Russian Military Reform

To avoid any confusion my post is based on the new procedure for a regular Russian Army Motor Rifle battalion. The Airborne, Naval Infantry, Wagner, BARS and LDPR units are slightly different depending on the equipment and number of personnel available. Concept remains the same with the use of Assault and Support units. I have read where the Support platoon that I mentioned can be split in two with half supporting each of the two assault platoons. Have also read where some of the Wagner and LDPR Assault units could employ 3 assault platoons. Like I said early, concept remains the same.

The Russian Ground Forces and VDV are too much geared for Combined Arms Warfare.

Agreed however modern artillery, UAV and ATGM's have also greatly changed the modern battlefield. If you look at what I had put out there, they actually just adjusted the dismounted deployment using the assets already in the Motor Rifle battalion (other then the tanks which would be normally attached anyway). Also they have found that a BTg together was too big a target for drone directed artillery and MRLS's. In essence they just split the Battalion Tactical Group into 3 smaller Company Tactical Groups. So mounted the unit can be the same as what existed in the Combined Arms format while dismounted it focuses the 3 motor rifle platoons into 2 assault formations with more fire power and rifles attacking per engagement.

The storm Z company , is a unit structure which has been tested by wagner in bakhmut for urban warfare , it has been found to be the ideal unit for urban assault

And apparently it was a success-

"Storm Company Z" (100 personnel) structure:

4x Capture Squad (10 personnel each)

4x Fire Support Squad (10 personnel each)

1x Company Command (2 personnel)

1x Combat Engineering Group (5 personnel)

1x Reconnaissance Group (8 personnel

This structure is being implemented into VDV and motorized rifle units , Wagner has shown you can conduct heavy urban battles and reduce casualties by slimming the combat element , and making it well supported by special weapons platoons/Squads

With overwhelming artillery support, you only need 100 man companies with specialized assault training and weapons to breach fortifications and structures which are found to be important to the frontline or even behind the frontline

The enemy is worn down by the overwhelming firepower, and the storm z company has a lighter footprint and able to control entire sections of a city, as for example wagner did at Azom plant, central administration, and mig monument

Ukros had a hard time fixing these units - and if they are surrounded, they can hunker down and call fire support, while the risk of having an entire battalion encircled outweighs that of 100 men

I have read that the Wagner storm company is based on LDPR experience from the assault battalions Somali, Sparta and Cascade. Going back to the Motor Rifle company group mentioned, you will notice the dismounted personnel totaled 105. Probably a compromise between the regular combined arms company and the assault company. I have also read higher assault company staff of 120-140 in addition to your 100 total. Suspect there are many versions depending upon circumstances and available resources.

They already do-

The integration of wagner and the army is high -

The current commander of wagner is lotos or lotus :

Lotus, born Anton Yelizarov in Rostov, Russia, was a Russian reserve officer and graduated from several prestigious Russian military academies in the ‘90s, including the elite paratrooper Suvorov Military Guards Ulyanovsk School and Ryazan Airborne School. He went on to serve in the Southern Military District as a Platoon and Company Commander in the elite 7th Airborne Assault Mountain Division. He was then reportedly promoted to the 10th Separate GRU Special Forces Brigade.

He later transferred to Wagner and was said to serve in Syria where he was injured, as well as an instructor in the Central African Republic, and then as commander in Libya.

Prigozhin himself introduced Lotus as the man who single handedly commanded the capture of Soledar in only two weeks. Now, it’s speculated that Lotus is likely the true commander of the entire Bakhmut theater of operations.

Lotus has recently given media interviews like this one, where he described the AFU’s casualties in Soledar/Bakhmut as being in a 7:1 ratio to that of Wagner’s: VIDEO LINK. And he’s always seen by Prigozhin’s side everytime Prigozhin steps foot into Bakhmut.





This is to highlight that wagner is in fact commanded and staffed by military officers

They test the tactics for combat and the lessons and adjustments are implemented by the military officers who themselves were former subordinates of the wagner officers

Bakhmut is a sandbox where so many things are being learned and now being implemented

The storm Z companies mean that army units are now organized down to the squad level and these units will become a sort of uniformity across the Armed forces which show the level of freedom and independence the motorized riflemen actually have

Command is decentralized and the non commissioned officers are the backbone of the new storm Z company

In each capture or recon or weapons squad, there is a squad leader which is the equivalent of a NATO sergeant

The more this unit is implemented, the more autonomy/decentralization will be apparent to viewers of the army

It could be said so -

For me the greatest opportunity of wagner, is the lessons gleaned from project K

The documentaries on project K showed former military NCO (now wagner) training prisoners for shock battle in Bakhmut

