Little is known about the Russian Naval infantrymen during the Imperial era of Russia because many of the units formed consisted of supernumerary ship crews of destroyed or immobilised Russian warships. The history of the Russian Navy could be traced back to the 16th century with
Ivan the Terrible with the formation of his special team of
Streltsy "sea soldiers" as part of his crew of flotilla ships. The official history of the Naval Infantry could be traced back to the creation of the Russian ship
Oryol (lit., Eagle), which launched in 1668 & sailed with a crew of 23 sailors & 35 soldiers, with the soldiers duties of boarding & capturing enemy ships & providing sentinel service under the command of
Ivan Domozhirov. During the
Azov campaign of the
Russo-Turkish War, under
Peter the Great, the soldiers in these units; many of whom were recruited by the
Preobrazhensky & the
Semyonovsky Regiments of the later-to-become
Imperial Guards, were shown to be particularly effective in carrying out those duties. Those soldiers would later on form the Russian Navy's very first infantry regiment consisting of 4300 men. The first admiral of the regiment was appointed by no less than Tsar Peter I himself,
General Admiral Fyodor Golovin, who later gave the respective order to
Vice Admiral Cornelius Kruys on November 16, 1705, marking the glorious years following for the Russian Naval Infantry.
Official formation In November 16 (27), 1705, following a decree of
Peter I, the first
regiment "of naval equipage" () (or in other words, equipped and supplied by the
Russian Imperial Navy) was formed for
boarding and
landing operations, on the ships of the
Baltic Fleet. The regiment had 1200 men (two battalions of five companies; 45 officers, & 70 non-commissioned officers), and from this original regiment began the long history of Naval Infantry within Russia.
Great Northern War In 1714, the regiment won a victory against the Swedes during the
Battle of Gangut. However, after the war, a review of the Regiment's performance during the war concluded that the regimental organization of the unit did not work with the organizational structure of the Navy's fleet and did not allow it to be correctly utilized in combat conditions. As a result, the naval regiment was disbanded, and in replace of it, five naval battalions of consisting of men drawn from the army was created in 1712–1714 & attached to the fleet: :"Vice Admiral Battalion" - for service in the vanguard squadrons on the ships of the squadron's avant-garde; :"Admiral's Battalion" - for service on ships of the squadron center; :"Rear Admiral Battalion" - for service on the ships of the rear guard of the squadron; :"Galler Battalion" - for service on combat ships of the Galere fleet; :"Admiralty Battalion" - for guard duty and other tasks.
Russo-Turkish Wars The Russian naval infantry were involved in a series of victories against the
Ottoman Empire including the rout of the
Turkish Navy at the
Battle for Cesme Harbor in 1770, and
the taking of Izmail Fortress on the
Danube, in 1790.
Napoleonic War During the prelude to the war, in 1799 the Russian naval infantry took the French fortress at
Corfu after a
four-month siege. In 1806, a Russian
landing force took Naples by storm and entered the
Papal States. During the
War of the Sixth Coalition, the Russian naval infantry distinguished itself against
La Grande Armée at the
Battle of Borodino (1812),
Battle of Kulm (1813) and the
Siege of Danzig.
Crimean War By 1813, significant parts of the naval infantry were transferred to the Army & subsequently lost naval connections. For almost 100 years, there were no large infantry units in the Russian Navy. Nevertheless, in 1854–1855, during the
Siege of Sevastopol against British, French and Turkish troops, there were renewed calls for revival of the military's Naval Infantry units. 17 separate sea battalions were formed and they participated in the defense of Sevastopol.
Early 20th century Russo-Japanese War In 1904, during the
Russo-Japanese War, the naval infantry defended
Port Arthur against Japanese forces. Personnel were recruited from regular sailors & naval crews to make up the numbers. Seven separate naval rifle battalions, a separate landing squad of sailors, three separate sea rifle companies and several machine-gun teams were formed.
