58th Army (Russia)

58th Army (I Formation) (Nov. 1941 – Aug. 1942) 58th Army (II Formation) (Aug. 1942 – Oct. 1943) 58th Army (III Formation) (1995–present)
Active	1941–present
Country	Soviet Union, Russia
Branch	Red Army, Russian Ground Forces
Type	Field army
Size	several corps or divisions
Part of	North Caucasus Military District
Garrison/HQ	Vladikavkaz
Engagements	1940-1944 Chechnya insurgency, Second Chechen War, Russo-Georgian War
Commanders
Current commander	Major General Yevgeny Nikiforov
Notable commanders	General-Colonel Anatoliy Nogovitsin

The 58th Army (Russian: 58-я армия) is an army of the Russian Ground Forces, headquartered at Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia-Alania, within Russia's Southern Military District. It was formed in 1941 as part of the Soviet Union's Red Army and has been part of the Russian Army since 1995.

World War II

It was first formed in the Siberian Military District in November 1941, including the 362nd, 364th, 368th, 370th, 380th, and 384th Rifle Divisions and the 77th Cavalry Division and moved to the Arkhangelsk Military District, but then the Army was redesignated the 3rd Tank Army in May 1942. It was reestablished within the Kalinin Front in June 1942, and in July included the 16th and 27th Guards Rifle Divisions, the 215th and 375th Rifle Divisions, the 35th and 81st Tank Brigades, and other support units.^[1]

It was reformed in the Transcaucasian Front from the 24th Army on 28 August 1942, under General Khomenko of the NKVD. Much of its senior cadre also came from the NKVD, and among its missions was to keep order in the Caucasus, particularly in the Groznyi and Makhachkala regions.^[2] This was because of a Chechen uprising that had gone on since 1941 (see 1940-1944 Chechnya insurgency). 58th Army later joined the North Caucasus Front. On 1 November 1942 it consisted of the 271st and 416th Rifle Division, and the Makhachkala Division of the NKVD.^[3] Prior to the North Caucasus Front putting its main effort into the Kerch-Eltigen Operation (November 1943) the Army HQ was reorganised as Headquarters Volga Military District in October 1943.^[4]

Second Chechen War (1999-2000)

The headquarters was reformed in 1995 in the North Caucasus Military District from the 42nd Army Corps at Vladikavkaz.
During the Second Chechen War, the Army was commanded by General Vladimir Shamanov.^[5]

Russo-Georgian War (2008)

On 3 August 2008, five battalions of the Russian 58th Army were moved to the vicinity of Roki Tunnel that links Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia with Russia's North Ossetia.^[6]

On 8 August 2008 ^[7][8][9] the 58th Army crossed the border into Georgia and engaged in combat against Georgian forces, most notably in the city of Tskhinvali.^[10][11] Its then-commander, General Anatoly Khrulyov was wounded in action.^[12]

Russian military intervention in Ukraine (2014-)

BM-21 "27777" launch vehicle at display in Kiev 2014.

In June 2014 Ukrainian troops captured a damaged BM-21 Grad launcher, which the Ukrainians identified as equipment of the 58th Army of the Russian Federation.^[13]

Major general Sergey Kuzovlev became commander of the army on 18 August 2016.^[14] In late 2016 the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division had been reformed from the 8th Guards Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade, the 17th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, and the 18th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.^[15] In January 2017, 20th Guards Army commander Major general Yevgeny Nikiforov replaced Kuzovlev.^[16]

Order of Battle, 2003

Structure 58th Army

The Army operates in a close coordination with the 4th Air Force and Air Defence Army of the district, and includes:^[17]

• 18th Motor Rifle Division – Khankala and Kalinovskaya in the Chechnya
• 19th Motor Rifle Division – Vladikavkaz
• 205th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade – Budenovsk
• 136th Guards Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade – Buynaksk, Dagestan (Cyrillic: гвардейская мотострелковая Уманско-Берлинская дивизия)
• 135th Separate Motorized Rifle Regiment – Prochladny, Kabardino-Balkaria
• 291st Separate Artillery Brigade – Maikop – (equipped with 2A65)
• 943rd Multiple Rocket Launcher Regiment – Krasnooktabrsky (Uragan 220mm MRL)
• 1128th Anti-Tank Regiment – Maikop
• 67th Separate Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (SAM) – Volgograd area (SA-11 'Buk' SAM)
• 487th Separate Helicopter Regiment (Mi-8/Mi-24) – Budenovsk
• 11th Separate Engineer Regiment – Kavkazskay
• 234th Separate Signals Regiment – Vladikavkaz
• 22nd Separate Regiment of Electronic Warfare- Vladikavkaz

Order of Battle, 2016

• 8th Guards Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade – Borzoy^[18]
• 17th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade – Shali^[18]
• 18th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade – Khankala and Kalinovskaya, Chechnya^[19]
• 19th Motor Rifle Brigade – Vladikavkaz^[20]
• 20th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade – Volgograd^[21]
• 136th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade – Buynaksk^[22]
• 291st Artillery Brigade – Troitskaya^[23]

Order of Battle, 2017

• 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division (Khankala, Shali, Kalinovskaya, Borzoy in Chechnya)
• 19th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (Vladikavkaz)
• 136th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Buynaksk in Dagestan)
• 4th Guards Military Base (Java and Tskhinvali in South Ossetia)
• 12th Rocket Brigade (Mozdok)
• 291st Artillery Brigade (Troitskaya)
• 67th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (Vladikavkaz)
• 100th Reconnaissance Brigade (Mozdok-7)
• 34th Headquarters Brigade (Vladikavkaz)
• 40th NBC Protection Regiment (Troitskaya)
• 31st Engineer Regiment (Prokhladny)
• 78th Logistics Brigade (Budyonnovsk)
• 14th Separate Electronic Warfare Battalion (Vladikavkaz)

Notes

Further reading

• Murphy, Paul J., The Wolves of Islam: Russia and the Faces of Chechen Terror, Brassey's, 2004