155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade explained

Unit Name:155th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade
Native Name:155-я отдельная гвардейская бригада морской пехоты
Dates:December 1, 2009 – present
Country:
Pacific Fleet
Type:Marines
Garrison:Vladivostok, Slavyanka (Primorsky Territory)
Battles:

The 155th Separate Guards Brigade of Naval Infantry is a brigade-sized formation of the Russian Naval Infantry. It is located in the city of Vladivostok and the village of Slovianka, Primorsky Krai.[1] It is part of the Pacific Fleet. In Western sources the title is sometimes translated as "Marines."

In 2022 and 2023, the brigade took part in a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, where it fought near Kyiv,[2] Pavlivka, Avdiivka, and Vuhledar.

History

The 155th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade was created on December 1, 2009, by reorganizing the 55th Naval Infantry Division, which was created in 1968.[3]

War in Chechnya

The 155th Separate Marine Brigade performed combat missions in Chechnya during the First Russian-Chechen War.[4] First, the 165th Marine Regiment was sent, followed by the consolidated 106th Marine Regiment, which operated in the foothills and mountainous regions of Chechnya. More than 2,400 servicemen were awarded orders and medals, 63 infantrymen died in battle, and five of them became a Hero of the Russian Federation.[5]

Involvement in Syria

During the Russian intervention in Syria, the 155th brigade provided support and cover to the PKS aviation group as part of the Permanent Operational Unit of the Russian Navy.[6]

2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Starting in 2022, the brigade took part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7]

On March 13, in a written post on Facebook, Ukrainian journalist Roman Tsymbalyuk reported that units of the 155th Separate Marine Brigade had suffered losses consisting of "about 600 servicemen killed and as many wounded" in the Chernihiv region.[8]

On March 19, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that separate units of the 155th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade and the 40th Naval Infantry Brigade (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) were transferred to the territory of Belarus to replace the losses of the Eastern Military District.[9]

On March 28, President Putin assigned the brigade the rank of guards, at the same time as the 126th Coastal Defense Brigade.[10]

On April 3–4, 2022, units of the Russian Armed Forces were reported to have committed war crimes during the occupation of settlements near Kyiv. The 155th brigade occupied the area of the town of Ivankiv — the village of Rozvazhiv in the Vyshhorod district of the Kyiv region.[11] [12] [13]

In early November 2022, there were reports of heavy losses in the brigade in battles in the Pavlivka area near Vuhledar in the Donetsk region.[14] On November 3, marines of the 155th brigade posted a letter to the Telegram channel of Russian governor Oleg Kozhemyako, describing how they were "thrown into an incomprehensible offensive by General Muradov" and disclose that "about 300 people were killed, wounded, or went missing in 4 days" as a result of the offensive.[15] Additionally, the marines asked for an independent investigation into the matter, not associated with the Ministry of Defense.[16] By late November 2022, the 155th Brigade was reportedly losing a hundred people a day during the assault on Pavlivka.[17]

In early February 2023, the 155th brigade again suffered heavy losses during the offensive on Vuhledar.[18] Video recordings of one combat encounter show nearly 30 Russian combat vehicles being destroyed, including 13 tanks and 12 BMPs.[19] [20] According to the Institute for the Study of War, the footage shows Russian forces engaging in "highly dysfunctional" combat tactics, which is likely an indication that the 155th brigade is made up of poorly trained, freshly mobilized soldiers.[21]

On 24 March 2023, the ISW reported that the brigade had been destroyed and reconstituted eight times so far, including at Vuhledar, where the Ukrainians claimed the entire brigade of 5,000 troops was destroyed.[22] [23]

On 27 February 2024, a HIMARS strike killed 19 Russian soldiers from the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade including a colonel and 2 other ranking officers. The unit commander was also wounded.[24]

On 16 August 2024, Marines from the 155th uploaded a video where they had decapitated Ukrainian soldiers following a cross-border raid days prior into Kolotilovka, Russia.[25]

