts were formed from the Transcaucasian Front. Tbilisi Military District Headquarters was in Tbilisi and was formed from the Transcaucasian Front headquarters. The district controlled forces in the
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
and
Armenian SSRs. The district was commanded by Colonel General
Sergei Trofimenko
Sergei Georgievich Trofimenko (10 (22) September 1899 in Ryovny – 16 October 1953 in Moscow) was a Soviet military commander, active in the Russian Civil War and the Second World War. His final rank was colonel-general. He had been promoted t ...
, former
27th Army commander. The headquarters of the Baku Military District was formed from
69th Army
The 69th Army (russian: 69-я армия) was a field army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War.
History
Formation, Operation Star, and Third Battle of Kharkov
The army was formed in February 1943 with the ...
headquarters and was located in Baku. The district controlled forces in the
Azerbaijan SSR
Azerbaijan ( az, Азәрбајҹан, Azərbaycan, italics=no), officially the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR; az, Азәрбајҹан Совет Сосиалист Республикасы, Azərbaycan Sovet Sosialist R ...
and
Dagestan ASSR
The Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic av, Дагъистаналъул Автономияб Советияб Социалистияб Жумгьурият az, Дағыстан Мухтар Совет Сосиалист Республи ...
. It was commanded by Colonel general
Vladimir Kolpakchi
Vladimir Yakovlevich Kolpakchi (, ; 7 September 1899 in Kiev – 17 May 1961 in Moscow) was a Soviet general during World War II. For his role in the successful Vistula-Oder offensive he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 6 A ...
, former 69th Army commander. In October 1945,
Army General
Army general is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the General officer#French (Revolutionary) system, French Revolutionary System.
In countries that adopt the general officer four rank system, it is rank of genera ...
Ivan Maslennikov
Ivan Ivanovich Maslennikov (russian: Иван Иванович Масленников; September 16, 1900 – April 16, 1954), General of the Army, was a Soviet military and NKVD commander of Army and Front level during World War II. A career Red ...
took command. On 15 November 1945, control of forces in the
Nakhichevan ASSR
The Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as Nakhichevan ASSR was an autonomous republic within the Azerbaijan SSR, itself a republic within the Soviet Union. It was formed on 16 March 1921 and became a part of the Az ...
was transferred from the Tbilisi Military District to the Baku Military District. Lieutenant General
Mikhail Ozimin became Tbilisi Military District commander in April 1946. In May 1946, both districts became part of the Transcaucasian Military District, commanded by Maslennikov.
Sometime in the first half of 1946, a new air army, the 7th, was established in the Baku Military District. The air army was given the designation 7th Air Army, taking up a previous designation of a formation which was becoming the 3rd Air Army of the
Long Range Aviation
Long-Range Aviation ( rus, Авиация Дальнего Действия, r=Aviatsiya dal'nego deystviya, abbr. to AДД, or ADD, and literally ''Aviation of Distant Action'') is a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces responsible for delive ...
in the Far East. Initially it included the
8th Guards Fighter Aviation Division
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
In mathematics
8 is:
* a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2.
* a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
;
309th Fighter Aviation Division; 236th and 259th Fighter Aviation Divisions; the
3rd Guards Fighter Aviation Corps
The 3rd Guards Iasi Order of Suvorov Fighter Aviation Corps () was an aviation corps of the Soviet Air Force formed during World War II. The corps was formed in December 1942 as the 4th Fighter Aviation Corps and received Guards status in July 19 ...
with the 13th and 14th Guards Fighter Aviation Divisions; the 188th Bomber Aviation Division; and the 199th Assault Aviation Division, disbanded April 1946. In February 1949 the 7th Air Army was redesignated the 62nd Air Army. As of 2 January 1950 the 7th Air Army became part of the
Baku Air Defence Region, and quickly thereafter became the 42nd Fighter Air Army of the
Air Defence Forces
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
.
