205 Motorized Rifle Brigade - a separate motorized rifle brigade, as a full-fledged combat formation, was created on the basis of the decision of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces on May 1, 1995. The brigade was created on the basis of units and subdivisions of the 167th motorized rifle brigade of the Ural military district and the 723rd regiment of the Volga military district. Both the 205th brigade itself and the 204th motorized rifle regiment, created exactly one year later, as part of this brigade, were formed on the territory of Chechnya. Separate subunits and units of the brigade, both during formation and after its completion, were continuously involved in solving various tasks of the command. This fact greatly complicated the process of the formation of the brigade as part of the troops of the North Caucasus Military District. According to the plan of the military and political leadership of the country, the 205th Omsb Brigade was to be permanently deployed in the city of Grozny and the village of Shali.
Initially, the brigade included: brigade management, 1387th, 1393th, 1394th, 1396th motorized rifle battalions, 29th separate tank battalion, 327th separate rocket artillery division, 321st separate howitzer self-propelled artillery division, 346th separate anti-aircraft missile and artillery battalion, 1398th separate reconnaissance battalion and 1681st courier-postal station.
Immediately after the formation of the 205th brigade in terms of personnel, it had to start fighting on the territory of the Chechen Republic. The brigade took an active part in the elimination of illegal bandit formations. By April 1, 1996, as part of the 205th brigade, the 584th separate special-purpose company and the 93rd separate engineer-sapper battalion were formed. Also, by May 25 of the same year, the 204th separate guards motorized rifle regiment was formed as part of the brigade. It consisted of the 204th, 395th, 427th motorized rifle battalions, as well as the 435th separate self-propelled artillery battalion.
Initially, this regiment was stationed in Khankala with the task of subsequently stationing in Shali. Also, by June 25, 1996, a military counterintelligence department of the FSB of the Russian Federation for the 205th brigade was formed as part of the brigade. In May 1996, the brigade was planned to be transferred to a new organizational structure of 2 motorized rifle regiments, one reconnaissance battalion and a special forces company. However, the management quickly became convinced that this organizational and staff structure was too cumbersome to participate in local conflicts and the brigade was transferred to a regular staff.
The personnel of the 205th brigade served at outposts and checkpoints, guarded the most important military and civilian facilities, and closely interacted with the Interior Ministry of Russia during the establishment of constitutional order on the territory of Chechnya. On January 7, 1996, the brigade fighters took part in the operation to free the hostages and eliminate the gang of the field commander Radulov in the village of Pervomayskoye. In March of the same year, the brigade took part in the elimination of gangs of militants in Grozny.
In July 1996, the 205th brigade took part in an operation to eliminate the militants who had consolidated their foothold in the area of the villages of Komsomolskoye and Shalazhi. The brigade also took part in the August battles in Grozny. On August 6, 1996, when Chechen separatists occupied a number of key positions in the center of the capital, at the same time 3 assault detachments were formed in the brigade. These detachments were led by the commander of the 3rd motorized rifle battalion, Lieutenant Colonel A. Skantsev, as well as the commander of the reconnaissance battalion, Captain S. Kravtsov. On the night of August 7-8, a combat order was delivered to the brigade: the assault detachments were to start unblocking the government quarter in the center of the Chechen capital.
The reconnaissance battalion was the first to go along the assigned route. At the same time, on the way, the scouts came across an organized defense of the militants. As a result of the ensuing battle, 2 people were killed, 1 was wounded. As a result, the assault detachment had to retreat to the starting line. After regrouping, the scouts again went to the center of the city, although this time they also stumbled upon an ambush. Having dismounted, the scouts again had to engage in battle. In this battle, Captain S. E. Kravtsov and 6 more soldiers were killed by a mine explosion.
