, alt = Shoulder sleeve patch , caption = Shoulder sleeve patch , dates = 1942–2009
2013 – present , country = , branch = , type = Armored , role = , command_structure =

4th Guards Tank Division The 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Order of Lenin Red Banner Tank Division named after Yuri Andropov (), commonly known as the Kantemirovites, the Kantemirovskaya Division or Kantemir Division, is a Guards armoured division of the Russian Ground F ...

, garrison =

Naro-Fominsk Naro-Fominsk (russian: На́ро-Фоми́нск) is a town and the administrative center of Naro-Fominsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Nara River, southwest from Moscow. Population: History The Fominskoye village was fir ...

, image = 13th Tank Regiment SSI

, equipment = T-80U, T-80UE-1 , battles = *

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatist forces in Donbas, Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since Feb ...

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, decorations = , battle_honours =

Shepetovka Shepetivka ( uk, Шепеті́вка; pl, Szepetówka) is a city located on the Huska River in Khmelnytskyi Oblast (province) in western Ukraine. Shepetivka is the administrative center of Shepetivka Raion (district). It hosts the administrati ...

, battle_honours_label = Honorifics The 13th Guards Tank Shepetovka Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Regiment (; Military Unit Number 32010) is a tank regiment, formerly of the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

and now of the

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...

. The regiment is part of the

, based at

. The regiment was formed during

as the 67th Tank Brigade in 1942 and became the 13th Guards Tank Brigade in 1943. The brigade fought as part of the

4th Guards Tank Corps Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

for the rest of war. The brigade was reorganized as the 13th Guards Tank Regiment when the corps became the 4th Guards Tank Division soon after the end of the war in 1945, and has been stationed at Naro-Fominsk since then. Together with the division, the regiment has played a prominent role in the Moscow Victory Day Parade. The regiment has been committed to the Russian invasion of Ukraine together with its division.

World War II

The regiment traces its history back to the 67th Tank Brigade. Formed in early 1942 near Stalingrad at the Stalingrad Armored Center, Colonel Nikolay Golyas was appointed brigade commander in May. The brigade was assigned to the 17th Tank Corps in June and was sent with the corps to the

60th Army The Red Army's 60th Army was a Soviet field army during the Second World War. It was first formed in reserve in the Moscow Military District in October 1941, but soon was disbanded. It was formed a second time in July 1942, and continued in servic ...

of the Bryansk Front in July, where it saw combat for the first time in the Battle of Voronezh. After rebuilding in the

Reserve of the Supreme High Command The Reserve of the Supreme High Command (Russian: Резерв Верховного Главнокомандования; also known as the '' Stavka'' Reserve or RVGK ( ru , РВГК)) comprises reserve military formations and units; the Sta ...

(RVGK), the corps returned to combat on 5 December in Operation Little Saturn, fighting under the Voronezh and later the Southwestern Front. The brigade and corps joined the 1st Guards Army on 28 December. The brigade was converted into the 13th Guards Tank Brigade on 2 January 1943 when the corps became the

in recognition of its performance during the operation. Golyas was killed in action on the next day and replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Baukov. In February, during the

Third Battle of Kharkov The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by Army Group South of Nazi Germany against the Soviet Red Army, around the city of Kharkov between 19 February and 15 March 1943. Known to ...

, the brigade and corps became part of the operational group of

Markian Popov Markian Mikhaylovich Popov (; 1902–1969) was a Soviet military commander, Army General (26 August 1943), and Hero of the Soviet Union (1965). Early life Markian Popov was born in 1902 in Ust-Medvediskaya in the Don Host Oblast (now Volgograd O ...

. The brigade fought in the battle for

Barvenkovo Barvinkove () or Barvenkovo () is a city in Izium Raion of Kharkiv Oblast of Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to t ...

and on the approaches to Izyum. After the Soviet defeat at Kharkov, the brigade and its corps were withdrawn to the RVGK for rebuilding in March. The brigade and the 4th Guards Tank Corps returned to combat in July with the 27th Army for the

Belgorod–Kharkov offensive operation The Belgorod–Kharkov strategic offensive operation, or simply Belgorod–Kharkov offensive operation, was a Soviet strategic summer offensive that aimed to recapture Belgorod and Kharkov, and destroy the German forces of the 4th Panzer Army a ...

. From December, the corps served with the 60th Army of the

1st Ukrainian Front The 1st Ukrainian Front (Russian: Пéрвый Украи́нский фронт), previously the Voronezh Front (Russian: Воронежский Фронт) was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a ...