Composition

2019

References

  1. Web site: Tsurkan . Rostislav . 2023-02-13 . Під Вугледаром ЗСУ знищили 155-ту бригаду морської піхоти з Владивостока . The Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the 155th brigade of marines from Vladivostok near Vuhledar . 2023-02-28 . Podrobytsi.
  2. Web site: Rudomskyi . Ruslan . 2022-05-24 . 90% від складу полку: окупанти з елітної Таманської дивізії масово пишуть рапорти на звільнення – розвідка . "90% of the regiment's composition": occupiers from the elite Taman division en masse write reports for dismissal - intelligence . 2023-02-28 . . uk-UA.
  3. Web site: Nandy . Sumana . 2022-03-28 . 'Guards' title for Russia's two naval brigades for protecting Fatherland . 2023-02-28 . . en.
  4. Web site: 2022-11-07 . Минобороны опровергло заявления о высоких потерях 155-й бригады ТОФ . The Ministry of Defense denied statements about the high losses of the 155th brigade of the Pacific Fleet . 2023-02-28 . . ru.
  5. Web site: 2022-03-30 . Гвардия с Тихого океана . Guard from the Pacific . 2023-02-28 . vladnews.ru . ru.
  6. Web site: 2018-11-30 . Фонд "ОФИЦЕРСКОЕ БРАТСТВО" поздравил личный состав и ветеранов 55-й дивизии — ныне 155-й отдельной бригады морской пехоты Тихоокеанского флота с 50-летием со Дня образования . The Officer Brotherhood Foundation congratulated the personnel and veterans of the 55th Division - now the 155th Separate Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet on the 50th anniversary of its formation . 2023-02-28 . fondob.ru.
  7. Web site: Axe . David . 2022-11-07 . Russian Marines Are Getting Killed And Wounded By The Hundreds In Ukraine . 2023-02-28 . . en.
  8. Web site: Korogodskyi . Yuriy . 2022-03-13 . ЗСУ майже повністю знищили бригаду морської піхоти росіян, . The Armed Forces almost completely destroyed the Russian marine brigade, . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220313162938/https://lb.ua/society/2022/03/13/509335_zsu_mayzhe_povnistyu_znishchili_brigadu.html . 2022-03-13 . 2023-02-28 . LB.ua.
  9. Web site: 2022-03-19 . У білорусь перекинули війська з іншого кінця росії, аби поповнити втрати . Troops from the other side of Russia were transferred to Belarus to replenish losses . 2023-02-28 . . uk.
  10. Web site: Sokirko . Viktor . 2022-03-28 . Спецоперация на Украине рождает новую российскую гвардию . Special operation in Ukraine gives rise to a new Russian guard . 2023-02-28 . . ru.
  11. Web site: 2022-04-03 . Українські спецслужби назвали відповідальних за воєнні злочини на Чернігівщині та Київщині . Ukrainian special services named those responsible for war crimes in Chernihiv region and Kyiv region . 2023-02-28 . . uk.
  12. Web site: 2022-04-03 . Хто розстрілював мирних людей на Київщині та Чернігівщині: перелік підрозділів військ РФ . Who shot civilians in Kyiv region and Chernihiv region: a list of Russian military units . 2023-02-28 . apostrophe.ua . uk.
  13. Web site: 2022-04-03 . Стали відомі підрозділи ЗС Росії, які чинили злочини в Бучі . Units of the Russian Armed Forces, which committed crimes in Buch, became known . 2023-02-28 . novynarnia.com . uk.
  14. Web site: 2022-12-26 . "Нам уже ніколи не буде соромно". Десять знакових перемог України за рік великої війни з РФ . "We will never be ashamed." Ten significant victories of Ukraine during the year of the great war with the Russian Federation . 2023-02-28 . nv.ua.
  15. Web site: "They Call Us Meat": BBC Eye investigation shows how glaring tactical mistakes cost elite Russian marines their lives in Ukraine despite repeated warnings . 2024-01-02 . www.bbc.co.uk . en.
  16. Web site: Gičko . Marta . 2022-07-11 . "Людей називають м'ясом": російські морпіхи за 4 дні втратили 300 осіб під Вугледаром . "People are called meat": Russian marines lost 300 people in 4 days near Vugledar . 2023-02-28 . . uk.
  17. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/02/12/defeated-several-times-the-russian-155th-brigade-finally-captured-a-few-village-blocks-but-only-because-russian-snipers-forced-it-forward/?sh=3d30319b2187 Defeated Several Times, The Russian 155th Brigade Finally Captured A Few Village Blocks. But Only Because Russian Snipers Forced It Forward.
  18. Web site: Axe . David . 2023-02-08 . Smashed By Ukrainian Mines And Artillery, Russia’s Winter Offensive Just Ground To A Halt Outside Vuhledar . 2023-02-28 . . en.
  19. Web site: 2023-02-09 . RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, FEBRUARY 9, 2023 . 2023-02-28 . . en.
  20. News: Aksenov . Pavel . 2023-02-11 . Началось ли большое российское наступление в Украине? . ru . Has a major Russian offensive begun in Ukraine? . . 2023-02-28.
  21. Web site: 2023-02-10 . RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, FEBRUARY 10, 2023 . 2023-02-28 . . en.
  22. https://www.businessinsider.com/same-russian-brigade-destroyed-and-reformed-8-times-report-2023-3 An elite Russian brigade of 5,000 soldiers has been destroyed and reformed as many as 8 times after heavy losses, report says
  23. https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-24-2023 RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 24, 2023
  24. Web site: For The Third Time In A Week, Russian Troops Paraded Within Range Of Ukraine’s HIMARS Launchers—And Rockets Rained On The Parade. 2024-02-28 . David Axe . Forbes.
  25. Web site: Russians behead Ukrainian soldier in Belgorod Oblast . 2024-08-16 . Ukrainska Pravda . en.