The 2nd Guards M. I. Kalinin Taman Motor Rifle Division (russian: 2-я гвардейская мотострелковая Таманская ордена Октябрьской Революции Краснознаменная ордена Суворова дивизия имени М. И. Калинина, translit=2-ya gvardeyskaya motostrelkovaya Tamanskaya ordena Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii Krasnoznamennaya ordena Suvorova diviziya imeni M. I. Kalinina), commonly known as the Tamanians or Taman Division, is a Guards mechanised infantry

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military * Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the

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

. Its

Military Unit Number A Military Unit Number (Russian: Войсковая часть) is a numeric alternate designation for military units in the armed forces and internal troops of post-Soviet states, originally used by those of the Soviet Union. For ground forces t ...

(V/Ch) is 23626. The 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division was formed in 1941, seeing extensive combat during

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

for which it became one of the most famous and decorated formations in the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

military. It was named in honor of

Mikhail Kalinin Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin (russian: link=no, Михаи́л Ива́нович Кали́нин ; 3 June 1946), known familiarly by Soviet citizens as "Kalinych", was a Soviet politician and Old Bolshevik revolutionary. He served as head of s ...

and the town of Taman, remaining intact until it was disbanded in 2009, before being reformed in 2013. Since 2016, it is part of the

1st Guards Tank Army The 1st Guards Tank Army () is a tank 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 1944. The arm ...

of the

Western Military District The Western Military District (russian: Западный военный округ, Zapadnyy voyennyy okrug) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction prima ...

, and most of its units are based in the town of

Kalininets Kalininets (russian: Кали́нинец) is an urban locality (a work settlement) in the Naro-Fominsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia. The town's name is a derivative form an unofficial name for a soldier of Taman Division, which is in turn ...

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast ( rus, Моско́вская о́бласть, r=Moskovskaya oblast', p=mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ), or Podmoskovye ( rus, Подмоско́вье, p=pədmɐˈskovʲjə, literally " under Moscow"), is a federal subject of R ...

, south-west of

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. The division took part in the

Northeastern Ukraine offensive The northeastern Ukraine campaign was a theatre of operation from 24 February to 8 April 2022 in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine for control of two provinces (oblasts) in Ukraine — Chernihiv Oblast and Sumy Oblast. On 4 April 2022, Ukr ...

of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, notably in the failed

Siege of Chernihiv The siege of Chernihiv was a military engagement in the city of Chernihiv, in Chernihiv Oblast in the north of Ukraine. It began on 24 February 2022, as part of the northeastern Ukraine offensive, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. On ...

History

The 127th Rifle Division was formed 8 June 1940 in

Soviet occupation of the Baltic states (1940) The Soviet occupation of the Baltic states covers the period from the Soviet–Baltic mutual assistance pacts in 1939, to their invasion and annexation in 1940, to the mass deportations of 1941. In September and October 1939 the Soviet governme ...

. The division was initially garrisoning

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Chuhuiv Chuhuiv ( uk, Чугуїв) or Chuguev (russian: Чугуев) is a city in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Chuhuiv Raion (district). It hosts the administration of Chuhuiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of ...

and

Bohodukhiv left Bohodukhiv ( uk, Богодухів, russian: Богодухов - ''Bogodukhov'') is a city in Kharkiv Oblast (province) of eastern Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of Bohodukhiv Raion (district). Bohodukhiv hosts the administratio ...

. It was transferred to

Rzhyshchiv Rzhyshchiv (, ; russian: Ржищев; yi, אירזיסטשוב, Irzistshub, also known by several alternative names; pl, Rzyszczów) is a city in Obukhiv Raion, Kyiv Oblast (province) of Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Rzhyshchiv urban ...

in May 1941. The 127th Rifle Division was with 19th Army's

25th Rifle Corps The 25th Army Corps was an army corps of the Soviet Ground Forces active from 1957–1960 and 1980–89. In its first period of existence it was in the Odessa Military District, and in its second period of existence it garrisoned the remote Kamch ...

, along with 134th and 162nd Rifle Divisions on June 22, 1941. It formed part of the High Command reserve. By August, it was with the Front troops of the Soviet Reserve Front. After the other division of the 25th Rifle Corps (134th and 162nd) were shattered on arrival to south-east outskirts of

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest ci ...

during 11–16 July 1941, the 127th was re-routed to south-east of

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...

and reassigned to the

34th Rifle Corps The 34th Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the 19th Army. It took part in the Great Patriotic War. Organization * 129th Rifle Division * 158th Rifle Division * 171st Rifle Division Commanders * Divisional comma ...

. At that time, the 535th Rifle Regiment has lost its way and ended up being incorporated into the

Leningrad Front The Leningrad Front (russian: Ленинградский фронт) was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941. ...