The training is a microcosm of what the mobilized servicemen are experiencing

I think the first cadres of project K had a high attrition rate, but as the program proceeded, the casualty levels declined

At the height of battle, inmates suffered 110-140 casualties a week. This is when storm z companies were first being experimented with, also the time spent on the inmates training was about 3 months

The most casualties taken were at Soledar and Opytnoe, once they took those settlements the Storm Z company was more or less established

By then the casualties dropped to less than 50 a week, and then generally anywhere from 10 to 15 a week in all of March and April

Using those numbers, you can understand that storm Z company is a structure that optimized urban assault

And radios and drones were central to their effectiveness - in zone of redemption around 31 minutes mark, you see example of a recon squad covering for the company to advance in Opytnoe

And later you can see how if the company ran into resistance, a fire observer could send rounds at an unlimited rate to cover a pinned down squad

Which means that the storm z company can engage entrenched VSU battalions and brigades and blast them out of the ground, with less attrition then they can sustain

Of course, it is economy of force, simple math dictates that the fire resource of the company tactical group, allowed a company size element to engage and pin down a battalion sized force

No longer was force generation a problem, just use more ammo and let your men clear the city block by block - and eventually you could take areas like AZOM, garment factory, Opytnoe or Soledar from huge VSU groupings with 4 storm Z companies flanking and attacking in coordinated probes

Now the mobilized in Kherson, Zaporozhye, and Kharkov have been training 6+ months

Which means that when those units are called upon, the unit cohesion and combat effectiveness will be dramatically higher than an inmate company

Not only that, but FABS which appeared at high usage only 3 or 4 weeks ago, mean that Z companies have regular complement of BTG firepower, but also VKS support on demand - a fire observer can direct UPAB glide bombs with ease onto wherever the company meets resistance

That's why Zaluzhny is ignoring zelenskys orders to immediately begin offensives,

It will be a massacre, and Bakhmut proved it, 8 to 1 losses in defense, WTF will losses look like on the offense?

The units of the Russian troops, which have been participating in the battles against the Ukrainian army for a long time, have changed their tactics of warfare, significantly improving it. Special assault detachments appeared in the brigades of the RF Armed Forces, the task of which is to storm enemy positions. This statement was made by the commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky.

The Ukrainian general commented on the actions of the Russian military participating in the battles in the Donbass, including the assault groups of the Wagner PMC, fighting in Bakhmut. According to him, the assault groups of Russian troops are effectively controlled by commanders who actively use UAVs to adjust artillery fire, their tactics are constantly changing. In addition, attack aircraft commanders have smartphones with special Alpine Quest GPS software, which provides the coordinates of the positions of the APU fire weapons, attack targets, advance routes, and even the tasks of neighboring units.

Syrsky claims that in each brigade or regiment of the Russian Armed Forces, special assault detachments "Storm" have been created on the basis of motorized rifle companies reinforced with tanks, mortars, flamethrowers and anti-tank weapons. These units are used to capture lost positions.

(...) To create favorable conditions for conducting assault operations, the enemy actively uses tank and artillery units, inflicts powerful fire damage on our troops, destroys positions, after which the assault units go on the attack - added the general.

According to the general, in urban conditions, Russian troops use long-term artillery shelling, after which assault groups of no more than 10 people with small arms go into battle . The offensive is being carried out in three or four "waves", while the attack aircraft are well aware of the location of the Ukrainian military, since they use special programs.

https://topwar-ru.translate.goog/215660-komandujuschij-sv-vsu-syrskij-v-kazhdoj-brigade-vs-rossii-sozdany-shturmovye-otrjady-shtorm.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en

The 245th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment is being formed again in the Russian Armed Forces. In the post-Soviet period, it was called the most belligerent. The regiment took an active part in both Chechen campaigns: twice stormed Grozny, then the Wolf Gate, participated in the battles for the village of Komsomolskoye. The unit became known throughout the country when its rear column was ambushed and defeated in April 1996. In 2009, the regiment was disbanded. Now it is being recreated as part of the 47th Guards Tank Division. Experts note that this will strengthen the western and north-western direction, which is especially important given Finland's entry into NATO.

Revival of the disbanded

The Ministry of Defense decided to revive the 245th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment, Izvestia's sources in the military department said. According to our interlocutors, the formation of a military unit is already underway. Personnel receive equipment, and combat training is underway. The new unit became part of the 47th Guards Tank Division of the Western Military District.

The regiment became widely known during the Chechen wars, where it participated in significant events and suffered serious losses.

"The tradition of reviving famous regiments was not born yesterday," military expert Viktor Murakhovsky told Izvestia. - Divisions in the ground Forces and Airborne Forces are also being revived. The 245th Regiment is legendary and has a rich history. Naturally, such a revival will be beneficial. We must understand that traditions will have to be restored from scratch. But ultimately, I think it will work out.

