The 4th Division was formed on 28 September 1943 by order of the NKVD. It was formed in the
Krasnodar Territory from soldiers of the NKVD's Internal Troops Directorate in the
North Caucasus Military District. The division's headquarters was established in the city of
Krasnodar. The division took part in regular army operations during several time periods, the first of which lasted from October to December 1943. During these periods, the division was responsible for protecting the rear of several
fronts, namely the
North Caucasian,
1st Baltic,
2nd and
3rd Belorussian Fronts. In this capacity, the division was responsible for protecting communications lines, maintaining law and order in recaptured territory, and combating enemy sabotage and reconnaissance.
1944 January–February: Deportations of the Chechens and Ingush After the first period of activation, the division was sent to
Chechnya. In January and February 1944, it performed service and combat missions in the region, with the main force operating around the city of
Grozny and the
137th Rifle Regiment in the village of
Sunzha. Beginning on 23 February, the division began taking part in the
deportation of native
Chechens and
Ingush from the
Checheno-Ingush SSR to
Kazakhstan. On 20 March, on the completion of the deportation, the division was recalled to its old headquarters in Krasnodar.
May: Deportations of the Crimean Tatars From 12 to 19 May, elements of the division (
25th,
40th, and
290th Rifle Regiments) participated in the
deportation of the Crimean Tatars.
1944–1951: Fighting against anti-Soviet resistance in Lithuania 1944 Summer – 1945 Spring On 12 August, the division relocated to
Soviet-occupied Lithuania and established a new headquarters in
Vilnius. Its new mission was to liquidate elements of the Polish
Home Army (AK) which were operating in
Lithuania and to combat the underground
Lithuanian Liberty Army. Following the end of World War II, the division remained stationed in Lithuania and continued to fight against the Lithuanian Liberty Army. From 24 December 1944 to 7 January 1945, the 25th NKVD Rifle Regiment joined with the 136th NKVD Rifle Regiment and destroyed an AK detachment led by Bronisław Jasiński "Komar" in the area of Lake in the
Trakai District, south of Vilnius.
1947 On 9 April 1947, the
32nd Rifle Regiment destroyed the headquarters of the LLA's
Samogitian Military District.
1948 On 10 August 1948, the
298th Rifle Regiment destroyed the headquarters of the LLA's
Tauras MD. On 26 August 1948, the 32nd Rifle Regiment destroyed the headquarters of the Pergale cell of the LLA.
1949 On 13 August 1949, the
25th Rifle Regiment destroyed the headquarters of the LLA's
Prisikėlimas MD.
1951: Reorganization On 12 August 1951, the division was reorganized in the
Baltic Military District into a department of the new
Ministry of State Security of the USSR. == Organization ==