. During the Zhitomir–Berdichev offensive, the brigade fought in the capture of Volodarsk and Chervonoarmeysk. For the capture of

in Ukraine during the Rovno–Lutsk offensive, the brigade received the name of the city as an honorific on 17 February 1944. The 13th Guards fought in the capture of

Ternopol Ternópil ( uk, Тернопіль, Ternopil' ; pl, Tarnopol; yi, טאַרנאָפּל, Tarnopl, or ; he, טארנופול (טַרְנוֹפּוֹל), Tarnopol; german: Tarnopol) is a city in the west of Ukraine. Administratively, Ternopi ...

during the Proskurov–Chernovitsy Offensive, and received the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...

for its "fulfillment of combat missions" during the capture of the city on 26 April. In mid-1944 the brigade participated in the Lvov–Sandomierz offensive. Lieutenant Colonel

Semyon Kurkotkin Semyon Konstantinovich Kurkotkin (russian: Семё́н Константи́нович Курко́ткин; 13 February 1917 – 16 September 1990) was a Soviet military commander and a Marshal of the Soviet Union. Born near Moscow, Kurkotkin at ...

became brigade commander in November after Baukov was promoted to corps deputy commander. With the corps, the brigade fought in the Upper Silesian offensive and the Lower Silesian offensive in early 1945, during which it participated in the capture of

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

and

Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...

. With the corps, the brigade was among the vanguard of the Red Army as it approached the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...

during the Berlin Offensive, fought in the taking of

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

, and ended the war in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

during the

Prague offensive The Prague offensive (russian: Пражская стратегическая наступательная операция, Prazhskaya strategicheskaya nastupatel'naya operatsiya, lit=Prague strategic offensive) was the last major military ...

. 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 award established on July 29, 1942 ...

, 2nd class on 26 April for its performance in the destruction of German troops southwest of Oppeln, and the

Order of Kutuzov The Order of Kutuzov (russian: орден Кутузова ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established du ...

, 2nd class on 28 May for its breakthrough of German defenses on the Neisse and the capture of Cottbus, Lübben (Spreewald), Zossen, Beelitz, Luckenwalde, Treuenbrietzen, Zahna, Marienfelde, Trebbin,

Rangsdorf Rangsdorf is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the district of Teltow-Fläming in Brandenburg in Germany. It has an airfield

p to 1940 a genuine commercial airport P, or p, is the sixteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''pee'' (pronounced ), plural ''pees''. History The ...

from where on 20 July 1944 Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg took off ...

, Dietersdorf, and Keltow. Twelve soldiers of the brigade was awarded the title

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

for their actions during the war.

Cold War

After the end of the war, the brigade was reorganized as the 13th Guards Tank Regiment on 3 July 1945 when the 4th Guards Tank Corps became the 4th Guards Tank Division. The regiment was withdrawn to

in the Moscow Military District with the division. The regiment remained based there with the same designation for the entire

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

. The regiment together with other division units participated in the first Red Square parade for the

Day of Tankmen Day of Tankmen (russian: День танкиста) is a professional military holiday in Russia and the former Soviet Union, celebrated every second Sunday of September. It celebrates the service and sacrifices of tank crews and commanders in ar ...

on 2 September 1946; with the 4th Guards Tank Division, it received a prominent role in parades on Red Square displaying the latest military equipment. According to data released in accordance with the

Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe The original Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) was negotiated and concluded during the last years of the Cold War and established comprehensive limits on key categories of conventional military equipment in Europe (from the Atlan ...

on 19 November 1990, the regiment fielded 119

T-80UD The T-80 is a main battle tank (MBT) that was designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union and manufactured in Russia. The T-80 is based on the T-64, while incorporating features from the later T-72. The chief designer of the T-80 was So ...

tanks in addition to five T-64 and three

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet/Russian main battle tanks that entered production in 1969. The T-72 was a development of the T-64, which was troubled by high costs and its reliance on immature developmental technology. About 25,000 T-72 tanks ha ...

, 73

infantry fighting vehicle An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct-fire support. The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forc ...

s (39 BMP-2, 32 BMP-1, and two

BRM-1K This is a complete list of variants and designations of the BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). It is sorted by country of origin. Variants Soviet Union Infantry fighting vehicles * BMP (Ob'yekt 764) – The original main prototype of the ...

), six

BTR-70 The BTR-70 is an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier (russian: бронетранспортер/ ''Bronetransporter'', or literally "Armoured Transporter") originally developed by the Soviet Union during the late 1960s under the manufacturing ...

, 12

2S1 Gvozdika The 2S1 ''Gvozdika'' (russian: link=no, 2С1 «Гвоздика», "Carnation") is a Soviet self-propelled howitzer based on the MT-LBu multi-purpose chassis, mounting a 122 mm 2A18 howitzer. "2S1" is its GRAU designation. An alternative Rus ...

, one PRP-3, three

BMP-1KSh The BMP-1 is a Soviet amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle, in service 1966–present. BMP stands for ''Boyevaya Mashina Pyekhoty 1'' (russian: link=no, Боевая Машина Пехоты 1; БМП-1), meaning "infantry fighting ve ...

, three 1B18, one 1B19, two

R-145BM The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet Union, Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs). It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for the BTR-152 and was seen in public for the first time in 1961. BTR (vehi ...

