The 1st Separate Guards Motor Rifle Slavyansk Order of the Republic Brigade (

Military Unit Number A Military Unit Number (Russian: войсковая часть, в/ ч; Ukrainian: військова частина, в/ ч) is a numeric alternate designation for military units in the armed forces and internal troops of post-Soviet ...

08801) is a military unit of

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, ...

. Until January 1, 2023, it was part of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). It is attached to the

51st Guards Combined Arms Army The 51st Guards Combined Arms Donetsk Army (Russian: 51-я гвардейская общевойсковая Донецкая армия) is a military formation of the Russian Ground Forces as part of the Southern Military District, formerly th ...

History

War In Donbas

The brigade was formerly commanded by Igor "Strelkov" Girkin. He was the Minister of Defense of allied separatist militias in the DPR and LPR from 16 May to 14 August 2014. Strelkov's name was later revealed to be Igor Girkin, a

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

-born Russian,

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

veteran and former FSB agent.Russia's Donetsk Proxies Anticipate Ukrainian Siege

Jamestown Foundation The Jamestown Foundation is a Washington, D.C.–based non-partisan defense policy think tank. Founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet defectors, its stated mission is to inform and educate policy makers about events and trends, which ...

, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 11 Issue: 149. 13 August 2014 The brigade took part in the

siege of Sloviansk The siege of Sloviansk was conducted by Ukraine between 12 April 2014 and 5 July 2014. It began when Sloviansk was seized by the fifty-strong unit of heavily-armed Russian militants lead by Russian citizen Igor Girkin. Following three months of ...

, during which time it was known as the 1st Slavyansk Volunteer Battalion. According to Girkin, after the retreat from Sloviansk to

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...

, the forces of the brigade were immediately deployed to Mospyne,

Ilovaisk Ilovaisk (, ; ) is a city in Donetsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine; residence of Ilovaisk urban hromada. The city is ''de facto'' annexed by Russia and administered by the Donetsk People's Republic. The city is known as a major regional ra ...

, and the

Petrovskyi District Petrovskyi District () is an urban district of the city of Donetsk, under the control of the de facto Donetsk People's Republic, named after a Soviet political figure Grigoriy Petrovsky. It was created in 1937. Places File:Donetsk Kirsha Trai ...

, which had all been previously undefended, thus establishing a front line against Ukrainian forces which were threatening the city of Donetsk from the south. In autumn 2014, the 1st Slavyansk Brigade was formed from the 1st Motor Rifle Battalion, the 2nd Slavyansk Motor Rifle Battalion, and the Konstantinovka Battalion of the

Donbass People's Militia Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, primarily the People's Militias of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), were pro-Russian paramilitaries in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. They were under the o ...

. The brigade took part in the 2015 battles for the

Donetsk airport Donetsk Sergei Prokofiev International Airport is a former airport located northwest of Donetsk, Ukraine, that was destroyed in 2014 during the War in Donbas (2014–2022), war in Donbas. It was built in the 1940s, rebuilt in 1973, and then ag ...

and

Debaltseve Debaltseve (, ) or Debaltsevo (), is a city in Horlivka Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, currently occupied by Russia as part of the Donetsk People's Republic. The city is situated on the eastern edge of Donetsk Oblast, and borders Luhansk Oblas ...

. During 2015, the brigade was positioned south of Donetsk. In 2019, a member of the brigade named Vladimir Tsemakh was arrested.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

At the beginning of 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 ...

, the brigade controlled the contact line from

Shyrokyne Shyrokyne (, ) or Shirokino () is a village in the Mariupol Raion of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The village is situated on the shore of the Sea of Azov, about east from the centre of Mariupol. War in Donbas The village became a battleground in ...

to Boikivske (

Telmanove Boikivske (; ) or Telmanove (; ) is a rural settlement in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is located in the industrial Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Its population is The settlement has its roots in the German colony of Ostheim, founded in the m ...

), and was later transferred to the

Avdiivka Avdiivka (, ; , ) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The city is located in the centre of the oblast, just north of the regional centre, Donetsk. The large Avdiivka Coke Plant is located in Avdiivka. The city had a population of before th ...

front. It took part in the capture of Opytne in fall 2022, and the 2024 capture of

. On 12 March 2024, the

Russian Defense Ministry The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (; MOD) is the governing body of the Russian Armed Forces. The President of Russia is the Commander-in-Chief of the forces and directs the activity of the ministry. The Minister of Defence exerci ...

published a video of members of the brigade using artillery to "wipe out" Ukrainian defensive positions in the South Donetsk direction.https://eng.mil.ru/en/special_operation/news/more.htm?id=12504142@egNews In summer 2024, the unit captured the village of Prohres.

Notes

References

{{Brigades of the Russian Ground Forces Military units and formations established in 2014 Military of the Donetsk People's Republic Separatist forces of the war in Donbas