Four years have passed since the moment Crimea became part of Russia again. During this time, a fairly large self-sufficient grouping of troops was created on the territory of the peninsula. And although Crimea is primarily a fleet, the interspecific group created here is strong in all its components. According to the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu, the grouping of troops created in Crimea does not leave a single chance for a potential enemy who would risk encroaching on the territorial integrity of our country. Moreover, the precision weapons systems deployed on the peninsula play a very important role in ensuring the security of all of Russia.
Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army Valery Gerasimov, spoke about the composition of the grouping of Russian troops created in Crimea back in November 2017 at a meeting of the collegium of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. According to him, in addition to a large naval base, the self-sufficient grouping of troops also included an army corps and two divisions - one air defense division, the second an aviation division. It is also important that the Black Sea Fleet has been seriously updated, which has recently received six new diesel submarines and three divisions of the Bal and Bastion coastal missile systems. Also assigned to the Black Sea Fleet are the frigates "Admiral Essen" and "Admiral Grigorovich", which are armed with sea-based cruise missiles "Caliber".
Ground Forces in Crimea
Crimea has many names that are often found in widespread use. This is the well-known expression "the island of Crimea", which is a reference to the fantasy novel by Vasily Aksyonov, and the definition of "unsinkable aircraft carrier", which the military likes to use. Both expressions reflect the geographical peculiarity of the peninsula. Crimea is connected to the mainland only by the narrow (up to 7 kilometers in the narrowest part) Isthmus of Perekop, which is the northernmost part of the peninsula. Before the commissioning of the Crimean bridge, which connects the Kerch and Taman peninsulas, it was possible to get to Crimea by road, without resorting to the help of a ferry, only through the Perekop isthmus from the Ukrainian side. This geographical position of the peninsula also determines the structure of the grouping of troops located in the Crimea, which should be self-sufficient and capable of operating completely autonomously for some time, since the transfer of new units and formations to the peninsula can be seriously complicated in conditions of active hostilities and opposition from the enemy. …
BTR-80 of the 126th separate coastal defense brigade, photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
The basis of the Russian ground forces in Crimea is the 22nd Army Corps. It was formed back in December 2016 by combining the land and coastal forces of the Black Sea Fleet stationed on the peninsula. Thus, the Russian Navy continued the practice of creating fairly large army combined-arms formations, uncharacteristic for the navy. For example, earlier the 11th Army Corps was formed on the territory of the Kaliningrad region. The 22nd Army Corps is designed to solve the entire range of tasks of the coastal defense of the peninsula, as well as to carry out amphibious operations with the support of the fleet.
The 22nd Army Corps is structurally part of the Coastal Forces of the Black Sea Fleet. Its soldiers and officers are responsible not only for the defense of the coast of the peninsula, but also for the defense of the Perekop Isthmus, which connects the Crimea with the mainland and separates the waters of the Black and Azov Seas. The main force of the corps is the 126th separate coastal defense brigade, which is based in the village of Perevalnoye in the Simferopol region of Crimea. This unit is two-thirds staffed by contract soldiers and equipped with modern military equipment. The brigade includes two motorized rifle battalions (one mountain), a marine battalion (Feodosia), a tank battalion, a rocket artillery battalion, a howitzer artillery battalion, an anti-aircraft missile battalion and other units. The brigade received new equipment, in particular, its tank battalion was re-equipped with modernized T-72B3 tanks.
The headquarters of the 8th separate artillery regiment of coastal defense is deployed in the neighborhood in Perevalnoye. Despite its name, part of the forces of this regiment is engaged in the protection and cover of the land entrance to the peninsula from the Perekop side. The regiment's artillerymen are ready to repel any possible aggression from the mainland, using 152-mm Msta-S self-propelled guns, Tornado-G multiple launch rocket systems (modernization of the Grad MLRS) and Chrysanthemum self-propelled anti-tank missile systems.
Also, the 22nd AK includes the 15th separate coastal missile brigade, which is responsible for the defense of Sevastopol from the sea. This is the main striking force on the Crimean coast, since the brigade's arsenal includes modern mobile missile systems Bal and Bastion-P, which are armed with Kh-35 and P-800 Onyx cruise missiles, respectively. These missiles are able to destroy large surface targets at distances of up to 260 and 500 kilometers, respectively. Thanks to the presence of these coastal complexes, the Russian armed forces cover most of the Black Sea water area and are able to reach even the coast of Turkey.
Coastal missile system "Ball"
The last line of defense of the peninsula are obsolete, but still combat-ready, Soviet coastal missile systems "Rubezh", with a firing range of up to 80 kilometers, these complexes are in service with the 854th separate coastal missile regiment located near Sevastopol. Thanks to all the above-mentioned coastal defense missile systems, any attempt to land an assault force from a potential enemy or an attempt to shell the territory of Crimea from the sea will immediately receive an adequate response. But if the attacking forces still manage to reach the Crimean coast, the fighters of the 127th separate reconnaissance brigade, as well as the famous 810th separate guards brigade of the Black Sea Fleet, will take over.
