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155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade

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155th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade
155-я отдельная гвардейская бригада морской пехоты
ActiveDecember 1, 2009 – present
Country Russia
Branch Russian Navy
TypeNaval infantry and Naval special forces
SizeBrigade
Part of Pacific Fleet
Garrison/HQVladivostok, Slavyanka (Primorsky Territory)
Color of BeretBlack  
Engagements
Battle honoursGuards unit Guards

The 155th Separate Guards Brigade of Naval Infantry (Russian: 155-я отдельная гвардейская бригада морской пехоты) 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."

Since 2022, the brigade has taken part in the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, where it has fought near Kyiv,[2] Pavlivka, Avdiivka, and Vuhledar. During its deployment to Ukraine, the unit has suffered heavy losses, with the Institute for the Study of War reporting that the brigade had been destroyed and reconstituted eight times by March 2023.[3][4][5]

The unit has been accused of numerous war crimes in Ukraine, including beheading Ukrainian soldiers and executing prisoners of war.[6]

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.[7]

War in Chechnya

The 155th Separate Marine Brigade performed combat missions in Chechnya during the First Russian-Chechen War.[8] 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.[9]

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.[10]

Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Starting in 2022, the brigade took part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[11]

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.[12]

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.[13]

On March 28, President Putin assigned the brigade the rank of guards, at the same time as the 126th Coastal Defense Brigade.[14]

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.[15] 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.[16] Additionally, the marines asked for an independent investigation into the matter, not associated with the Ministry of Defense.[16][17] Reportedly, 63 marines were killed and another 240 casualties suffered during the assault, with half of the 155th and 40th Marine Brigade's equipment being lost, including "scores of scores of T-80 tanks and BMP and BTR fighting vehicles".[18] By late November 2022, the 155th Brigade was reportedly losing a hundred people a day during the assault on Pavlivka.[19]

In early February 2023, the 155th brigade again suffered heavy losses during the offensive on Vuhledar.[20] Video recordings of one combat encounter show nearly 30 Russian combat vehicles being destroyed, including 13 tanks and 12 BMPs.[21][22] 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.[23]

On March 24, 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.[24][3][4][5]

On February 27, 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.[25]

On October 18, 2024, the Ukrainian 95th Air Assault Brigade killed 30 personnel and destroyed three APCs from the 155th Brigade in an engagement in Kursk Oblast.[26]

War crimes

The unit has been accused of numerous war crimes.[16]

In April 2022, the 155th brigade were accused of war crimes during the occupation of settlements near Kyiv. The brigade occupied the area of the town of Ivankiv — the village of Rozvazhiv in the Vyshhorod district of the Kyiv region.[27][28][29]

In March 2023, Reporters Without Borders identified the 155th brigade as one of the Russian units present in the area at the time of the murder of Ukrainian photo-journalist Maks Levin and his friend in a forest north of Kyiv on April 1, 2022.[30]

In August 2024, members from the brigade allegedly beheaded four Ukrainians and displayed their severed heads on poles, behaviour usually associated with Islamic terror groups.[6]

In October 2024, marines from the 155th brigade counterattacked Ukrainian held territory in Russia's Kursk Oblast. The members overran a team of lightly armed Ukrainian drone operators while advancing toward a string of villages, rather than taking the nine operators captive as dictated by international law, they stripped the Ukrainians, ordered them to lie face down and then shot them in their heads, apparently killing them all. Imagery of the event was widely shared on social media. After the killings, it was reported that some Ukrainian units were deliberately hunting down the 155th brigade, successfully ambushing and killing ″at least a few″ members of the unit.[6]

Composition

2019

  • 59th Naval Infantry Battalion (Slovyanka village)
  • 47th Assault Battalion
  • 287th Self-propelled artillery division (Slovyanka village)
  • 288th Anti-Aircraft Missile Artillery Division

