Since 12 January 2023,
Chief of the General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov was appointed as commander of military operations in Ukraine, with Surovikin as his deputy. The actual operational chain of command of the Russian military effort in Ukraine is not public, changes, and is a mix of state and non-state bodies. Personal rivalries are evident. President Vladimir Putin, however, remains firmly in control, sometimes micromanaging. The loose connection of various mercenary bodies and
Ramzan Kadyrov's Chechens to the official command chain has been represented by placing them under headers separate to the Russian Armed Forces. It is unclear how tactical fighter, ground attack, and strategic bomber "sorties" (one flight of one aircraft) are scheduled and controlled. On 18 April 2023, Russian official sources said that President Putin had held meetings in the
Kherson area with several commanders. The President "..received reports from the commander of the Dnepr forces grouping, General Lieutenant
Oleg Makarevich, the commander of the Vostok [Eastern] forces grouping, General Lieutenant
Andrey Kuzmenko, and the deputy commander of the combined grouping, General Colonel
Mikhail Teplinsky." The meetings likely took place before 16 April. Direct Forces under President • '''''' (
President of the Russian Federation: Supreme Commander-in-Chief
Vladimir Putin) •
Security Council •
Russian General Staff (
Chief of the General Staff: General of the Army
Valery Gerasimov, First Deputy Chief of the General Staff
Nikolay Bogdanovsky) •
National Defense Management Center (Colonel General
Mikhail Mizintsev) • 52nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment (
Tupolev Tu-22M) (Colonel Oleg Timoshyn)
Mercenaries and Foreign Fighters •
Wagner Group (Commander: Lieutenant Colonel
Dmitry Utkin ) •
DShRG Rusich (Commander:
Alexey Milchakov) •
Gazprom Neft Security •
Fakel • Plamya •
Patriot •
Redut ("1st Expeditionary Volunteer Assault Corps") (GRU) • Redut • Union of Cossack Warriors of Russia and Abroad •
Don Brigade • Listan Battalion • Terek Brigade • Skif Battalion •
16th Special Forces Brigade of the GRU •
Volki ("Wolves") Brigade • Tigry ("Tigers") Formation • Veter 177 Formation • Nevsky Formation •
Union of Donbass Volunteers • Sever ("North") Formation • Tsentr ("Center") Formation • St. George's Brigade • Zubr ("Bison") Formation • Kherson Formation • Artdivision Formation • Vikhr ("Whirlwind") Formation • Veterans of Russia Movement • •
Gazprom Neft Security •
Potok ("Flow") Formation • Others •
81st Special Forces Brigade ("bears") • Lev ("Lion") Formation • Rysi ("Lynx") Formation • Borz Formation •
Espanola Formation • Troya ("Troy") Formation • Irbis ("Snow Leopard") Formation • Imperial Legion Formation •
Rusich Formation •
Tsar's Wolves • Uran •
Korean People's Army (Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea: Supreme Commander
Kim Jong Un) •
Korean People's Army Ground Force (Commander: Vice Marshal
Ri Yong-gil) •
XI Corps • 94th Separate Brigade •
Storm Corps (Commander: Colonel General
Kim Yong Bok) • 92nd Special Operations Brigade • 94th Special Operations Brigade •
Alania Battalion •
Vladlen Tatarsky Battalion Reserve units of the Russian Armed Forces •
BARS Chechens •
Kadyrovites (Head: Colonel General
Ramzan Kadyrov) •
141st Special Motorized Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel
Magomed Tushayev) • North Battalion • • subordinate to the 42nd Motorised Rifle Division, 58th Combined Arms Army •
3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade •
10th Spetsnaz Brigade •
14th Guards Spetsnaz Brigade (Colonel Sergey Polyakov ) (formerly Lieutenant Colonel Albert Karimov ) • 346th Spetsnaz Brigade of the Russian
Special Operations Forces Joint Grouping of Forces •
Centre Grouping of Forces (
Central Military District (TsVO)) (Commander: Lieutenant General
Andrey Mordvichev from 17 February 2023 (formerly Major General Alexander Linkov) •
2nd Guards Combined Arms Army, CMD (Major General ) • 91st Headquarters Brigade •
21st Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Colonel Dmitri Zavyalov) •
30th Motor Rifle Brigade •
385th Guards Artillery Brigade • 67th Motor Rifle Division (Colonel Zulfat Nigmatzyanov) • 36th Motor Rifle Regiment • 37th Motorised Rifle Regiment • (Colonel Andrei Zakharov ) •