The expert noted that with the formation of the regiment, the western and north-western directions are being strengthened.

"Earlier, the Ministry of Defense announced that we are creating several formations in the north-western direction, taking into account the fact that Finland is a member of NATO," Viktor Murakhovsky reminded. — In recent years, the ground force has been strengthened in all directions. In the post-Soviet era, the Ground Forces were stationed in a corral. The lion's share of funds fell on the aerospace forces and the fleet. But they remain the main force of the army — so it was, and so it always will be.

There is a calm formation of the very large army that we got rid of in the course of military reforms, military expert Vladislav Shurygin told Izvestia.

— We are restoring a large European army that will be able to solve any tasks. And such a famous military unit as the 245th Regiment will be relevant given the special military operation, " he explained.

Famous story

The ancestor of the 245th was the 437th Rifle Regiment of the Red Army. In December 1942, he received the Guards rank and serial number 137. At the beginning of 1945, he took part in the Warsaw-Poznan offensive, during which he liberated the village of Gniezno. For this, the regiment received the honorary name Gnieznensky, the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Suvorov III degree.

In 1945, it was reorganized into the 62nd Guards mechanized, and in 1957-into the 245th Guards motorized rifle Regiment. It was stationed in the GDR as part of the 47th Guards Tank Division.

After the withdrawal from Germany, the regiment ended up in the village of Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod region. In the post-Soviet years, he earned a reputation as one of the" most belligerent " in the armed forces. In January 1995, he was sent to Chechnya, where he participated in dozens of combat operations, including the storming of Grozny, the settlements of Goty, Goiskoe, Vedeno, Shatoy and others. In June 1995, a column of the regiment was ambushed in the Argun Gorge and suffered significant losses.

On April 16, 1996, one of the most tragic events of that war occurred, which shocked the whole country — the death of the rear column of the 245th regiment near the village of Yarysh-Mardy. As part of the column, young recruits and material property were transported. A large group of militants planted a land mine on the road, which was used to blow up the lead tank. After that, the militants shot the convoy with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades for an hour and a half. According to various estimates, between 73 and 95 servicemen were killed in the battle.

— The regiment has a huge, rich history, - said Vladislav Shurygin. - Sad, too, because they were the ones who were ambushed near Yarysh-Mardy. I was at the ambush site, watching it all happen. The drama also lies in the fact that it took place in the place where the final scenes of the film "Friend among Strangers, stranger among friends"were shot. Since it is being restored anew, I would like to wish a completely different fate. On the other hand, he won two wars with dignity. To be honest, I was surprised that it was also disbanded.

During a year and a half of participation in the first Chechen campaign, the regiment lost 231 people, including 25 officers and warrant officers.

In 1998, the 47th Guards Tank Division was transformed into an equipment storage base, and the 245th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment became part of the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division, located in the Nizhny Novgorod region. It was considered the most efficient unit in the Moscow Military District.

From October 1999 to November 2001, the regiment again participated in combat operations in Chechnya. This is the first military unit to enter the territory of the republic. Its fighters stormed Grozny, fought in the area of the village of Komsomolskoye and the Wolf Gate of the Argun Gorge. On December 1, 1999, the regiment participated in the heavy battle for Pervomayskoye (a suburb of Grozny), where it suffered serious losses.

One of the companies was surrounded. The group that went to deblocking was headed by the deputy commander of the Guards regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Vasilyev. He fell in battle. At the same time, the commander of the reconnaissance platoon, Lieutenant Alexander Solomatin, the son of the famous Soviet General Viktor Solomatin, was killed. Both were awarded the title Hero of Russia.

During the military reform in 2009, the 245th regiment was disbanded. At the same time, the Moscow Military District was merged with the Leningrad One, resulting in the Western Military District.

In recent years, Russia has begun to revive units and formations that were disbanded during the reforms of the late 2000s and early 2010s. In February of last year, the 47th Guards Tank Division was recreated, and the 245th became a motorized rifle regiment.

Earlier this year, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the re-establishment of the Moscow and Leningrad military districts. As part of measures to strengthen the borders, the number of armed forces will be increased to 1.5 million people on behalf of the President.

https://translated.turbopages.org/proxy_u/ru-en.en.f171b2f6-64490345-20dd84d6-74722d776562/https/iz.ru/1504102/roman-kretcul-aleksei-ramm/polk-pribyl-v-zvo-vozrodili-samoe-voiuiushchee-podrazdelenie

NOTE: another good example of the time that it takes to fully form and put into operation new units. The Division was formed last year with the 245th reported to be the Motor Rifle regiment and here it is still in formation.

