List of armies of the Soviet Union 1991

You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian.  (September 2023) Click [show] for important translation instructions.

* View a machine-translated version of the Russian article.
* Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia.
* Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 919 articles in the main category, and specifying`|topic=` will aid in categorization.
* Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article.
* You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is `Content in this edit is translated from the existing Russian Wikipedia article at [[:ru:Список_армий_Вооружённых_Сил_СССР_(1989—1991)]]; see its history for attribution.`
* You may also add the template `{{Translated|ru|Список_армий_Вооружённых_Сил_СССР_(1989—1991)}}` to the talk page.
* For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

|

List of armies of the Armed Forces of the USSR (1989–1991) – list of armies part of Soviet Armed Forces as of 1989–1991 and their status in the Former Soviet Union as of 2018.

* Note:

1. Due to inconsistencies in various sources, the list may contain inaccuracies;
2. A dash in the column "Predecessor" means that the army was a newly created formation;
3. A dash in the column "1992 Transfer to jurisdiction" means that the army was disbanded without being under the jurisdiction of any of the former USSR states;
4. In all sections in the column "Year of creation" the year in which the formation received the given full name is indicated;

## Soviet Ground Forces

[edit]

Conventional flag Ground Forces USSR Armed Forces

Main article: Soviet Ground Forces

This section includes armies subordinated to the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces.

### Combined arms armies

[edit]

Complete list of the combined arms armies (21 formations) that existed in the Ground Forces in the period from 1989 to 1991.[1]

* Note:

1. Guards – Guards;
2. MSD – motorized rifle division;
3. pulad – machine gun-artillery division;
4. td – tank division;
5. UR – fortified area.

Army  | Year of creation  | Predecessor  | Higher Headquarters, Location
1989–1991  | Divisions and fortified areas  | 1992
Transition
under
jurisdiction  | Reformation,
change of control location,
state on 2018

|
|
|
|
|
|

1st Guards Combined Arms Red Banner Army | 1968 | 1st Separate Combined Arms Army | KVO,
Chernihiv, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine | Six divisions | Ukraine | HQ 1st Guards Combined Arms Army was reorganized in 1992 into HQ 1st Army Corps. In 1996 the corps was disbanded.
3rd Combined Arms Red Banner Army | 1954 | 3rd Shock Army | GSFG,
Magdeburg, East Germany | Four tank divisions | — | The Army HQ was relocated to Khabarovsk and disbanded in March 1992.
4th Combined Arms Red Banner Army | 1944 | 34th Army | Transcaucasus Military District,
Baku, AzSSR | Five MRDs (one mobilization) | — | In August 1992, the Army Headquarters was disbanded.
5th Combined Arms Red Banner Army | 1941 | — | Far Eastern Military District,
Ussuriysk, Primorsky Krai, RSFSR | Five divisions, five fortified regions | Russia | The command location has not changed.
6th Combined Arms Red Banner Army | 1952 | 31st Rifle Corps | LenVO
Petrozavodsk | Six motor rifle divisions (three mobilization) | Russia | In 1998, the Army was disbanded.
7th Guards Combined Arms Red Banner Army | 1943 | 64th Army | Yerevan, Transcaucasus Military District | Three motor rifle divisions, two fortified regions | — | In August 1992 HQ 7th Guards Army was disbanded.
8th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Order of Lenin | 1943 | 62nd Army | GSFG,
Nohra, Germany | Three motor rifle divisions, one tank division | Russia | HQ 8th Guards Army was moved in 1993 to Volgograd and reorganized into the 8th Army Corps.
11th Guards Combined Arms Red Banner Army | 1943 | 16th Army | PribVO ,
Kaliningrad, RSFSR | Five divisions | Russia | In 1997, the army was reorganized into the Ground and Coastal Forces of the Baltic Fleet.
In April 2016, 11th Army Corps was created as part of the Baltic Fleet.
Location has not changed.
13th Combined Arms Red Banner Army | 1941 | — | Rivne, Rivne Oblast, Ukraine, Carpathian Military District | Five motor rifle divisions | Ukraine | Reduced to an army corps.
In November 2013, the Corps HQ was reorganized into Operational Command West. The location has not changed
14th Guards Combined Arms Red Banner Army | 1956 | 10th Guards Rifle Corps | Tiraspol, Molova | Five divisions (some mobilisation) | Russia[2] | In April 1995, the Army HQ was reorganized into the Operational Group of Russian Forces in Transnistria.
Location has not changed.
15th Combined Arms Army | April 1953 | HQ Far Eastern Military District (I) | Khabarovsk, Khabarovsk Territory, RSFSR | Four Motor Rifle Divisions, two Fortified Regions | Russia | In the early 1990s, the 15th Army was reduced into the 43rd Army Corps.
20th Guards Combined Arms Red Banner Army | 1957 | 4th Guards Mechanized Army | GSFG,
Eberswalde, Germany | Three tank divisions, one motor rifle division | Russia | HQ 20th Guards Combined Arms Army was relocated in 1993 to Voronezh.
22nd Guards Combined Arms Army | 1990 | 13th Guards Army Corps | Moscow Military District,
Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast , RSFSR | Three divisions | Russia | In June 2009, HQ 22nd Army was disbanded.
28th Combined Arms Red Banner Army | 1942 | — | BelVO,
Grodno, Grodno Oblast | 6th Guards TD
28th TD
76th TD
50th Guards MRD | Belarus | In June 1993, HQ 28th Combined Arms Army was reorganized into the 28th Army Corps.
In December 2002, the corps was reorganized into the Western Operational Command.
32nd Combined Arms Army | 1971 | 1st Army Corps | Central Asian -> Turkestan MDs,
Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan | Three motor rifle divisions; 78th Tank Division
10th Fortified Region | Kazakhstan | In June 1991, the 32nd Combined Arms Army was renamed the 40th Combined Arms Army.
On the basis of HQ 40th Army, in April 1993, HQ Kazakh Ground Forces was formed.
35th Combined Arms Army | 1969 | 29th Army Corps | Far Eastern MD,
Belogorsk, Amur Region, RSFSR | Five motor rifle divisions
One fortified region | Russia | In the early 1990s HQ 35th Army was reorganized into HQ 43rd Army Corps.
36th Combined Arms Army | 1976 | 86th Army Corps | Transbaikal Military District,
Borzya, Chita Oblast, RSFSR | Three motor rifle divisions, five fortified regions. | Russia | In June 1989 HQ 36th Army was reorganized into HQ 55th Army Corps, which was disbanded in 1994.
38th Combined Arms Red Banner Army | 1942 | 4th Reserve Army | Carpathian Military District
Ivano-Frankivsk, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine | Five motor rifle divisions | Ukraine | In January 1992, HQ 38th Combined Arms Army was reorganized into HQ 38th Army Corps.
The corps was disbanded in 2003.
39th Combined Arms Army | 1970 | — | Transbaikal Military District,
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | Two tank divisions, three motor rifle divisions | Russia | The Army was disbanded in December 1992.[3]
40th Combined Arms Army | 1979 | — | Turkestan Military District,
Kabul, Afghanistan | Three motor rifle divisions
103rd Guards Airborne Division | — | In March 1989, HQ 40th Army was reorganized into HQ 59th Army Corps in Samarkand, which was disbanded in 1992.
51st Combined Arms Army | 1977 | 2nd Army Corps | Far Eastern Military District,
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, RSFSR | 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division
33rd Motor Rifle Division
79th Motor Rifle Division | Russia | In the early 1990s, the 51st Army was reorganized into 68th Army Corps (Russia).

