90th Guards Tank Division (2016–present)
The 90th Guards Tank Division is a Russian armoured formation re-established in 2016 within the Central Military District and associated with the historical lineage of the 90th Guards Rifle Division.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The 90th Guards Tank Division, formally the 90th Guards Tank Vitebsk-Novgorod Twice Red Banner Division, is an armoured division of the Russian Ground Forces. It was re-formed by December 2016 in the Central Military District under an order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and a Russian Defence Ministry decree dated 13 September 2016. The formation is based in the Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk oblasts and is identified by military unit number 86274. The division was created from the 7th Separate Guards Tank Brigade and the 32nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade. Its principal constituent formations included the 239th Guards Tank Regiment, which continued the traditions of the 7th Separate Guards Tank Brigade, and the 228th Motor Rifle Regiment, which perpetuated the heritage of the 32nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade. A tank battalion within the 228th Regiment was designated the Ural Tank Battalion in reference to the traditions of the 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. The re-established division also inherited the honors, institutional history, and ceremonial lineage associated with the former 6th Guards Motor Rifle Division, itself descended from the 90th Guards Rifle Division. The formation's ceremonial identity was developed through public commemorations and historical reenactments. In August 2017, the division marked the 90th anniversary of the division and the 76th anniversary of the 239th Guards Tank Regiment. The event included a reconstruction of the seizure of Vitebsk, a historical episode presented with a T-34/85 tank, reconnaissance demonstrations, weapons displays, performances by a guard-of-honor company, and an amateur military ensemble. On 30 June 2018, a presidential decree formally awarded the division the honorifics Vitebsk-Novgorod. The same decree or associated order renamed the 6th Tank Regiment the 6th Guards Lvov Tank Regiment and granted the 400th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment the honorific Transylvania. The division took part in Russia's initial 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including the offensive toward Kyiv from the northeast. Two of its battalion tactical groups were involved in fighting near Brovary. Ukrainian authorities and media reported substantial personnel and equipment losses. Ukrainian officials reported that Colonel Andrey Zakharov, commander of the 6th Guards Lvov Tank Regiment, was killed during the fighting. Ukrainian sources also reported that vehicles from the division's 228th Motor Rifle Regiment were destroyed while attempting to cross a river near Chernihiv. By late March 2022, the division had withdrawn from Kyiv oblast along with other Russian formations and was subsequently redeployed to eastern Ukraine. Elements of the division received BMPT Terminator combat vehicles while operating alongside Russian airborne forces in the fighting around Lysychansk. Reported equipment in 2018 included T-72A, T-72B, T-72BA and T-72B3 tanks; BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles; BTR-82A armored personnel carriers; 2S3 self-propelled artillery; 2S12 mortars; BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers; and TOS-1 thermobaric rocket systems. As a military formation rather than a commercial brand, it has no consumer products, retail presence, or conventional commercial positioning. Its institutional identity is instead expressed through military lineage, state honors, unit traditions, ceremonial designations, and operational deployment.