After the war the Transcaucasus Front reverted to being a part of the Headquarters Transcaucasus Military District (ZakVO), in
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
. In 1979 Scott and Scott reported the District' headquarters address as Tbilisi-4, Ulitsa Dzneladze, Dom 46. The District became part of the Southern Direction, headquartered in
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
and including the North Caucasus and
Turkestan Military District
The Turkestan Military District (russian: Туркестанский военный округ (ТуркВО), ''Turkestansky voyenyi okrug (TurkVO)'') was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with it ...
s, in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Commanders
Commanders of the Transcaucasian Military District (1935–1941)
*
Komandarm 2nd rank
2nd rank (russian: Командарм 2-го ранга) is the abbreviation to Commanding officer of the Army 2nd class (russian: Командующий армией 2-го ранга, Komanduyushchiy armiyey 2-go ranga; ), and was a military ...
Mikhail Lewandowski
Mikhail Karlovich Levandovsky (russian: Левандовский, Михаил Карлович; May 15, 1890 – July 29, 1938) was a Soviet Komandarm 2nd rank. He fought in World War I in the Imperial Russian Army and in the Russian Civil War i ...
(May 1935 – June 1937)
*
Komkor
(russian: комкор) is the abbreviation for Corps commander (russian: командир корпуса, komandir korpusa; ), and was a military rank in the Soviet Armed Forces of the USSR in the period from 1935 to 1940. It was also the d ...
Nikolay Kuibyshev )
, image =
, birth_date = 25 December 1893
, death_date =
, birth_place = Kokshetau, Akmolinsk Oblast, Russian Empire
, death_place =Moscow, Soviet Union
, allegiance = Russian Empire
Soviet Union
, branch = Imperial Russian Army
Red Arm ...
(June 1937 – February 1938)
*
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union (russian: Маршал Советского Союза, Marshal sovetskogo soyuza, ) was the highest military rank of the Soviet Union.
The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in 19 ...
Alexander Yegorov (February 1938)
* Komkor (Komandarm 2nd Rank February 1939,
Army General
Army general is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the General officer#French (Revolutionary) system, French Revolutionary System.
In countries that adopt the general officer four rank system, it is rank of genera ...
June 1940)
Ivan Tyulenev
Ivan Vladimirovich Tyulenev (; 28 January 189215 August 1978) was a Soviet military commander, one of the first to be promoted to the rank of General of the Army in 1940.
Biography
Tyulenvev was born into a soldier's family in the Simbirsk Go ...
(February 1938 – August 1940)
* Lieutenant General
Mikhail Yefremov (August 1940 – January 1941)
* Lieutenant General
Dmitry Kozlov (January–August 1941)
* Lieutenant General
Vladimir Lvov
Vladimir Lvov (born 18 February 1955) is a Soviet sports shooter. He competed in the men's 50 metre rifle prone event at the 1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and comm ...
(August–September 1941)
Commanders of the Transcaucasian Military District (1946–1992)
*
Maslennikov, Ivan (1946–1947),
Army General
Army general is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the General officer#French (Revolutionary) system, French Revolutionary System.
In countries that adopt the general officer four rank system, it is rank of genera ...
;
*
Tolbukhin, Fyodor Ivanovich (1947–1949),
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union (russian: Маршал Советского Союза, Marshal sovetskogo soyuza, ) was the highest military rank of the Soviet Union.
The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in 19 ...
