Breaking News! The forces in the Donbas region are set to restructure again.

On April 2nd, according to the website of the Russian Ministry of Defense press office, two combined armies (CAA) of the Southern Military District, the 51st Combined Army and the 3rd Combined Army (formerly the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Militia), have begun transforming their independent motorized infantry brigades (OMSBR) into motorized infantry divisions (MSD).

Each army will consist of three motorized infantry divisions. The Russian command is attempting to simplify the combat control processes of these units by improving organizational and staff structures.

It is expected that each motorized infantry division within these armies will comprise four linear regiments (two assault regiments and two reinforcement regiments, along with an armored self-propelled regiment), as well as a group of division-level combat and logistical support forces.

Despite the prefix "motorized," most of them are pure infantry assault regiments and battalions, though the Russian military command plans to convert all infantry units and detachments within these divisions into motorized formations.

In particular, the 51st Army plans to incorporate three motorized infantry divisions: the 1st Motorized Infantry Division, the 110th Motorized Infantry Division, and the 132nd Motorized Infantry Division. For instance, the 132nd Motorized Infantry Division will be established based on the 101st and 109th independent infantry regiments (SRR). Three independent infantry battalions (SRB) — the 269th, 270th, and 272nd battalions — will merge into one infantry regiment (the 103rd SRR infantry regiment), while the only motorized infantry unit in this division will be the 1436th Motorized Infantry Regiment (its four-digit number clearly suggests it is not entirely a motorized unit, as it evidently belongs to the so-called mobilization reserve with very limited motorized assets).

The issue of tank shortages remains unresolved. It is unclear whether each division will receive a tank regiment or if they will be limited to a separate tank battalion and conventional tank battalions within the regiment.

From all indications, these divisions obviously lack air defense units, sapper units, and other regimental formations. Most likely, these branches will be represented entirely by independent battalion/regiment-level units within the army structure.

The restructuring of the organization and personnel structure of the two armies in the Donbas region is likely aimed at improving command and control systems rather than significantly increasing their numbers or combat effectiveness.

On paper, these Donbas armies with three motorized infantry divisions appear quite threatening. In reality, judging from their combat capabilities, they are still likely to remain a corps.

Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1828299848082442/

Disclaimer: This article solely represents the views of the author.