The 11th Separate Guards Air Assault Orders of Suvorov and Zhukov Brigade is an

air assault Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, such as helicopters, to seize and hold key terrain that has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind enemy l ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

of the

Russian Airborne Forces The Russian Airborne Forces () is the airborne separate combat arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It is a rapid response force and strategic reserve that is under the President of Russia, reporting directly to the Chief of the General Staff, and ...

, currently based at Sosnovy Bor near Ulan Ude in

Buryatia Buryatia, officially the Republic of Buryatia, is a republic of Russia located in the Russian Far East. Formerly part of the Siberian Federal District, it has been administered as part of the Far Eastern Federal District since 2018. To its nort ...

. The brigade was first formed in 1968 as the 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade and two of its helicopter regiments fought in the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic o ...

. Its name and designation was changed several times during its history; in 2015 it received the title Guards from President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

History

The brigade was formed as the 11th Separate Airborne Brigade on 1 August 1968 in Mogocha. Along with the 13th Separate Airborne Brigade, it was the first of many Soviet air assault brigades formed in the Cold War. It was formed from the 1st Battalion of the 113th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 38th Guards Motor Rifle Division, which was renamed the 617th Separate Airborne Assault Battalion. The 696th Helicopter Regiment, 656th Separate Communications Company and the 49th Separate Airfield Technical Support company combined to form the 211th Aviation Group. The 618th and 619th Separate Airborne Assault battalions were formed from two battalions of the 52nd Motorized Rifle Division in

Nizhneudinsk Nizhneudinsk ( rus, Нижнеу́динск, p=nʲɪʐnʲɪˈudʲɪnsk; , ''Doodo-Üde'') is a town and the administrative center of Nizhneudinsky District of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Uda River ( Yenisei's basin), northwest of ...

. The 284th Independent Artillery Battalion was formed in Mogocha during the same month. The 617th, 618th and 619th Separate Airborne Assault Battalions (OVSHB) became air assault battalions (ODSHB) in April 1969. In July 1971, it was renamed the 11th Landing-Assault Brigade (air assault; ODShBr). Between 1981 and 1987, crews from the brigade's 307th and 329th Helicopter Regiments participated in the

attached to the 280th Separate Helicopter Regiment on a one-year rotational basis. On 8 December 1987, the brigade was awarded the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

pennant "for courage and valor" for its performance during exercises in the

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

. By a directive of the Soviet defense ministry, the brigade became the 11th Separate Airborne Brigade and its battalions were renumbered as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Line Paratroop Battalions (PDB) in 1988. In May 1993, the brigade was relocated to

Ulan-Ude Ulan-Ude (; , ; , ) is the capital city of Buryatia, Russia, located about southeast of Lake Baikal on the Uda River, Buryatia, Uda River at its confluence with the Selenga River, Selenga. According to the Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census, 43 ...

. The brigade formed the 226th Separate Squadron Military Transport Aviation in December 1994. The 80th Independent Tank Battalion was added to the brigade and the 1st and 2nd Line Paratroop Battalions became the 498th and 499th Separate Airborne Battalions equipped with

BMP-2 The BMP-2 (''Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty'', , literally "combat machine/vehicle f theinfantry") is an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, following on from the BMP-1 of the 1960s. Development his ...

infantry fighting vehicles in July 1995. The 712th Guards Howitzer Artillery Battalion also became part of the brigade during this period. In February 1996, the 500th Separate Airborne Battalion was formed from the 3rd Line Paratroop Battalion. The 226th Separate Squadron Military Transport Aviation was disbanded in December, and the 80th Independent Tank Battalion in August 1997. On 1 May 1998, the brigade was again renamed the 11th Air Assault Brigade. The brigade's 500th Separate Airborne Battalion was disbanded in 2006. During the Vostok-2010 exercises, the brigade showed military skill, for which it was awarded the pennant "for military valor" of the

. During the same year, the brigade became part of the 36th Army. The brigade was presented with a new flag by

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...

on 24 August 2011. The brigade became part of the

Russian Airborne Troops The Russian Airborne Forces () is the airborne separate combat arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It is a rapid response force and strategic reserve that is under the President of Russia, reporting directly to the Chief of the General Staff, an ...

in December 2013. On 25 March 2015, the brigade was assigned the title 'Guards'. In January 2022, elements of the brigade were reportedly deployed to

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

in the context of the

prelude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine In March and April 2021, prior to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces began massing thousands of personnel and military equipment near Russia's border with Ukraine and in Crimea, representing the largest mobil ...