. On 4 August 1941, the 127th Division traversed the

Dnieper River } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukrain ...

13 km south of

Yartsevo Yartsevo (russian: Ярцево) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Yartsevo, Smolensk Oblast, a town in Yartsevsky District of Smolensk Oblast; administratively incorporated as Yartsevskoye Urban Settlement ...

as part of the general Soviet retreat. Afterwards, it was relieved of front line duty and sent to

Dorogobuzh Dorogobuzh (russian: Дорогобуж) is a historic town and the administrative center of Dorogobuzhsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, straddling the Dnieper River and located east of Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast. ...

for replenishment, where it received the 875th Rifle Regiment from the 158th Rifle Division.

As the 2nd Guards Rifle Division

For distinguished combat service, the division was renamed as the 2nd Guards Rifle Division on 18 September 1941, attaining "Guards" status. At the end of September 1941, it fought in

Hlukhiv Hlukhiv ( uk, Глу́хів, ) or Glukhov (russian: Глухов, translit=Glukhov) is a small historic town on the Esman River. It is a city of regional significance in the Sumy region of Ukraine. Hlukhiv is administratively incorporated as ...

area, retreating toward Kleven river as part of General Arkady Yermakov's operational group of the

Bryansk Front The Bryansk Front (russian: Брянский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. First Formation (August - November 1941) General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it first fo ...

. Transferred to the

Kursk Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German str ...

area on 3 October 1941, it fought a defensive battle around the town of Tim. On 22 December 1941, the division started to advance during the

Winter Campaign of 1941–42 Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures de ...

. Acting together with the

1st Guards Rifle Division First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

and

87th Rifle Division The 87th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, active before, during the Second World War and afterwards. First formation It formed in the first half of 1936 in the Kiev Military District as the personnel division for the defe ...

, it advanced through Cheremisinovo and Sovetsky districts of the

Kursk Oblast Kursk Oblast ( rus, Курская область, r=Kurskaya oblast, p=ˈkurskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Kursk. As of the 2010 Census, Kursk Oblast has a population ...

. By 28 January 1942, the division was located in

Stary Oskol Stary Oskol ( rus, Старый Оскол, p=ˈstarɨj ɐˈskol) is a city in Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located south of Moscow. Population: It is called Stary Oskol (Old Oskol) to distinguish it from Novy Oskol (New Oskol) 60 km south. B ...

As the 2nd Guards Tamanskaya (Motor) Rifle Division

After participating in the Novorossiysk-Taman offensive in September–October 1943, the division was renamed to 2nd Guards (Tamanskaya) Motor Rifle Division after the city of

Taman, Russia Taman (russian: Тамань) is a rural locality (a '' stanitsa'') in Temryuksky District of Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the coast of the Taman Bay. It is the administrative center of the Taman rural settlement. Its population was reco ...

. Starting from 3 November 1943, the division acted in the spearhead of Kerch-Eltigen Operation in northern Yenikale (Ganikale) beachhead, under the command of the 56th Army. During the

Crimean Offensive The Crimean offensive (8 April – 12 May 1944), known in German sources as the Battle of the Crimea, was a series of offensives by the Red Army directed at the German-held Crimea. The Red Army's 4th Ukrainian Front engaged the German 17th Ar ...

the division captured the city of

Alushta Alushta ( uk, Алушта; crh, Aluşta; ) is a city of regional significance on the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula which is within the Republic of Crimea, an internationally recognized ''de jure'' part of Ukraine, but since 2014 a ''de ...

on 15 April 1944, acting under the command of the

Separate Coastal Army The Separate Coastal Army (russian: Приморская армия), also translated to English as Independent Coastal Army, was an army-level unit in the Red Army that fought in World War II. It was established on July 18, 1941, by the order o ...

. 19 May 1944 it was relieved from the front line duty, reassigned to the Soviet Strategic Reserve,

2nd Guards Army The 2nd Guards Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army that fought in World War II, most notably at Stalingrad. History The 2nd Guards Army was formed according to the order of the Staff of the Supreme High Command (Stavka) from Oc ...

and transferred to

for replenishment. It restarted combat operations 8 July 1944 after the

was given to the

1st Baltic Front The First Baltic Front ( Russian: Пéрвый Прибалтийский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. It was commanded by Army General Andrey Yeryomenko, succeeded by Army General Bagramyan. It ...