;
*
Antonov, Alexei Innokentevich (1950–1954), Army General;
*
Fedyuninsky, Ivan (1954–1957), Colonel General on 8 August 1955 – Army General;
*
Rokossowski, Konstantin (1957), Marshal of the Soviet Union;
*
Galitski, Kuzma N. (1958–1961), Army General;
*
Stuchenko, Andrei Trofimovich (1961–1968), Colonel General, on 13 April 1964 – Army General;
*
Kurkotkin, Semyon Konstantinovich (1968–1971), Colonel General;
*
Melnikov, Pavel Vasilyevich (October 1971 – 1978), Colonel General (
:ru:Мельников, Павел Васильевич);
*Koulishev Oleg Fyodorovich (1978 – August 1983), Colonel General;
*Arkhipov, Vladimir Mikhailovich (August 1983 – July 1985), Colonel General;
*Kochetov, Konstantin Alekseevich (July 1985 – May 1988), Colonel General, on 29 April 1988 – Army General;
*
Rodionov, Igor (May 1988 – August 1989), Colonel General;
*Patrikeev Valery Anisimovich (August 1989 – 26 September 1992), Colonel General;
*
Reut, Fyodor (September–December 1992)
Commanders of the Group of Russian Forces of the Transcaucasus
*Reut, Fyodor (1993–1997), Colonel General
*Andreyev, Vladimir (1997–2000), Colonel General
*Zolotov, Nikolay (August 2000–), General Lieutenant
Forces in the late 1980s
In 1988, dispositions within the District were as follows:
*
104th Guards Airborne Division
The 104th Guards Airborne Division () was a division of the Soviet Airborne Troops during the Cold War that briefly became part of the Russian Airborne Forces after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It was originally formed as the 11th Guards Ai ...
VDV,
Kirovabad
Ganja (; az, Gəncə ) is Azerbaijan's third largest city, with a population of around 335,600.Azərbaycan Respublikası. — 2. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və inzibati rayonları. — 2.4. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və ...
- withdrawn to Ulyanovsk, in progress Spring 1993, directly subordinated to VDV Headquarters
*
171st Guards District Training Centre,
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
- disbanded June 1992
*
7th Guards Army
The 7th Guards Army was a field army of the Red Army during World War II and of the Soviet Army during the Cold War.
History
The 7th Guards Army was formed from the 64th Army on April 16, 1943.
64th Army had originally been formed from 1s ...
, HQ Yerevan,
Armenian SSR
The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...
- disbanded 14 August 1992
**
15th Motor Rifle Division,
Kirovakan
Vanadzor ( hy, Վանաձոր) is an urban municipal community and the third-largest city in Armenia, serving as the capital of Lori Province in the northern part of the country. It is located about north of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 cen ...
- disbanded June 1992. The equipment was partly handed over to Armenia - traditions, honors and awards were transferred to the
5209th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base (Nizhneudinsk,
Transbaikal Military District
The Transbaikal Military District (russian: Забайкальский военный округ) was a military district of first the Soviet Armed Forces and then the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed on May 17, 1935 and included the ...
).
**127th Motor Rifle Division,
Leninakan
Gyumri ( hy, Գյումրի, ) is an urban municipal community and the second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th century, when the city w ...
(now
Russian 102nd Military Base
The Russian 102nd Military Base ( hy, Ռուսական 102-րդ ռազմակայան; russian: 102-я российская военная база) is a Russian military base in Gyumri, Armenia, under the command of the Southern Military Distri ...
)
**
164th Motor Rifle Division, Yerevan - disbanded June 1992.
**7th Fortified Area, Leninakan
**9th Fortified Area, Echmiadzin
*
4th Army, HQ Baku,
Azerbaijan SSR
Azerbaijan ( az, Азәрбајҹан, Azərbaycan, italics=no), officially the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR; az, Азәрбајҹан Совет Сосиалист Республикасы, Azərbaycan Sovet Sosialist R ...
**
23rd Guards Motor Rifle Division
The 23rd Guards Motor Rifle Division of the Soviet Union's Red Army was a motor rifle division active during the Cold War. After 1991-92, the division's remnants were eventually incorporated into the new Army of Azerbaijan.
Cold War
After t ...
,
Kirovabad
Ganja (; az, Gəncə ) is Azerbaijan's third largest city, with a population of around 335,600.Azərbaycan Respublikası. — 2. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və inzibati rayonları. — 2.4. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və ...
***
366th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment
The 366th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment was a motor rifle unit of the Soviet Army and the United Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Lineage
* 3rd Turkestan Cavalry Division
*8th Cavalry Corps
*14th Guards Cavalry Division, ...
,
Stepanakert
/ az, Xankəndi, italic=no
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline = File:StepanakertCollage.jpg
, imagesize = 300px
, image_caption = From top left: Holy Mother ...
