25th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade

The 25th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade Sevastopol Red Banner named after the Latvian Riflemen is a brigade of the Russian Ground Forces, which traces its history to the 13th Guards Rifle Regiment (ru:13-й гвардейский стрелковый полк) originally part of the 3rd Guards Rifle Division.

Medal commemorating "50 years of the Guards Sevastopol Red Banner Motor Rifle Regiment named for the Latvian Riflemen," 1990.

When the 3rd Guards Motor Rifle Division was activated from the 3rd Guards Rifle Division in June 1957, the now-13th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment formed part of the new division as it had the old, and was stationed in Klaipeda in the Lithuanian SSR (Baltic Military District).[1]

From May 1956 the 13th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment was stationed in Adazi (Adazi-2, now Kadaga) near the town of Riga in the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. The regiment trained and prepared junior officers and specialists: BMP commander, gunner guns of drivers of various military vehicles, radio chiefs, commanders of the engineering units.

In March 1963 the 13th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment was transferred to the 24th Tank Training Division.[1] The 24th Tank Training Division on 14 September 1987 became the 54th District Training Centre.

In accordance with the Directive of the First Deputy Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States on 11 March 1992 No. 314/3/0327, and the Directive of the Commander of the North Western Group of Forces on 29 August 1992 No. 6/1/0287, 13th Guards Red Banner Sevastopol Training Motor Rifle Regiment was reorganised as the 25th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, seemingly in September 1992.[2]

In accordance with a directive of the Defence Minister of the Russian Federation on 11 October 1993 No. 314/1/001200, Directive General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on 11 November 1993 No. 453/4/01002-25[3] 25th Guards Motor Rifle Sevastopol Red Banner separate brigade named after the Latvian Riflemen was relocated from Latvia to Strugi Krasnye (Vladimirsky Lager), Pskov Oblast, Russia, becoming part of the troops of the Leningrad Military District.

Meanwhile still back in Latvia the 54th District Training Centre was disbanded in 1995.

Warfare.ru reported that the brigade, based at Vladimirsky Lager, was a redesignation of the 42nd Base for Storage of Weapons and Equipment. In 2000 it had 443 personnel, 31 T-80; 24 Uragan, 236 MT-LBT. In 2009: BM-21 Grad – 18, 152mm 2S3M Akatsia – 36, 2B14 Podnos– 18, 100 mm MT-12 Rapira – 6, 9P149 Shturm-S – 18, 9A33BM2(3) Osa – 12, 9A34(35) Strela-10 – 6, 2S6M Tunguska – 6. 41(82) T-80, 120 MT-LB. 4393?(2200?) personnel. The brigade was involved in several mobilisation exercises over the years.

The brigade entered Ukraine as the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine commenced. However due to irreparable battle losses in the Kharkiv Oblast during the Northeastern Ukraine offensive, units of the brigade left the combat zone on March 8, 2022, and returned to N.P. Nekhoteevka of Belgorod Oblast to begin to attempt to implement measures to restore combat capability.