We have identified the personnel of the battalion tactical group (BTG) from the 7-th Military Base, which is deployed for alert missions near the Ukrainian border in the Rostov Oblast.

On October 4, 2016 InformNapalm international intelligence community published an article under the headline Daily routine of the Rostov reserve of “Novorossia army”. It tracks the history of our investigations on the battalion tactical groups (BTG) of the Russian army in the Rostov region and gives a glimpse of their current alert mission routine. The tactical group from the 7-th Military Base (military unit 09332, Gudauta, from the occupied Abkhazia, Georgia) of the 49th Army of the Southern Military District of Russia was also named among other BTGs.

A few days later, InformNapalm got hold of the ration records, which reflected the personnel and structure of the BTG from the 7-th Military Base on “Rostov-Ukraine mission”. We decided not to disclose the source of the leak, however full set of the photographic evidence is stored in our archives and there is no doubt in its authenticity.

Note: in addition to the ration records of the BTG personnel from the 7-th Military Base, InformNapalm investigators received other important documents that are currently under examination.

The document analysis – The list of servicemen (units) receiving rations. July 7, 2016 – military unit (field post number) 09332 – 416 contract/conscript soldiers

1. 4th infantry company – 56;
2. 5th infantry company – 56;
3. 6th infantry company – 60;
4. Mortar battery – 25;
5. Grenade-launcher platoon – 18;
6. Control platoon – 13;
7. Logistics platoon – 18;
8. Medical platoon – 7;
9. EW platoon – 1;
10. Sniper platoon – 6;
11. Flame-thrower platoon – (1+1+7) 9;
12. Special operations group (from the N-th Special operations brigade) – 15;
13. Reconnaissance company – ? (no data);
14. UAV operating crew – 2;
15. The 205th Motorized Rifle Brigade – 2 .

Total: 418 servicemen – 416 (the 7-th Military Base) + 2 (the 205th Motorized Rifle Brigade).

This document makes it clear that the backbone of the BTG from the 7th Military Base, which is on alert missions in the Rostov Oblast, is staffed by the personnel of the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion (4th, 5th and 6th companies, a mortar battery, a grenade launcher platoon, a control platoon, a logistics platoon and a medical platoon). The tactical group also includes attached subunits (platoons, crews) of an EW company, a sniper company, a flame-thrower company, a reconnaissance company, a UAV company from the same military base. There is also a special operations group composed of the personnel of the N-th (the number is not defined) special operations brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) and of military unit 74814 (205th Motorized Rifle Brigade from Budyonnovsk, Stavropol Krai).

According to our estimates, as of July 7, 2016, 288 servicemen (out of 418) of this BTG of the 7th Military Base, being on a combat alert mission in the Rostov region, received food rations. If we subtract the 288 people present, from the total number of 418, it turns out that 130 people were missing. The question is, where are these other 130 servicemen from this BTG?

The answer is obvious: on the other side of the border, as a part of the Novorossia illegal armed groups , so-called “army corps” of Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR). Apparently they are nor by 70% manned by the Russian military personnel and mercenaries from Russia. InformNapalm repeatedly spotted the servicemen of this military base posing as “local rebel miners” (see 1, 2, 3). The official Ukrainian sources have also reported about this (see 4). We have also written about the mass recruitment of conscripts from the 7th Military Base into contract service to subsequently send them on the “Ukrainian missions” and about combat decorations awarded based on the results of such “missions” and their high personnel turnover (see 5, 6, 7).

In addition to the above, our observations revealed that the 7th Military Base from the Rostov region is apparently also represented by at least one battery (6 pcs) of Akatsia 152 mm self-propelled howitzers and a company (10 pcs) of T-90A main battle tanks (MBT), as well as a battery of Grad multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and Osa surface-to-air missile system (SAM), which is not reflected on the food rations records. According to our assumptions, the artillery, MBTs and air defense equipment of the 7th Military Base are located in the area of Kadamovsky training range. They are on separate lists and are assigned to varying BTGs as reinforcements under the orders of the military alignment command. They could have also been transferred to the new (under formation) 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 49th Army with permanent location in the city of Novocherkassk.

Personnel and armament of the 7th Military Base of the Russian occupation forces

The 7th Krasnodar Red Banner Order of Kutuzov and the Red Star Military Base, military unit 09332 (Gudauta, occupied Abkhazia, Georgia), includes:

