Transcaucasian Military District
Encyclopedia
The Transcaucasian Military District, a military district
of the Soviet Armed Forces
, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia
, Azerbaijan
, and Georgia
into the USSR. It was disbanded by being redesignated as a Group of Forces in the early 1990s after the Soviet Union collapse.
It was originally formed from the Red Army
's Separate Caucasian Army, which became the Red Banner Caucasian Army in August 1923. On 17 May 1935 the Red Banner Caucasus Army was redesignated the Transcaucasian Military District. The Georgian, Armenian, and Azerbaijani national formations, plus units from the 11th Soviet Red Army
, all joined the new district about this time.
In July 1936 the District's formations and units received designations according to the countrywide numbering scheme and became: the 9th
(formerly 1st Caucasus) Mountain Rifle Division, named for the Central Executive Committee of the Georgian SSR; the 20th (formerly 3rd Caucasus) Mountain Rifle Division; the 47th (former 1st) Georgian Mountain Rifle Division, named for Comrade Stalin; the 63rd (former 2nd) Georgian Mountain Rifle Division, named for Comrade Frunze
; the 76th Аrmenian Mountain Rifle Division
, named after Comrade Voroshilov, and the 77th Аzerbaijani Mountain Rifle Division, named for Comrade Ordzhonikidze
.
On 22 June 1941 the District consisted of the 3rd (4th
, 20th, and 47th Divisions), 23rd (136 and 138 Divisions) and 40th (9th
and 31) Rifle Corps, the 28th Mechanised Corps, which included the 6th and 54th Tank Divisions and the 236th Motorised Division, five unattached divisions - the 63rd, 76th, and 77th Rifle, the 17th Mountain Cavalry and the 24th Cavalry, and three fortified regions.
During World War II it became the Transcaucasus Front.
After World War II
the Transcaucasus Front reverted to being a part of the Headquarters Transcaucasus Military District (ZakVO), in Tbilisi
. In 1979 Scott and Scott reported the District' HQ address as Tbilisi-4, Ulitsa Dzneladze, Dom 46. The District became part of the Southern Direction, headquartered in Baku
and including the North Caucasus and Turkestan Military District
s, in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The Soviet Air Forces' presence in the district consisted of the 34th Air Army. It was made up of 2 aviation divisions (36th Bomber and 283rd Fighter) and six independent aviation regiments (total 12 aviation regiments).
Army composition:
Another source lists the:
The Soviet Air Defence Forces had the 19th Army of Air Defence Forces located in the District.
of 19 March 1992 the Transcaucasian Military District был временно взят под юрисдикцию Russian Federation.
On 1 January 1993, the District became the Group of Russian Forces in the Transcaucasus (Russian Группа российских войск в Закавказье - ГРВЗ; GRVZ). After many of the divisions listed above had dissolved or become part of the former republics' armed forces, in the mid 1990s the GRVZ's dispositions were:
General Major Aleksander Studenikin, former deputy commander of the Moscow Military District
's 20th Army, commanded the Group in 2004 with General (Major?) Andrei Popov as his deputy.
The Russian presence at Vaziani was withdrawn in the late 1990s and an agreement over the withdrawal of the 12th and 62nd Bases by 2007-08 was made in 2005. The Akhalkalaki 62nd base was officially transferred on schedule to Georgia on June 27, 2007. The 12th Military Base in Batumi was transferred earlier scheduled; scheduled for February 2008, it was transferred on November 13, 2007. The ‘Zvezda’ command post (probably the former District war headquarters) in the town of Mtskheta
, just north of Tblisi, was handed over by early September 2005. Due to the espionage conflict between Russia and Georgia
, the Transcaucasus Group of Forces headquarters in Tbilisi was closed down ahead of schedule: 287 Russian servicemen left Georgia by December 31, 2006.
Even after the GRVZ is totally withdrawn, Russian troops will remain in peacekeeping roles in Abkhazia
and South Ossetia
, de-jure parts of Georgia. There are about 1,600 men on the Abkhazian-Georgian boundary (serving alongside UNOMIG) and a battalion in South Ossetia. According to the Russian authorities, the Gudauta
military base is also now used by the peacekeeping forces, but no international monitoring has ever been allowed there.
