138th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade

The 138th Guards Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (138th MRB) (Russian: 138-я отдельная гвардейская мотострелковая бригада) is a formation of the Russian Ground Forces. It is stationed in the Western Military District, in the village of Kamenka, Vyborgsky District, Leningrad Oblast. It is Military unit No. 02511. It includes various components: air defense, artillery battalion, infantry and tank battalions.

138th Guards Separate Motor Rifle Brigade
Active1 December 1997–present
CountryRussia
BranchRussian Ground Forces
TypeMotorized Infantry
Part ofGround Force
Garrison/HQKamenka, Leningrad Oblast

The brigade traces its history to the 45th Guards Rifle Division of the Second World War. The 45th Guards Rifle Division was formed from the 70th Rifle Division, and fought near Leningrad, in Estonia and Kurland. The division was with the 6th Guards Army of the Kurland Group, Leningrad Front in May 1945. On 25 June 1957 the 45th Guards Rifle Division became the 45th Guards Motor Rifle Division.[1] In December 1997 the 45th Guards Krasnosel'skaya, Order of Lenin Red Banner Motor Rifle Division named for A.A. Zhdanov became the 138th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.[2]

In 1994-1995 a force from the 129th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment with 45 T-80 tanks was deployed to Groznyy.

The brigade was deployed for operations during the Second Chechen War, in which, along with other Russian Ground Forces units, its personnel was reported to have behaved badly at times.[3] A 22-year-old woman in Ingushetia was shot by drunken soldiers from the brigade scavenging for alcohol. The deployment of a tank battalion of the brigade was apparently halted when it was discovered that soldiers had been selling the explosive from their tanks' reactive armour.

In March 2010 Leningrad Military District commander General Lieutenant Nikolai Bogdanovskiy said, regarding problems with the command and violence in the 138th at Kamenka:[4] “. . . we haven’t managed to complete fully tasks connected with discipline–in particular, in the 138th Kamenka Brigade the commander, chief of staff, and assistants for armaments and socialization work were dismissed because of events there. Now the situation is normalising, we are trying not to repeat past mistakes.”

The 45th Guards Motor Rifle Division was a separate formation from the 45th Rifle Division (Soviet Union) - not a Guards unit - that was the predecessor to the district's 200th Motor Rifle Brigade, based at Pechenga in Murmansk Oblast.

Commanders
  1. Major-General Mikhail Malofeyev (21.11.1997 – 15.7.1999)
  2. Major General Igor Turchanyuk (05.8.1999 – 07.7.2000)
  3. Colonel Bagir Yusuf oglu Fatulayev (temporarily filled the post of 08.07.2000 – 21.09.2000)
  4. Major General Anatoli Elkin (22.9.2000 – 22.02.2002)
  5. Major General Andrey Serdyukov (temporarily filled the post in 10.03.2002, has been appointed 11.7.2002 – 09.6.2004)
  6. Major-General Vladimir Genrikhovich Tsilko (22.6.2004 – 14.6.2005)
  7. Colonel Alexander Romanenko (14.6.2005 – 24.4.2008)
  8. Colonel Vladimir Frolov (temporarily filled the post of 25.4.2008 – 19.6.2008)
  9. Colonel Alibek Navruzbekovich Aslanbek (20.6.2008 [5] – 10.2009 [6]) [7]

Notes
  1. Michael Holm, 45th Guards Motorised Rifle Division, accessed February 2015.
  2. Holm 2015, and Andrew Duncan, 'Russia and Ukraine: Restructuring for a New Era,' Jane's Intelligence Review, June 1998, p.7
  3. Some Provisional Notes On Current Russian Operations In Dagestan & Chechnya
  4. State of the 'New Profile' in one district, March 17, 2010
  5. Commander Lenville presented personnel commander of the 138-th Guards omsbr, News Lenville, 3.07.2008
  6. Command 138th Motorized Rifle Brigade in the village of Kamenka lost the post for hazing, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, December 10, 2009
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2010-01-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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