58th Army (I Formation) (Nov. 1941 – Aug. 1942)
58th Army (II Formation) (Aug. 1942 – Oct. 1943)
58th Army (III Formation) (1995–present)
Emblem of the 58th Army
Active1941–present
CountrySoviet Union
Russia (present)
BranchRed Army
Russian Ground Forces (present)
TypeField army
Sizeseveral corps or divisions
Part ofNorth Caucasus Military District (1995–2010)
Southern Military District (2010–present)
Garrison/HQVladikavkaz
EngagementsWorld War II
1940-1944 Chechnya insurgency
Second Chechen War

Russo-Georgian War
Russian military intervention in Ukraine
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Commanders
Current
commander		Lieutenant General Denis Lyamin
Notable
commanders		Vladimir Shamanov
Anatoly Khrulyov
Ivan Popov

The 58th Guards Combined Arms Army (Russian: 58-я гвардейская общевойсковая армия) is an army of the Russian Ground Forces, headquartered at Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia-Alania, within Russia's Southern Military District. It was formed in 1941 as part of the Soviet Union's Red Army and has been part of the Russian Army since 1995. It has the Military Unit Number (в/ч) is 47084.

World War II

Personnel of the directorate of the 58th Combined Arms Army.

It was first formed in the Siberian Military District in November 1941, including the 362nd, 364th, 368th, 370th, 380th, and 384th Rifle Divisions and the 77th Cavalry Division and moved to the Arkhangelsk Military District, but then the Army was redesignated the 3rd Tank Army in May 1942. It was reestablished within the Kalinin Front in June 1942, and in July included the 16th and 27th Guards Rifle Divisions, the 215th and 375th Rifle Divisions, the 35th and 81st Tank Brigades, and other support units.[2]

It was reformed in the Transcaucasian Front from the 24th Army on 28 August 1942, under General Vasily Khomenko of the NKVD. Much of its senior cadre also came from the NKVD, and among its missions was to keep order in the Caucasus, particularly in the Groznyi and Makhachkala regions.[3] This was because of a Chechen uprising that had gone on since 1941 (see 1940-1944 Chechnya insurgency). 58th Army later joined the North Caucasus Front. On 1 November 1942 it consisted of the 271st and 416th Rifle Division, and the Makhachkala Division of the NKVD.[4] Prior to the North Caucasus Front putting its main effort into the Kerch-Eltigen Operation (November 1943) the Army HQ was reorganised as Headquarters Volga Military District in October 1943.[5]

Commanders

  • Vasily Kuznetsov (November 1941)
  • Nikolai Moskvin (November 1941 – May 1942)
  • Aleksei Zygin (June – August 1942)
  • Vasily Khomenko (September – November 1942)
  • Kondrat Melnik (November 1942 – October 1943)

Chief of Staff

Second Chechen War (1999–2000)

The headquarters was reformed in 1995 in the North Caucasus Military District from the 42nd Army Corps at Vladikavkaz. The 42nd Army Corps had been formed in August 1982.[6] During the Second Chechen War, the Army was commanded by then Lieutenant General Vladimir Shamanov,[7] who was succeeded by army chief of staff and first deputy commander Major General Valery Gerasimov.[8]

Beslan school siege

In 2004, units from the 58th provided assistance with armoured vehicles to the forces involved storming the school on the third day of the Beslan school siege.

Russo-Georgian War (2008)

On 3 August 2008, five battalions of the Russian 58th Army were moved to the vicinity of Roki Tunnel that links Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia with Russia's North Ossetia.[9]

On 8 August 2008[10][11][12] the 58th Army crossed the border into Georgia and engaged in combat against Georgian forces, most notably in the city of Tskhinvali.[13][14] Its then-commander, Lieutenant General Anatoly Khrulyov was wounded in action.[15]

War in Donbas (2014–22)

BM-21 "27777" launch vehicle at display in Kyiv 2014.

In June 2014 Ukrainian troops captured a damaged BM-21 Grad launcher, which the Ukrainians identified as equipment of the 58th Army of the Russian Federation.[16]

Major general Sergey Kuzovlev became commander of the army on 18 August 2016.[17] In late 2016 the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division had been reformed from the 8th Guards Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade, the 17th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, and the 18th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.[18] In January 2017, 20th Guards Army commander Major general Yevgeny Nikiforov replaced Kuzovlev.[19]

Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022–present)

On the eve of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was reported that the headquarters of the 58th Army had deployed to Crimea commanding between 12 and 17 battalion tactical groups.[20][21] They were later deployed to the Southern Ukraine campaign once the invasion commenced.

