The brigade traces its origins to the 535th Rifle Regiment, formed in
Chuguev,
Kharkov Oblast, Ukraine, in July 1940. From August 8, 1941, to September 14, 1941, the regiment, part of the
127th Rifle Division, participated in
battles near Yelnya. On September 18, 1941, for the courage and valor of its personnel, the
regiment and the remainder of the division became a
Guards unit, the division becoming the
2nd Guards Rifle Division.
Atamyrat Niyazov, the father of the first post-Soviet
President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Niyazov, reportedly volunteered to go to the front with the 535th Rifle Regiment during World War II. According to post-Soviet official Turkmen sources, surrounding his son's personality cult, he was killed on 24 December 1942 during the
Battle of the Caucasus. In 1947, a new branch of troops appeared in the
Soviet Ground Forces - motorized rifle and mechanized troops. At the same time, the regiment was renamed the 6th Guards Motorized Rifle Sevastopol Red Banner Regiment. Initially, the troops received American
armoured personnel carriers and
Studebaker trucks. During the first half of 1947, the regiment was fully equipped with wheeled and tracked vehicles and weapons. A vehicle fleet, technical and repair bases, and fuel and lubricants warehouses began to be created. By the summer, the
Soviet General Staff had developed a draft of new Combat and Field Manuals for the Ground Forces, more in line with the post-war era. The unit served as the 404th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment (404th GMRR) from 1957 until the early 1980s, and in 1982 was given the honorific title "named for the 60th anniversary of the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics", celebrated that year. After many years of service as a regiment, the brigade was activated when on 1 June 1983, in
Teplyy Stan, Moscow Oblast, the 27th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade was established from the former 404th GMRR. It was briefly transferred to the
Soviet Border Troops in 1990–91 before reverting to army control. during the
2020 Moscow Victory Day Parade.|alt= It is now part of the reformed
1st Guards Tank Army after 2014. Sutyagin and Bronk wrote in 2017 that the brigade had a regime security function. According to
Radio Liberty, the 27th Brigade experienced heavy losses near the city of
Sumy during the first days of the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. The brigade crossed into Ukraine through
Kursk Oblast and
Belgorod Oblast. According to the testimony of Russian prisoners-of-war from the unit, they were tasked with establishing checkpoints around the city of Sumy, checking passing vehicles for weapons, and ensuring the unimpeded passage of Russian military vehicles. A number of soldiers from the 27th Brigade were captured by Ukrainian
territorial defense forces. After the retreat, the 27th Brigade took up positions in the
Svatove–
Kreminna area in the northwestern
Luhansk Oblast. In April 2025, it was reported that the 27th Brigade was operating near
Zapadne in the
Kharkiv region. Elements of the 27th Brigade reportedly took part in the June capture of and , as well as the recapture of Kindrashivka in August. The 27th Brigade reportedly continued operating on the
Kupiansk front into October 2025; the brigade was among the units credited by the Russian ministry of defense with the supposed capture of
Kupiansk the next month. ==Composition==