239th Guards Tank Regiment • 228th Motor Rifle Regiment (Deputy Commander Lieutenant Colonel Fezul Bichikaev ) • 400th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment •
35th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade •
55th Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade •
74th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Lieutenant Colonel Pavel Alekseyevich Yershov) • 202nd Motor Rifle Regiment • 28th Pontoon Bridge Brigade • 1st Mobile NBC Protection Brigade •
31st Guards Air Assault Brigade VDV (Colonel Sergei Karasev ) •
Grouping of Forces "East" (
Eastern Military District (VVO)) (Lieutenant-General
Andrei Kuzmenko (unconfirmed) (formerly Lieutenant General
Rustam Muradov ) •
5th Combined Arms Army, EMD (Lieutenant General ) • 114th Motor Rifle Regiment • 392nd Motor Rifle Regiment • 433rd Motor Rifle Regiment • 1466th Motor Rifle Regiment • 218th Tank Regiment • 872nd Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Fyodor Evgenievich Solovyov ) •
60th Motor Rifle Brigade •
305th Artillery Brigade • 8th Anti-Aircraft Brigade •
29th Combined Arms Army, EMD (Major General
Andrei Borisovich Kolesnikov) •
35th Combined Arms Army, EMD (Lieutenant General , Deputy Commander Major General Sergei Nyrkov [wounded, not returning to active duty]) • 54th Headquarters Brigade •
38th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Colonel Andrey Borisovich Kurbanov, Deputy Commander Major Sergey Masterov ) •
64th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Lieutenant Colonel
Azatbek Asanbekovich Omurbekov, allegedly responsible for the
Bucha massacre) •
69th Covering Brigade •
36th Combined Arms Army, EMD (Lieutenant General
Valery Solodchuk, Deputy Commander Major General Andrei Anatolyevich Seritskiy, seriously wounded) • 75th HQ Brigade •
5th Guards Tank Brigade • 30th Artillery Brigade •
103rd Rocket Brigade • 26th NBC Protection Regiment • 1723rd Anti-Aircraft Regiment •
68th Army Corps, EMD (Lieutenant General ) • 46th Machine Gun Artillery Regiment •
338th Guards Rocket Artillery Brigade • Naval Infantry of the
Pacific Fleet •
40th Naval Infantry Brigade •
155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade •
83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade VDV (Deputy Commander Guards Lieutenant-Colonel Vitaliy Slabtsov ) • 1428th Territorial Defense Motor Rifle Regiment •
Western Grouping of Forces (
Western Military District (ZVO)) (Commander: Lieutenant General
Yevgeny Nikiforov, •
1st Guards Tank Army, WMD (Lieutenant General
Sergey Aleksandrovich Kisel [dismissed]; •
1st Guards Tank Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Denis Lapin) •
1st Guards Motor Rifle Regiment •
15th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Colonel Kharitonov – seriously wounded) • 147th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment • 1432nd Motorized Rifle Regiment •
4th Guards Tank Division (Colonel Yevgeny Nikolayevich Zhuravlyov) • (S. I. Safonov) •
245th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment •
272nd Motor Rifle Regiment • 6th Engineer Regiment (Colonel Mikhail Aleksandrovich Nagamov [Nagamov was promoted to Deputy Chief of the Engineering Troops of the Western Military District 5 days before he was killed]) •
27th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Colonel Sergey Safonov) • 69th Logistics Brigade •
6th Combined Arms Army, WMD (Lieutenant General Vladislav Nikolayevich Yershov [dismissed & arrested]) •
138th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Colonel Sergei Maksimov) • 9th Guards Artillery Brigade • 5th Anti-Aircraft Brigade • 9th Guards Command Brigade •
3rd Motor Rifle Division (Major General Aleksei Vyacheslavovich Avdeyev) • (Colonel Igor Nikolaev ) •
144th Guards Motor Rifle Division (Lieutenant General
Oleg Tsokov , () , previously Major General Vitaly Sleptsov) • 283rd Motor Rifle Regiment •
488th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment • 236th Guards Artillery Brigade •
448th Rocket Brigade (Colonel Dmitri Nikolaevich Martynov) • 232nd Rocket Artillery Brigade •
3rd Army Corps • 6th Motor Rifle Division • 54th Motor Rifle Regiment • 57th Motor Rifle Regiment • 27th Artillery Regiment •
