| 15th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Russian:15-я отдельная гвардейская мотострелковая бригада | |
 Shoulder sleeve insignia | |
| Active | 1 February 2005–Present |
| Country |  Russia |
| Branch |  Russian Ground Forces |
| Type | Mechanized infantry |
| Role | Peacekeeping |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | 2nd Guards Combined Arms Army,Central Military District |
| Garrison/HQ | Roshchinsky,Volzhsky District, Samara Oblast MUN 90600 |
| Nickname | Black Hussars |
| Equipment | Torn-MDM radio intelligence system[1] |
| Engagements | United Nations peacekeeping Abkhaz–Georgian conflict 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war Russo-Ukrainian War |
| Decorations |  Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class |
| Battle honours |  Guards |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Lieutenant Colonel Andrei Sergeevich Marushkin |
| Insignia | |
| Unit badge |  |
The15th Guards Motor Rifle Alexandria (Peacekeeping) Brigade (Russian:15-я отдельная гвардейская мотострелковая Александрийская бригада (миротворческая),romanized: 15-ya otdel'naya gvardeyskaya motostrelkovaya Aleksandriyskaya brigada (mirotvorcheskaya)),Military Unit Number 90600, is a unit in theRussian Ground Forces. It is the only named peacekeeping brigade in theRussian Armed Forces. The formation is part of the2nd Guards Combined Arms Army of theCentral Military District. It is based inRoshchinsky inVolzhsky District ofSamara Oblast.[2]
Its former honorifics were Berlin Red BannerOrder of Kutuzov.
The predecessor of the brigade is the 76th Guards Rifle Regiment, which was repeatedly renamed and reorganized.
The regiment traces its history back to the 75th Naval Rifle Brigade, formed during theGreat Patriotic War from 29 October 1941[3] to December 1941,[4] inNovokazalinsk in theKazakh Soviet Socialist Republic.
On 17 March 1942, by order of thePeople's Commissar of Defence (NKO USSR) No. 78, the 75th Naval Rifle Brigade was awarded aGuards title, and on 18 March 1942 converted into the 3rd Guards Rifle Brigade.[4] However, two months later, in May 1942, the brigade was reorganized into the27th Guards Rifle Division,[5] and all the units, formed as part of this military formation, as well as the division itself, inherit the Guards honorary name of their "ancestor" - the 3rd Guards Rifle Brigade.
One of these guards military units was the 76th Guards Rifle Regiment, formed in the same period as part of the 27th Guards Rifle Division, on the basis of one of the rifle battalions of the former 3rd Guards Rifle Brigade. Subsequently, for the courage and heroism shown by its personnel during theBattle of Berlin, on 11 June 1945 the regiment was awarded the honorary title "Berlin."[6]
On 5 October 1945 it is transformed into the 69th Guards Mechanised Berlin Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Regiment; and in 1957 into the 243rd Guards Motor Rifle Berlin Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Regiment (Military Unit Number 47290). With the 27th Guards Rifle Division, from 1957 the 27th Guards Motor Rifle Division, it served for decades inEast Germany as part of the8th Guards Army,Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.
In 1991, the27th Guards Motor Rifle Division was withdrawn from theWestern Group of Forces and redeployed toTotskoye in theVolga-Ural Military District. On 17 June 1991 the 243rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment was renamed as the 589th Guards Motor Rifle Berlin Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Regiment (Military Unit Number 32056), as part of the same 27th Guards Motor Rifle Division.
The current brigade was formed on 1 February 2005 by redesignation of the 589th Guards MRR, in accordance with a directive of Minister of DefenceSergei Ivanov given on 30 December 2004. It was designed to participate in international peace and security missions under the auspices of theUnited Nations.[7] From December 2005 to November 2008, the peacekeeping brigade carried out tasks of maintaining peace in the zone of theAbkhaz–Georgian conflict.[8] Servicemen of the brigade have also been part of the peacekeeping contingents by decision of thePresident of Russia under theCommonwealth of Independent States, theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and theShanghai Cooperation Organisation. Reported to have reached 100% contract service composition in 2005. In April 2008 the brigade was visited by theMinister of Defence of Japan. In August 2008 one unit took part in theRusso-Georgian War.
In 2011, the brigade was presented with a new type of battle banner.[3] On 4 November 2019, the brigade was given the honorary title Alexandria, and a copy of the regimental standard of the5th Alexandria Hussar Regiment of the5th Cavalry Division of theImperial Russian Army was awarded to the brigade.[9] The title makes it one of several Armed Forces formations that honor formations of the Imperial era, and its Soviet-era honorifics were removed.[10]
The brigade was awarded the honoraryGuards title on 9 May 2022 in celebration ofVictory Day for its "mass courage and heroism in the defense of the fatherland and state interests in military conflicts," the new title being 15th Separate Guards Alexandriyskaya Motor Rifle Brigade.[11][12]
In 2014, reports from open sources claimed the presence of servicemen from the brigade in theDonbas during theRusso-Ukrainian War and thewar in Donbas.[13][14][15][16] In August, units of the brigade reportedly took part in the battles nearGeorgiyivka in the Lutuhyne Raion.[17] At a briefing on 11 March 2015, theATO headquarters stated that units of the 15th brigade were operating in theLuhansk Oblast, and on 17 April, theChief of the Ukrainian General StaffViktor Muzhenko, stated that units of the 15th brigade remained in the oblast. In October 2016, reports from open sources claimed the presence of servicemen from the brigade in theDonbas.[18]
Reportedly, members of the brigade have taken part in theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[19][20]
At thebattle of Avdiivka the unit gained prominence for destroying an American M1Abrams tank.[21] TheLancet drone andFPV drone operators getting most of the credit for the destruction of the Abrams tank.[22]
In November 2020, after apeace agreement endingthe war over the region, servicemen from the brigade were deployed toNagorno-Karabakh to keep the peace.[23] In the agreement, 1,960 servicemen of the brigade were to be sent to the region, leaving fromUlyanovsk Vostochny Airport on aIl-76 military transport aircraft.[24] Outside of the servicemen, 90 armored personnel carriers and 380 units of automobile and special equipment were sent with the brigade. The command of the Russian peacekeeping forces was also established in the Karabakh capital ofStepanakert.[25][26][27] On 11 November 2020, Lieutenant GeneralRustam Muradov was appointed the commander of the peacekeeping forces.[28] On 13 December, the brigade's peacekeeping contingent took control ofHin Tagher.[29]
In early 2021, Azerbaijani authorities accused the unit of "a pro-Armenia attitude, instead of taking the required neutral stance for the implementation of the peace agreement." Particularly, General Muradov's meeting with senior Artsakh figures, and the presence of the Artsakh flag at Muradov's meetings had resulted in negative reactions from the Azerbaijanis.[30]
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The brigade is fully composed by contractservicemembers.
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 Brigades of theRussian Ground Forces | |||||
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| Motor rifle |
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| Tank | |||||
| Artillery |
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| Anti-aircraft missile | |||||
| Rocket | |||||
| Engineer | |||||
| NBC protection | |||||
| Signal | |||||
| Logistics |
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| Reconnaissance | |||||
| Other | |||||
Currently inactive units marked initalics. Guards units marked inbold. | |||||