. The brigade was then employed in the

invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

. On March 7, 2022, the Ukrainian military claimed to have killed Lt. Col. Denis Glebov, deputy commander of the brigade. On October 26, 2023, the brigade was awarded the

Order of Suvorov The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800). History The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet Union, Soviet award established on ...

. On September 18, 2024, the unit was awarded the

Order of Zhukov The Order of Zhukov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation. The order is named in honour of Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov (1896–1974). History The Order of Zhukov was established by Presidential Decree 930 of May ...

. In March 2025, members of the brigade took part in a raid into Ukrainian-occupied territory in

Kursk Oblast Kursk Oblast (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Kursk. As of the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, Kursk Oblast had a pop ...

by traveling through a 15-kilometer gas pipeline and emerging behind Ukrainian lines. This is operation has been credited by the general Apti Alaudinov for having role in the rapid fall of Ukrainian defenses around Sudzha.

Structure

Current

The Russian air assault brigade currently consists of: *Brigade Headquarters *Airborne Battalion *1st Air Assault Battalion *2nd Air Assault Battalion *Howitzer Artillery Battalion ( 122mm D-30) *Anti-Aircraft Missile-Artillery Battery *Anti-Tank Missile Battery *Reconnaissance Battalion *Special Purpose Company *Rifle Company (Snipers) *Control Company *Engineering Company *Landing Support Company *NBC Defense Platoon *Maintenance Company *Material Support Company *Medical Company *Commandant's Platoon *Tank Company * Buryat Battalion

Historical

Battalions were renumbered in 1996, and from 1996 to 2006 the brigade included the 498th, 499th, and 500th Battalions. The 500th Battalion was disbanded in 2006.Holm
11th Independent Landing-Assault Brigade
2015 * 498th Separate Airborne Battalion * 499th Separate Airborne Battalion

Commanders

* Colonel Yuriy Ivanovich Duk (1968 — 1972) * Major General Valentin Aleksandrovich Shmelyov (1972 — 1979) * Colonel Ivan Vasilyevich Kolesnikov (1979 — 1983) * Colonel Albert Grigoryevich Bondar (1983 — 1986) * Colonel Mukhamed Tuchevich Batyrov (1986 — 1989) * Colonel Anatoliy Petrovich Kachanov (1989 — 1991) * Colonel Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Borisov (1991 — 1995) * Colonel Vasiliy Mikhailovich Malyk (1995 — 1998) * Colonel Vladimir Evgenyevich Voronkov (1998 — 2000) * Colonel Nikolai Nikolaevich Gordeyev (2000 — 2002) * Colonel Andrey Evgenyevich Khoptyar (2002 — 2005) * Colonel Vitaliy Aleksandrovich Bronyuk (2005 — 2012) * Guards Colonel Mikhail Nikolaevich Ugolyov (2012 — 2013) * Colonel Oleg Yuryevich Mityaev (2013 — 2015) * Guards Colonel Ruslan Leontyevich Evkodimov (2015 — 2020) * Guards Colonel Denis Nikolayevich Shishov (2020 — 2022) * Guards Colonel Zayan Aleksandrovich Bayanov (c. 2023 – 2024) * Guards Lieutenant Colonel Vitaly Aleksandrovich Laskov (2024 – present)

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* {{Brigades of the Russian Ground Forces Airborne infantry brigades of Russia Military units and formations established in 1968 Military units and formations of Russia in the Russian invasion of Ukraine