• Structure
• – The command;
• – Four mechanized infantry battalions;
• – Sniper company;
• – MBT battalion;
• – Two self-propelled artillery battalions + one battery of towed howitzers;
• – Rocket artillery battalion;
• – Antitank artillery battalion;
• – Antiaircraft missile battalion and an antiaircraft artillery missile battalion (parts of the so-called Anti-aircraft battalion group of the 7th Military Base);
• – Reconnaissance battalion;
• – UAV company;
• – Engineer battalion;
• – NBC protection company;
• – Control (communications) battalion;
• – Electronic warfare company;
• – Control and artillery reconnaissance battery (of the artillery commander);
• – Control and radar reconnaissance platoon (of the air defense forces commander);
• – Control Platoon (of the reconnaissance commander);
• – Maintenance battalion;
• – Logistics battalion;
• – Headquarters company;
• – Medical company;
• – Military advisers platoon;
• – Training simulator platoon;
• – Training range;
• – Brass band.
• The Military Base also includes a so-called aviation command office providing ground support for periodic flights of the Russian Airforce planes to the airfield in Gudauta; an anti-aircraft missile regiment (formerly the 100th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, military unit 90100), consisting of 2 SAM battalions in Agudzera and Primorskoye, which have 8 units of S-300 SAM’s on combat alert (make part of the so-called anti-aircraft battalion group of the 7th Military Base); an electronic technical unit with alert facilities deployed on the airfield of Sukhumi Babushara Airport.
• Armament
• – T-90A and T-72B3 MBTs – 41 pc. (according to other sources 51 pc.);
• – BTR-82AM and BTR-80 armored personnel carriers (APC) – 156 pcs.;
• – MT-LB light multi-purpose armored towing vehicles – 15 pcs.;
• – BM-21 Grad MLRS – 18 pcs.;
• – Akatsia 152 mm self-propelled howitzers – 36 pcs.;
• – D-30 122 mm howitzers – 6 pcs.;
• – 2S12 Sani 120 mm heavy mortar systems – 18 pcs.;
• – MT-12 Rapira 100 mm anti-tank guns – 12 pcs.;
• – 9P149 Shturm-S self-propelled anti-tank missile systems – 12 pcs.;
• – BRDM-2 armored reconnaissance vehicles – 4 pcs.;
• – 9A33BM2(3) Osa SAM’s – 12 pcs.;
• – 9A34(35) Strela-10 SAM’s on armored vehicle mounts – 6 pcs.;
• – 2S6M Tunguska self-propelled anti-aircraft guns – 6 pcs.;
• – 9K38 Igla man portable surface-to-air missiles – 27 pcs.;
  – S-300 surface-to-air missile systems (SAM) – 16 pcs. In addition, in accordance with an agreement on joint armed forces between the Russian Federation and unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia signed in Moscow on November 21, 2015, two mechanized infantry battalions, artillery and aviation groups, as well as a separate special operations group have been attached by Abkhazia to the 7th Military Base.
• Except for a few of our additions, this note is based on the data from net.

The links below present 20 episodes involving military unit 09332 with facts of participation of servicemen from the 7th Military Base of the Russian Army in the war against Ukraine.

About 10 awarded servicemen of the 7th Military Base are registered in our database and video overview “Award stigma of war criminals from the Russian Army”, published by our community on October 3, 2016.

Judging by the number of our publications, featuring military unit 09332, the 7th Military Base of the Russian occupation forces beats all previous records and is the most belligerent military force of the Russian Army in Ukraine, which is reflected in our materials:

• Combat Crews of 2S3 “Akatsiya” of the 7th Military Base Identified along the Border with Ukraine 10/2/2014
• ‘Donetsk Express’ – identification of Russian military equipment and weaponry, transferred to Donbas10/6/2014
• Medical Detachment of the 7th Military Base from Abkhazia Identified near the Border with Ukraine 10/11/2014
• Rocket artillery of the 7th Military Base of the Russian occupation forces from Abkhazia on the border with Donbas12/18/2014
• From the mandarin paradise toward the Ukrainian hell’: how Russian contract-based soldiers are forces to fight and kill Ukrainians 2/4/2015
• Servicemen of the 7th Russian Military Base from Abkhazia receive medals for fighting in Donbas 3/2/2015
• Conscripts of the 7th Russian Military Base massively recruited to become contract soldiers for “Ukrainian missions” 3/6/2015
• “Courageous Mihos” – a scout of the 7th Military Base, holder of medal For Courage3/18/2015
• More soldiers from 7th Military Base received Combat Medals after temporary duties in Ukraine.5/13/2015
• ‘Cinderellas’ with Self-propelled Artillery Systems or How Russian Contract Servicemen are Posing as ‘Self-defence’ 6/23/2015
• The Cover Story of the ‘Former’ Soldier of the 7th Russian Base Does not Hold Water. 6/30/2015
• Massive Deployment of the Russian Troops And Equipment from the Occupied Abkhazia Is Registered.9/22/2015
• Russia Deploys the Military Equipment of the 7th Base to Rostov Oblast 9/23/2015
• Russian Contract Soldier from the 7th Base Fights as ‘DPR’ Militant 9/25/2015
• ‘Bored silly’: ‘Bored silly’: the Russian Invaders’ Games in Donbas2016-01-10
• ‘Double Strike’ to the Russian Officers from the Southern Military District 2/5/2016
• Journey of Russian Occupant: Gudauta – Rostov – Donbas – Khmeimim 3/28/2016
• The Dynasty of Russian War Criminals: Biographic Narrative of the Invader 3/28/2016
• Emperor’s new clothes – or Putin exposed9/16/2016
• Daily routine of the Rostov reserve of “Novorossia army” 10/4/2016

We should like to remind that the database of InformNapalm investigations proving participation of more than 75 military units of the Russian army in the fighting in Ukraine is available at:

• Infographics: Professional Russian Army in Ukraine. Database and Visualisation 10/18/2016
• Table: Russian Presence. Incidents and Unit Numbers
• Russian military intervention in Ukraine: overview, evidence, map

This publication was prepared on the basis of own OSINT-investigation. Author Irakli Komaxidze 

Translated by Mc Joy

Edited by Artem Velichko

(CC BY) Information specially prepared for website InformNapalm.org, an active link to the authors and our project is obligatory for any reprint or further use of the material.

We call on our readers to actively share our publications on social networks. Broad public awareness of these investigations is a major factor in the information and actual warfare.