Events developed no less dramatically in the other direction. The assault detachment, commanded by A. Skantsev, moved to the complex of government buildings on the street. Bohdan Khmelnytsky. At that moment, when the motorized infantry approached the intersection with st. Mayakovsky, heavy fire was opened on them from small arms and grenade launchers. A rather fierce battle began, during which Lieutenant Colonel A. Skantsev was killed by a sniper. As a result, the places of the out-of-order battalion commanders were taken by the officer of the operational management, Lieutenant Colonel A. Kabakov and the chief of staff of the brigade, Lieutenant Colonel N. Butko.
Having regrouped, the brigade's forces were able to break into the block of government buildings, where motorized riflemen and scouts took up a perimeter defense. At the same time, the brigade's motorized rifle battalion lost 13 people killed and 65 wounded. In a separate tank battalion, the losses amounted to 6 people killed (3 officers and 3 contract soldiers), 5 more servicemen were missing. However, this heroism for the most part turned out to be unnecessary for Russia. On November 23, 1996, Boris Yeltsin signed Decree No. 1590, according to which the brigade was withdrawn from the administrative boundaries of the Chechen Republic.
The new place of permanent deployment of the brigade was the city of Budennovsk, located on the territory of the Stavropol Territory. In early December, the brigade's operational group led by its commander, as well as a separate anti-aircraft missile division, arrived in the city. And already on December 9, 1996, railway echelons with brigade units began to approach the place of permanent deployment. On December 31, 1996, the withdrawal of the brigade from the territory of Chechnya was completely completed. At the same time, the 204th regiment was redeployed to Dagestan in the city of Buinaksk, later it was completely disbanded, and its personnel were used to replenish parts of the 136th separate motorized rifle brigade.
On September 23, 1998, on the basis of the order of the Russian Ministry of Defense No. 601, the 205th separate motorized rifle brigade was awarded the honorary title of Cossack. As part of the brigade, 4 battalions have honorary names: Astrakhan, Donskoy, Kuban and Terek Cossacks.
In August-September 1999, the brigade again had to take part in hostilities. Its units took part in the liquidation of the Khattab and Basayev gangs, which invaded the villages of Botlikh and Karamakhi on the territory of Dagestan. In October of the same year, the brigade took part in the liberation of the village of Znamenskaya from the militants. In January 2000, soldiers and officers of the brigade liberated Grozny, and in March the village of Shaami-Yurt. The fighting on the territory of Chechnya and Dagestan became a real test for the personnel of the brigade. From the first days of the militants' invasion of the territory of Dagestan, the brigade's servicemen were at the forefront. On their account are excellent operations in the Botlikh region of Dagestan, the liberation of the villages of Znamenskaya and Ishcherskaya, an operation on the Tersk ridge. However, the brigade fought the heaviest battles in Grozny, where motorized riflemen liberated one of the most fortified areas of the city - Staropromyslovsky.
In just 2 Chechen campaigns for their heroism and courage, about 1, 5 thousand soldiers and officers of the brigade were awarded state awards. 5 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation: Colonel Sergey Nikolayevich Stvolov, Captain Stanislav Eduardovich Kravtsov (posthumously), Senior Lieutenant Vitaly Nikolayevich Potylitsyn (posthumously), Private Alexander Viktorovich Yakovlev (posthumously), Private Andrey Vyacheslavovich Zavyalkin (posthumously). 575 people were awarded the Zhukov medal, 414 people - the Suvorov medal, 279 people - the medal "For Courage", 35 people - the medal of the Order "For Military Merit".
Currently, the brigade is part of the 58th Army, which is part of the Southern Military District formed in 2010, which was created on the basis of the North Caucasian Military District, and the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla were also included in the district. The brigade is currently deployed in the city of Budennovsk. The military town of the brigade, according to military bloggers, was reconstructed several years ago. Dormitories for military personnel provide accommodation for 7 people in a room. In addition, several three-story dormitories were built for contract soldiers. Their living conditions are even better - 3 people per room and a separate bathroom. A large guarded military town for officers and their families was also rebuilt, and its own kindergarten operates.