About 300 South Ossetian soldiers of 4th Guards Military Base were reported in late March to have refused to return to combat after five days on the frontline in Ukraine, and instead gone back to South Ossetia.[22][23]

On 11 July 2023, the 58th Army headquarters in Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast was destroyed by a missile strike.[24][25] Among those reportedly killed was Lieutenant-General Oleg Tsokov, the deputy commander of the Russian Southern Military District, making him the highest ranking Russian officer killed during the invasion.[26][27]

On 12 July 2023, the army commander, Major General Ivan Popov, was removed from his post. In a Telegram message posted by a Russian MP, he claimed to have been fired by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu after complaining about inadequacies in logistics that led to high casualties among his men and accusing his superiors of treason.[24] Popov was replaced by Lieutenant General Denis Lyamin.[28]

On 26 September 2023, the unit was awarded the "Guards" honorific for its defense of the southern front during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive.[29]

Structure

Structure of 58th Combined Arms Army in 2003.

2013

The Army operates in a close coordination with the 4th Air Force and Air Defence Army of the district, and includes:[30]

  • 42nd Motor Rifle Division – Khankala and Kalinovskaya in the Chechnya
  • 19th Motor Rifle Division – Vladikavkaz
  • 205th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade – Budyonnovsk
  • 136th Guards Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade – Buynaksk, Dagestan
  • 135th Separate Motorized Rifle Regiment – Prochladny, Kabardino-Balkaria
  • 291st Separate Artillery Brigade – Maikop – (equipped with 2A65)
  • 943rd Multiple Rocket Launcher Regiment – Krasnooktabrsky (Uragan 220mm MRL)
  • 1128th Anti-Tank Regiment – Maikop
  • 67th Separate Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (SAM) – Volgograd area (SA-11 'Buk' SAM)
  • 487th Separate Helicopter Regiment (Mi-8/Mi-24) – Budyonnovsk
  • 11th Separate Engineer Regiment – Kavkazskay
  • 234th Separate Signals Regiment – Vladikavkaz
  • 22nd Separate Regiment of Electronic Warfare- Vladikavkaz

2016

2023

  • 70th Motor Rifle Regiment (в/ч 71718)
  • 71st Motor Rifle Regiment (в/ч 16544)
  • 291st Motor Rifle Regiment (в/ч 65384)
  • Vostok-Akhmat battalion[37]

Commanders

  • Lieutenant General Gennady Troshev (May 1995–July 1997)
  • Lieutenant General Anatoly Sidyakin (July 1997–August 1999)
  • Lieutenant General Vladimir Shamanov (August 1999–December 2000)
  • Major General Valery Gerasimov (February 2001–March 2003)
  • Lieutenant General Viktor Sobolev (March 2003–April 2006)
  • Lieutenant General Anatoly Khrulyov (4 April 2006–6 May 2010)
  • Major General Andrey Kartapolov (7 May 2010–30 January 2012)
  • Major General Andrey Gurulyov (30 January 2012–August 2016, lieutenant general 2014)
  • Major General Sergey Kuzovlev (August 2016–January 2017)
  • Major General Yevgeny Nikiforov (January 2017–February 2019, lieutenant general 12 December 2018)
  • Major General Sergey Ryzhkov (February 2019–September 2020)
  • Lieutenant General Mikhail Zusko (September 2020–2022)
  • Major General Ivan Popov (2022–July 2023)
  • Lieutenant General Denis Lyamin (July 2023–present)[28]

