80th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade
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| 80th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade | |
|---|---|
| 80-я мотострелковая бригада | |
 Brigade badge | |
| Active | 2014–Present |
| Country |  Russia |
| Branch |  Russian Navy
|
| Type | Mechanized infantry |
| Role | Arctic Warfare |
| Size | 2,000 servicemen[1] |
| Part of | 14th Army Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | Alakurtti, Murmansk Oblast |
The 80th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade (80-я мотострелковая бригада) (Military Unit Number: 34667) is a specialist arctic warfare formation of the Coastal Troops of the Russian Navy formed in 2014.
Formation
The brigade was formed on 31 December 2014, and its battle flag presented on 17 January 2015 by the commander of the Northern Fleet, Admiral Vladimir Korolev. The brigade was formed to be the second specialized arctic brigade in the Arctic, along with its sister unit the 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade.[2][3][4][5]
As of 2020, the brigade falls under the command of the specially formed 14th Army Corps, itself part of the Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command. The brigade's mission is to patrol the border and protect permanent locations along the Russian-Norwegian Border. The brigade is based in the village of Alakurtti in the Murmansk Oblast.[3][5][6]
Recruits of the new brigade undergo severe psychological, physical, and arctic training and testing.[5]
Russian invasion of Ukraine
It took part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was sent to the Donbas region at the end of June 2022.[7]
In July 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense awarded service members of the brigade for destroying Ukrainian military equipment in Kherson Oblast.[8]
It was reported by the newspaper Izvestia on July 4, 2023, that the 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade and the 80th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade would merge to form a new motor rifle division, the first component of the 14th Army Corps' elevation into a combined arms army.[9]
In September 2024, Newsweek reported that the 80th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade suffered 80 percent casualties around the Dnieper–Bug estuary the previous April.[10]