### Tank and mechanised armies 1945–91

[edit]

Initially a list of tank armies that existed in the Ground Forces in the period from 1989 to 1991.[1]

Tank army
(full name)  | Year of creation  | Predecessor  | Higher headquarters
1989–1991  | Divisions in the army  | 1992
Transition
under
jurisdiction  | Reformation,
change of control location,
state on 2018

|
|
|
|
|
|

1st Guards Tank Red Banner Army | 1944 | 1st Tank Army | GSFG,
Dresden, East Germany | Two tank divisions, one motor rifle division | Russia | HQ 1st Guards Tank Army was relocated to Smolensk in 1994 and reorganized into HQ 1st Combined Arms Army. In 2014, the army was recreated in Odintsovo, Moscow Oblast.
2nd Guards Tank Red Banner Army | 1944 | 2nd Tank Army | GSVG,
Fürstenberg, East Germany | One tank division, three motor rifle divisions | Russia | The army headquarters was relocated to Samara in 1993 and reorganized as HQ 2nd Guards Combined Arms Army.
3rd Guards Tank Army | May 1943 | 3rd Tank Army | Luckenwalde, East Germany | Three divisions | – | Redesignated 3rd Guards Tank Army on 14 May 1945. Known as 3rd Guards Red Banner Mechanized Army in 1946. Redesignated 18th Guards Army in 1957. Moved to Almaty 1964 as an operations group, briefly reformed as an army 1969, but then used as the basis of HQ SAVO.
5th Guards Tank Red Banner Army | 1957 | 5th Guards Mechanized Army | BelVO,
Bobruisk, Mogilev Oblast, BSSR | Three tank divisions, one motor rifle division | Belarus | Became an army corps.
Disbanded in 2001
6th Guards Tank Red Banner Army | 1957 | 6th Guards Mechanized Army | KVO,
Dnepropetrovsk, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine | Seven tank divisions, several mobilisation | Ukraine | Became an army corps.
In November 2013, the Corps Directorate was reorganized into Operational Command "South".
The deployment has not changed.
7th Tank Red Banner Army | 1957 | 7th Mechanized Army | Belorussian Military District,
Borisov, Minsk Oblast, BSSR | Three tank divisions, one motor rifle division (mobilisation) | Belarus | In August 1993, HQ 7th Tank Army was reduced in status to 7th Army Corps.
In 1994, the corps was renamed 65th Army Corps.
In December 2001, the 65th Army Corps was reorganized into the North-Western Operational Command.
The deployment has not changed.
8th Tank Army of the Red Banner | 1957 | 8th Mechanized Army | PrikVO,
Zhytomyr, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukrainian SSR | 23rd TD
30th Guards. TD
50th TD | Ukraine | In December 1993, HQ 8th Tank Army was reorganized into the HQ 8th Army Corps.
The corps was disbanded in 2015.