Notes

  1. ↑ Hird, Karolina; Barros, George; Mappes, Grace; Wolkov, Nicole; Clark, Mason; Kagan, Fredrick W. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 8, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  2. ↑ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army Archived 20 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine, 1 July 1942
  3. ↑ David Glantz, personal correspondence, December 2007
  4. ↑ BSSA via
  5. ↑ David Glantz, Companion to Colossus Reborn, 2005, p. 59
  6. ↑ Feskov et al 2013, pp. 523.
  7. ↑ p.109, Murphy
  8. ↑ "Из суворовцев – в стратеги". redstar.ru. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  9. ↑ Talking Through Gritted Teeth. BBC Monitoring, 6 August 2008
  10. ↑ Torrey Clark and Greg Walters, Putin Says `War Has Started,' Georgia Claims Invasion (Update4), Bloomberg.com, 8 August 2008
  11. ↑ Finn, Peter (9 August 2008). "Russian Air, Ground Forces Strike Georgia". The Washington Post.
  12. ↑ "Russian tanks enter South Ossetia". BBC News. 8 August 2008.
  13. ↑ http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L8402970.htm Oleg Shchedrov reporting for Reuters, Russian troops close to S. Ossetian capital, Moscow, 8 13 August:38:12 GMT (Reuters)
  14. ↑ http://lenta.ru/news/2008/08/08/peacekeepers/ Минобороны РФ заявило о расстреле российских миротворцев, Lenta.ru, Rambler Media Group, Saturday, 09.08.2008, 03:45:33
  15. ↑ Solovyov, Dmitry (9 August 2008). "Russian general wounded in Georgia's rebel region". Reuters. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  16. ↑ "Statement by the Delegation of Ukraine at the 774-th FSC plenary meeting " OSCE, 12/10/2014.
  17. ↑ "Заместителем командующего войсками ЮВО стал генерал-лейтенант Андрей Гурулев" [Lieutenant General Andrei Gurulev new Southern Military District deputy commander]. TASS (in Russian). 18 August 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  18. ↑ "В ЮВО на территории Чечни завершается формирование 42-й мотострелковой дивизии". structure.mil.ru. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  19. ↑ "Генерал-майор Евгений Никифоров назначен командующим 58-й армией" [Major general Yevgeny Nikiforov appointed 58th Army commander]. TASS (in Russian). 15 January 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  20. ↑ @HN_Schlottman (20 February 2022). "Updated map of BTG deployments IVO #Ukraine. 110 to match released US intel assessments. ~90 are located on this ma…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ↑ Batashvili, David (20 February 2022). "Rondeli Russian Military Digest: Issue 121, 14 February – 20 February 2022". Georgian Foundation For Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  22. ↑ "S. Ossetian Servicemen Make Puzzling Retreat from Ukraine". Civil.ge. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  23. ↑ "Псков, Краснодар, Южная Осетия: сколько военных и откуда отказываются воевать в Украине" (in Russian). BBC Russian Service. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  24. 1 2 Lister, Tim; Pavlova, Uliana (12 July 2023). "Russian general in Ukraine says he was fired after accusing defense minister of treachery". CNN. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  25. ↑ "Exiled local authorities: Ukraine reportedly strikes Russian makeshift barracks in occupied Berdiansk". The Kyiv Independent. 11 July 2023.
  26. ↑ Richard Spencer (12 July 2023). "Ukrainians kill top Russian general with British-supplied missile". The Times. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  27. ↑ "Another Russian General Killed in Occupied Ukraine". The Kyiv Post. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  28. 1 2 "Депутат опубликовал заявление командующего 58-й армией об отстранении". РБК (in Russian). 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  29. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 26, 2023". Critical Threats. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  30. ↑ Russian Ground Forces in the North Caucasus Military District v.1.0 1 December 2003, Colin Robinson (editing and some text), Vadim Teplitskiy(unit list), and Craig Crofoot (history text), via http://www.orbat.com Archived 16 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  31. 1 2 "Чеченские мотострелки передислоцированы на Ставрополье" [Chechen motor rifles relocated to Stavropol]. Caucasian Knot (in Russian). 26 August 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  32. ↑ "Войсковая часть 27777 (18-я ОМСБр)" [Military Unit No. 27777 (18th OMSBr)]. voinskayachast.net (in Russian). 4 September 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  33. ↑ "Войсковая часть 20634 (19-я ОМСБр)" [Military Unit Number 20634 (19th OMSBr)]. voinskayachast.net (in Russian). 17 March 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  34. ↑ "Войсковая часть 22220 (20-я Гв.ОМСБр)" [Military Unit Number 22220 (20th Gv OMSBr]. voinskayachast.net (in Russian). 7 May 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  35. ↑ "Войсковая часть 63354 (136-я ОМСБр)" [Military Unit Number 63354 (136th OMSBr)]. voinskayachast.net (in Russian). 10 March 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  36. ↑ "Войсковая часть 64670 (291-я АртБр)" [Military Unit Number 64670 (291st ArtBr)]. voinskayachast.net (in Russian). 16 November 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  37. ↑ Bailey, Riley; Hird, Karolina; Mappes, Grace; Evans; Angelica; Harward, Christina; Clark, Mason (14 July 2023). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 14, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 15 July 2023. Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov claimed that elements of the Chechen 'Vostok-Akhmat' battalion (291st Motorized Rifle Regiment, 58th Combined Arms Army, Southern Military District) are defending in the Orikhiv area.
  • V.I. Feskov; Golikov V.I.; K.A. Kalashnikov; S.A. Slugin (2013). Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской (часть 1: Сухопутные войска) [The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II, from the Red Army to the Soviet (Part 1: Land Forces)]. Tomsk.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Improved version of 2004 work with many inaccuracies corrected.
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