***368th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment, Kirovabad
***370th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment, Kirovabad
***131st Guards Tank Regiment, Kirovabad
***1071st Artillery Regiment, Kirovabad
***1057th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, Kirovabad
**60th Motor Rifle Division,
Lenkoran
Lankaran ( az, Lənkəran, ) is a city in Azerbaijan, on the coast of the Caspian Sea, near the southern border with Iran. As of 2021, the city had a population of 89,300. It is next to, but independent of, Lankaran District. The city forms a dis ...
**
75th Motor Rifle Division 75th may refer to:
*75th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2002, held on March 23, 2003
* 75th Avenue–61st Street Historic District, a national historic district in Ridgewood, Queens, New York
*75th Grey Cup, the 1987 Canadian Football Lea ...
,
Nakhichevan
**
295th Motor Rifle Division
The 295th Khersonskaya order of Lenin Red Banner order of Suvorov Motorised Rifle Division (Russian: 295-я мотострелковая Херсонская ордена Ленина Краснознамённая ордена Суворова д ...
,
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
- disbanded June 1992.
*
31st Army Corps, HQ Kutaisi,
Georgian SSR
The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (Georgian SSR; ka, საქართველოს საბჭოთა სოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა, tr; russian: Грузинская Советская Соц ...
- disbanded May 1992
**
10th Guards Motor Rifle Division
The 10th Guards Motor Rifle Division was a division of the Soviet Ground Forces. The full name of its predecessor division was the ''10th Guards Rifle Pechengskii, Twice Order of the Red Banner, Order of Alexander Nevsky, Order of the Red Star ...
,
Akhaltsikhe
Akhaltsikhe ( ka, ახალციხე ), formerly known as Lomsia ( ka, ლომსია), is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region (''mkhare'') of Samtskhe–Javakheti. It is situated on both banks of a small river Potskhovi (a left ...
, Georgian SSR
**
145th Motor Rifle Division,
Batumi
Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the second largest city of Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's southwest. It is situated in a subtropical zone at the foot of th ...
,
Adjara
Adjara ( ka, აჭარა ''Ach’ara'' ) or Achara, officially known as the Autonomous Republic of Adjara ( ka, აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა ''Ach’aris Avt’onomiuri Resp’ublik’a'' ...
**
147th Motor Rifle Division,
Akhalkalaki
Akhalkalaki ( ka, ახალქალაქი, tr; hy, Ախալքալաք / Նոր-Քաղաք, translit=Axalk’alak’ / Nor-K’aġak’) is a town in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe–Javakheti and the administrative centre of the Ak ...
, Georgian SSR
**152nd Motor Rifle Division (mobilisation)
Kutaisi
Kutaisi (, ka, ქუთაისი ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the capital city of Tbilisi. Situated west of Tbilis ...
, Georgian SSR
**6th Fortified Area (Akhaltsikhe, Georgian SSR)
**8th Fortified Area (Batumi (Erge), Adzharskaya ASSR)
*
21st Air Assault Brigade, Kutaisi, Georgian SSR
**325th Separate Helicopter Regiment – (Tsulukidze now
Khoni
Khoni ( ka, ხონი) is a town in the Western Georgian region (mkhare) of Imereti with the population of 8987 (2014 Georgia census). It is situated on the left bank of the Tskhenistkali River in the north-west of Imereti, close to the borde ...
) Mi-8Т, Mi-6
*793rd Separate Helicopter Regiment –
Telavi
Telavi ( ka, თელავი ) is the main city and administrative center of Georgia's eastern province of Kakheti. Its population consists of some 19,629 inhabitants (as of the year 2014). The city is located on the foothills of the Tsiv-Gombo ...
Mi-8Т, Mi-6
34th Air Army
The
Soviet Air Forces
The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
' presence in the district consisted of the 34th Air Army, established in 1949, redesignated the Air Forces of the Transcaucasian Military District (VVS ZKVO) in 1980, and then given the name 34th Air Army again in 1988. It was made up of the
36th Bomber Aviation Division The 36th Bomber Aviation Division was an aviation division of the Soviet Air Force during the 1980s and early 1990s. It was originally formed in 1984 as a fighter-bomber aviation division. The division became a bomber aviation division four years la ...
