155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade

The 155th Separate Guards Brigade of Naval Infantry (155-я отдельная гвардейская бригада морской пехоты) is a brigade-sized formation of the Russian Naval Infantry. It is located in the city of Vladivostok and the village of Slovianka, Primorsky Krai. It is part of the Pacific Fleet. In Western sources the title is sometimes translated as "Marines."

In 2022 and 2023, the brigade took part in a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, where it fought near Kyiv, Pavlivka, Avdiivka, and Vuhledar.

History
The 155th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade was created on December 1, 2009, by reorganizing the 55th Naval Infantry Division, which was created in 1968.

War in Chechnya
The 155th Separate Marine Brigade performed combat missions in Chechnya during the First Russian-Chechen War. First, the 165th Marine Regiment was sent, followed by the consolidated 106th Marine Regiment, which operated in the foothills and mountainous regions of Chechnya. More than 2,400 servicemen were awarded orders and medals, 63 infantrymen died in battle, and five of them became a Hero of the Russian Federation.

Involvement in Syria
During the Russian intervention in Syria, the 155th brigade provided support and cover to the PKS aviation group as part of the Permanent Operational Unit of the Russian Navy.

2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Starting in 2022, the brigade took part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

On March 13, in a written post on Facebook, Ukrainian journalist Roman Tsymbalyuk reported that units of the 155th Separate Marine Brigade had suffered losses consisting of "about 600 servicemen killed and as many wounded" in the Chernihiv region.

On March 19, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that separate units of the 155th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade and the 40th Naval Infantry Brigade (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) were transferred to the territory of Belarus to replace the losses of the Eastern Military District.

On March 28, President Putin assigned the brigade the rank of guards, at the same time as the 126th Coastal Defense Brigade.

On April 3–4, 2022, units of the Russian Armed Forces were reported to have committed war crimes during the occupation of settlements near Kyiv. The 155th brigade occupied the area of the town of Ivankiv — the village of Rozvazhiv in the Vyshhorod district of the Kyiv region.

In early November 2022, there were reports of heavy losses in the brigade in battles in the Pavlivka area near Vuhledar in the Donetsk region. On November 3, marines of the 155th brigade posted a letter to the Telegram channel of Russian governor Oleg Kozhemyako, describing how they were "thrown into an incomprehensible offensive by General Muradov" and disclose that "about 300 people were killed, wounded, or went missing in 4 days" as a result of the offensive. Additionally, the marines asked for an independent investigation into the matter, not associated with the Ministry of Defense. By late November 2022, the 155th Brigade was reportedly losing a hundred people a day during the assault on Pavlivka.

In early February 2023, the 155th brigade again suffered heavy losses during the offensive on Vuhledar. Video recordings of one combat encounter show nearly 30 Russian combat vehicles being destroyed, including 13 tanks and 12 BMPs. According to the Institute for the Study of War, the footage shows Russian forces engaging in "highly dysfunctional" combat tactics, which is likely an indication that the 155th brigade is made up of poorly trained, freshly mobilized soldiers.

On 24 March 2023, the ISW reported that the brigade had been destroyed and reconstituted eight times so far, including at Vuhledar, where the Ukrainians claimed the entire brigade of 5,000 troops was destroyed.

On 27 February 2024, a HIMARS strike killed 19 Russian soldiers from the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade including a colonel and 2 other ranking officers. The unit commander was also wounded.

2019

 * 59th Naval Infantry Battalion (Slovyanka village)
 * 47th Assault Battalion
 * 287th Self-propelled artillery division (Slovyanka village)
 * 288th Anti-Aircraft Missile Artillery Division