72nd Motor Rifle Brigade • «Alga» battalion (Colonel Yaga - captured) • «Molot» battalion • 22nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment • 9th Motor Rifle Regiment • •
244th Artillery Brigade •
80th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade •
200th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, (Colonel Denis Yuryevich Kurilo) • 382nd Rocket Artillery Battalion (Lieutenant Colonel Dinar Khametov ) •
61st Red Banner Naval Infantry Brigade (Colonel Kirill Nikolaevich Nikulin), from the Northern Fleet • 874th Naval Infantry Battalion (Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Safronov ) • 45th Svir High-Powered Rocket Artillery Brigade •
Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) •
45th Guards Spetsnaz Brigade (Colonel Vadim Pankov ) •
76th Guards Air Assault Division VDV •
331st Guards Airborne Regiment VDV (Colonel Sergei Sukharev , Deputy Commander Lt. Colonel Ivan Pozdeev , Chief of Staff Lt. Colonel Igor Zharov ) (seriously depleted in fighting near Kyiv) • 1065th Guards Artillery Regiment VDV • 328th Airborne Regiment VDV Deputy Commander Colonel Sergey Igorevich Kuzminov , Deputy Armaments Commander Maxim Kudrin ) • 119th Airborne Regiment VDV • 1182 Guards Artillery Regiment VDV • 47th Composite Aviation Regiment (
Sukhoi Su-34) •
159th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (
Sukhoi Su-35) • 790th Fighter Aviation Regiment (
Sukhoi Su-35) •
11th Air and Air Defence Forces Army (Lieutenant General Vladimir Kravchenko) • 112th Helicopter Regiment (
Mil Mi-8,
Mil Mi-24) (Colonel Vitaly Tabachnikov ) • 319th Helicopter Regiment (
Mil Mi-24) • 303rd Composite Aviation Division •
18th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment (
Sukhoi Su-25) •
23rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (
Sukhoi Su-35S) •
Grouping of Forces "South" (
YuVO) (Commander: Colonel General
Sergey Kuzovlev ) (formerly General of Army
Sergei Surovikin), (Deputy Commander: Lieutenant General
Oleg Tsokov ) •
8th Guards Combined Arms Army, SMD (Lieutenant General
Andrey Nikolayevich Mordvichev, Deputy Commander Major General
Esedulla Abachev (replacing Major General
Vladimir Petrovich Frolov ) (Deputy Commander Colonel Sergey Nikolaevich Kens ) (Deputy Commander Lieutenant Colonel Aleksey Yurievich Avramchenko ) (Deputy Commander Colonel Kanat Mukatov ) • 33rd Motor Rifle Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Agarkov ) • 255th Motor Rifle Regiment • 944th Self Propelled Artillery Regiment • 102nd Motor Rifle Regiment • 68th Tank Regiment • 381st Self Propelled Artillery Regiment •
34th Motor Rifle (Mountain) Brigade •
1st Guards Rocket Brigade •
227th Artillery Brigade (Colonel Aleksei Viktorovich Repin) •
58th Guards Combined Arms Army (Lieutenant General
Denis Lyamin, formerly Major General
Ivan Popov, formerly Lieutenant General Mikhail Stepanovich Zusko) •
19th Motor Rifle Division (Colonel Dmitri Ivanovich Uskov) • 429th Motor Rifle Regiment • • 292nd Self-propelled Artillery Regiment • 70th Motor Rifle Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Andrei Bezlyudko) • 71st Motor Rifle Regiment • 78th Motor Rifle Regiment Chechen "Sever-Akhmat" (see above) • 49th Air Assault Brigade VDV •
100th Reconnaissance Brigade •
136th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Colonel Roman Demurchiev) • 1429th Motor Rifle Regiment • 12th Missile Brigade formerly Colonel Denis Kozlov ) • 29th Railway Brigade • Airborne Forces •
7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division VDV, Colonel Aleksandr Kornev, reported as the command element of the Russian task force fighting in the Kherson Oblast on the Mykolaiv direction •
56th Guards Air Assault Regiment VDV Deputy Commander Major General Dmitry Pyatunin replacing First Rank Captain
Andrei Paliy ) • Ships • 30th Surface Ship Division • Cruiser
Moskva • Project 11356 Guided Missile Frigates •
Admiral Essen , •
Admiral Grigorovich, • Project 1135 Guided Missile Frigates •
Ladny •
Pytlivyy • 41st Missile Boat Brigade • Project 1239 Guided Missile Corvette - Hoverborne
Bora-class corvette •
Samum • Project 1241 Missile ships -
Tarantul-class corvette •
Ivanovets , • 4 other corvettes •
Tsiklon • 4th Submarine Brigade • Project 636.2 submarines •