Military district
Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle.Navies have also used...
of the Soviet Armed Forces
Soviet Armed Forces
The Soviet Armed Forces, also called the Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Armed Forces of the Soviet Union refers to the armed forces of the Russian SFSR , and Soviet Union from their beginnings in the...
, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, and Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
into the USSR. It was disbanded by being redesignated as a Group of Forces in the early 1990s after the Soviet Union collapse.
It was originally formed from the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
's Separate Caucasian Army, which became the Red Banner Caucasian Army in August 1923. On 17 May 1935 the Red Banner Caucasus Army was redesignated the Transcaucasian Military District. The Georgian, Armenian, and Azerbaijani national formations, plus units from the 11th Soviet Red Army
11th Soviet Red Army
The 11th Army of the Red Army was a unit of the then newly created Soviet armed forces. It was formed by the Bolsheviks on October 3, 1918 from the Red Northern Caucasus Army. In February 1919 it was dissolved and was again deployed in March 1919 as a subdivision of the Caspian-Caucasian Front...
, all joined the new district about this time.
In July 1936 the District's formations and units received designations according to the countrywide numbering scheme and became: the 9th
9th Infantry Division (Soviet Union)
The 9th Kursk Infantry Division was created on the 20 July 1918 as one of the first divisions of the Soviet Union during the Russian Civil War. The division was stationed in the Caucasus region, later the Transcaucasian Military District and soon renamed 9th Infantry, and later 9th Rifle division...
(formerly 1st Caucasus) Mountain Rifle Division, named for the Central Executive Committee of the Georgian SSR; the 20th (formerly 3rd Caucasus) Mountain Rifle Division; the 47th (former 1st) Georgian Mountain Rifle Division, named for Comrade Stalin; the 63rd (former 2nd) Georgian Mountain Rifle Division, named for Comrade Frunze
Mikhail Frunze
Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze was a Bolshevik leader during and just prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917.-Life and Political Activity:Frunze was born in Bishkek, then a small Imperial Russian garrison town in the Kyrgyz part of Turkestan, to a Moldovan medical practitioner and his Russian wife...
; the 76th Аrmenian Mountain Rifle Division
76th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The Soviet 76th "K. E. Voroshilov" Division known also as the 76th Armenian Mountain Division, was a Soviet infantry fighting unit of the Red Army that fought on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. The 76th was made up primarily of Armenians from the newly established Soviet Socialist...
, named after Comrade Voroshilov, and the 77th Аzerbaijani Mountain Rifle Division, named for Comrade Ordzhonikidze
Grigoriy Ordzhonikidze
Grigol Ordzhonikidze ორჯონიკიძე - Grigol Orjonikidze, , generally known as Sergo Ordzhonikidze ; – February 18, 1937) was a Georgian Bolshevik, later member of the CPSU Politburo and close friend to Joseph Stalin...
.
On 22 June 1941 the District consisted of the 3rd (4th
4th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 4th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army active from 1921 to 1946.The Division was activated 1919 near Petrograd during the Russian Civil War, and fought on the western front of that war and in the Soviet-Polish War. Until 1923 its headquarters was at Minsk...
, 20th, and 47th Divisions), 23rd (136 and 138 Divisions) and 40th (9th
9th Infantry Division (Soviet Union)
The 9th Kursk Infantry Division was created on the 20 July 1918 as one of the first divisions of the Soviet Union during the Russian Civil War. The division was stationed in the Caucasus region, later the Transcaucasian Military District and soon renamed 9th Infantry, and later 9th Rifle division...
and 31) Rifle Corps, the 28th Mechanised Corps, which included the 6th and 54th Tank Divisions and the 236th Motorised Division, five unattached divisions - the 63rd, 76th, and 77th Rifle, the 17th Mountain Cavalry and the 24th Cavalry, and three fortified regions.
During World War II it became the Transcaucasus Front.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Transcaucasus Front reverted to being a part of the Headquarters Transcaucasus Military District (ZakVO), in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
. In 1979 Scott and Scott reported the District' HQ address as Tbilisi-4, Ulitsa Dzneladze, Dom 46. The District became part of the Southern Direction, headquartered in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
and including the North Caucasus and Turkestan Military District
Turkestan Military District
The Turkestan Military District was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with its headquarters at Tashkent. The District was first created during the 1874 Russian military reform when by order of Minister D.A. Milyutinym the territory of Russia was...
s, in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Commanders 1945-91
- Maslennikov, IvanIvan MaslennikovIvan Ivanovich Maslennikov , General of the Army, was a Soviet military and NKVD commander of Army and Front level during World War II. A career Red Army officer, Maslennikov was transferred to NKVD system in 1928, and remained there until the German invasion of 1941, progressing from a...
(1946–1947), Army General; - Tolbukhin, Fyodor IvanovichFyodor TolbukhinFyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin was a Soviet military commander.-Biography:Tolbukhin was born into a peasant family in the province of Yaroslavl, north-east of Moscow. He volunteered for the Imperial Army in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I. He was steadily promoted, advancing from private to...
(1947–1949), Marshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
; - Antonov, Alexei InnokentevichAleksei AntonovAleksei Innokentievich Antonov was a General of the Soviet Army, awarded the Order of Victory for his efforts in World War II.-Career:...
(1950–1954), Army General; - Fedyuninsky, IvanIvan FedyuninskyIvan Ivanovich Fedyuninsky was a Soviet military leader and Hero of the Soviet Union .Fedyuninsky was born into a peasant family near Tugulym in the Urals. He finished the village school in 1913 and was apprenticed to a painter and decorator. He joined the Red Army in 1919...
(1954–1957), Colonel General on August 8, 1955 - Army General; - Rokossowski, KonstantinKonstantin RokossovskyKonstantin Rokossovskiy was a Polish-origin Soviet career officer who was a Marshal of the Soviet Union, as well as Marshal of Poland and Polish Defence Minister, who was famously known for his service in the Eastern Front, where he received high esteem for his outstanding military skill...
(1957), Marshal of the Soviet Union; - Galitski, Kuzma N. (1958–1961), Army General;
- Stuchenko, Andrei Trofimovich (1961–1968), Colonel General, on April 13, 1964 - Army General;
- Kurkotkin, Semyon Konstantinovich (1968–1971), Colonel General;
- Melnikov, Paul V. (October 1971 - 1978), Colonel General;
- Koulishev O.F. (1978 - August 1983), Colonel General;
- Arkhipov, Vladimir Mikhailovich (August 1983 - July 1985), Colonel General;
- Kochetov, Konstantin Alekseevich (July 1985 - May 1988), Colonel General, on April 29, 1988 - Army General;
- Rodionov, IgorIgor RodionovIgor Nikolayevich Rodionov is a Russian general and Duma deputy. He is best known as a hardline politician, and for his service heading the Defence Ministry of the Russian Federation....
(May 1988 - August 1989), Colonel General; - Patrikeev Valery Anisimovich (August 1989 - September 26, 1992), Colonel General;
Forces in the late 1980s
In the late 1980s dispositions within the District were as follows:- 104th Guards Airborne Division VDVVDVThe Russian Airborne Troops or VDV is a military branch of service of the Russian Military, on par with the Strategic Rocket Forces and the Russian Space Forces...
, KirovabadGanja, AzerbaijanGanja is Azerbaijan's second-largest city with a population of around 313,300. It was named Yelizavetpol in the Russian Empire period. The city regained its original name—Ganja—from 1920–1935 during the first part of its incorporation into the Soviet Union. However, its name was changed again and... - 171st Guards District Training CentreSoviet 1st Guards Mechanized CorpsThe 1st Guards Mechanized Corps was a Red Army armoured formation that saw service during World War II on the Eastern Front. After the war it continued to serve with Soviet occupation forces in Central Europe. It was originally the 1st Guards Rifle Division...
, TbilisiTbilisiTbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936... - Seventh Guards Army, HQ Yerevan, Armenian SSRArmenian SSRThe Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet...
- 15th Motor Rifle Division, KirovakanVanadzor-Industry:Vanadzor is dominated by large chemical plants which include: "Prometey-Khimprom", "Vanadzor Chemical Plant", "Vanadzor Khimprom" and "Vanadzor Chemical Fiber Plant". Another big enterprise is the "Vanadzor Thermal Power Plant....
- 75th Motor Rifle Division, NakhichevanNakhichevanThe Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan. The region covers 5,363 km² and borders Armenia to the east and north, Iran to the south and west, and Turkey to the northwest...
(part of 7th Guards Army due to geographic proximity) - 127th Motor Rifle Division, LeninakanGyumriGyumri is the capital and largest city of the Shirak Province in northwest Armenia. It is located about 120 km from the capital Yerevan, and, with a population of 168,918 , is the second-largest city in Armenia.The name of the city has been changed many times in history...
(now Russian 102nd Military Base) - 164th Motor Rifle Division, Yerevan
- 15th Motor Rifle Division, Kirovakan
- Fourth Army, HQ Baku, Azerbaijan SSRAzerbaijan SSRThe Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Azerbaijan SSR for short, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union....
- 23rd Motor Rifle Division, KirovabadGanja, AzerbaijanGanja is Azerbaijan's second-largest city with a population of around 313,300. It was named Yelizavetpol in the Russian Empire period. The city regained its original name—Ganja—from 1920–1935 during the first part of its incorporation into the Soviet Union. However, its name was changed again and...
- 366th Motor Rifle Regiment, StepanakertStepanakertStepanakert is the largest city and capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, a de facto independent republic, though is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan...
- other regiments
- 366th Motor Rifle Regiment, Stepanakert
- 60th Motor Rifle Division, Lenkoran
- 216th Motor Rifle Division
- 295th Motor Rifle Division, BakuBakuBaku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
- 23rd Motor Rifle Division, Kirovabad
- Ninth Army (later 31st Army Corps), HQ Kutaisi, Georgian SSR
- 10th Guards Motor Rifle Division10th Guards Motor Rifle DivisionThe 10th Guards Motor Rifle Division was a division of the Soviet Ground Forces. The full name of its predecessor division was the "10th Guards Rifle Pechengskii twice Red Banner, Order of Alexander Nevsky and the Red Star division"...
, AkhaltsikheAkhaltsikheAkhaltsikhe is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. It is situated on the both banks of a small river Potskhovi, which separates the city to the old city in the north and new in the south. The name of the city translates from Georgian as "new fortress".- History... - 145th Motor Rifle Division, BatumiBatumiBatumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. Sometimes considered Georgia's second capital, with a population of 121,806 , Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a subtropical zone, rich in...
, AdjaraAdjaraAdjara , officially the Autonomous Republic of Adjara , is an autonomous republic of Georgia.Adjara is located in the southwestern corner of Georgia, bordered by Turkey to the south and the eastern end of the Black Sea... - 147th Motor Rifle Division, AkhalkalakiAkhalkalakiAkhalkalaki is a small city in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 60,975. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti Volcanic Plateau. The city is located about 30 km from the border with Turkey. 90 percent of the city's population are ethnic Armenians...
- 152nd Motor Rifle Division, KutaisiKutaisiKutaisi is Georgia's second largest city and the capital of the western region of Imereti. It is 221 km to the west of Tbilisi.-Geography:...
- 10th Guards Motor Rifle Division
The Soviet Air Forces' presence in the district consisted of the 34th Air Army. It was made up of 2 aviation divisions (36th Bomber and 283rd Fighter) and six independent aviation regiments (total 12 aviation regiments).
Army composition:
- 80 Independent Shturmovaya Aviation Regiment - Sitalchay Su-25
- 188(?) Independent Fighter Regiment (?) - Shiraki/Шираки Su-17 (?)
- 313 Independent Reconnaissance Regiment 'Берлинский Order of the Red BannerOrder of the Red BannerThe Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
, Order of KutuzovOrder of KutuzovThe Order of Kutuzov is a Soviet and Russian military award, named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov ....
' Vaziani Su-17R (93 paп) - 325 Independent Transport Helicopter Regiment - (Tsulukidze now KhoniKhoniKhoni is a town in the Western Georgian region of Imereti with the population of 11,300 . It is situated on the left bank of the Tskhenistkali River in the north-west of Imereti, close to the border with the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and 266 km west of Georgia's capital Tbilisi. The town...
) Ми-8Т, Ми-6 - 793 Independent Transport Helicopter Regiment - TelaviTelaviTelavi is the main city and administrative center of Georgia's eastern province of Kakheti. Its population consists of some 21,800 inhabitants . The city is located on foot-hills of Tsiv-Gombori Range at 500-800 meters above the sea level....
