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The Southern Military District is headquartered in Rostov-on-Don, and its current district commander is Colonel General Sergey Kuzovlev, who has held the position since 23 January 2023.[5] It is considered to be the most effective and competent formation of the Russian military.[6]
Headquarters of the district at 53 Pushkinskaya Street / 43 Budenovsky avenue, Rostov-on-Don
The Southern Military District was formed on 22 October 2010, according to Presidential Decree of 20 September 2010 № 1144 "On the Military Administrative Division Of the Russian Federation" the Southern Military District was created along with two other new larger military districts: the Central Military District and the Eastern Military District.[2] By order of then Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, on 22 July 2010, interim commanders were named for the new military districts. Thus, the new position of commander of the Southern Military District, was Lieutenant-General Aleksandr Galkin, former Commander of the North Caucasus Military District, with Major-General Nikolai Pereslegin as the chief of staff for the district. Galkin was later promoted to Colonel General soon after his appointment as district commander.
The Southern Military District also directs two Russian military bases in Armenia: the 102nd Military BaseinGyumri, and the 3624th Air Base at the civil-military Erebuni Airport in the capital Yerevan, under the joint control of Armenian and Russian authorities.
In April 2014, Crimea and Sevastopol were added to the Southern Military District following the 2014 Crimean crisisinUkraine, when they were annexed by Russia. The legal status of Crimea (as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea) and the city of Sevastopol is currently under dispute: Ukraine and the majority of the international community considers them an integral part of Ukraine, while Russia considers them an integral part of Russia, with Crimea (as the Republic of Crimea) and Sevastopol approved as federal subjects of Russian Federation.[7]
In 2016, the District was 98% staffed by contract servicemen.[8]
In November 2020, following the aftermath of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Russian military peacekeepers were deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh for securing the Lachin corridor and along the line of contact for at least five years. A military base was set up with its headquarters at Stepanakert and is part of the Southern Military District commanded by First deputy commander of the military district Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov.[9] He was replaced by Deputy military district commander Lieutenant General Alexey Avdeev on 13 May 2021.[10]
In January–February 2021, the 1061st Centre for Material-Technical Support (1061 CMTO), the district's logistics command, was reorganised.[11] A storage base for missile and artillery weapons was formed and transferred to the direct subordination of the 1061 CMTO. The centre itself is located in the 4, 6 7 and 21 Military towns (военных городках) in Novocherkassk. One of the other units of the 1061 CMTO is the warehouse (for storing material and technical equipment of the clothing service) (Military Unit 57229-31) which has been headed by Stanislav Valerievich Yazykov 2011–2018 (inStepnoy, Volgodonskoy District?).[12]
In April 2024, the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence reported that some 18,000 Russian soldiers had deserted the Southern Military District, including 2,000 contract and 10,000 mobilised soldiers.[14]
As part of the larger reorganisation, the 49th Army reformed with its headquarters seemingly in the former Institute of Communications of the Strategic Rocket ForcesatStavropol.[15] According to warfare.ru, 49th Army (listed at Stavropol/Maikop) has under control the 7th Military Base (inAbkhazia) and the 8th (former Taman Guards Motor Rifle Division), 33rd Mountain Motor Rifle and 34th separate Mountain Motor Rifle Brigades (Borzoi, Chechniya, Maikop, and Storozhevaya-2), as well as the 66th Communications Brigade.[16]
19th Motor Rifle Division (Vladikavkaz) (expanded from Brigade to Division strength in 2020–22 period; planned to re-equip with T-90M main battle tanks)[20][21]
Note: the 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division, reforming from late 2016 in Chechniya, is drawn from the 8th Guards, 17th, and 18th Guards Motor Rifle Brigades[28]
20th Guards Motor Rifle Division (Volgograd and Kamyshin regions; reconstituted from former 20th Motor Rifle Brigade starting in 2021; transformation to complete in 2022)[21]
242nd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Kamyshin, Volgograd Oblast);
255th Motor Rifle Regiment (Volgograd);
33rd Motor Rifle Regiment (Kamyshin);
944th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment;
358th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment;
428th Separate Tank Battalion (near Volgograd; planned to re-equip with T-90M main battle tanks)[30][31]
^Ukrainian sources describe the 1st and 2nd (Donbas/Russian) Army Corps in Ukraine's Donbas as "operationally subordinate" to the 8th Army HQ.[35] As of 2021, subordinate units in these two corps are said to include:
^Ramm, Alexey; Andreyev, Yevgeny (17 March 2017). "В Южном военном округе появится новая армия" [New army in the Southern Military District]. Isvestia (in Russian). Retrieved 2 April 2017.
^Galeotti, 2017, 31, with the retention of the 67th AARB and 34 C3 Bde, which he does not list.
Russia
Russian Aerospace Forces
Russian Navy
Russian Airborne Forces
Central Military District
Eastern Military District
Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command
