234th Guards Air Assault Regiment
| 234th St. Aleksandr Nevsky Guards Black Sea Order of Kutuzov Air Assault Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Russian: 234-й гвардейский десантно-штурмовой Черноморский ордена Кутузова 3-й степени полк имени Святого Александра Невского | |
 234th Guards Air Assault Regiment shoulder sleeve insignia | |
| Active | 1946–present |
| Country |  Soviet Union(1946–1991)  Russia(1991–present) |
| Branch |  Russian Airborne Forces |
| Size | Regiment |
| Part of | 76th Guards Air Assault Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Pskov MUN 74268 |
| Engagements | Second Chechen War Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Decorations | Order of Kutuzov |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Artyom “Uran” Gorodilov |
The 234th Guards Air Assault Regiment is a formation of the Russian Airborne Forces. It is part of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division.[1]
History
[edit]The regiment was formed on 7 June 1946 in Novgorod as the 234th Guards Air-Landing Regiment of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division. In 1947, its garrison was moved to Pskov. In 1949 it was converted into an airborne regiment.[1]
Operations
[edit]In 2014, the regiment was involved in the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.[2] It fought in the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The unit has lost several of its senior leadership in the war including Regiment Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Igor Zharov[3] and Regiment Deputy Commander Lieutenant Colonel Aleksey Afonin.[4]
Bucha massacre
[edit]The Bucha massacre was the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war by the Russian Armed Forces during the fight for and occupation of the city of Bucha as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. specifically killing dozens of innocent civilians on Yablunska Street.[5][6] Photographic and video evidence of the massacre emerged on 1 April 2022 after Russian forces withdrew from the city.
On 22 December 2022, The New York Times published the results of their investigation of the massacre. The eight-month visual investigation by the paper concluded that the perpetrators of the massacre along Yablunska Street were Russian paratroopers from the 234th Air Assault Regiment (part of 76th Guards Air Assault Division) led by Lt. Col. Artyom Gorodilov.[7]
Organization (from 2017)
[edit]- Regiment HQ
- 1st Airborne Assault Battalion
- 2nd Airborne Assault Battalion
- Parachute battalion
- Self-propelled artillery division
- Anti-tank battery
- Anti-tank battery of self-propelled anti-tank guns
- Anti-aircraft battery
- Reconnaissance company
- Engineer-sapper company
- Communications company
- Airborne support company
- Logistics company
- Repair company
- NBC Protection platoon
1,760 personnel, armed with: 108 BMD units (28 BMD-4 units, 5 BMD-3 units, 75 BMD-2 units), 42 BTR-D units, 1 BMD-1R unit, 7 KShM units (6 BMD-1KSh units, 1 R-149BMRD unit), 6 BTR-RD "Robot" units (with 9K113 "Konkurs" ATGM), 9 BTR-ZD "Skrezhet" units (with ZU-23-2 and MANPADS), 10 units 1V119 "Rheostat" units, 24 units 2S9 "Nona-S" units, 6 units 2S25 "Sprut-SD" units.
In literature
[edit]The regiment is referenced in Tom Clancy's novel Red Storm Rising, where it takes part in Operation Polar Glory, the Soviet invasion of Iceland. In the book, the regiment travels hidden in the cargo hold of the merchant ship MV Yulius Fuchik.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Holm, Michael. "234th Guards Parachute Regiment". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
- ^ "Conscripts of Russian 234th Airborne Assault Regiment Awarded for Occupation of Crimea". 25 November 2018. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
- ^ "How the Russian officer elite is being decimated in Ukraine – 27 generals and commanders who were killed in action". 2022-05-01. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ "Aleksey Afonin". www.topcargo200.com. 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ "As Evidence Of War Crimes In Bucha Mounts, A Hunt For Russian Military Units". 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
- ^ "The Russian Military Unit That Killed Dozens in Bucha". 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ^ "Caught on Camera, Traced by Phone: The Russian Military Unit That Killed Dozens in Bucha". The New York Times. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Clancy, Tom. Red Storm Rising, Chapter 13.
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