World War I The question of the formation of permanent Naval Infantry Units were raised only in 1910 and in 1911, projects were underway under the Chief Naval Staff for the development of permanent infantry units in the main naval bases of the country: an infantry regiment under the Baltic Fleet, an infantry battalion in the Black Sea Fleet and the Vladivostok Battalion for the Pacific Fleet. In August 1914, two separate battalions from the personnel of the Guards Fleet Crew and one battalion of personnel from the 1st Baltic Fleet Crew were created in
Kronstadt. In March 1915, a separate naval battalion of the 2nd Baltic Fleet Crew was transformed into the Marine Regiment of Special Purpose. It included a mine company, a machine-gun team, a communications team, regimental artillery, a technical workshop, a convoy, and individual commands of the steamer Ivan-town and boats. At the end of 1916 and the beginning of 1917, the first two divisions of naval infantry were formed; the Baltic Division and Black Sea Division. The naval infantry was deployed to the Baltic to defend the homeland against German attack as well as the Caspian Sea for operations against Ottoman forces. Under the command of
Admiral Alexander Kolchak, there was plans for the Black Sea Division to undergo amphibious operations to take the
Bosporus and open a naval path to the
Mediterranean Sea however, such plans never ended up coming to fruition.
Post-Russian Revolutions and the Russian Civil War These naval infantrymen, who served under the Navy of the Imperial State, would later on form the core of the naval infantry service of the young
Soviet Navy in 1918, which distinguished itself during the long
Russian Civil War (1918–1922). Many of their fellow servicemen though supported the
White movement and distinguished themselves as part of anti-Soviet military operations during those years. Many were shot upon capture by Soviet authorities. Others were tortured and killed. The Soviet Naval Infantry's major force during the civil war was the Baltic Fleet Naval Infantry, the ex-Imperial fleet division's Communist servicemen would provide much of the fighting power during those years following the Revolution.
Soviet era Kronstadt rebellion Following the winding down of the
Russian Civil War by 1920, the following year, many Soviet Naval Infantrymen stationed in
Kronstadt mutinied against the Soviet government in 1921. The mutiny was quickly put down by Soviet forces with the mutinying Naval Infantrymen facing retribution by the Soviet government leading to their eventual execution.
World War II During World War II about 350,000 Soviet Navy sailors fought on land operations. At the beginning of the war, the navy had only one naval infantry brigade in the Baltic Fleet, but began forming and training other battalions. These eventually were: • six naval infantry regiments, comprising two 650 man battalions each, • 40 naval infantry
brigades of 5–10 battalions, formed from surplus ships' crews. Five brigades were awarded
Gvardiya (Guards) status, • On November 1, 1944, the greatly understrength Red Army
55th Rifle Division was converted into a garrison formation for the
Porkkala Naval Base after the
Moscow Armistice with Finland in
late September 1944. • plus numerous smaller units Many of the new units were raised as part of the Black Sea, Pacific and Northern Fleets. The military situation demanded the deployment of large numbers of naval infantry on land, so the Naval Infantry contributed to the defense of
Odessa,
Moscow,
Leningrad,
Sevastopol,
Stalingrad,
Novorossiysk and
Kerch. The Naval Infantry conducted over 114 landings, most of which were carried out by platoons and companies. In general, however, Naval Infantry served as regular infantry, without any amphibious training. They conducted four major operations: two during the
Battle of the Kerch Peninsula, one during the
Caucasus Campaign and one as part of the
Landing at Moonsund, in the
Baltic. During the war, five brigades and two battalions of naval infantry were awarded Guards status. Nine brigades and six battalions were awarded decorations, and many were given honorary titles. The title
Hero of the Soviet Union was bestowed on 122 Naval Infantry servicemen. The Soviet experience in
amphibious warfare in World War II contributed to the development of Soviet operational art in combined arms operations. Many members of the Naval Infantry were parachute trained; they conducted more drops and successful parachute operations than the
Soviet Airborne Troops (VDV). The Naval Infantry was disbanded in 1947, with some units being transferred to the Coastal Defence Force.
