List of Soviet Army divisions 1989–1991

This article is an (incomplete) listing of Soviet Ground Forces divisions in 1990, and corresponding information about their later status in 2006.

The Soviets maintained their units at varying degrees of readiness in peacetime, and divided their ground units into two broad readiness categories:


 * Развернутая – Ready (expanded, filled up) A unit was considered Ready, if it could conduct combat operations with little or no mobilisation.
 * Неразвернутая – Not Ready

Some divisions are referred to as 'Reserve' (there is a Russian article for reserve unit at ru:Запасная часть). The Russian word for reserve (ru:Запас) literally translates as 'Spare'. The personnel went on the reserve rolls, and for officers and NCOs this means they add 'v zapase' to their rank (e.g. kapitan v zapase). The unit itself changes readiness status from A, to either B (Б), V (В) or G (Г). This means a higher degree of equipment conservation, lower training and operational performance, etc.

The abbreviation BKhVT means Weapons and Equipment Storage Base.

Mobilisation divisions

 * 250th Reserve Motor Rifle Division (not listed by Holm)
 * 279th Reserve Motor Rifle Division (?)

Tank divisions
Earlier designations of 1989 units include the 27th Guards Tank Division (79 GTD), 33rd Gds TD (15 GTD), and 35th Gds (41st), 10th (1945–57 designation of 34th Tank Division), 15th (later 78th Tank Division).

Tank divisions later reorganised as motor rifle divisions include the 2nd/32nd/66th, which finally became the 277th Motor Rifle Division, and the 61st/13th, which became the 13th Motor Rifle Division in 1957.

Divisions active 1946–59 include the 1st Guards Tank Division (1945–47), 3rd, and the 111th/16th, redesignated as the 16th in 1955 and disbanded in 1957. Heavy tank divisions active 1957–60 include the 5th, and the 17th (1956–60). Divisions active 1945–47 include the 5th (ex 5th Tank Corps), the 11th Tank Division (Gusev, Kaliningrad Oblast), the 18th (1945–47, Gaysin), and the 19th (Ploesti, Romania, and Odesa).

Mobilisation tank divisions included the 69th (Ust-Kamenogorsk), and the 70th–74th Reserve ("Spare") Tank Divisions.

Artillery divisions

 * 2nd Guards Artillery Division, Pushkin, Leningrad Military District, disbanded 1993. Formed on 1 March 1943 from the 4th Artillery Division.
 * 12th Artillery Division, Шелехов/Shelekhov, Transbaikal Military District
 * 15th Guards Artillery Division, Krasnaya Rechka (Khabarovsk), Far East Military District
 * 20th Training Artillery Division, Mulino, Moscow Military District, 468th District Training Center 1987, disbanded 1994
 * 26th Artillery Division, Ternopol, Carpathian Military District (part of 66th Artillery Corps from 1990)
 * 34th Artillery Division, Potsdam, Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (formed 25 June 1945 to 9 July 1945 in Germany)
 * 51st Guards Artillery Division, Osipovichi, Belorussian Military District
 * 55th Artillery Division, Zaporozhia, Odessa Military District
 * 81st Artillery Division, Vinogradov, Carpathian Military District (part of 66th Artillery Corps from 1990)
 * 110th Guards Artillery Division, Buinaksk, North Caucasus Military District
 * 149th Artillery Division, Kaliningrad, Baltic Military District.

Mobilization artillery divisions

 * 67th Artillery Division, Malynivka (Chuhuiv), Kiev Military District, Territorial Training Center 1 December 1987, Equipment Storage Base 1990
 * 70th Artillery Division, Staryya Darohi, Belorussian Military District
 * 71st Artillery Division, Zaporizhia, Odessa Military District, Territorial Training Center 1 December 1987, Equipment Storage Base 1989
 * 72nd Artillery Division, Zhmerynka, Carpathian Military District, Territorial Training Center 1 December 1987, Weapons and Equipment Storage Base 1989
 * 73rd Artillery Division, Divychky, Kiev Military District, Territorial Training Center 1 December 1987, Equipment Storage Base 1990
 * 80th Artillery Division, Krupki, Belorussian Military District, became 1533rd Weapons and Equipment Storage Base 1989