Ми-8Т, Ми-6 - - 882 Independent Reconnaissance Regiment - DollyarDollyar Air BaseDollyar Air Base is a military airbase in Dollyar , a municipality of the Shamkir district in Azerbaijan....
Su-24МR, MiG-25RB - 36 Bomber Aviation Division - Большие Shiraki (Шираки) (Didi Shiraki)
- 34 Bomber Aviation Regiment 'Ташкентский краснознаменный, Order of KutuzovOrder of KutuzovThe Order of Kutuzov is a Soviet and Russian military award, named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov ....
' KirovabadKirovabadKirovabad can refer to:* The former name of Ganja, the second largest city in Azerbaijan.* The former name of Panj or Pyandzh a city in Tajikistan.* Kirovabad pogrom - pogrom in Kirovabad formerly Ganja....
Су-24 (34 бап) - 143 Bomber Aviation Regiment - Kopitnari Su-24М
- 976 Bomber Aviation Regiment Инстербургский Kyurdamir Air BaseKyurdamir Air BaseKyurdamir Air Base is a military airbase in Kyurdamir , the capital of the Kurdamir district in Azerbaijan....
Su-24, Su-17 (976 иап)
- 34 Bomber Aviation Regiment 'Ташкентский краснознаменный, Order of Kutuzov
- 283 Fighter Aviation Division 'Камышинская краснознаменная' Vaziani (283инад) (в/ч 06941)
- 176 Fighter Aviation Regiment 'Berlin Red Banner' Miha Tskhakaya (Tskhakaia) МiG-29 (176 иап) (в/ч 42080)
- 841 Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment 'Baranovichsk Red BannerRed BannerRed Banner was a symbol of the USSR associated with the Soviet state flag.Military units, institutions and organizations awarded with the Order of the Red Banner are referred to with the honorific title "of the Red Banner" Red Banner was a symbol of the USSR associated with the Soviet state...
, Order of Suvorov' Meria (Makharadze) Su-17 (30 гв. иап 1945) - 982 Fighter Aviation Regiment - Vaziani (Rustavi) МiG-23MLD (982 FAR 1945) (в/ч 40501)
Another source lists the:
-
- 529th Fighter Aviation Regiment – Bombora Airfield (GudautaGudautaGudauta is a town in Abkhazia and a centre of the eponymous district. It is situated on the Black Sea, 37 km northwest to Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia....
), Yak-28P (в/ч 74545)
- 529th Fighter Aviation Regiment – Bombora Airfield (Gudauta
The Soviet Air Defence Forces had the 19th Army of Air Defence Forces located in the District.
Russian Transcaucasus Group of Forces
By Ukaz № 260 of the President of the Russian FederationPresident of the Russian Federation
The President of the Russian Federation is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Russian Federation...
of 19 March 1992 the Transcaucasian Military District был временно взят под юрисдикцию Russian Federation.
On 1 January 1993, the District became the Group of Russian Forces in the Transcaucasus (Russian Группа российских войск в Закавказье - ГРВЗ; GRVZ). After many of the divisions listed above had dissolved or become part of the former republics' armed forces, in the mid 1990s the GRVZ's dispositions were:
- Headquarters, TbilisiTbilisiTbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
- 12th Military Base, BatumiBatumiBatumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. Sometimes considered Georgia's second capital, with a population of 121,806 , Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a subtropical zone, rich in...
, AdjaraAdjaraAdjara , officially the Autonomous Republic of Adjara , is an autonomous republic of Georgia.Adjara is located in the southwestern corner of Georgia, bordered by Turkey to the south and the eastern end of the Black Sea...
AR, GeorgiaGeorgia (country)Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of... - 62nd Military Base, AkhalkalakiAkhalkalakiAkhalkalaki is a small city in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 60,975. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti Volcanic Plateau. The city is located about 30 km from the border with Turkey. 90 percent of the city's population are ethnic Armenians...
, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Georgia. Former 147th Motor Rifle Division. In October 1999, the base had: - personnel - 1,964 servicemen - equipment - 41 MBT, 114 AIFV/APC (BMP and BTR); 46 various military vehicles; 61 artillery systems; and 2 pontoon-bridging vehicles. The base includes the 409th and 412th motor-rifle regiments; the 817th artillery regiment; the 889th communication battalion; and the 65th artillery detachment. - 102nd Military Base, GyumriGyumriGyumri is the capital and largest city of the Shirak Province in northwest Armenia. It is located about 120 km from the capital Yerevan, and, with a population of 168,918 , is the second-largest city in Armenia.The name of the city has been changed many times in history...
, ArmeniaArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia... - 137th Military Base, Vaziani Military BaseVaziani Military BaseThe Vaziani Military Base is located about twenty kilometers outside Tbilisi at Latitude 41.6947 Longitude 45.0467, Georgia. The main base is spread over 10,000 hectares....
, GeorgiaGeorgia (country)Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
(former 171st Guards District Training CentreSoviet 1st Guards Mechanized CorpsThe 1st Guards Mechanized Corps was a Red Army armoured formation that saw service during World War II on the Eastern Front. After the war it continued to serve with Soviet occupation forces in Central Europe. It was originally the 1st Guards Rifle Division...
) In October 1999, it was reported to have the 405th motorrifle regiment with 773 servicemen; 31 MBT; 70 AIFV/APC; 16 artillery systems; and one pontoon-bridging vehicle; the 566th communication battalion - 193 servicemen; 5 mobile radio stations P-145BM; and the 311th helicopter wing - 161 servicemen, 5 Mi-24 attack helicopters and 5 Mi-8MT transport helicopters. The 405th MRR had been absorbed from the 10th Guards Motor Rifle Division10th Guards Motor Rifle DivisionThe 10th Guards Motor Rifle Division was a division of the Soviet Ground Forces. The full name of its predecessor division was the "10th Guards Rifle Pechengskii twice Red Banner, Order of Alexander Nevsky and the Red Star division"...
formerly headquartered in KutaisiKutaisiKutaisi is Georgia's second largest city and the capital of the western region of Imereti. It is 221 km to the west of Tbilisi.-Geography:...
. - 142nd Tank Repair Factory, TbilisiTbilisiTbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
. In October 1999, it was reported to have 20 servicemen; and equipment including 28 MBT (T-72), 103 AIFV/APC and two self-propelled howitzers 2C3 "Acatsia". - Khelvachauri-based (Adjaria) military depot. In October 1999, it had 56 servicemen. 29 AIFV - 5 BMP-1 and 24 BMP-2 - were stored there.
- Other smaller formations and units, including an independent helicopter squadron
General Major Aleksander Studenikin, former deputy commander of the Moscow Military District
Moscow Military District
The Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
's 20th Army, commanded the Group in 2004 with General (Major?) Andrei Popov as his deputy.
The Russian presence at Vaziani was withdrawn in the late 1990s and an agreement over the withdrawal of the 12th and 62nd Bases by 2007-08 was made in 2005. The Akhalkalaki 62nd base was officially transferred on schedule to Georgia on June 27, 2007. The 12th Military Base in Batumi was transferred earlier scheduled; scheduled for February 2008, it was transferred on November 13, 2007. The ‘Zvezda’ command post (probably the former District war headquarters) in the town of Mtskheta
Mtskheta
Mtskheta , one of the oldest cities of the country of Georgia , is located approximately 20 kilometers north of Tbilisi at the confluence of the Aragvi and Kura rivers. The city is now the administrative centre of the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region...
, just north of Tblisi, was handed over by early September 2005. Due to the espionage conflict between Russia and Georgia
2006 Georgian-Russian espionage controversy
The 2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy began when the Government of Georgia arrested four Russian officers on charges of espionage, on September 27, 2006...
, the Transcaucasus Group of Forces headquarters in Tbilisi was closed down ahead of schedule: 287 Russian servicemen left Georgia by December 31, 2006.
Even after the GRVZ is totally withdrawn, Russian troops will remain in peacekeeping roles in Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
and South Ossetia
South Ossetia
South Ossetia or Tskhinvali Region is a disputed region and partly recognized state in the South Caucasus, located in the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic....
, de-jure parts of Georgia. There are about 1,600 men on the Abkhazian-Georgian boundary (serving alongside UNOMIG) and a battalion in South Ossetia. According to the Russian authorities, the Gudauta
Gudauta
Gudauta is a town in Abkhazia and a centre of the eponymous district. It is situated on the Black Sea, 37 km northwest to Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia....
military base is also now used by the peacekeeping forces, but no international monitoring has ever been allowed there.