## Soviet Air Forces

[edit]

Air armies (18 formations) that existed in the Soviet Air Forces in the period from 1989 to 1991.[4]

* Note: abbreviations

1. adib/apib – fighter-bomber aviation division / fighter-bomber aviation regiment;
2. bad/bap – bomber aviation division / bomber aviation regiment;
3. VVS – air force (as applied to a military district or group of troops);
4. vtap – military transport aviation regiment;
5. tbad – heavy bomber aviation division.
6. uap – training aviation regiment;

Air Army
(full name)  | Year of creation  | Predecessor  | High headquarters  | Divisions and separate regiments  | 1992
Transition
under
jurisdiction  | Reformation,
change of control location,
State on 2018

|
|
|
|
|
|

1st Red Banner Air Army | 1957 | 29th and 54th Air Army | Far Eastern Military District,
Khabarovsk, RSFSR | Four aviation divisions, seven separate regiments | Russia | In May in 1998, the 1st Air Army was reorganized into the 11th Air Force and Air Defense Army.
The location has not changed
4th Air Army of the Supreme High Command | 1968 | Air Force Central Group of Forces | Supreme High Command Headquarters,
Legnica, Poland | Three divisions, three smaller units | Russia | In August 1992, the 4th Air Army was relocated to Rostov-on-Don.
In June 1997, the 4th Air Army was reorganized into the 4th Air and Air Defence Forces Army.
5th Air Army | 1988 | Air Forces of the Odesa Military District | Odesa Military District,
Odesa, Ukraine | 119th IAD
Three separate regiments |  | In August 1992, HQ 5th Air Army department was reorganized into the 5th Aviation Corps department.
In 2004, by the merger of  5th Aviation Corps and 60th Air Defense Corps, Air Command South was created.
The location has not changed[5]
14th Air Army | 1988 | VVS PrikVO | PrikVO,
Lviv, Ukraine | 289th bad
533 -ya iad
48th guards. orap
452nd oshap | Ukraine | In August 1992, the 14th Air Army was reorganized into the 14th Aviation Corps.
16th Red Banner Air Army | 1988 | Air Force GSFG | GSFG,
Wünsdorf, Germany | 6th Guards. Iad
16th Guards. iad
126th iad
105th adib
125th adib
357th oap
368th oap
11th orap
931st guards . detachment
226th sap
239th guards. ovp | Russia | Management of the 16th Air Army in November 1993 was relocated to the settlement. Kubinka of the Moscow Region.
In November 1998, it was reorganized into the Directorate of the 16th Combined Aviation Corps.
In February 2002, the Directorate of the 16th Corps was reorganized into Directorate of the 16th Air Army.
In August 2009, the Directorate of the 16th Air Army was disbanded
17th Air Army | 1988 | VVS KVO | KVO,
Kiev, Ukrainian SSR | 105th UAP
702 th uap
703rd uap
130th uap
288th uap | Ukraine | Disbanded in 1992
23rd Air Army | 1988 | Air Force of the Transbaikal Military District | ZabVO,
Chita, RSFSR | 30th adib
246th IAD
120th IAP
101st Regt
125th unit
193rd unit
68th unit | Russia |
24th Air Army of the Reserve of the Main Operational Command | 1980 | 2nd Separate Heavy Bomber Aviation Corps | Long-Range Aviation,
Vinnitsa, Ukraine | Two bomber aviation divisions
138th IAD
Three separate brigades/regiments | Ukraine | In March 1992, HQ 24th Air Army was reorganized into HQ Ukrainian Air Force.
The location has not changed

## See also

[edit]

* List of Soviet Army divisions 1989–1991
* ru:Список армий Вооружённых Сил СССР (1989—1991)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Feskov et al 2013, p. 640.
2. ^ After the collapse of the USSR, HQ 14th Guards Army and the 59th Guards MRD went to Russia. The rest of the formations are divided between Ukraine and Moldova
3. ^ "39th Combined Arms Army".
4. ^ Drogovoz 2007, pp. 166, 448, 532–541.
5. ^ Alexander Dmitriev (5 August 2018). "Who guards the sky over Odessa?". www.odessa-life.od.ua. Retrieved 11 March 2019.

* Drogovoz, I. (2007). Air Shield of the Country of Soviets. Military Historical Library. Minsk: Harvest LLC. ISBN 978-985-13-9628-9.
* Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской / В. И. Феськов, В. И. Голиков, К. А. Калашников, С. А. Слугин ; под научной редакцией канд. ист. наук В. И. Голикова. - Новосибирск : Академиздат, 2020-. – 30 см.
* Feskov, V.I.; Golikov, V.I.; Kalashnikov, K.A.; Slugin, S.A. (2013). Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской [The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II: From the Red Army to the Soviet: Part 1 Land Forces] (in Russian). Tomsk: Scientific and Technical Literature Publishing. ISBN 9785895035306.