The 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division is a division of the

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...

stationed in

Sakhalin Oblast Sakhalin Oblast ( rus, Сахали́нская о́бласть, r=Sakhalinskaya oblastʹ, p=səxɐˈlʲinskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) comprising the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands in the Russian ...

with administration over the

Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands are a volcanic archipelago administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast in the Russian Far East. The islands stretch approximately northeast from Hokkaido in Japan to Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, separating the ...

. In 2022 the unit participated in the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

First formation

It was first formed as the 184th Red Banner Rifle Division (, abbreviated: 184-я сд) which was a Soviet Red Army division during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(1920s till 1940 – 2nd Division of Lithuania). It was with 29th Rifle Corps of 11th Army on June 22, 1941, as part of the

Baltic Military District The Baltic Military District () was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Baltic states, formed shortly before the German invasion during World War II. After the end of the war the Kaliningrad Oblast was added to the District's co ...

. Most of the soldiers rebelled and joined the cause of the

Lithuanian Activist Front The Lithuanian Activist Front or LAF () was a Lithuanian underground resistance organization established in 1940 after the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states (1940), Soviets occupied Lithuania. Its goal was to free Lithuanian Soviet Socialist ...

. Some of its remnants went to make up the Second Formation of the 16th Rifle Division.

Second formation

Its Second Formation was activated in October 1941, a redesignation of the 4th

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

Rifle Division, which had been active in the Crimea since September 1941. The division fought as part of the

62nd Army The 62nd Army () was a field army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. History The Army was formed on 28 May 1942 as the 7th Reserve Army, a part of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. The formation wa ...

during the Battle of Stalingrad under Colonel Koida from July 17 to September 15, 1942. Among the most notable division members was

Roza Shanina Roza Georgiyevna Shanina (, ; 3 April 1924 – 28 January 1945) was a Soviet sniper during World War II who was credited with over 50 kills. Shanina volunteered for the military after the death of her brother in 1941 and chose to be ...

. On July 12, 1944, the division occupied

Trakai Trakai (; see Trakai#Names and etymology, names section for alternative and historic names) is a city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania or just from the administrative limits of the Lithuanian capi ...

jointly with the 45th Rifle Corps. During the East Prussian Offensive, the division hoisted the

flag of the Soviet Union The State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also simply known as the Soviet flag or the Red Banner, was a Red flag (politics), red flag with two Communist symbolism, communist symbols displayed in the Canton (flag), canton: a gold ...

on the Soviet state border. It was then transferred to the Far East and fought as part of 45th Rifle Corps, 5th Army, during the invasion of Manchuria. During the war the division was part of the 2nd Guards Corps ( 39th Army), 3rd Tank Army, 5th Army,

. It disbanded in 1945-46. Some 12 men of the 184th Division were awarded the title

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

, among them . The 109th Fortified Region had been serving in the Far East. Circa 1946 it became the 18th Machine Gun Artillery Brigade. On June 8, 1946, on the basis of the 184th Rifle Division and the 18th Machine Gun Artillery Brigade, the 18th Machine-Gun Artillery Division was created in Primorski Krai, comprising the: * 38th, * 40th, * and 49th Machine-Gun Artillery Regiments. It was disbanded in 1949.

Third formation

The division was reformed in mid-May 1978 in Knyaze-Volkonskoye,

Khabarovsk Krai Khabarovsk Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (a krai) of Russia. It is located in the Russian Far East and is administratively part of the Far Eastern Federal District. The administrative centre of the krai is the types of ...

, without inheriting the lineage of the previous formation. It was transferred to the Kuril Islands during the summer of 1978.

Defense of the Kuril Islands

The main responsibility for the defense of the Kuril Islands falls to the 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division of the

Eastern Military District The Order of the Red Banner Eastern Military District ( Russian: Восточный военный округ) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction wi ...

. The headquarters of the division are located in Goryachiye Klyuchi on the

Iturup Island Iturup (; ), also historically known by #Names, other names, is an island in the Kuril Archipelago separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. The town of Kurilsk, administrative center of Kurilsky District, is located roughly mi ...

. It also has garrisons on

Kunashir Island Kunashir Island (; ; ), possibly meaning ''Black Island'' or ''Grass Island'' in Ainu, is the southernmost island of the Kuril Islands. The island has been under Russian administration since the end of World War II, when Soviet forces took po ...

and

Shikotan Island Shikotan, also known as Shpanberg or Spanberg, is an island in the Kurils administered by the Russian Federation as part of Yuzhno-Kurilsky District of Sakhalin Oblast. It is claimed by Japan as the titular , organized as part of Nemuro Subpref ...

. The division was previously the only division-strength

military formation Military organization ( AE) or military organisation ( BE) is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. Formal military organization tends to use hierarc ...

remaining in the

Armed Forces of Russia The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Ground Forces, Navy, and Aerospace Forces—two independent com ...

, along with the 201st Military Base in

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

. The division's aging infrastructure is in need of overhaul. There are also Border Guard Service troops stationed on the islands. In case of attack by Japan, the Russian forces on the Kuril Islands are expected to hold out for only one to four days unless they receive support. In 2011, it was reported that the

K-300P Bastion-P The K-300P ''Bastion-P'' (NATO reporting name SS-C-5 Stooge) is a Russian mobile coastal defence missile system. The system was developed together with the Belarusian company '' Tekhnosoyuzproekt''. Design The main role of the Bastion-P is to en ...

system was being deployed in the islands. The division became part of the 68th Army Corps in 2014. In 2022 it was reported that the division had started to receive upgraded T-80BVM main battle tanks as part of its equipment. The division is estimated to have about 3,500 troops under its command and is currently made up of two machine-gun artillery battalions, a motor-rifle battalion, an artillery battalion, a tank company or battalion, one rocket artillery battery, a short-range air defense company, an

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

battalion, and a support company.

Russo-Ukrainian War

In May 2022 it was reported that the 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division was participating in the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

near

Izium Izium or Izyum (, ; ) is a city on the Donets River in Kharkiv Oblast, eastern Ukraine that serves as the administrative center of Izium Raion and Izium urban hromada. It is about southeast of the city of Kharkiv, the oblast's administrative cen ...

. By July 2022, they were reported to be participating in combat near

Sloviansk Sloviansk is a city in Donetsk Oblast, northern part of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. The city was known as ''Tor'' until 1784. While it did not actually belong to the raion itself, Sloviansk served as the administrative center of the S ...

against the defending 81st Airmobile Brigade and a special forces unit from the

National Guard of Ukraine The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU; , ; /NHU ) is the Ukrainian national gendarmerie and internal military force. It is part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, responsible for public security. Originally created as an agency under the dire ...

Commanders

References

* {{Russian divisions 18 Army divisions of the Soviet Union Military units and formations established in 1978 Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner Military units and formations of Russia in the Russian invasion of Ukraine