The 24th Separate Guards Order of Zhukov Special Forces Brigade () is a special forces (''spetsnaz'') brigade of the

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation 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 comba ...

. It had its origins in a separate company of special designation of the Main Intelligence Directorate (the

GRU Gru is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Despicable Me'' film series. Gru or GRU may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Gru (rapper), Serbian rapper * Gru, an antagonist in '' The Kine Saga'' Organizations Georgia (c ...

). On October 1, 1961, in accordance with the directive of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces No. OSH/2/347491 dated August 26, 1961, the 806th independent Company of Special Designation (or in Western terms Special Forces) (Military Unit 64656) numbering 117 people was formed in the

Transbaikal Military District The Transbaikal Military District () was a military district of first the Soviet Armed Forces and then the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed on 17 May 1935 and included the Buryat Republic, Chita Oblast, and Yakutia. Chita was ...

with direct subordination to the district headquarters. The 24th Spetsnaz Brigade was established on 1 November 1977 at Nara-Byrka (Yasnaya), Chita Oblast, in the

at a former R-16 (SS-7)

Strategic Rocket Forces The Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or the Strategic Missile Forces of the Russian Federation (RVSN RF; ) is a military branch, separate combat arm of the Russian Armed Forces that controls Russia's land-based intercontinenta ...

support site, by expanding the previous company. Initially, only a command team and the 1st Battalion were deployed. In 1980, the 2nd battalion was deployed. In 1988, the brigade was transferred to Kykhta,

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 ...

, in 2002, to Sosnovyy-Bor, Buryatskaya and in 2012 to

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and the Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 1,633,595, making it the most populous city in Siber ...

Structure

* Brigade HQ ** Signals Company ** Special Weapons Company ** Logistics Unit * 281st Special Purpose Detachment * 297th Special Purpose Detachment * 641th Special Purpose Detachment * "Vega" Spetsnaz Detachment

History

Afghanistan

In 1984, the 281st separate special forces unit was formed on the basis of the 24th obrSpN and sent to fight 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 ...

Chechnya

The 281st separate special forces unit fought in the

First Chechen War The First Chechen War, also referred to as the First Russo-Chechen War, was a struggle for independence waged by the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria against the invading Russia, Russian Federation from 1994 to 1996. After a mutually agreed on treaty ...

in 1994-1996.

North Caucasus

The brigade formed a combined unit that conducted reconnaissance and combat operations in the

North Caucasus The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is a subregion in Eastern Europe governed by Russia. It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which separates Europe and Asia. The North Caucasus is bordered by the Sea of Azov and the B ...

from 5 September to 26 December 2000. After a six-month deployment to the

, the detachment (1st b-n) returned to the place of permanent deployment in December 2006. As of October 2012, the combined battalion was deployed to

Ingushetia Ingushetia or Ingushetiya, officially the Republic of Ingushetia, is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. The republic is part of the North Caucasian Federal District, and shares land borders with the country o ...

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

This brigade participated in the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. On 31 May, 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 ...

granted Guard status to the GRU/GU's 24th Spetsnaz Brigade. The brigade reportedly played a key role in the fighting in Lyman. The brigade then participated in the

Pokrovsk offensive The Pokrovsk offensive is an ongoing military operation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Armed Forces with the primary goal of capturing the strategic city of Pokrovsk in western Donetsk Oblast. Fighting increased with the Ru ...

References

{{Russia-mil-stub Spetsnaz brigades of Russia Spetsnaz brigades of the Soviet Union Military units and formations established in 1977 Military units and formations of Russia in the Russian invasion of Ukraine