History
The present-day 90th Guards Tank Division was re-established in the Central Military District by December 2016. Its creation followed an order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces and a decree issued by the Russian Defence Minister on 13 September 2016. The re-formed division was based in the Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk oblasts and revived the institutional lineage associated with the 90th Guards Rifle Division and the later 6th Guards Motor Rifle Division. The new armoured formation was assembled principally from the 7th Separate Guards Tank Brigade and the 32nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade. The 239th Guards Tank Regiment continued the traditions of the former tank brigade, while the 228th Motor Rifle Regiment carried forward the heritage of the separate motor rifle brigade. In an additional effort to preserve regional military traditions, a tank battalion of the 228th Regiment was designated the Ural Tank Battalion, connecting it symbolically with the 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. The division's early public identity combined operational modernization with ceremonial remembrance. On 19 August 2017, it held celebrations marking the 90th anniversary of the division and the 76th anniversary of the 239th Guards Tank Regiment. The program included a reconstruction of the capture of Vitebsk using a T-34/85 tank, reconnaissance-battalion demonstrations, displays by a guard-of-honor company, weapons-handling presentations, and performances by the division's amateur arts ensemble. On 30 June 2018, the division received the formal Vitebsk-Novgorod honorifics by presidential decree, becoming the 90th Guards Tank Vitebsk-Novgorod Twice Red Banner Division. Related subordinate-unit designations included the 6th Guards Lvov Tank Regiment and the Transylvania-honored 400th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment. These names reflected the Russian military practice of preserving historic battle honors and incorporating them into the identity of reconstituted formations. The division became involved in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. During the opening phase, two battalion tactical groups participated in the Russian advance toward Kyiv from the northeast and engaged Ukrainian forces near Brovary. Ukrainian authorities and media reported heavy losses in personnel and equipment. Ukraine's Ministry of Defence announced on 10 March 2022 that Colonel Andrey Zakharov, commander of the 6th Guards Lvov Tank Regiment, had been killed. Ukrainian sources separately claimed that up to 80 vehicles belonging to the division's 228th Motor Rifle Regiment were destroyed near Chernihiv while attempting to cross a river. By late March 2022, the division had withdrawn from Kyiv oblast as Russian forces abandoned the northern offensive. It was subsequently redeployed to eastern Ukraine. During operations connected with the fighting around Lysychansk, the formation received BMPT Terminator tank-support combat vehicles and operated alongside Russian airborne forces. The division's publicly reported 2018 equipment inventory included T-72A, T-72B, T-72BA and T-72B3 main battle tanks; BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles; BTR-82A armored personnel carriers; BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers; TOS-1 thermobaric rocket systems; 2S12 mortars; and 2S3 self-propelled artillery. In December 2022, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on division commander Colonel Ramil Rakhmatulovich Ibatullin as part of a wider sanctions package. Publicly available reference material identifies Ibatullin as commander from July 2021 onward, but does not establish a later command change.
- 2022
Participation in the Kyiv offensive
[1]The division deployed two battalion tactical groups in the initial Russian offensive toward Kyiv and fought near Brovary.
- 2022
Withdrawal from northern Ukraine and redeployment east
[1]After withdrawing from Kyiv oblast, the division redeployed to eastern Ukraine and received BMPT Terminator vehicles for subsequent operations.
- 2018
Vitebsk-Novgorod honorific formally conferred
[1]A presidential decree granted the division the Vitebsk-Novgorod designation and gave additional historical honorifics to subordinate regiments.
- 2017
Anniversary celebrations and historical reenactment
[1]The division marked its 90th anniversary and the 239th Guards Tank Regiment's 76th anniversary with military demonstrations and a reconstruction of the seizure of Vitebsk.
- 2016
Re-establishment of the division
[1]The 90th Guards Tank Division was re-formed in the Central Military District by December 2016 under a September 2016 Russian military order and Defence Ministry decree.
Products and positioning
A Russian armoured division whose identity is built around Guards status, inherited Soviet and Russian military lineage, armored warfare capability, and its role within the Central Military District.
Armored vehicles
T-72-series main battle tanks
The division's reported 2018 inventory included T-72A, T-72B, T-72BA and T-72B3 variants. These vehicles formed the principal armored component of the division's tank regiments and represented multiple generations of Soviet- and Russian-developed main battle tank modernization.
Armored vehicles
BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles
BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles were listed among the division's reported equipment. The platform provides protected mobility and direct fire support for mechanized infantry and is designed to operate alongside armored formations.
Armored vehicles
BTR-82A armored personnel carriers
BTR-82A armored personnel carriers were part of the division's reported equipment inventory. They provide wheeled protected transport and supporting fire for motor-rifle units.
Fire-support systems
Artillery and rocket systems
The reported inventory included BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers, TOS-1 systems, 2S12 mortars and 2S3 self-propelled artillery. Together these systems provide indirect fire, saturation effects and close support for armored and motor-rifle operations.
