Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present) order of battle

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This is the order of battle for the Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present). It should not be considered complete, up-to-date, nor fully accurate, being based on open-source press reporting.

An updated order of battle estimate for 23 April 2023, by the Institute for the Study of War is accessible at:

Another ISW-relevant publication, published in October 2023:

Russian forces in 2022

Senior commanders for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine
Andrey Belousov, Minister of Defence since May 2024
General of the Army Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff and commander of Russian forces in Ukraine

Administrative chain of command

Commanders of the various MOD armed services and branches do not have operational control over the forces. They are responsible for force development and generation. The Chiefs of the ground forces, aerospace forces, navy, strategic missile forces, and airborne forces also hold the appointments of Deputy Ministers of Defence, junior to the Chief of the General Staff, who is the First Deputy Minister of Defence.

The General Staff commands and controls forces through the National Defence Management Centre (NDMC). Operational control of the forces was carried out by the five Operational-Strategic Commands—the Western, Southern, Central, and Eastern Military Districts and the OSK Northern Fleet, which is their equal. The Western and Southern Military Districts share borders with Ukraine and are directly involved in command and control of operations.

Pre-2022 Russian military doctrine had specified that on the outbreak of war, armed forces from non-MOD services (like Rosgvardiya) would be placed under the General Staff.[1]

Initial force groupings

Ukrainian military commentator Yuri Butusov listed the following initial March 2022 deployment of Russian/allied forces:[13]

More information Grouping, Role ...
Grouping Role Located around Forces from Estimated strength
Southwestern Belarus blocking contingent against Ukrainian forces in Western Ukraine Brest, Luninyets, Baranavichy, Asipovichy and Minsk 6–7 Battalion tactical group (BTGs)
Southeastern Belarus Kyiv offensive direction Vepri, Elsin, Brahin, Khainini, Rechytsa and Mazyr 5th, 35th and 36th Combined Arms Armies (CAA) 7–9 BTGs
Bryansk Chernihiv offensive direction Klimovo, Klintsy, Pochep and Sevsk 41st CAA and the 90th Guards Tank Division 3 BTGs
Kursk–Belgorod Sumy offensive direction Tomarovka, Vesela Lopan', Zorino, Pristen', Kursk and Belgorod 6th and 20th CAAs 4 BTGs
Voronezh Kharkiv offensive direction Stary Oskol, Soloti, Valuyki, Boguchar, Pogonovo and Voronezh 6th Tank and 20th CAAs 13–14 BTGs
Smolensk operational reserve of the northern front Yelnya 20th and 41st CAAs 6–7 BTGs
Rostov Donbas and eastern Sea of Azov offensive direction Rostov-on-Don and Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy 8th CAA[a] 6 BTGs
Crimea southern Ukraine offensive direction Crimean Peninsula (Slavne, Dzhankoi, Novoozerne, Yevpatoria, Sevastopol, Oktyabrskoye, Bakhchysarar, Angarskyi, Feodosia, Opuk) up to 13 BTGs
Kuban operational reserve of the southern front Kuban Peninsula (Novorossiysk, Korenovsk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar, Mol'kino and Maykop) and Stavropol 6 BTGs
Close

Russian leaders, 2022–23

Despite evolving Russian doctrine, which specified all troops and forces operating from one Operational-Strategic Command (OSK) be placed under one commander, multiple repeated sources (Rochan Consulting, Center for Naval Analysis, British Ministry of Defence) reported that separate groupings of forces drawn from each of the four military districts, under the leadership of senior personnel from that military district, took part in the initial invasion.[14] President Vladimir Putin was repeatedly reported to be very involved, sometimes giving orders to field formations.[15]

According to US officials, the commander of the Russian Southern Military District, Aleksandr Dvornikov, was placed in overall command on 8 April 2022.[16] Analysts of the OSINT organisation CIT speculated that Dvornikov had been replaced by Gennady Zhidko in late May 2022,[17] with US officials quoted in the New York Times also speculating that he had "disappeared".[18] According to Mason Clark of the ISW, since Dvornikov and Zhidko remained "double-hatted" as Military District commanders during their reported terms as overall commanders, they were "first among equals" rather than true theatre commanders.[19]

In October 2022 the Russian ministry of defence officially announced that Sergei Surovikin had been placed in charge of Russia's forces fighting in Ukraine, according to analyst John Hardie writing for the Long War Journal, Surovikin was "likely the operation’s first true unified commander". Surovikin, who Hardie described as "a competent commander" was replaced in January 2023 by Valery Gerasimov. The Russian ministry of defence claimed that Surovikin's replacement was necessitated by the need for a more senior officer to carry out an "amplified range of tasks," and to increase "cooperation between services and branches of the Armed Forces." According to Hardie, Suvorikin's replacement may have reflected "internal power politics".[20]

Russian forces

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.[21]

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[22] 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."[23] The meetings likely took place before 16 April.

Direct Forces under President

Mercenaries and Foreign Fighters

Main article: Russian irregular units in Ukraine

Militias

Reserve units of the Russian Armed Forces

Chechens

Spetsnaz units

Clear evidence as to which Grouping of Forces these brigades belong to is not readily available.

Units returned to Russia:

Joint Grouping of Forces

Ukrainian forces

Senior Ukrainian commanders for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine[386]
Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
Brigadier-General Andrii Hnatov, Commander of the Joint Operational Command

See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    Ukraine says the 8th CAA has operational control over the Donetsk People's Republic People's Militia and the Luhansk People's Republic People's Militia, naming them the Russian 1st and 2nd Army Corps
  2. [b]
    According to the Law "On The National Guard of Ukraine" ("Про Національну гвардію України") Article 6, paragraph 3: "With the enactment of a state of martial law, the National Guard of Ukraine shall be prepared to perform its assigned tasks and shall be subordinated to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, except for the military units tasked with escorting and guarding people under arrest and those military units guarding diplomatic missions.")[418]
  3. [c]
    Commanders of the three armed services hold no operational authority. They are subordinated to the commander-in-chief.
  4. [d]
    According to the Law "On The National Security of Ukraine", the commanders of the armed services and separate combat arms generate the combat units and give over operational control over them to the Commander of the Joint Operational Command
  5. [e]
    commands the armed forces and security forces contingents facing the Russian-controlled Donbass separatist forces, successor to the previous Anti-Terror Operation (ATO)
  6. [f]
    previously the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps

References

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