Division in the World War II The division traces its history to the
70th Territorial Rifle Division formed in
Kuibyshev in 1934. After 22 June 1941, the division fought near
Leningrad, in
Estonia and
Kurland. The division was with the
6th 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). Later in 1945, the 45th Guards Division liberated
Vyborg and participated in the operation to destroy
Army Group Courland in the
Courland Pocket of Latvia. During the Great Patriotic War, 20 soldiers of the division became Heroes of the Soviet Union. In 1992, the division received so-called peacekeeping status. After that, the division's peacekeeping battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Kremlev, spent 5 months in
Moldova's
unrecognized breakaway region of
Transnistria, in the area of
Dubăsari and
Rîbnița. In 1999–2000, the brigade, as part of the Zapad group, operated in the
Second Chechen War. In early February 2000, units of the brigade blocked the village of
Katyr-Yurt in the
Achkhoy-Martan district during Operation Wolf Hunt, which involved pursuing the surviving gangs after the
storm 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 other
Russian Ground Forces units, its personnel was reported to have behaved badly at times. 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 title
Hero of Russia. ". . . 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 the
Leningrad Military District, it has become part of the newly created
Western Military District.
Russian invasion of Ukraine Since February 2022, the 138th Brigade has taken part in the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to
Helsingin Sanomat, social media sources claim the brigade with two battle groups of approximately 800 men was fighting in
battle of Kharkiv. Local inhabitants of Kamenka interviewed by
Helsingin 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. 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. Elements of the brigade were routed in the
battle of Kharkiv and were withdrawn into Russia. At the end of 2023, the brigade was in the north of the
Luhansk Oblast, participating in the
defense of Kreminna and in the attempts of Russian forces to attack on
Kupiansk. On 1 May 2024, the 138th Brigade was transformed into the
69th Guards Motor Rifle Krasnoselskaya Order of Lenin, Red Banner Division while retaining the historical form, honorary name, awards and military glory. It has been reported that the division was deployed to fight in the
2024 Kharkiv offensive and in
Vovchansk. In February and March, units of the division reportedly operated near and
Fyholivka, and in April, the Russian ministry of defense credited the division's 344th Motor Rifle Regiment with the capture of
Kamianka. ==Structure==