References

  1. ^ Tsurkan, Rostislav (February 13, 2023). "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]. Podrobytsi. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  2. ^ Rudomskyi, Ruslan (May 24, 2022). "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]. Obozrevatel (in Ukrainian). Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Russian Offensive Campaign Assesment, March 24, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. March 24, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Bickerton, James (March 25, 2023). "Russian brigade destroyed and reconstituted up to 8 times after losses: ISW". Newsweek. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Baker, Sinéad (March 27, 2023). "How an elite brigade of Russian marines was repeatedly mauled in Ukraine and became an emblem of the invasion's failures". Business Insider. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Axe, David (October 14, 2024). "Days After Russian Marines Murdered Nine Ukrainian Prisoners, Ukrainian Paratroopers Are Looking For Revenge—And Finding It". Forbes. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  7. ^ Nandy, Sumana (March 28, 2022). "'Guards' title for Russia's two naval brigades for protecting Fatherland". India Today. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  8. ^ "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]. Vedomosti (in Russian). November 7, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  9. ^ "Гвардия с Тихого океана" [Guard from the Pacific]. vladnews.ru (in Russian). March 30, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  10. ^ "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]. fondob.ru. November 30, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  11. ^ Axe, David (November 7, 2022). "Russian Marines Are Getting Killed And Wounded By The Hundreds In Ukraine". Forbes. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  12. ^ Korogodskyi, Yuriy (March 13, 2022). "ЗСУ майже повністю знищили бригаду морської піхоти росіян," [The Armed Forces almost completely destroyed the Russian marine brigade,]. LB.ua. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  13. ^ "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]. Ukrinform (in Ukrainian). March 19, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  14. ^ Sokirko, Viktor (March 28, 2022). "Спецоперация на Украине рождает новую российскую гвардию" [Special operation in Ukraine gives rise to a new Russian guard]. Vzglyad (in Russian). Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  15. ^ ""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]. nv.ua. December 26, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  16. ^ a b c ""They Call Us Meat": BBC Eye investigation shows how glaring tactical mistakes cost elite Russian marines their lives in Ukraine despite repeated warnings". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  17. ^ Gičko, Marta (July 11, 2022). ""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]. Ukrainian Independent Information Agency (in Ukrainian). Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  18. ^ Axe, David (November 7, 2022). "Russian Marines Are Getting Killed And Wounded By The Hundreds In Ukraine". Forbes. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  19. ^ Defeated Several Times, The Russian 155th Brigade Finally Captured A Few Village Blocks. But Only Because Russian Snipers Forced It Forward.
  20. ^ Axe, David (February 8, 2023). "Smashed By Ukrainian Mines And Artillery, Russia's Winter Offensive Just Ground To A Halt Outside Vuhledar". Forbes. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  21. ^ "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, FEBRUARY 9, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  22. ^ Aksenov, Pavel (February 11, 2023). "Началось ли большое российское наступление в Украине?" [Has a major Russian offensive begun in Ukraine?]. BBC News (in Russian). Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  23. ^ "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, FEBRUARY 10, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  24. ^ Shoaib, Alia (March 26, 2023). "An elite Russian brigade of 5,000 soldiers has been destroyed and reformed as many as 8 times after heavy losses, report says". Business Insider. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  25. ^ David Axe (February 28, 2024). "For The Third Time In A Week, Russian Troops Paraded Within Range Of Ukraine's HIMARS Launchers—And Rockets Rained On The Parade". Forbes.
  26. ^ Axe, David (October 25, 2024). "Ukrainian Marines And Paratroopers Backed By M-1 Tanks Have Turned The Site Of A War Crime Into A 'Road Of Death' For Russian Troops". Forbes. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  27. ^ "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]. 24 Kanal (in Ukrainian). April 3, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  28. ^ "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]. apostrophe.ua (in Ukrainian). April 3, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  29. ^ "Стали відомі підрозділи ЗС Росії, які чинили злочини в Бучі" [Units of the Russian Armed Forces, which committed crimes in Buch, became known]. novynarnia.com (in Ukrainian). April 3, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  30. ^ "RSF has new evidence about identity of Russian soldiers in area where Ukrainian journalist was killed". RSF. March 29, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
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