18th Combined Arms Army explained

Unit Name:18th Combined Arms Army
Native Name:18-я общевойсковая армия
Dates:August 2023–present
Country: (2023–present)
Branch: (2023–present)
Garrison:Crimea
Type:Combined Arms
Size:Army
Command Structure:Southern Military District
Battles:Russian invasion of Ukraine
Current Commander:Lieutenant General Andrey Seritsky

The 18th Combined Arms Army (18th CAA) is a field army of the Russian Ground Forces.[1]

History

Formed in Russian Crimea in August 2023 as part of the Southern Military District, Oleg Marzoev, an officer in the 58th Guards Combined Arms Army, reported on August 18 that the 18th CAA was formed "on the basis of" the 22nd Army Corps. This has come as part of a larger move by the Russian Ministry of Defense to strip ground units away from the Russian Navy, in this case the Black Sea Fleet. Marzoev claimed that at the time of its formation the 18th CAA was "one of the largest" units in the Russian army and that the unit was being deployed to southern Kherson Oblast as part of defense against the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive.[2] [3] The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense assessed that the creation and transfer of the 18th CAA was to free up more experienced Russian units, namely Russian Airborne Forces, to other, more active, sections of the front.[4] [5]

Deployment

Russian sources have reported that the unit has engaged Ukrainian forces near Kozachi Laheri in November 2023.[6]

Current structure

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hird . Karolina . Russia’s Military Restructuring and Expansion Hindered by the Ukraine War . . 13 November 2023.
  2. Web site: Russia creating new military formation in Ukraine’s south – UK intel . . 13 November 2023.
  3. Web site: Tril . Maria . ISW: Russia likely faces trouble redeploying troops to Kherson front . . 13 November 2023.
  4. Web site: Russia tries to bring in experienced forces for battles in key areas – UK intelligence . . 13 November 2023.
  5. Web site: Russia creating new military formation in Ukraine in face of wartime realities: UK . . 13 November 2023.
  6. Web site: Shcherbak . Alla . Ukrainian forces make strategic advances in Kherson Oblast, ISW reports . . 13 November 2023.
  7. Web site: RUSSIAN MILITARY TRANSFORMATION TRACKER, ISSUE 8: 16 JUNE-15 DECEMBER 2023 . 22 December 2023.