51st Guards Combined Arms Army

51st Guards Combined Arms Donetsk Army (2024–present) 1st Donetsk Army Corps (2014–2024)
51-я гвардейская общевойсковая Донецкая армия
Great emblem of the 51st Guards Donetsk Combined Arms Army
Active	12 November 2014 – 31 December 2022 (as a breakaway state) 31 December 2022 – present (as part of Russia)
Country	Russia
Branch	Russian Ground Forces
Type	Combined arms
Size	Field army
Part of	Southern Military District
Garrison/HQ	Donetsk
Engagements	Russo-Ukrainian War War in Donbas Battle of Mariupol (2014) First Battle of Donetsk Airport Second Battle of Donetsk Airport Battle of Debaltseve Battle of Marinka Shyrokyne standoff Battle of Avdiivka Russian invasion of Ukraine Siege of Mariupol Battle of Volnovakha Battle of Marinka (2022–2023) Kherson counteroffensive Battle of Avdiivka (2023–2024) Battle of Toretsk Pokrovsk offensive Battle of Kurakhove Pokrovsk offensive
Decorations	Guards
Battle honours	Donetsk
Commanders
Current commander	Lieutenant General Sergei Milchakov [ru][1][2]
Insignia
Sleeve patch
Flag of the Donetsk People's Republic

The 51st Guards Combined Arms Donetsk Army (Russian: 51-я гвардейская общевойсковая Донецкая армия, romanized: 51-ya gvardeyskaya obshchevoyskovaya Donetskaya armiya) is a military formation of the Russian Ground Forces as part of the Southern Military District, formerly the 1st Army Corps of the Donetsk People's Republic.^[3] It was officially incorporated into the Russian Federation on 31 December 2022, after Russia annexed the occupied territory of Donetsk,^[4] and then it was reformed into a Combined Arms Army in 2024.^[5]

History

War in Donbas

The 1st Army Corps was formed on 12 November 2014 as an effort to unite numerous volunteer units under one command. Considered by Ukrainian and Western analysts as a formal part of the Russian 8th Combined Arms Army, it nevertheless had a certain degree of autonomy.

The corps was deployed along the contact line that stretched from the coast of the Sea of Azov to the LPR border north of Debaltseve, where it met with the 2nd Army Corps.^[6]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

The corps played an active role in the Russian offensive in Southern Ukraine, taking part in the battle of Volnovakha and siege of Mariupol.

In January 2023, it was officially incorporated into the Russian Armed Forces and became part of the 8th Combined Arms Army.

In the summer of 2024, the 1st Army Corps was reorganised into the 51st Combined Arms Army.^[5]

On September 18, 2024, the 51st Army was awarded the honorary designation "Guards".^[7]

Operations in Kherson Oblast

A member of the DPR's 109th Regiment was accused of rape during the occupation of the village of Krasnivka [uk], Kherson Oblast, in March 2022.^[8]

In July 2022, the 109th, 113th, and 125th Regiments of the DPR were deployed to Zolota Balka, Davydiv Brid, Arkhanhelske, and Vysokopillia in the Kherson Oblast, according to Russian military documents published by Ukrainian officials. In late August 2022, amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kherson Oblast, Ukrainian military officials claimed that the 109th Regiment had left its positions.^[9]

Structure

• 1st Guards Motor Rifle Slavyansk Order of the Republic Brigade^[10]
  • Vikings Battalion
  • 268th Infantry Battalion
  • 1st Reserve Battalion
  • 86th Separate Rifle Regiment^[11]
  • 87th Separate Rifle Regiment [ru]^[12][13] (formerly 119th Rifle Regiment)
  • 109th Separate Rifle Regiment [ru]
    • "Tserber" group^[14]
• 5th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade^[15][16] (formerly Oplot Brigade)
• 9th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade^[17] (formerly 9th Separate Marine Regiment)
  • 2nd Motor Rifle Battalion^[18]
  • 60th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Assault Battalion named after M. S. Tolstykh (formerly Somalia Battalion)^[19]
• 110th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade^[20] (formerly 100th Motor Rifle Brigade)
  • 3rd Regiment
• 114th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade^{[citation needed]} (formerly 11th Motor Rifle Regiment/Vostok Brigade)
  • Slavic Unification and Revival Battalion or Svarozhich Battalion
  • Steppe Battalion
• 132nd Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade^[21] (formerly 3rd Motor Rifle Brigade)
  • "Lavina" Battalion^[22]
  • 20th Reserve Rifle Regiment
  • 101st Separate Rifle Regiment^[23]
    • 3rd Battalion^[24]
• 14th Separate Guards Artillery Brigade^[25][16] (formerly Kalmius Brigade)
• 80th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Battalion named after A. S. Pavlov^[26] (formerly Sparta Battalion)
• 56th Separate Special Purpose Battalion^[6][27] (formerly 10th Separate Special Purpose Battalion "Khan")
• 58th Separate Guards Special Purpose Battalion^[28][29] (formerly 3rd Separate Guards Special Purpose Battalion "Okhotnik")
• 10th Separate Guards Uman Tank Battalion (formerly Separate Tank Battalion "Diesel")^[30]
• Separate Commandant's Regiment^[6]
• 1487th Motorized Rifle Regiment^[31]
• 1st Territorial Defense Battalion
• 2nd Territorial Defense Battalion "Miner's Division"
• 3rd Territorial Defense Battalion
• 4th Territorial Defense Battalion
• 5th Territorial Defense Battalion
• 6th Territorial Defense Battalion
• Anti-aircraft Missile Defense Artillery Battalion
• Repair and Recovery Battalion "Congo"
• 51st HQ and HQ Services Battalion "Pautina"
• Material Support Battalion
• Signals Battalion
• Reserve units:
  • 103rd Rifle Regiment
  • 105th Rifle Regiment
  • 107th Rifle Regiment
  • 111th Rifle Regiment
  • 123rd Rifle Regiment
  • 125th Rifle Regiment
  • 127th Rifle Regiment

