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7/8/2025, 12:59:53 PM
Southern Military District Orders Reinforcement of 102nd Military Base in Armenia
The Russian military command is taking steps to reinforce its 102nd Military Base in Gyumri, Armenia, with contract soldiers drawn from formations currently heavily engaged in Ukraine. A captured Russian military telegram, published by Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), reveals an order from the acting commander of the Southern Military District (SMD), Major General S. Zemskov, directing the selection of personnel to backfill the Armenian garrison.
The order, issued between May 13 and June 11, 2024, directs the commanders of the SMD's 8th, 18th, 49th, and 58th Combined Arms Armies to form working groups to select servicemen for subsequent deployment to "military unit field post 04436 (Gyumri, Republic of Armenia)."
Notably, the directive includes a strict set of selection criteria, suggesting an effort to send disciplined and reliable soldiers rather than poorly trained mobilized personnel or penal recruits. The criteria explicitly exclude individuals with:
A history of drug or alcohol abuse.
Registration with law enforcement or convictions for criminal offenses.
A medical fitness classification lower than "B-4" (fit for military service with minor restrictions).
A neuropsychological stability rating below "good."
This effort to replenish the 102nd Base with professional contract soldiers from front-line armies indicates the strategic importance Moscow places on maintaining a credible force posture in the South Caucasus, even while under significant strain in Ukraine. It suggests that units from the 102nd Base may have been previously redeployed to participate in the full-scale invasion, and the SMD is now attempting to restore the base's manning levels with quality personnel to ensure stability on NATO's southern flank and project Russian influence in the region.
The Russian military command is taking steps to reinforce its 102nd Military Base in Gyumri, Armenia, with contract soldiers drawn from formations currently heavily engaged in Ukraine. A captured Russian military telegram, published by Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), reveals an order from the acting commander of the Southern Military District (SMD), Major General S. Zemskov, directing the selection of personnel to backfill the Armenian garrison.
The order, issued between May 13 and June 11, 2024, directs the commanders of the SMD's 8th, 18th, 49th, and 58th Combined Arms Armies to form working groups to select servicemen for subsequent deployment to "military unit field post 04436 (Gyumri, Republic of Armenia)."
Notably, the directive includes a strict set of selection criteria, suggesting an effort to send disciplined and reliable soldiers rather than poorly trained mobilized personnel or penal recruits. The criteria explicitly exclude individuals with:
A history of drug or alcohol abuse.
Registration with law enforcement or convictions for criminal offenses.
A medical fitness classification lower than "B-4" (fit for military service with minor restrictions).
A neuropsychological stability rating below "good."
This effort to replenish the 102nd Base with professional contract soldiers from front-line armies indicates the strategic importance Moscow places on maintaining a credible force posture in the South Caucasus, even while under significant strain in Ukraine. It suggests that units from the 102nd Base may have been previously redeployed to participate in the full-scale invasion, and the SMD is now attempting to restore the base's manning levels with quality personnel to ensure stability on NATO's southern flank and project Russian influence in the region.
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