Directorate of the 40th Army Corps is being formed in the Stavropol Territory

A press conference was held in the building of the republican military registration and enlistment office dedicated to the spring draft campaign and recruitment under the contract. On May 17, 2023, the military commissar of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, Dmitry Pakhomov, and the head of the selection point under the contract in Nalchik, Vitaly Dmitriev, met with journalists from the republican media and answered questions ... Answering questions regarding contract service, Vitaly Dmitriev noted, that ... when concluding a contract, a serviceman receives 195 thousand rubles from the Ministry of Defense. If, when concluding a contract, a serviceman chooses to serve in the 40th military army corps located in the Stavropol Territory, where recruitment is underway to participate in a special military operation and serve on the territory of four new regions, by decision of the Head of the KBR, such citizens receive an additional 200 thousand rubles at a time from extrabudgetary sources. According to him, since the beginning of the year, after the signing of the contract, more than 30 people have been sent to the 40th military corps. Contract soldiers are also sent to other parts of the Southern Military District.

In 2014-2017, the departments of the 11th, 14th, 22nd and 68th army corps were formed. In 2022, after the start of the Special Military Operation (SVO), the 1st Army Corps of the People's Militia of the DPR and the 2nd Army Corps of the People's Militia of the LPR were included in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation with the preservation of numbering. In the summer of 2022, was formed in the Western Military District the administration of the 3rd Army Corps.

In addition to the existing nine motorized rifle divisions, the 6th and 47th motorized rifle divisions were re-formed in 2022.

It is also worth noting the appearance in the zone of the SVO, among other new units of the 390th regiment. Until disbanded in 2008, the 390th Marine Regiment was part of the 55th Marine Division of the Pacific Fleet. On December 21, 2022, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced: "In the coastal troops of the Navy, on the basis of existing marine brigades, form five divisions of marines" . The current 155th Marine Brigade (successor to the 165th Marine Regiment of the 55th Marine Division of the Pacific Fleet) is also located in the NMD area. Presumably, in the near future, the 55th Marine Division of the Pacific Fleet will be revived.

https://bmpd-livejournal-com.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en

"Such systematic work will continue," Sergei Shoigu said. "It is important for us that military personnel performing tasks in the zone of a special military operation know that their relatives and friends are under the protection of the state."

Then he suggested discussing how the training of junior specialists in the Armed Forces is being improved. Since the beginning of the special military operation, more than one hundred and twenty thousand servicemen have been trained.

More than twenty–one thousand specialists have been trained directly for groups of troops and newly formed formations and military units, including about five thousand for the use of such high-tech samples as the T-90M "Breakthrough" tanks, BMP-2M with the Berezhok combat module, BMP-3, as well as various unmanned aerial systems devices.

The Minister noted that the training centers not only carry out individual training, but also train crews, crews of tanks and combat vehicles, including for formations and military units formed in new regions.

"Of course," he said, "the load on the educational network has increased significantly recently, but this should in no way affect the quality of the educational process. Training programs need to be adjusted taking into account the experience of a special military operation."

https://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12468294@egNews

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Russian Cossack militias are signing contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense as part of a larger effort to formalize the integration of irregular forces into the structures of the Defense Ministry

Russia forms new army forces for the war in Ukraine - British intelligence.

“Over the past two months, Russia has probably begun to form new large formations to strengthen its ground forces. These include the 25th combined arms army "

https://twitter.com/Cyberspec1/status/1686679781784592384

NOTE: will need further confirmation from Russian sources but the first mention I have seen of the name of the new combined arms army to be formed this year.

There is not much intelligence in the official statements of the Russkie MoD
But we talk about the Brits with James Bond syndrome. They will reinvent the wheel if needed, and carry a deep undercover secret operation to translate official comm from the Russkie MoD Internet site
There are newly formed artillery brigades announced, too. Don't remember the details now, just take a short look into the article.

1.5 mln, I'm telling ya' ...

Hole wrote:Shoigu mentioned 2 Armies and 1 Army Corps in June. Could be the extension of existing units or new ones.
Who knows?   

From various sources there is supposedly the 40th Army Corps being formed in the Southern Military District (in the territory of the 49th Combined Arms Army). The 3rd Army Corps formed last year (in the territory of the 1st Tank Army) plus talk of the 14th Army Corps going to be converted into a Combined Arms Army and now the mention of this 25th Combined Arms Army who knows where... keep the popcorn coming as the dice fall

Heck and I forgot to mention the Army Corps for Karelia plus does the new Leningrad Military District include the mini Northern Military District (it did in the old days)

Do not forget about the Azov Army Corps formed in the south of Ukraine

Conscripts are to remain for only a years service apparently.