Tank-support combat vehicle
BMPT Terminator
BMPT Terminator tank-support combat vehicles were reported as being provided to the division after its redeployment to eastern Ukraine in 2022. The vehicles were intended to support tanks and other armored forces in contested ground operations.
Marketing campaigns
- 2022Kyiv offensive
Ukraine
Two battalion tactical groups participated in the initial Russian offensive toward Kyiv from the northeast, including fighting near Brovary and reported attempts to advance near Chernihiv.
Outcome. The formation suffered reported losses and withdrew from Kyiv oblast in late March before redeploying to eastern Ukraine.
- 2017Division anniversary and Vitebsk historical reconstruction
Russia
The division organized a public commemorative event featuring a reconstruction of the seizure of Vitebsk, reconnaissance demonstrations, a guard-of-honor presentation, weapons displays and performances by a military arts ensemble.
Outcome. The event reinforced the division's historical lineage and ceremonial identity.
Brand decisions
2022
Redeployment from northern to eastern UkraineStrategyBackground
Following the Russian withdrawal from Kyiv oblast, the division was reassigned to the eastern theater of the war in Ukraine.
Action taken
The division redeployed to eastern Ukraine and received BMPT Terminator tank-support vehicles while operating alongside Russian airborne forces.
Aftermath
The formation became associated with Russian operations around Lysychansk and other eastern Ukrainian combat activity.
2018
Formalization of historical honorificsOtherBackground
The division's re-established identity was linked to historical Soviet and Russian military formations and their battle honors.
Action taken
A presidential decree conferred the Vitebsk-Novgorod honorifics on the division and assigned Lvov and Transylvania designations to subordinate regiments.
Aftermath
The formation adopted the formal name 90th Guards Tank Vitebsk-Novgorod Twice Red Banner Division.
2016
Re-establishment as an armoured divisionStrategyBackground
The Russian military reorganized forces in the Central Military District while preserving the lineage of earlier Guards rifle and motor-rifle formations.
Action taken
The 90th Guards Tank Division was formed from the 7th Separate Guards Tank Brigade and the 32nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, with subordinate regimental and battalion traditions assigned accordingly.
Aftermath
The reconstituted formation became a major armored unit based in the Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk oblasts.
Recent events
- 2022
Division participates in the Kyiv offensive[1]
Other · Product generation
Two battalion tactical groups participated in Russia's initial advance toward Kyiv and fought near Brovary. Ukrainian authorities reported significant losses.
- 2022
Commander of the 6th Guards Lvov Tank Regiment reported killed[1]
Leadership change · Other
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence reported that Colonel Andrey Zakharov was killed during fighting involving the division near Brovary.
- 2022
Reported destruction of vehicles near Chernihiv[1]
Other
Ukrainian sources claimed that as many as 80 vehicles associated with the division's 228th Motor Rifle Regiment were destroyed while attempting to cross a river near Chernihiv.
- 2022
Division redeployed to eastern Ukraine after withdrawal from Kyiv oblast[1]
Other · Product generation
Following the late-March withdrawal from Kyiv oblast, the division was redeployed to eastern Ukraine and received BMPT Terminator vehicles for operations associated with Russian airborne forces near Lysychansk.
- 2022
United Kingdom sanctions division commander[1]
Regulation · Other
The British government sanctioned Colonel Ramil Ibatullin in December 2022 alongside other individuals, in a package announced around International Anti-Corruption Day and Human Rights Day.
- 2018
Division receives Vitebsk-Novgorod honorifics[1]
Other
A presidential decree formally conferred the Vitebsk-Novgorod honorifics on the division and additional historical designations on subordinate regiments.
- 2016
90th Guards Tank Division re-established in the Central Military District[1]
Other · Leadership change
The division was re-formed by December 2016 under a September 2016 Russian military order and ministerial decree.
Sources1 sources
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