,
283rd Fighter Aviation Division 83rd may refer to:
* 83rd Academy Awards, a ceremony that honored the best films of 2010 in the United States and took place on February 27, 2011
*83rd Grey Cup, the 1995 Canadian Football League championship game
*83rd meridian east, a line of lo ...
and six independent aviation regiments, totaling twelve aviation regiments.
The formation's
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 ...
was 21052.
Army composition (source V.I. Feskov et al. 2004):
*80th Separate Assault Aviation Regiment –
Sitalchay Military Airbase
Sitalchay ( az, Sitalçay) Military Airbase is a military airbase located in the East of Azerbaijan, near the Caspian Sea. It is located 70 km North-West of the capital Baku in Sitalchay, a village and municipality in the Khizi Rayon. The ...
,
Sukhoi Su-25
The Sukhoi Su-25 ''Grach'' (russian: Грач (''rook''); NATO reporting name: Frogfoot) is a subsonic, single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Sukhoi. It was designed to provide close air support for Soviet Gro ...
"Frogfoot" - seized by Azeri troops in August 1992
*313th Separate Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment Berlin
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 ...
,
Order of Kutuzov
The Order of Kutuzov (russian: орден Кутузова ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established du ...
'
Vaziani
The Vaziani Military Base is located about twenty kilometers outside Tbilisi at Latitude 41.6947 Longitude 45.0467, Georgia.
Structure
The main base is spread over 10,000 hectares.
The Vaziani airfield—location: —has strategic importance as ...
Su-17R (former 93rd Separate Observation and Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment)
*882nd Separate Reconnaissance Regiment –
Dollyar Su-24МR, MiG-25RB
*
36th Bomber Aviation Division The 36th Bomber Aviation Division was an aviation division of the Soviet Air Force during the 1980s and early 1990s. It was originally formed in 1984 as a fighter-bomber aviation division. The division became a bomber aviation division four years la ...
– Bolshoye Shiraki
**34th Bomber Aviation Regiment Tashkent Red Banner,
Order of Kutuzov
The Order of Kutuzov (russian: орден Кутузова ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established du ...
'
Kirovabad
Ganja (; az, Gəncə ) is Azerbaijan's third largest city, with a population of around 335,600.Azərbaycan Respublikası. — 2. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və inzibati rayonları. — 2.4. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və ...
Su-24 (Russian: 34 бап)
**143rd Bomber Aviation Regiment –
Kopitnari Su-24М
**168th Separate Guards Bomber Regiment – Shiraki Su-24M
**976th Bomber Aviation Regiment Insterburg Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov
Kyurdamir Air Base
Kurdamir Air Base is a military airbase in Kurdamir (also known as Kyurdamir or Kürdəmir), the capital of the Kurdamir District ('' rayon'') in Azerbaijan.
At the end of the 1980s the 976 Bomber Aviation Regiment Инстербургский fl ...
Su-24, Su-17 (former 976th Fighter Aviation Regiment)
*283rd Kamyshin Red Banner Fighter Aviation Division (
Vaziani
The Vaziani Military Base is located about twenty kilometers outside Tbilisi at Latitude 41.6947 Longitude 45.0467, Georgia.
Structure
The main base is spread over 10,000 hectares.
The Vaziani airfield—location: —has strategic importance as ...
; 283 инад) (
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 ...
06941)
**176th Fighter Aviation Regiment 'Berlin Red Banner' Miha Tskhakaya (
Tskhakaia
Senaki ( ka, სენაკი; xmf, სანაკი) is a town in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, western Georgia. It is located at around between the rivers Tekhura/i and Tsivi, at an elevation of 28–38 meters above sea level. Senaki is ...
) MiG-29 (в/ч 42080)
**841st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment 'Baranovichsk
Red Banner
Red Banner (russian: Красное знамя) was a symbol of revolutionary struggle used late Russian Empire, in Soviet Russia, and in the USSR and the background of the Soviet state flag and other similar flags.