Divisions of the airborne forces

 * 7th Guards Cherkassy Airborne Division (Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR)
 * 76th Guards Chernigov Airborne Division (Pskov, RSFSR)
 * 98th Guards Svir Airborne Division (Bolgrad & Kishinev, Moldovan SSR)
 * 103rd Guards Airborne Division (Vitebsk, Belorussian SSR)
 * 104th Guards Airborne Division (Kirovabad, Azerbaijan SSR)
 * 105th Guards Vienna Airborne Division (disbanded 1979)
 * 106th Guards Tula Airborne Division (Tula, RSFSR)
 * 242nd District Training Centre of the Airborne Forces (Gaižiūnai/Jonava, Lithuanian SSR) created from the 44th Training Airborne Division, 1987.

Rear divisions

 * 228th Rear Division (Mobilization), Moscow, Moscow Military District
 * 229th Rear Division (Mobilization), Vologda, Leningrad Military District
 * 230th Rear Division (Mobilization), Dobele, Baltic Military District
 * 231st Rear Division, Minsk, Belorussian Military District
 * 232nd Rear Division (Mobilization), Slavuta, Carpathian Military District
 * 233rd Rear Division (Mobilization), Khmelnytskyi, Carpathian Military District
 * 234th Rear Division (Mobilization), Tiraspol, Odessa Military District
 * 235th Rear Division (Mobilization), Artemivsk, Kiev Military District
 * 238th Rear Division (Mobilization), Kuybyshev, Volga Military District
 * 239th Rear Division (Mobilization), Volgograd, North Caucasus Military District
 * 240th Rear Division (Mobilization), Sverdlovsk, Ural Military District

Anti-aircraft artillery divisions

 * 61st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division (Mobilization), Dzigovka, Kiev Military District, Weapons and Equipment Storage Base 1990

Anti-aircraft rocket and artillery divisions

 * 61st Anti-Aircraft and Rocket Artillery Division (Mobilization), Dzigovtsy, Carpathian Military District, Weapons and Equipment Storage Base 1989
 * 119th Anti-Aircraft and Rocket Artillery Division (Mobilization), Zhytomyr, Carpathian Military District, Weapons and Equipment Storage Base 1989
 * 141st Anti-Aircraft and Rocket Artillery Division (Mobilization), Cherkasy, Kiev Military District, Territorial Training Center 1987, Weapons and Equipment Storage Base 1989
 * 182nd Anti-Aircraft and Rocket Artillery Division (Mobilization), Kryvyi Rih, Kiev Military District, Territorial Training Center 1987, Weapons and Equipment Storage Base 1989

Divisions disbanded 1945–89

 * Disbanded 1958(?)← 1957 7th MRD<-7th Mech Div <-1946/55← 7th Mech Corps
 * 343 (55) Rifle Division 1946–55, 136 MRD 1957, disbanded 1958
 * Disbanded 1958←137 MRD 1957 ←345 (57) RD 1946–55
 * Disbanded 1959←138 MRD 1957 ←358 (59) RD 1946–55
 * Disbanded 1960←139 MRD 1957 ←349 (60) RD 1946–55
 * Disbanded 1959←140 MRD 1957 ←374 (70) RD 1946–55
 * 34 Ind Motor Rifle Battalion 1962<-71 MRD ←427 MRR 1958 ←376th Mountain Rifle Division ← 48 Ind Rifle Brigade <- 376th Rifle Division
 * Disbanded 1960←143 Gds MRD 1957←72G Mech Div 1946(1955) ←110 GRD
 * Disbanded 1958 < 144 MRD 1957 < 97th Rifle Division 1946 (1955)

Divisions of the Air Forces
List of aviation divisions that existed in the Soviet Air Forces at the beginning of 1989. It includes military formations of the Long-Range Aviation, Military Transport Aviation, Fighter-Bomber Aviation and Fighter Aviation.
 * Notes:
 * 1) The list contains Second World War air divisions, which are the predecessors of the listed formations.
 * 2) The list does not include the 17th Fighter Aviation Division, which, according to some sources, is subordinate to the 73rd Air Army (49th Air Army to 1989) Turkestan Military District, and in others – 12th Independent Air Defence Army.

Divisions of the Internal Troops
Sources: