The 197th Motor Rifle Division was a motorized infantry division of the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

. The division was based in

Uryupinsk Uryupinsk (russian: Урю́пинск) is a town in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located northwest of Volgograd on the Khopyor River. Population: Etymology There are two theories of the historical background for the town's name. One is that it i ...

and existed from 1966 to 1987. In 1987, it became a territorial training center. The training center became a road construction training brigade in 1990.

History

The division was activated on 27 June 1966 in Uryupinsk, Volgograd Oblast, part of the

North Caucasus Military District The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Armed Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also included the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla. It comprised the Republic of Adygeya, ...

. The division replaced the 68th Motor Rifle Division, which was transferred to Central Asia. It is known to have included the 187th Motor Rifle Regiment, 182nd Tank Regiment and 1206th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment. Between 1973 and 1977, the division was commanded by future major general Yan Lyufi ( :ru:Люфи Ян Кичо), an ethnic Albanian serving in the Soviet Army. The 34th Army Corps was activated in May 1980, and the division became part of it. During the Cold War, it was maintained at 15% strength. On 1 December 1987, it became the 881st Territorial Training Center. The training center became the 345th Road Construction Training Brigade in 1990.

References

{{Soviet Union divisions Motor rifle divisions of the Soviet Union Military units and formations established in 1966 Military units and formations disestablished in 1987