Military units, instit ...
, Order of Suvorov' Meria (Makharadze) Su-17 (30 гв. иап 1945)
**982nd Fighter Aviation Regiment –
Vaziani
The Vaziani Military Base is located about twenty kilometers outside Tbilisi at Latitude 41.6947 Longitude 45.0467, Georgia.
Structure
The main base is spread over 10,000 hectares.
The Vaziani airfield—location: —has strategic importance as ...
(Rustavi) MiG-23MLD (982 FAR 1945) (в/ч 40501)
The
Soviet Air Defence Forces
The Soviet Air Defence Forces (russian: войска ПВО, ''voyska protivovozdushnoy oborony'', ''voyska PVO'', ''V-PVO'', lit. ''Anti-Air Defence Troops''; and formerly ''protivovozdushnaya oborona strany'', ''PVO strany'', lit. ''Anti-Air De ...
had the
19th Army of Air Defence Forces located in the District.
Russian Transcaucasus Group of Forces
![Russian troops leaving Georgia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Russian_troops_leaving_Georgia.JPG)
By Ukaz No. 260 of the
President of the Russian Federation
The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...
of 19 March 1992 the Soviet Transcaucasian Military District and the
Caspian Flotilla
Kaspiyskaya flotiliya
, image = Great emblem of the Caspian Flotilla.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Great emblem of the Caspian Flotilla
, dates = No ...
were transferred to the jurisdiction of the
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
.
On 26 September 1992 the district was disbanded.
Another, earlier report said on 1 January 1993, the District became the Group of Russian Forces in the Transcaucasus (Russian Группа российских войск в Закавказье – ГРВЗ; GRVZ). After many of the divisions listed above had disbanded or become part of the former republics' armed forces, in the mid 1990s the GRVZ's dispositions were:
*Headquarters,
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
*
12th Military Base,
Batumi
Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the second largest city of Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's southwest. It is situated in a subtropical zone at the foot of th ...
,
Adjara
Adjara ( ka, აჭარა ''Ach’ara'' ) or Achara, officially known as the Autonomous Republic of Adjara ( ka, აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა ''Ach’aris Avt’onomiuri Resp’ublik’a'' ...
AR,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
*62nd Military Base,
Akhalkalaki
Akhalkalaki ( ka, ახალქალაქი, tr; hy, Ախալքալաք / Նոր-Քաղաք, translit=Axalk’alak’ / Nor-K’aġak’) is a town in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe–Javakheti and the administrative centre of the Ak ...
,
Samtskhe-Javakheti, Georgia. Former 147th Motor Rifle Division. In October 1999, the base had: – personnel – 1,964 servicemen – equipment – 41 MBT, 114 AIFV/APC (BMP and BTR); 46 various military vehicles; 61 artillery systems; and 2 pontoon-bridging vehicles. The base includes the 409th and 412th motor-rifle regiments; the 817th artillery regiment; the 889th communication battalion; and the 65th artillery detachment.
*
102nd Military Base,
Gyumri
Gyumri ( hy, Գյումրի, ) is an urban municipal community and the second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th century, when the city w ...
, Armenia
*137th Military Base,
Vaziani Military Base, Georgia (former
171st Guards District Training Centre) In October 1999, it was reported to have the 405th Motor Rifle Regiment with 773 servicemen; 31 MBT; 70 AIFV/APC; 16 artillery systems; and one pontoon-bridging vehicle; the 566th communication battalion – 193 servicemen; 5 mobile radio stations P-145BM; and the 311th Separate Helicopter Squadron – 161 servicemen, 5 Mi-24 attack helicopters and 5 Mi-8MT transport helicopters. The 405th MRR had been absorbed from the
10th Guards Motor Rifle Division
The 10th Guards Motor Rifle Division was a division of the Soviet Ground Forces. The full name of its predecessor division was the ''10th Guards Rifle Pechengskii, Twice Order of the Red Banner, Order of Alexander Nevsky, Order of the Red Star ...
formerly headquartered in
Kutaisi
Kutaisi (, ka, ქუთაისი ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the capital city of Tbilisi. Situated west of Tbilis ...