, BTR-50PUM, one PkhM-4, one MTP-1, two MTU-20, and one MT-LBT.

Russian service

The tanks of the regiment were ordered into Moscow by the coup plotters known as the

State Emergency Committee The State Committee on the State of Emergency (), abbreviated as SCSE (), was a group of eight high-level Soviet officials within the Soviet government, the Communist Party, and the KGB, who attempted a coup d'état against Mikhail Gorbachev on ...

during the

1991 August Coup File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, 1991 Russian presidential election, elected as Russia's first President of Russia, president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated ...

. President

Boris Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin ( rus, Борис Николаевич Ельцин, p=bɐˈrʲis nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtsɨn, a=Ru-Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.ogg; 1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician wh ...

ordered them into Moscow again during the 1993 October Coup, during which they shelled the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

on 4 October. Individual servicemen and elements of the regiment participated in the

First Chechen War The First Chechen War, also known as the First Chechen Campaign,, rmed conflict in the Chechen Republic and on bordering territories of the Russian FederationФедеральный закон № 5-ФЗ от 12 января 1995 (в реда� ...

and the

Second Chechen War The Second Chechen War (russian: Втора́я чече́нская война́, ) took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russia, Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from Augus ...

. During the 2009 reform of the Russian Armed Forces, the 4th Guards Tank Division was reorganized as the 4th Separate Guards Tank Brigade, resulting in the disbandment of the regiment. The regiment was reformed in 2013 when the brigade was expanded into the 4th Guards Tank Division, which became part of the revived

1st Guards Tank Army The 1st Guards Tank Army () is a tank Field army, army of the Russian Ground Forces. The army traces its heritage back to the 1st Tank Army, formed twice in July 1942 and in January 1943 and converted into the 1st Guards Tank Army in January 1 ...

a year later. In 2016,

open-source intelligence Open-source intelligence (OSINT) is the collection and analysis of data gathered from open sources (covert and publicly available sources) to produce actionable intelligence. OSINT is primarily used in national security, law enforcement, and busi ...

data reported that the regiment was equipped with 63 T-80U and 31 T-80UE-1 main battle tanks. A battalion of 30 T-34/85 tanks was added to the regiment in 2019 to participate in the Moscow Victory Day Parade and reenactments, although tank crews conduct live-fire exercises. These tanks were manufactured in Czechoslovakia and donated to Russia by the

Lao People's Army The Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF; lo, ກອງທັບປະຊາຊົນລາວ), is the armed forces of the Lao People's Democratic Republic and the institution of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, who are charged with protectin ...

In mid-2014, elements of the division, including personnel from the regiment, were sent to Ukraine to fight in the War in Donbas. With the rest of the

and 1st Guards Tank Army, the regiment participated in the

, advancing on the Sumy axis. During this period, Sergeant

Vadim Shishimarin Vadim Yevgenievich Shishimarin (russian: Вадим Евгеньевич Шишимарин; born 17 October 2000, in Ust-Ilimsk, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia) is a Russian soldier who was the first person to go on trial for war crimes committed durin ...

, a squad leader of the regiment, shot a civilian in Chupakhivka in response to orders from his superior on 28 February. After his surrender to Ukrainian troops, Shishimarin became the first Russian soldier tried and convicted of war crimes during the war. The regiment was forced to retreat in the

Battle of Trostianets The battle of Trostianets was a military engagement during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The city of Trostianets, in Sumy Oblast, was attacked by Russian forces of the 1st Guards Tank Army in late February as part of the Northeastern Ukr ...

, after which Ukrainian intelligence reported that its commander had shot himself on 26 March, reportedly due to the discovery that 90% of his tank fleet was inoperable due to rampant parts theft. After the Russian retreat from

Sumy Oblast Sumy Oblast ( uk, Сумська́ о́бласть, translit=Sumska oblast; also referred to as Sumshchyna – uk, Су́мщина) is an oblast (province) in the northeastern part of Ukraine. Population: The oblast was created in its most r ...

, the regiment was committed to the Battle of Donbas with the 4th Guards Tank Division and fought in the Battle of Izium. There it has fought in the

Battle of Rubizhne The battle of Rubizhne was a military engagement that started on 15 March 2022 and ended on 12 May 2022 during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, as part of the eastern Ukraine offensive and the battle of Donbas. Background At around 15:0 ...

and the Battle of Sievierodonetsk.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{Cite book , title=Великая Отечественная: Комбриги. Военный биографический словарь. , publisher=Ripol Klassik , year=2019 , isbn=978-5-386-13527-0 , editor-last=Tsapayev , editor-first=D.A. , volume=3 , location=Moscow , language=ru , trans-title=Brigade commanders of the Great Patriotic: Military Biographical Dictionary Military units and formations established in 1945 Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner Armoured units and formations of the Soviet Union Tank regiments of Russia Regiments of the Soviet Union