Rostov na Donu (B-237) , •
Nikolai Filchenkov •
Saratov (
Captain 2nd rank Vladimir Khromchenkov ) . • Project 775 landing ships •
Tsezar Kunikov (
Captain 3rd rank Aleksandr Chirva ), •
Olenegorsky Gornyak , •
Minsk , •
Novocherkassk , •
Yamal , • 184th Novorossiysk Coastal Defense Brigade • Project 1176
Ondatra-class landing craft D-106 • Project 11770
Serna-class landing craft (deployed from the
Caspian Flotilla) •
Dmitri Rogachov, • Project 205P
Stenka-class patrol boat (Tarantul) • 388th Marine Reconnaissance Point/1229th Naval Intelligence Center • Project 02510 High-speed assault boat
BK-16E • 68th Coastal Defense Ship Brigade • Project 03160
Raptor-class patrol boat (
Captain 2nd rank Alexander Bobrov ) • Project 266M
Natya-class minesweeper •
Ivan Golubets , • 2 other Natya class minesweepers, 2 x
Alexandrit-class minesweepers. • 519th Squadron • Project 18280
Yury Ivanov-class intelligence ship •
Ivan Khurs • Auxiliaries • Project 22870 rescue tugs •
Vasily Bekh , •
Professor Nikolay Muru •
18th Combined Arms Army •
22nd Army Corps - Black Sea Fleet (Major General Arkady Marzoev, removed April 2022, •
126th Guards Coastal Defense Brigade (Colonel Sergey Storozhenko) • 127th Reconnaissance Brigade • 291st Artillery Brigade • 8th Guards Artillery Regiment (from Black Sea Fleet) • 15th Coastal Missile Brigade • - from the Caspian Flotilla • 388th Marine Reconnaissance Unit, from the Black Sea Fleet •
810th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade (Colonel Sergey Kens , formerly Colonel Alexei Sharov , Deputy Commander Colonel Aleksei Berngard) • 854th Coastal Missile Regiment • 70th Motor Rifle Division • 24th Motor Rifle Regiment • Aviation of the Black Sea Fleet (+attached Naval Aviation from elsewhere) • 2nd Guards Naval Aviation Division • 43rd Marine Assault Aviation Regiment (
Sukhoi Su-24,
Sukhoi Su-30) • Aerospace Forces •
4th Air and Air Defence Forces Army (Lieutenant General Nikolai Vasilyevich Gostev) •
55th Helicopter Regiment (
Mil Mi-8,
Mil Mi-24) •
1st Guards Composite Aviation Division (Major General Tagir Gadzhiyev) •
3rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (
Sukhoi Su-27,
Sukhoi Su-57) (Colonel Anatoly Stasyukevich ) • 31st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (
Sukhoi Su-30) (Deputy Commander Lieutenant Colonel Aleksey Khasanov ) • 559th Bomber Aviation Regiment (
Sukhoi Su-34) • 4th Composite Aviation Division • 960th Assault Aviation Regiment (
Sukhoi Su-25) • 27th Composite Aviation Division • 37th Composite Aviation Regiment (
Sukhoi Su-24,
Sukhoi Su-25) • 38th Fighter Aviation Regiment (
Sukhoi Su-27) • 39th Guards Separate Helicopter Regiment (
Mil Mi-8,
Mil Mi-28, Mil Mi35,
Ka-52) (Deputy Commander Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Igorevich Pakholsky ) • 20th Air Defense Regiment (Commander:
Yevgeny Burdinsky) •
National Guard of Russia •
OMON •
SOBR • (Supreme Commander-in-Chief:
Head of the DPR Denis Pushilin) • Donetsk People's Republic People's Militia (Major General
Denis Sinenkov) •
1st Donetsk Army Corps (Lieutenant General
Roman Kutuzov ) (part of Russian armed forces from 31 December 2022) (under command of 8th Combined Arms Army of Southern Military District) •
9th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade •
114th Guards Motorised Rifle Brigade •
14th Guards Artillery Brigade "Kalmius" • Assorted regiments and battalions •
Sparta Battalion (Yaroslav Shkurgan , formerly
Vladimir Zhoga ) • 1454th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment • 105th Motor Rifle Regiment • 113th Motor Rifle Regiment • 115th Motor Rifle Regiment • 95th Motor Rifle Regiment • (Supreme Commander-in-Chief:
Head of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik') • Luhansk People's Republic People's Militia •
2nd Guards Lugansk-Severodonetsk Army Corps • 15th Motor Rifle Brigade • 85th Motorised Rifle Brigade •
7th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade • 10th Artillery Brigade • Cossack Assault Corps •
6th Cossack Motorized Rifle Brigade • Cossack battalions (Mikhail Kishchik , Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Col. Alexander Kalnitsky ) • "Don" Cossack Brigade • 202nd Motor Rifle Regiment • 204th Motor Rifle Regiment • 254th Motor Rifle Regiment ==Ukrainian forces==