.
*142nd Tank Repair Factory,
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
. In October 1999, it was reported to have 20 servicemen; and equipment including 28 MBT (T-72), 103 AIFV/APC and two self-propelled howitzers 2C3 "Acatsia".
*Khelvachauri-based (Adjaria) military depot. In October 1999, it had 56 servicemen. 29 AIFV – 5 BMP-1 and 24 BMP-2 – were stored there.
*Other smaller formations and units, including an independent helicopter squadron
General Major Aleksander Studenikin, former deputy commander of the
Moscow Military District
The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military Di ...
's 20th Army, commanded the Group in 2004 with General (Major?) Andrei Popov as his deputy.
The Russian presence at Vaziani was withdrawn in the late 1990s and an agreement over the withdrawal of the 12th and 62nd Bases by 2007–08 was made in 2005. The Akhalkalaki 62nd base was officially transferred on schedule to Georgia on 27 June 2007. The
12th Military Base in Batumi was transferred earlier than scheduled; scheduled for February 2008, it was transferred on 13 November 2007. The 'Zvezda' command post (probably the former District war headquarters) in the town of
Mtskheta
Mtskheta ( ka, მცხეთა, tr ) is a city in Mtskheta-Mtianeti province of Georgia. It is one of the oldest cities in Georgia as well as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. Itis located approximately north of T ...
, just north of Tbilisi, was handed over by early September 2005. Due to the
espionage conflict between Russia and Georgia, the Transcaucasus Group of Forces headquarters in Tbilisi was closed down ahead of schedule: 287 Russian servicemen left Georgia by 31 December 2006.
''Russia to withdraw Tbilisi garrison early – minister''
RIA Novosti
RIA Novosti (russian: РИА Новости), sometimes referred to as RIAN () or RIA (russian: РИА, label=none) is a Russian state-owned domestic news agency. On 9 December 2013 by a decree of Vladimir Putin it was liquidated and its asse ...
, 10 October 2006
Even after the GRVZ was totally withdrawn, Russian troops continue to remain in peacekeeping roles 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 ...
and South Ossetia
South Ossetia, ka, სამხრეთი ოსეთი, ( , ), officially the Republic of South Ossetia – the State of Alania, is a partially recognised landlocked state in the South Caucasus. It has an officially stated populat ...
, de jure parts of Georgia. There are about 1,600 men on the Abkhazian-Georgian boundary (serving alongside UNOMIG
The United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 858 in August 1993 to verify compliance with a 27 July 1993 ceasefire agreement between the Georgia (country), Republic of Georgi ...
) and a battalion in South Ossetia. According to the Russian authorities, the Gudauta
Gudauta ( ka, გუდაუთა, ; ab, Гәдоуҭа, ''Gwdowtha''; russian: Гудаута, ''Gudauta'') is a town in Abkhazia, Georgia, and a centre of the eponymous district. It is situated on the Black Sea, 37 km northwest of Sukhu ...
military base is also now used by the peacekeeping forces, but no international monitoring has ever been allowed there.
See also
* :ru:Раздел Вооружённых сил СССР - division of the Armed Forces of the USSR, with reference to the situation in the Transcaucasus
References
*Mihai Gribincea
The Russian Policy on Military Bases: Georgia and Moldova
Editura Cogito, Oradea,2001 320 p.; 21 cm
* .{{coord missing, Asia (in Russian).
* Захаров В. М. Часть II. «Военные организации постсоветских государств». Глава 3. «Раздел советских вооружённых сил» // «Военное строительство в государствах постсоветского пространства». — М.: Издательство РИСИ, 2011. — С. 42—63. — 380 с. — 300 экз. — ISBN 978-5-7893-0118-0.
Military districts of the Soviet Union
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic
Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic
Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
History of Transcaucasia
Military units and formations established in 1935
Military units and formations disestablished in 1992
1935 establishments in the Soviet Union
1992 disestablishments in Russia
History of the Caucasus under the Soviet Union