Operational Group of Russian Forces
Operational Group of Russian Forces in Transnistria | |
---|---|
Оперативная группа российских войск в Приднестровье | |
Active | 1995–present |
Country | Russia |
Branch | Russian Ground Forces |
Type | Task force |
Role | Peacekeeping (disputed) |
Size | 1,500 soldiers |
Part of | Western Military District |
Headquarters | Tiraspol |
The Operational Group of Russian Forces in Transnistria (OGRF; Romanian: Grupul Operativ al Trupelor Ruse din Transnistria, GOTR; Russian: Оперативная группа российских войск в Приднестровье, romanized: Operativnaya grupoa rossiyskikh voysk v Pridnestrovye, ОГРВ) is a sizable overseas military task force of the Russian Armed Forces. It serves as part of the tri-lateral Joint Control Commission (JCC) in the region with around 350 soldiers provided to the JCC.
1,500 soldiers of the military force are based at the former decommissioned Soviet-era ammunition depot at Cobasna, where it guards around 22,000 tons of military equipment and ammunition.[1][2][3][4] The core of the OGRT consists of 70 to 100 Russian officers who normally rotate every six months, with the rest being Transnistrian locals employed as soldiers.[5]
History
14th Army background and Transnistria War
The
OGRF establishment
After the war, the 14th Army was split between the
The OGRF today
The OGRF ostensibly remains in Transnistria to guard the ammunition depot at Cobasna.[14] It also provides additional support to the Armed Forces of Transnistria. Today, around 350–400 troops with the operational force report directly to the JCC and can be assigned to it at any given time.[15] The task force provides the largest contingent of soldiers in the region. On 27 June 2016, the Transnistrian government passed new law which penalized any actions or public statements that criticize the OGRF. The punishment for committing this crime is 3–7 years in jail.[16] In recent years, the OGRF has taken part in Victory Day Parades on Suvorov Square, to condemnation from Chisinau.[17]
Calls for withdraw and UN resolution
Since its introduction, the OGRF has been met with criticism from both Moldovan and Western officials and observers, all of whom claim that the Russian military presence is either illegal or unnecessary. In November 2008, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution, urging Russia to withdraw the force in accordance with its commitments at the 1999 Istanbul OSCE Summit.[18]
In June 2018,
In 2020, Moldovan president-elect Maia Sandu declared that OGRF should withdraw from the breakaway Transnistria, saying to the RBK that although they guard ammunition depots, "there are no bilateral agreements on the OGRF and on the weapons depots.” She also stated that its her position that the "mission should be transformed into an OSCE civilian observer mission.”[22]
In 2022, as the
Structure (as of 2015)
- Group headquarters
- 82nd Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Battalion
- Battalion HQ
- 4 Motorized Rifle Companies
- Headquarters platoon
- Grenadier Platoon
- Technical Support Platoon
- Material Support Platoon
- Medical Platoon
- 113th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Battalion
- Battalion HQ
- 4 Motorized Rifle Companies
- Headquarters platoon
- Grenadier Platoon
- Technical Support Platoon
- Material Support Platoon
- Medical Platoon
- 540th Separate Command Battalion
- Battalion HQ
- Guard Company
- Company headquarters
- 4 guard platoons
- Counterintelligence Department of the FSB
- Communication Center
- Field Mail Station
- Engineering Platoon
- Storage Department
- Maintenance Company (equipped with MTO-AT-M1)[25]
- Material Support Company
- Fuel depot
- Military band
- Firing range
Commanders of the OGRF
The following generals commanded the unit:
- Lieutenant General Valery Yevnevich (November 1995–16 January 2002)
- Major General Boris Sergeev (16 January 2002 – 11 September 2009)
- Colonel Vyacheslav Sitchikhin (11 September 2009 – 2010)
- Colonel Sergey Nyrkov (2010–2011)
- Colonel Valery Plohotnyuk (1 December 2011 – 15 March 2013)
- Colonel Sergey Goryachev (15 March 2013 – 25 December 2014)
- Colonel Dmitry Zelenkov (25 December 2014–present)
See also
- List of Russian military bases abroad
- Russian military presence in Transnistria
- 59th Guards Motor Rifle Division
References
- ^ "Russian Military Games on Dniester Anger Moldova". 15 August 2018.
- ^ "Agonia limbii române în Transnistria", Adevărul, 3 December 2012
- ^ "Prime Minister of Moldova calls for withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria".
- ^ Ian Johnstone (ed), Annual Review of Global Peace Operations 2007, Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder/London, p.131
- ^ "Moldova Defends Action, Blocking Russian Troop Rotation in Transnistria". 22 July 2022.
- ^ Holm, "14th Guards Red Banner Combined Arms Army"
- ^ ""Russian troops in Transnistria – a threat to the security of the Republic of Moldova"". Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
- ^ "Командующий 14-Й Российской Армией В Приднестровье Александр Лебедь: "Под Моими Воротами Можно Визжать Сколько Годно. Это Ничего Не Изменит..."".
- ^ Transnistria: relic of a bygone era
- ^ "Operational Group of Russian Forces in Moldova".
- ^ "U.S. and Russian Policymaking With Respect to the Use of Force", chapter 4, Trans-Dniestria
- ^ Michael Holm. "14th Guards Combined Arms Army". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
- ^ "Что такое современная армия России"
- ^ "Prime Minister of Moldova calls for withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria".
- ^ "Время Местное – 183". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
- ^ Liubec, Igor (29 June 2016). "La Tiraspol, faci pușcărie, dacă negi "rolul pozitiv" al armatei ruse" [Those who deny the "positive role" of the Russian Army in Tiraspol face prison]. Deschide Știrea (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ "UAWire – Moldova condemns participation of Russian troops in Victory Day parade in Transnistria".
- ^ "NATO-resolution. 11. b." Archived from the original on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
- ^ "UAWire – President of Moldova speaks against withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria".
- ^ "Moldovan President condemns calls for withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Transnistria".
- ^ "Is it worthy ceding Transnistria to "neutral" Moldova?: EADaily". 5 April 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ "Pull Russian Troops Out of Moldova, New President Says". The Moscow Times. 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
- ^ Strozewski, Zoe (8 September 2022). "Russian force sees 'mass desertion' amid Putin's recruitment push: report". Newsweek.
- ^ "Moldova Defends Action, Blocking Russian Troop Rotation in Transnistria". 22 July 2022.
- ^ In the Operational Group of Russian Troops in Pridnestrovie, a lesson was held with specialists from the repair company. Russian MOD