World War II (1943–1945) The
11th Guards Airborne Division was formed on 23 December 1943 from three Guards Airborne Brigades in the
Moscow Military District. It was part of the
38th Guards Airborne Corps. On 8 December 1944, it became the 104th Guards Rifle Division, part of the
9th Guards Army. In March 1945, the division was deployed to the
Budapest area. In fighting from 16 to 22 March, the division inflicted heavy losses on German troops. During the final stage of the
Vienna Offensive, the division captured
Sankt Pölten, thus closing off routes into
Vienna. On 26 April, the division was awarded the
Order of Kutuzov 2nd class. On 12 May, the division reached the
Vltava, meeting American troops. It relocated to
Ostrov in Pskov Oblast, becoming part of the
15th Guards Airborne Corps. In 1960, the division was relocated to the
Transcaucasian Military District and was based in
Kirovabad (now Gyandzha), in the
Azerbaijani SSR. Elements were also based in
Shamkhor,
Baku, and
Kutaisi. Bases: Azerbaijan SSR, June 1960 – August 1992 [40 43 09N, 46 23 07E] •
Ulyanovsk, Ulyanovsk Oblast, August 1992 – May 1998. [54 21 16N, 48 34 50E]
Afghanistan and Collapse of the USSR (1979–1998) Most of the division's personnel fought in the
Soviet–Afghan War. The division was located in
Kirovabad during the events of the
Kirovabad pogrom, in which Soviet Army forces were used to restore order. According to
CFE Treaty data, on 11 November 1990, the division was equipped with 219
BMD-1 and 93
BMD-2 airborne
infantry fighting vehicles, 107
BTR-D armoured personnel carriers, 72
2S9 Nona self-propelled guns, 36
BTR-RD anti-tank missile carriers, 42 BTR-ZD
self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, and 6
D-30 howitzers. In August-September 1992, the
345th Guards Airborne Regiment was redeployed to the
Republic of Abkhazia and withdrawn from the division. During this period, combined units of the 104th Division took part in the armed conflicts in
Georgia and
Azerbaijan. In 1993, the division was redeployed to
Ulyanovsk, where it was located until its reduction in 1998. From 1994 to 1996, the 104th Guards Airborne fought in the
First Chechen War. Reactivation of the division from the brigade was previously announced earlier but did not eventuate. At the June 2019 Army-2019 forum, Chairman of the Defence Committee of the
State Duma Vladimir Shamanov reiterated that the division would eventually be reformed, but stated that no final decision had been made on the timing.
Restoration (2023–present) In August 2023, the
Commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, Colonel General
Mikhail Teplinsky, announced that the formation would be reactivated by the end of 2023. This reactivation includes reestablishing the 104th Air Assault Division (originating from the 31st Brigade) and placing the 31st Guards Airborne Brigade under the division's command. Additionally, the 119th and 299th Airborne Regiments will be integrated into the existing 106th and 98th Airborne Divisions. These measures are part of Defense Minister
Sergei Shoigu's planned military unit expansions from 2022. In 2023, the 104th Guards Air Assault Division was recreated. Parts of the 104th Division entered the fighting in Ukraine in November 2023. After this, “Russian military bloggers called on the commander of the Dnieper group of troops, Colonel General
Mikhail Teplinsky to resign.” On February 21, 2024, the
Ukrainian Armed Forces launched three missile strikes using
HIMARS at a Russian military training ground near the village
Podo-Kalinovka,
Kherson Oblast. According to media reports, at the time of the strike, there were also military personnel of the 328th Airborne Assault Regiment of the 104th Airborne Division at the training ground. 36 military personnel were killed and another 28 were injured. Also, sources report the death of deputy commander/political commissar of the 328th airborne infantry regiment Denis Koksharov. == Composition ==