7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division
The 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division is an elite guards division of the Russian Airborne Troops (Military Unit Number 61756).
| 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division (1 Dec 2006 – present) 7th Guards Airborne Division (Sep 1948 – 1 Dec 2006) | |
|---|---|
| Russian: 7-я гвардейская десантно-штурмовая (горная) Краснознамённая орденов Суворова и Кутузова дивизия | |
7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division great emblem | |
| Active | 1942–1945 (1st formation) 1948–present (2nd formation) |
| Country | Soviet Union (1942–1991) Russia (1991–present) |
| Branch | Russian Airborne Forces |
| Part of | Russian Armed Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Novorossiysk |
| Motto(s) | Мужество, отвага, честь! (Courage, valor, honor!) |
| Engagements | World War II Hungarian Revolution of 1956 Prague Spring
Black January
|
| Decorations | Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov Order of Kutuzov |
| Battle honours | Guards |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Col. Aleksandr Kornev |
| Notable commanders | Maj. Gen. Dmitry Drychkin Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky † |
The 7th Guards Airborne Division was formed in September 1948 based on 322nd Guards Rifle Regiment which fought in Eastern Europe in World War II. In October 1948 the division was relocated to Kaunas, Lithuania. During the Cold War period, the division served in the suppression of the Hungarian and Czech revolutions. In August 1993, the division was relocated to Novorossisk, Russia. It took part in various counter-insurgency operations in the Caucasus region. On 1 December 2006 it was renamed as 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division.
In 2014 the division's 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment allegedly took part in the war in Donbas in Ukraine.
Since February 2022 the division has been heavily engaged in the invasion of Ukraine with its commanding general having been reportedly killed in action on February 28, 2022.