Defense and deterrence: the development of troops in the Kaliningrad region
Presentation of the historical banner of the 18th Guards Motorized Rifle Division, March 2, 2021
The Kaliningrad region is cut off from the main territory of Russia and surrounded by unfriendly countries, which is why it faces special threats and challenges of a military-political nature. These circumstances are not ignored, and the Ministry of Defense is taking the necessary measures. Recently, a number of important steps have been taken to strengthen the defense of the region and make fuller use of its advanced potential.
Geography and military
The specificity of threats to the Kaliningrad region is determined by its geographical location. This region on land is not connected to the main territory of Russia. At the same time, it has a land border with two NATO countries - Lithuania in the north and Poland in the south. In addition, other states of an unfriendly alliance are located in the immediate vicinity of the region.
The geography of the Kaliningrad region imposes certain restrictions on logistics. Overland transportation is possible only through the territory of other countries, which may be associated with difficulties. Because of this, air and sea transport is of great importance. In the western part of the region, washed by the Baltic Sea, there are several ports.
In connection with this situation, the protection of the Kaliningrad region has historically been given great importance. On its territory, certain units and formations of all branches of the armed forces were constantly present. Now ground forces, parts of the Aerospace Forces, as well as bases of the Baltic fleet and his coastal troops. All troops in the region are part of the Western Military District.
Ships of the Baltic Fleet in Baltiysk
In the event of a conflict, the region will have to act independently at the first stage, for which a full-fledged multicomponent group of troops of a limited scale was formed. Then the troops of the Kaliningrad region will receive the necessary support from formations in other regions. First of all, the Western Military District will stand up to protect the exclave in the person of all branches of the armed forces capable of quickly reaching a given area and taking part in a defensive operation.
In their current state, these troops can independently cover the land and sea borders of the region. At the same time, defensive lines can be moved to a great distance from the borders with the creation of the so-called. zones of "restriction and prohibition of access and maneuver". In addition, measures have been taken to form strike capabilities. In this case, parts of the Kaliningrad region will be able to control an even larger area and participate in the processes of strategic deterrence.
defensive measures
In recent years, against the backdrop of a deteriorating situation in Europe, there have been regular reports of news about certain measures to strengthen the Kaliningrad group of troops. New units and formations were created, as well as the reorganization of existing ones in the direction of increasing and increasing potential. In addition, old and new formations updated their material part and / or increased its number - with well-known positive consequences.
Significant measures to strengthen the ground and coastal forces were taken in 2020-21. So, on December 1, 2020, on the basis of the 79th separate guards motorized rifle brigade of the KBF, the 18th guards motorized rifle division was re-created. The connection with this name existed until 2002, after which it was reduced and reorganized into the 79th brigade. Almost a year ago, at the beginning of March 2021, the restored 18th Guards Division received historical banner.
Training launch of the missile complex "Iskander"
The newly created division included the existing tank and anti-aircraft regiment. The 275th and 280th motorized rifle regiments were also re-formed. At the end of April, these units were given the historical banners used by the regiments of the previous formation. Plans were reported to create a third motorized rifle regiment and an artillery regiment.
It is important that this is only part of the transformations of recent years. Such changes in the organizational and staffing structure of the Baltic Fleet troops make it possible to increase the number of coastal units and, accordingly, raise their overall combat capability. At the same time, it is envisaged to strengthen several types of coastal troops, which will give clear advantages.
In parallel, the development and renewal of the marine aviation. So, at the end of January, during the Single Day of Military Acceptance, it was reported that new Su-30SM2 multifunctional fighters were built for the Red Banner Baltic Fleet. Four machines of this type are intended for the 4th Guards Naval Assault Aviation Regiment, which is currently using Su-24M bombers.
In the future, deliveries of new batches of Su-30SM2 are expected, which will provide a replacement for existing aircraft. As a result of such modernization, the overall combat potential of the 4th Guards Regiment will grow by one and a half times. In particular, he will be able to solve not only shock tasks.
Small missile ships pr. 22800 at the Pella plant, 2019. In the foreground, the Odintsovo RTO, which began service in 2020.
shock bridgehead
The geographical position may make the Kaliningrad region an easier target for attack. However, a potential aggressor should take into account that the Russian exclave is 550-600 km away from the main Russian territory - and this makes it a convenient and advantageous place for deploying non-nuclear deterrent strikes.
Since the end of the XNUMXs, the possibility of deploying Iskander missile systems in the exclave has been discussed. This topic made a lot of noise, but until a certain time, the prospects for such a deployment remained uncertain. Only a few years ago it became known that the Iskanders nevertheless appeared near Kaliningrad. Depending on the type of missile used, these OTRKs are capable of controlling one or another large area of Eastern Europe.
The Baltic Fleet has a large strike potential, and in recent years it has additionally grown due to modern newly built ships. So, in November 2020, the small rocket ship Odintsovo pr. 22800 entered the fleet, and another one or two are expected to be handed over this year. Also this year, the delivery of two RTOs pr. 21631 is possible.
The basic one weapons these ships, as well as a number of other KBF pennants, are Caliber cruise missiles. Such weapons have a long range and high combat performance. With its help, ships, without even moving away from the bases of the fleet, are able to keep a significant part of Eastern and Central Europe at gunpoint.
MiG-31K with Kinzhal missile
A few weeks ago, in early February, it became known about the flight to the Kaliningrad region of two MiG-31K aircraft systems - carriers of the Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. In the following days, the aircraft flew with standard weapons on an external sling. The details of such a deployment are unknown. It could be temporary or permanent.
As reported, the range of the aviation complex as part of the MiG-31K and Kinzhal reaches 2 thousand km. Accordingly, the Russian Aerospace Forces are able to control almost the entire European region - from Scandinavia in the north to Turkey in the south, as well as Ireland and Spain in the west. At the same time, it is assumed that the interception of a missile in flight by modern air defense and missile defense systems is impossible.
Full grouping
Thus, the grouping of the Russian armed forces in the Kaliningrad region receives the necessary development. There is a change and improvement of the organizational and staffing structure, as well as measures are being taken to re-equip and strengthen. All this leads to a natural increase in combat capability, and also has a positive effect on the protection of the defense of the exclave and the entire western strategic direction.
It is important that the development of the defense of the Kaliningrad region is systemic and offers various measures. Thanks to this, the area receives reliable defense against possible threats, both directly at the borders and at a distance from them. In addition, geographical advantages are actively used, which simplify the solution of strategic deterrence tasks. As a result, the Kaliningrad region remains an essential element of national security and will retain this role in the future.
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