To repel air strikes against coastal missile batteries, the 22nd AK has the 1096th separate anti-aircraft missile regiment located in Sevastopol and equipped with the Osa short-range air defense systems and the Buk-M2 medium-range air defense systems. According to media reports, in the near future this regiment will have to receive the upgraded Buk-M3 complexes. In the event that these means fail to contain a massive air attack by the enemy, formations of the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Army are always ready to come to their aid, whose tasks, among other things, include protecting the sky over the Crimean peninsula.
Air cover of Crimea
The Russian Aerospace Forces are represented in Crimea by two divisions - the 31st Air Defense Division deployed in Sevastopol and Feodosia, and the 27th Mixed Aviation Division based at Belbek, Gvardeyskoye and Dzhankoy airfields. Both divisions are organizationally part of the 4th Red Banner Army of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Southern Military District. The 27th mixed aviation division consists of three regiments: the 37th mixed aviation regiment (Su-24M2 bombers and Su-25SM attack aircraft), the 38th fighter aviation regiment (Su-27SM3 and Su-30M2 fighters), the 39th helicopter regiment (Ka-52, Mi-35M, Mi-28N and Mi-8AMTSh). The helicopter regiment is located at the Dzhankoy airfield in the northern part of Crimea, not far from the Perekop isthmus. The very location of the regiment suggests that, first of all, it is focused on repelling possible aggression from the mainland.
Fighter Su-30SM
The 31st Air Defense Division, headquartered in Sevastopol, is primarily responsible for the defense of the Crimean sky. Initially, this division was armed with four S-300PS anti-aircraft missile divisions, but from 2016 to 2018, both regiments of the division - the 12th Sevastopol and 18th Feodosia were re-equipped with the most modern Russian air defense systems - the S-400 " Triumph". This complex is capable of hitting targets at a range of up to 400 kilometers and at altitudes up to 30 kilometers. It is designed to destroy enemy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, including medium-range missiles.
The rearmament of the 31st division with S-400 systems significantly increases the combat capabilities of the entire Crimean air defense system. At the same time, this system will reliably cover the borders of Russia not only in Crimea, but also in most of the Krasnodar Territory. Also, protection of individual Crimean objects is provided by modern missile-cannon anti-aircraft systems "Pantsir-S". In addition to two anti-aircraft missile regiments, the 31st Air Defense Division also includes the 3rd Radio Technical Regiment, located in Sevastopol.
An important component of the air defense of the Crimea is the naval aviation of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which is currently represented by two regiments. At the Novofedorovka airfield near the city of Saki, the 43rd separate naval assault aviation regiment is based, which is equipped with front-line Su-24 bombers and Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft, and the regiment also receives new multi-functional fighters of the 4+ generation Su-30SM. The 318th mixed aviation regiment is located at the Kacha airfield, which has Be-12 anti-submarine amphibious aircraft, An-26 military transport aircraft, and Ka-27/29 search and rescue and anti-submarine helicopters.
Coming on alert for the S-400 air defense missile systems of the 18th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment of the 31st Air Defense Division
Black Sea Fleet
The main combat force of Russia, which is deployed in Crimea, remains the Black Sea Fleet. The warships based on the peninsula serve not only in the Black Sea, but also in the eastern Mediterranean, they take an active part in international exercises and maneuvers, as well as in the Russian military operation in Syria. To carry out combat missions, the Black Sea Fleet has diesel submarines, surface ships for operations in the ocean and near sea zone, naval aviation and marines, as well as parts of coastal and ground forces. The fleet headquarters is based in Sevastopol.
The flagship of the Black Sea Fleet is the guards missile cruiser Moskva. Also in the fleet there are 6 ships of the far sea zone, including three modern frigates of project 11356, armed with cruise missiles "Caliber", seven large landing ships, seven small missile ships (including three modern - project 21631 "Buyan-M" armed with Kalibr cruise missiles), six Project 636.3 Varshavyanka diesel submarines, which were transferred to the Black Sea Fleet from 2013 to 2016 and can also carry Kalibr missiles, three small anti-submarine ships, as well as numerous other vessels and support ships.
MRK project 21631 "Buyan-M"
It should be noted that the Russian Black Sea Fleet is re-equipping today rather quickly. By 2021, it may include three new patrol ships of the far sea zone - Project 11356 frigates Admiral Butakov, Admiral Istomin and Admiral Kornilov. These frigates have already been launched. Their commissioning is scheduled for 2020-2021. By about the same date, the Black Sea Fleet may receive at least five new small missile ships of Project 22800 "Karakurt" and 6 patrol ships of Project 22160.
Based on all of the above, it can be noted that today Crimea is one of the most protected regions of the Russian Federation. The inter-service grouping of troops deployed on the peninsula is self-sufficient, it is able to repel any attempts to attack a potential enemy, or at least hold out until reinforcements are transferred to the peninsula from the "mainland."
