| 69th Guards Motor Rifle Division (2024–present) 138th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (1997–2024) 45th Guards Motor Rifle Division (1957 – 1997) 45th Guards Rifle Division (1942 – 1957) 70th Rifle Division (1934 – 1942) | |
|---|---|
| Russian:69-я гвардейская мотострелковая Красносельская ордена Ленина, Краснознамённая дивизия | |
 | |
| Active | 1934–present |
| Country |  Soviet Union (1934–1991) Russia (1991–present) |
| Branch | .svg) Soviet Army (until 1991) Russian Ground Forces (1991–present) |
| Type | Mechanized infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Part of | 6th Combined Arms Army Leningrad Military District |
| Garrison/HQ | Kamenka,Leningrad Oblast;MUN 02511 |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations | |
| Battle honours | Krasnoe Selo |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel (Guards) Sergei Maksimov |
The69th Guards Motor Rifle Krasnoe Selo Order of Lenin Red Banner Division (Russian:69-я гвардейская мотострелковая Красносельская ордена Ленина, Краснознамённая дивизия,MUN 02511) is aformation of theRussian Ground Forces. It is stationed in theLeningrad Military District, in the village ofKamenka, Vyborgsky District, Leningrad Oblast. It includes various components: air defense, artillery battalion, infantry and tank battalions. The late brigade was expanded into the 69th Guards Motor Rifle Division in May 2024.[1]
The division traces its history to the70th Territorial Rifle Division formed inKuibyshev in 1934.[2] After 22nd June 1941, the division fought nearLeningrad, inEstonia andKurland. The division was with the6th Guards Army of the Kurland Group,Leningrad Front in May 1942. On 16 October 1942, for holding the "Nevsky Pyatachok", it was transformed into the 45th Guards Order of Lenin Rifle Division (45th Guards Rifle Division).[2]
On January 19, 1944, in heavy fighting, it captured the settlement ofKrasnoe Selo and played a decisive role in lifting thesiege of Leningrad during theRed Armyoffensive.[3] Later in 1945, the 45th Guards Division liberatedVyborg and participated in the operation to destroyArmy Group Courland in theCourland Pocket of Latvia. During the Great Patriotic War, 20 soldiers of the division became Heroes of the Soviet Union.[2]
In 1944, the 45th Guards Rifle Division was located in the village ofKaukyarvi in the Vyborg District on the formerMannerheim Line, which was stormed by units of the 45th Division during theSoviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940 andContinuation War. It was part of the30th Guards Leningrad Red Banner Rifle Corps for the rest of the existence of the USSR.
On 25 June 1957 the 45th Guards Rifle Division became the 45th Guards Motor Rifle Division.[4] In 1992, the division received peacekeeping status. After that, the division's peacekeeping battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Kremlev, spent 5 months in thePridnestrovian Moldavian Republic in the area ofDubossary andRybnitsa.[2] Between 1992 and 1994, it carried out peacekeeping and separation missions in theGeorgian-Abkhazian,Georgian-Ossetian armed conflicts,Yugoslav War and thecivil war in Tajikistan.
In 1994–1995, soldiers of the 45th Guards Motor Rifle Division took part in theFirst Chechen War. Guardsmen of the 129th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment with 80 tanks under the command of Guards Colonel Alexander Borisov and the 133rd Separate Guards Tank Battalion carried out tasks to restore constitutional order. The fiercest clashes took place inBattle of Grozny andKhankala.[2]
In December 1997, in connection with the military reform of theRussian Armed Forces, the newMinister of DefenseIgor Sergeyev created from the 45th Guards Motor Rifle Division the 138th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Krasnoselskaya Order of Lenin, Red Banner Brigade, which inherited the orders, honorary titles, historical form, military glory and all the traditions of the unit.[2][5]
In 1999-2000, the brigade, as part of the Zapad group, operated in theSecond Chechen War. In early February 2000, units of the brigade blocked the village ofKatyr-Yurt in theAchkhoy-Martan district during Operation Wolf Hunt, which involved pursuing the surviving gangs after thestorm of Grozny. The brigade then proceeded through the Asinovskoye Gorge further south into the mountainous terrain.
The brigade was deployed in other operations during the war, in which, along with otherRussian Ground Forces units, its personnel was reported to have behaved badly at times.[6] A 22-year-old woman in Ingushetia was shot by drunken soldiers from the brigade scavenging for alcohol. The deployment of a tank battalion of the brigade was apparently halted when it was discovered that soldiers had been selling the explosive from their tanks'reactive armour. For both Chechen wars, four fighters of the 138th Brigade were awarded the titleHero of Russia.[2]
In March 2010 Leningrad Military District commander General LieutenantNikolai Bogdanovsky said, regarding problems with the command and violence in the 138th at Kamenka:[7]". . . we haven't managed to complete fully tasks connected with discipline–in particular, in the 138th Kamenka Brigade the commander, chief of staff, and assistants for armaments and socialization work were dismissed because of events there. Now the situation is normalising, we are trying not to repeat past mistakes." Since 1 September 2010, in connection with the liquidation of theLeningrad Military District, it has become part of the newly createdWestern Military District.
Since February 2022, the 138th Brigade has taken part in theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[8] According toHelsingin Sanomat, social media sources claim the brigade with two battle groups of approximately 800 men was fighting inbattle of Kharkiv. Local inhabitants of Kamenka interviewed byHelsingin Sanomat claim the brigade has suffered losses and hundreds of soldiers were wounded, with 270 being hospitalized and another 80 being moved to hospitals; however, the paper was unable to verify the claims.[9]
On 20 March 2022, Ukraine claimed that 10 servicemen in the 138th were being investigated for refusing to fight and encouraging others in the unit to return home.[10] Elements of the brigade were routed in thebattle of Kharkiv and were withdrawn into Russia.[11] At the end of 2023, the brigade was in the north of theLuhansk Oblast, participating in thedefense of Kreminna and in the attempts of Russian forces to attack onKupyansk.[12]
On 1 May 2024, the 138th Brigade was transformed into the69th Guards Motor Rifle Krasnoselskaya Order of Lenin, Red Banner Division while retaining the historical form, honorary name, awards and military glory.[13] It has been reported that the division was deployed to fight in the2024 Kharkiv offensive and inVovchansk.[14][1]
Lieutenant ColonelGerasimov, Vadim Sergeevich, commander of a motorized rifle battalion, 2022, (posthumous). GuardsSenior LieutenantEfimov, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich, deputy company commander of a reconnaissance battalion, 2022, (posthumous). GuardsSenior LieutenantSorokin, Oleg Gennadyevich, deputy commander of the 4th motorized rifle company for military-political work of the 2nd motorized rifle battalion, 2023, (posthumous). GuardsSenior LieutenantPaschenko, Aleksey Sergeevich, Deputy Company Commander, 2023 (posthumously)..svg) Divisions of theRussian Armed Forces | |||
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| Airborne | |||
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| Motor rifle | |||
| Rocket | |||
| Aviation | |||
| Air defense | |||
| Unique | |||
| Naval |
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| Naval aviation | |||
Guards units marked inbold. | |||