See also

• 3rd Guards Combined Arms Army, formerly the 2nd Guards Lugansk Army Corps

References

1. Полина Зорина (28 August 2024). "Освободившему Нью-Йорк генералу присвоили звание Героя России". ura.news (in Russian). Retrieved 10 September 2024.
2. "Освободившему Нью-Йорк генералу присвоили звание Героя России - Лента новостей Донецка". news-donetsk.ru (in Russian). 28 August 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
3. "'Sent there to be meat' Why Russian draftees are suddenly publishing so many video pleas to Putin". Meduza. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
4. "В состав ВС России вошли армейские корпуса ДНР и ЛНР" (in Russian). РИА Новости. 31 December 2022. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
5. Evans, Angelica; Stepanenko, Kateryna; Harward, Christina; Bailey, Riley; Barros, George (31 August 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 31, 2024". Institute for the Study of War.
6. Crowther, Edward (2022). War in Ukraine: Volume 1: Armed Formations of the Donetsk People's Republic, 2014-2022. EuropeWar Series (1st ed.). Havertown: Helion & Company, Limited. ISBN 978-1-80451-177-0.
7. "51-й общевойсковой Донецкой армии присвоено почётное наименование «гвардейская»" [The 51st Combined Arms Donetsk Army was awarded the honorary title of "Guards"]. Президент России (in Russian). 18 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
8. Камінська, Альвіна (8 June 2024). "Журналістам вдалося ідентифікувати двох солдатів рф, які причетні до зґвалтування жінок під час окупації". Рубрика (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 4 February 2025.
9. Stepanenko, Kateryna; Mappes, Grace; Howard, Angela; Philipson, Layne; Kagan, Frederick W. (29 August 2022). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 29". Institute for the Study of War.
10. Нахимов, Сергей (15 November 2022). "1-я Славянская бригада ДНР: история создания и боевой путь". AmalNews (in Russian). Retrieved 9 July 2023.
11. Noonan, Fiona (11 October 2025). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 10, 2025". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
12. Evans, Angelica; Mappes, Grace; Stepanenko, Kateryna; Gasparyan, Davit; Bailey, Riley; Kagan, Frederick W. (21 September 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 21, 2024". Institute for the Study of War.
13. Evans, Angelica; Bailey, Riley; Wolkov, Nicole; Stepanenko, Kateryna; Kagan, Frederick W. (3 March 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 3, 2024". Institute for the Study of War.
14. Wolkov, Nicole; Evans, Angelica; Mappes, Grace; Novikov, Daria; Harvey, Anna; Kagan, Frederick W.; Runkel, William (11 May 2025). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 11, 2025". Institute for the Study of War.
15. "Батальон "Оплот" | Война и санкции". sanctions.nazk.gov.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 9 July 2023.
16. "Consolidated TEXT: 32014R0269 — EN — 14.11.2022". eur-lex.europa.eu. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
17. "RUSSIAN MILITARY TRANSFORMATION TRACKER, ISSUE 8: 16 JUNE-15 DECEMBER 2023". 22 December 2023.
18. Gasparyan, Davit; Stepanenko, Kateryna; Evans, Angelica; Harward, Christina; Trotter, Nate; Runkel, William; Kagan, Frederick W. (25 October 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 25, 2024". Institute for the Study of War.
19. Gasparyan, Davit; Harward, Christina; Wolkov, Nicole; Stepanenko, Kateryna; Trotter, Nate; Runkel, William; Kagan, Fredrick W. (30 October 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 30, 2024". Institute for the Study of War.
20. "Гвардейцы 110-й бригады дронами доставили боеприпасы на головы солдат ВСУ". Красная весна (in Russian). 24 April 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
21. Evans, Angelica; Mappes, Grace; Gasparyan, Davit; Wolkov, Nicole; Kagan, Frederick W. (6 August 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 6, 2024". Institute for the Study of War.
22. Evans, Angelica; Mappes, Grace; Gasparyan, Davit; Wolkov, Nicole; Kagan, Frederick W. (6 August 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 6, 2024". Institute for the Study of War.
23. Harward, Christina; Gibson, Olivia; Gasparyan, Davit; Wolkov, Nicole; Kagan, Frederick W. (1 February 2025). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 1, 2025". Institute for the Study of War.
24. Harward, Christina; Novikov, Daria; Harvey, Anna; Evans, Angelica; Kagan, Frederick W.; Trotter, Nate (18 May 2025). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 18, 2025". Institute for the Study of War.
25. Кава, Владислав (9 April 2023). "RV: Бригада "Кальмиус" продолжает громить врага, поддерживая наступление на Авдеевку". Общественная служба новостей (in Russian). Retrieved 9 July 2023.
26. "Батальон "Спарта" | Война и санкции". sanctions.nazk.gov.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 9 July 2023.
27. "У Елки поздравлений "Российской газеты" - бойцы 56-го отдельного батальона специального назначения "Хан"" [At the congratulations tree of "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" - fighters of the 56th separate special purpose battalion "Khan"]. Rossiyskaya Gazeta. 2 January 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
28. Evans, Angelica; Mappes, Grace; Wolkov, Nicole; Harward, Christina; Paludi, Christopher; Kagan, Frederick W. (9 November 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, November 9, 2024". Institute for the Study of War.
29. "Вручение ордена Республики 58-му отдельному гвардейскому батальону спецназа" [Presentation of the Order of the Republic to the 58th Separate Guards Special Purpose Battalion]. ronin-077.livejournal.com. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
30. "Народная милиция ДНР".
31. Noonan, Fiona (11 October 2025). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 10, 2025". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 11 October 2025.