The 72nd Motorized Rifle Division was formed in the spring of 2024 as part of the
44th Army Corps of the
Leningrad Military District. The division saw its first combat in the northern
Kharkiv Oblast in May 2024. On August 20, the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment was transferred from the Kharkiv Oblast to the
Kursk Oblast. On August 24, 2024, the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment, together with the , fought near
Martynovka in the Sudzhansky District of the Kursk Oblast. From August 26, 2024, the 41st Motorized Rifle Regiment operated in the area of the villages of
Starytsia and ,
Chuhuiv Raion, Kharkiv Oblast. On August 30, 2024, the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment operated in the area of
Malaya Loknya, north of Sudzha. On October 2, 2024, the 41st Motorized Rifle Regiment captured the village of Staritsa, Chuguevsky District, Kharkiv Oblast. On October 15, the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment, together with the
40th and
810th Marine Brigades, launched an offensive along the
Borki-Ozerki River south of
Ulanok, Sudzhansky District, Kursk Oblast, with the aim of outflanking Ukrainian troop positions. On December 11, 2024, the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment, together with
North Korean troops, the 155th and 810th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, the 22nd Separate Special Rifle Brigade, the , and the Kursk Knights detachment of Kursk volunteers, liberated the village of
Plyokhovo in the Sudzhansky District of Kursk Oblast. On January 6, 2025, the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment, together with the
2nd Separate Special Rifle Brigade, the Akhmat Special Forces Unit, and the
11th Guards Air Assault Brigade, cleared enemy forces from areas near the
khutor of
Berdin and the village of in the
Bolshesoldatsky District of Kursk Oblast. From January 10, 2025, the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment fought in the area of the village of in the Sudzhansky District of Kursk Oblast. As of February 25, 2025, the 41st Motorized Rifle Regiment continued combat operations in the northern Kharkiv region. On February 26, 2025, the 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment was operating near the village of
Novaya Sorochina in the Sudzhansky District. On March 4, 2025, the 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment, together with the 9th Motorized Rifle Regiment, was operating near the village of Malaya Loknya in the Sudzhansky District. On March 7, 2025, the 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment liberated the village of in the Sudzhansky District. On March 8, 2025, the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment, together with the 1427th Motorized Rifle Regiment, liberated the village of in the Sudzhansky District. The 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment liberated the villages of and . On March 9, 2025, the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment captured the village of near in the Sudzhansky District. On March 11, 2025, the 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment, together with the 155th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, liberated the village of in the
Sudzhansky District. On March 12, 2025, the 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment, together with the 11th Separate Airborne Brigade and the 2nd Separate Special Forces Brigade, liberated the city of
Sudzha in the Kursk Oblast. From March 25-26, 2025, the 22nd and 30th Motorized Rifle Regiments began operating in the
Guyevo area, south of Sudzha. On April 8, 2025, the 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment, along with units of the
Russian Naval Infantry, captured Huyevo. The 41st Motorized Rifle Regiment continued to operate in the Kharkiv Oblast. On April 11, 2025, Ukrainian
HIMARS air strikes struck the command post of the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment in Guyevo, wounding the regiment commander. From April 14, 2025, the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment operated in the area of the in the Sudzhansky District. ==Composition==