Cold War In 1961, the Naval Infantry was re-formed and became a combat arm of the
Soviet Navy. Each Fleet was assigned a Naval Infantry unit of regiment (and later brigade) size. The Naval Infantry received amphibious versions of standard
armoured fighting vehicles, including tanks used by the
Soviet Army. By 1989, the Naval Infantry numbered 18,000 troops, organised into the
55th Naval Infantry Division at
Vladivostok and at least four independent brigades: the
61st Kirkenneskaya Brigade at
Pechenga (Northern Fleet), 175th at Tumannyy in the North,
336th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade at
Baltiysk (Baltic Fleet), and
810th at
Sevastopol (Black Sea Fleet). By the end of the
Cold War, the Soviet Navy had over eighty
landing ships, as well as two
Ivan Rogov-class landing ships. The latter could transport one infantry battalion with 40 armoured vehicles and their
landing craft. (One of the
Rogov ships has since been retired.) At 75 units, the Soviet Union had the world's largest inventory of combat
air-cushion assault craft. In addition, many of the 2,500 vessels of the Soviet
merchant fleet (
Morflot) could off-load weapons and supplies during amphibious landings. On November 18, 1990, on the eve of the Paris Summit where the
Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty and the
Vienna Document on Confidence and Security-Building Measures (CSBMs) were signed, Soviet data were presented under the so-called initial data exchange. This showed a rather sudden emergence of three so-called coastal defence divisions (including the
3rd at
Klaipėda in the
Baltic Military District, the 126th in the
Odessa Military District and seemingly the
77th Guards Motor Rifle Division with the
Northern Fleet), along with three artillery brigades/regiments, subordinate to the Soviet Navy, which had previously been unknown as such to
NATO. Much of the equipment, which was commonly understood to be treaty limited (TLE) was declared to be part of the naval infantry. The Soviet argument was that the CFE excluded all naval forces, including its permanently land-based components. The Soviet Government eventually became convinced that its position could not be maintained. A proclamation of the Soviet government on July 14, 1991, which was later adopted by its successor states, provided that all "treaty-limited equipment" (tanks, artillery and armoured vehicles) assigned to naval infantry or coastal defence forces, would count against the total treaty entitlement.
1989 list of units Landing Assault units of the Naval Infantry In addition to the Landing Assault Troops of the Ground Forces similar units were also formed by the
Soviet Naval Infantry with the main task to execute airborne landings (by parachute or by helicopters), take over and defend a beachhead for the amphibious landing of the main force. By 1989 these units were organized under their respective Fleet HQs as follows:
Red Banner Northern Fleet -
ZATO Severomorsk, Murmansk Oblast, RSFSR •
61st Kirkenesskaya, Red Banner Naval Infantry Brigade -
Sputnik, Murmansk Oblast, RSFSR • 876th Landing Assault Battalion
Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet -
Kaliningrad, Kaliningrad Oblast, RSFSS •
336th Guards Belostokskaya, Order of Suvorov and the Order of Alexander Nevski Naval Infantry Brigade -
Baltiysk, Kaliningrad Oblast, RSFSS • 879th Landing Assault Battalion
Red Banner Black Sea Fleet -
Sevastopol, Crimean ASSR, Ukrainian SSR •
810th Naval Infantry Brigade 60th Anniversary of the USSR -
Sevastopol, Crimean ASSR, Ukrainian SSR • 881st Landing Assault Battalion
Red Banner Pacific Fleet -
Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, RSFSR •
55th Mozyrskaya, Order of the Red Banner 55th Naval Infantry Division - Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, RSFSR • 165th Naval Infantry Regiment - Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, RSFSR • One Landing Assault Battalion • 390th Naval Infantry Regiment -
Slavyanka, Primorsky Krai, RSFSR • One Landing Assault Battalion
Russian Federation Kondopoga on 24 September 2020. off the coast of Syria. The Naval Infantry of the
Russian Navy includes the 55th Naval Infantry Division of the
Russian Pacific Fleet, the independent brigades of the
Northern (61st Brigade at
Sputnik, Murmansk Oblast) and
Baltic Fleets and of the
Caspian Flotilla, and the independent regiment of the
Black Sea Fleet. In 1994, Exercise "Cooperation from the Sea" was conducted, in and around
Vladivostok, with the U.S.
