3rd Army Corps (Russia)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 3rd Army Corps | |
|---|---|
| 3-й армейский корпус | |
 | |
| Active | June 2022–present |
| Country |  Russia |
| Branch |  Russian Ground Forces |
| Size | Army Corps |
| Part of | Western Military District (2022–2023) Central Military District (2023–present) |
| Garrison/HQ | Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast MUN 30683 |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Major General V. A. Belyaevsky[2] |
| Insignia | |
| Sleeve patch |  |
The 3rd Army Corps (Russian: 3-й армейский корпус) is a military formation of the Russian Ground Forces formed in June 2022 to participate in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3] The 3rd Corps was raised in response to the depletion of trained manpower during the early months of the invasion. It was formed exclusively by volunteers, as at that point Russia had not yet begun the process of partial mobilization and preferred to avoid or delay doing so.[4] Recruitment was on a regional basis, with federal subject administrations and local authorities conducting recruitment campaigns.[5] Its planned strength was estimated to comprise 15,000–60,000 personnel, but as of January 2023, it only had 10,000–15,000.[6][7] It originally belonged to the Western Military District,[4] before moving under the command of the Central Military District in 2023.[8]
In Russian military jargon, an "Army Corps" is typically a formation larger than a division, but significantly smaller than a typical Western corps, often directly commanding separate brigades.
Creation
The 3rd Army Corps' initial main base and training centre was identified by Ukraine in August 2022 as being located in Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.[4] The new 72nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, intended to form part of the 3rd Army Corps, was reported by Penza Oblast authorities to be forming at Totskoye, Orenburg Oblast.[9] In addition to the 72nd Brigade, the 6th Motor Rifle Division is also part of the corps.[10]
Recruitment
The 3rd Army Corps is believed to be composed primarily or wholly of volunteer units newly raised on a regional basis, with various federal subjects of Russia recruiting individual units.[5][11]
Recruitment posters, looking to raise volunteer battalions from across Russia, set the age limit as 18 to 50. Recruits were offered sign-on bonuses[12] (up to 300,000 rubles in some cases) with salaries of 200,000 rubles being around three times average monthly pay in Russia,[13] sometimes linked to bonuses based on performance with insurance in case of injury or death. Terms of service was often given 6 months and training would, in some cases, be one month.[14]
By 8 August 2022, some 40 battalions from 19 regions had been formed, many with less than the authorized paper strength of 400 men.[15] There is a general shortage of officers and experienced men to train the recruits,[16] partly due to the deployment of training cadres to the front lines to replace losses.[17]
Equipment and structure
Equipment delivered to the training area at Mulino included new-generation AK-12 assault rifles,[18] modern T-80BVM and Т-90М tanks, BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, and Buk SAMs.[19] T-80BV and T-90M tanks and Buk SAM complexes were seen being shipped by rail to staging areas in Rostov Oblast near the DPR border,[20] and 2A65 Msta-B 152mm howitzers were video-recorded being towed to the front in occupied Kharkiv Oblast.[21] The 3rd was also seen operating modernized BMP-2Ms in Kharkiv Oblast.[22]
BMPT Terminator armored fighting vehicles with 3rd Army Corps markings (circle inside a triangle) were seen near Svatove, Luhansk Oblast in December 2022[23] and January 2023.[24]
Current structure
6th Motor Rifle Division[10]
72nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade[25][26]
- 17th Guards Heavy Artillery Brigade[8][28]
- 8th Separate Command Battalion
- 72nd Separate Special Purpose Battalion[29]
- 9th Separate Special Purpose Company
- 148th Command and Intelligence Center
- 44th Air Defense Command Post[30]