. The division participated in

Šiauliai Offensive The Šiauliai offensive (russian: Шяуляйская наступательная) was an operation of the Soviet forces of the 1st Baltic Front, commanded by General Hovhannes Bagramyan, conducted from July 5 to August 29, 1944, during the Se ...

and later in October 1944 – in

Battle of Memel The Battle of Memel or the siege of Memel (german: Erste Kurlandschlacht) was a battle which took place on the Eastern Front during World War II. The battle began when the Red Army launched its ''Memel offensive operation'' (russian: Мемел ...

. In December 1944, the entire army including the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division was transferred to

3rd Belorussian Front The 3rd Belorussian Front () was a Front of the Red Army during the Second World War. The 3rd Belorussian Front was created on 24 April 1944 from forces previously assigned to the Western Front. Over 381 days in combat, the 3rd Belorussian Front ...

and participated in the East Prussian Offensive, ending the war in middle April 1945 on the Baltic Sea coast north of

Primorsk Primorsk may refer to: * Dənizkənarı, Azerbaijan, formerly called Primorsk * Primorsk, Leningrad Oblast, a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, formerly Koivisto or Björkö * Primorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Kaliningrad Ob ...

. In September 1945, while it was serving with the 11th Guards Rifle Corps, the division was moved back into the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military ...

Postwar

On 2 July 1946, the division received the honorific "named after M. I. Kalinin." The division was called to

for security duties following the death of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

on 5 March 1953. In December 1953, the division was renamed to 23rd Guards Tamanskaya Mechanised Division, and it joined the

1st Guards Rifle Corps The 1st Guards Special Rifle Corps ( Russian: 1-й особый гвардейский стрелковый корпус ''1-ĭ osobyĭ gvardyeĭskiĭ strelkovyĭ korpus'') was a hastily formed Red Army blocking formation active briefly in 1941, ...

. In March 1957, the division was renamed to 23rd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division. In November 1964, the division was renamed to 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division. On 4 May 1990 the 406th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment reverted to its

Second World War 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

number as the 15th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment. The same year the 73rd Guards MRR returned to its Second World War numbering, becoming the 1st Guards Motor Rifle Regiment.

From 1991

The division has played a prominent role in two of the major political crises of recent Soviet and Russian history. In 1991, it was one of the divisions deployed in Moscow as part of the hardline coup attempt against the

President Mikhail Gorbachev; however, it was a

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful e ...

unit attached to the division that switched sides at the decisive point in the coup's course.

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 ...

delivered a speech standing on top of tank no. 110, strengthening his own position significantly, both domestically and abroad. Soviet soldier DN-SC-92-04942

Two years later, the division once again came to Yeltsin's rescue, during the

1993 Russian constitutional crisis The 1993 Russian constitutional crisis, also known as the 1993 October Coup, Black October, the Shooting of the White House or Ukaz 1400, was a War of Laws#Issues in a new Russia, political stand-off and a constitutional crisis between the Pr ...

. The stand-off between the

Russian Parliament The Federal Assembly ( rus, Федера́льное Собра́ние, r=Federalnoye Sobraniye, p=fʲɪdʲɪˈralʲnəjə sɐˈbranʲɪjə) is the national legislature of the Russian Federation, according to the Constitution of the Russian F ...

and Yeltsin, against the backdrop of massive public demonstrations in

against Yeltsin's government, had by 2 October brought Russia to the brink of

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

. Between 2 and 4 October, the army considered its position. By sunrise of the 4th, they had given their support to Yeltsin. That day, tanks from the Tamanskaya Division opened fire on the Parliament building, where the Parliament's supporters were barricaded. This episode consolidated Yeltsin's power; it was the deadliest

street fighting Street fighting is hand-to-hand combat in public places, between individuals or groups of people. The venue is usually a public place (e.g. a street) and the fight sometimes results in serious injury or occasionally even death. Some street fig ...

in Moscow since 1917. Around 1998-2000, the division numbered around 12,000 soldiers. Since then, the division has seen service in Chechnya: it is known to have contributed to the force that brought the republic back under Russian control in 1999 and 2000, during 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 Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from August 1999 ...

. A 'tactical group' from the

15th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment The 15th Guards Motorized Rifle Shavlinsky Order of Lenin, Red Banner Regiment (15 Guards MSP), () is a motor rifle regiment of the Russian Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Its Military Unit Number 31134 (military u ...

deployed to Chechnya in early 2000, serving in the south of the republic and the Argun Gorge after the end of major combat operations to maintain security. In 2004, it was visited by a delegation of foreign military attaches. The Kalininets base has also recently provided the venue for the

Miss Russian Army {{Inline, date=April 2017 Miss Russian Army is a beauty contest held by the Russian Ground Forces in which female soldiers compete for a title of the same name. It is admittedly staged for the purposes of increasing interest in and recruitment for ...

contest. The division was located near

Aprelevka