III Marine Expeditionary Force, to foster a closer relationship between the Russian Naval Infantry and the
United States Marine Corps. U.S. Marines and Russian naval infantrymen conducted their first exercise on U.S. soil the following year, in
Hawaii. "Cooperation From the Sea 1995" was a maritime
disaster relief exercise, which included cross training and personnel exchanges, and culminated in a combined U.S. and Russian amphibious landing. The purpose of the exercise was to improve interoperability, cooperation and understanding between U.S. and Russian personnel. In 1998, the
22nd Motor Rifle Division,
Far East Military District, at
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatka, was transferred to the
Pacific Fleet. In 2000 the division became the 40th Independent Motor Rifle Brigade, and on 1 September 2007 the
40th Naval Infantry Brigade (40 отд. Краснодарско-Харбинская дважды Краснознаменная бригада морской пехоты). In 2013, the regiment became, again, the 40th Naval Infantry Brigade. From 2000 onwards, the
Caspian Flotilla included a new naval infantry brigade, the 77th, based at
Kaspiysk. The headquarters and two battalions of the brigade were scheduled to be established by August 1, 2000. It was reported by
Agenstvo Voyenniykh Novostyei (AVN) in June 2000 that the new brigade, which may have inherited the lineage of the 77th Motor Rifle Division, was to have its troops housed in
Kaspiysk and
Astrakhan, along with as many as 195 combat vehicles and two
hovercraft sent to it from
Chukotka and the
Northern Fleet, respectively. The brigade was also reported to have had helicopters assigned to it. in 2009 of Russian Naval Infantry and
MARCOS during
Exercise INDRA in 2014 with the Indian military during exercise Indra-2017 in the Kaliningrad Region, January 12, 2018
Syrian Civil War In early September 2015, it was estimated that approximately 800 Russian Naval Infantrymen had taken up positions all along western Syria with the majority of them being stationed in the mountainous city of Slunfeh in east Latakia – the remaining personnel had been moved to the Homs (Wadi Al-Nasara) and Tartous (Masyaf and Safita) Governorates in preparation for the
Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War. On the night of 19 to 20 September 2015, Russian Naval Infantry engaged in a fight with militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) near the city of
Latakia. The militants tried to mount an attack on the
airbase there, however, they were ambushed by the Naval Infantry. As a result of the clash, three militants were killed, two were captured, and the rest retreated. Before dawn of 24 September 2015, Russian Naval Infantry went into battle for the first time since their deployment to Syria, Debka file's military and intelligence sources reveal. The 810th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade fought with Syrian Army and Hezbollah special forces in an
attack on ISIL forces at the Kweiris air base, east of Aleppo. In November 2015, a Russian Naval Infantryman was killed during an operation to rescue the crew of a Russian
Sukhoi Su-24M bomber aircraft that was
shot down by the Turkish Air Force near the
Syria–Turkey border. In March 2016, the
61st Naval Infantry Brigade conducted operations in which it aided the Syrian Army's
liberation of the Syrian city of Palmyra. The 61st also participated in the storming of the city. In September 2016, it was reported that Russian Naval Infantry were conducting
operations on Aleppo's Castillo Highway.
Russo-Ukrainian War Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation Russian Naval Infantry participated in the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
War in Donbas (2014–2022) The
61st Naval Infantry Brigade (Russia) participated in the
Russo-Ukrainian War in the
Luhansk Oblast.
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, Russian Naval Infantry started an amphibious assault on the
Sea of Azov coast and besieged the city of
Mariupol.
Ropucha-class landing ship and
Ivan Gren-class landing ship capable of landing tanks have reportedly been deployed in the region. The 155th Guards Naval Infantry participated in the
Kyiv offensive which was later repelled forcing the Russian forces to retreat to Belarus in April later redeploying to Yehorivka and
Pavlivka in the
Donbas. By 9 November 2022, the 155th Guards Naval Infantry and 40th Naval Infantry Brigade participated in an attack on the Ukrainian
military garrison in Pavlivka. Members of the unit claimed to have taken roughly 300 casualties, with many of these complaints shared with notable Russian media figures and the unit's garrison. The members went further stating the attacks took place due to their commander's desire to earn bonuses and distinction through awards. On 15 November 2022, a commander of the Russian-proxy
Donetsk People's Republic indicated that lower-level commanders within the 155th Guards Naval Infantry disregarded orders in the attack on Pavlivka. In December,
The New York Times reported on the deployment of the 155th Guards Naval Infantry to Pavlivka. Recruits "lacked sufficient food, maps, critical medical supplies, or walkie-talkies, and they were forced to use 1970s-era Kalashnikov rifles — with some members having to resort to using Wikipedia to locate instructions for using certain weapons". There was also a shortage of ammunition. One soldier said, "This isn't war. It's the destruction of the Russian people by their own commanders." Many used their Russian cellphones to call home, enabling Ukraine to track the unit and attack it. Many soldiers were volunteers but had "little experience" regarding the use of firearms. In January 2023, the 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade attempted a breakthrough
assault in Vuhledar against the Ukrainian
72nd Mechanized Brigade but failed. The unit saw initial success, however, but according to former
FSB colonel
Igor Girkin, their assault stagnated following heavy losses to infantry and lack of ammunition for their organic fire support, despite using their
T-80 tanks in an
indirect fire role, and
in general-poor technical support for the attacking units and their low staffing. ==Organization==