103rd Guards Airborne Division The 103rd Guards Airborne Division ( ru : 103 - я гвардейская воздушно - десантная ордена Ленина Краснознаменная ордена Кутузова дивизия имени 60 - летия СССР ) was a division of Soviet Airborne Troops . It was established in 1946 and disbanded in 1993 , a year after its transfer to the Armed Forces of Belarus . The original 103rd Guards Rifle Division ( ) was formed from the previous 13th Guards Airborne Division . In accordance with a Resolution of the Council of Ministers on 3 June 1946 , the 103rd Guards Rifle Division was reorganised into the 103rd Guards Airborne Division ( Red Banner , Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class ) , consisting of : Division Headquarters , the 317th Guards Parachute Landing Regiment ( Order of Alexander Nevsky ) , the 322nd Guards Parachute Landing Regiment ( Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class ) , the 39th Guards Parachute Landing Regiment ( Red Banner , Order of Suvorov 2nd class ) , the 15th Guards Artillery Regiment and support units . The divisional staff began combat training of the Airborne Troops on 5 August 1946 . The division was soon moved to the city of Polotsk . In 1956 the 350th and 357th Airborne Regiments joined the division from the disbanded 114th Guards Airborne Division . That same year ( in June ) , the division was transferred to Vitebsk , still within the Belorussian Military District . The division participated in Exercise " Brotherhood in Arms " which was held in East Germany in 1970 , and in 1972 it took part in Exercise " Shield - 72 " . In 1975 , it became the first Guards Division of the Airborne Troops of the USSR to make a parachute jump out of AN - 22 and IL - 76 aircraft . The division also participated in Exercises Spring 75 and Vanguard 76 . The 103rd Guards Airborne Division participated in the combined arms exercise " Berezin " in Belarus in February 1978 . From the outset , they jumped with weapons and equipment , from IL - 76s . The actions of the division ' s personnel on maneuvers were very highly rated by Soviet military commanders . In December 1979 elements of the division were transferred to Afghanistan . During the war in that country , the division was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner . The division was transferred to the KGB Border Troops in January 1990 , and renamed the 103rd Guards Airborne Division PV KGB . It lost most of its support units , including the artillery regiment , but apparently the 20th independent Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion was retained . On 23 September 1991 it was transferred back to the VDV . On 20 May 1992 , a directive of the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Belarus № 5 / 0251 , the 103rd Guards Airborne ( Order of Lenin , the Red Banner , Order of Kutuzov ) Division became part of the Armed Forces of Belarus . In 1993 , the Headquarters 103rd Guards Airborne Division was established as the HQ Mobile Forces of the Republic of Belarus . The 317th Guards Parachute Battalion was upgraded to the 317th Independent Mobile Brigade . The 350th Guards Parachute Battalion became the 350th Independent Mobile Brigade and the 357th Guards Parachute Battalion became the 357th Independent Mobile Training Battalion . The division ' s 1179th Artillery Regiment was disbanded . In late 2002 , the 317th independent Mobile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Belarus transferred its battle flag to the 103rd Guards Airborne Division . From then on it was called the 103rd Independent Mobile Brigade ( ) .