83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade
The 83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade is an airborne brigade of the Russian Airborne Troops, first formed in 1986. It is currently based in Ussuriysk. History. The brigade traces itself back to the formation of the 65th Separate Air Assault Battalion in Białogard from the 126th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Battalion of the 6th Guards Motor Rifle Division in November 1985, part of the Northern Group of Forces. Between May and November 1986, the battalion was expanded to form the 83rd Separate Air Assault Brigade under the command of Colonel V.M. Sinitsyn. The brigade participated in  the "Druzhba-86" exercises of Warsaw Pact troops. In 1988, after Soviet Ministry of Defense inspections, the brigade had the best results out of the Northern Group of Forces. The brigade won a Krasnaya Zvezda contest involving a 10 kilometer forced march in 1989. On 18 May 1990, the brigade was subordinated directly to the commander of the Soviet airborne and was reorganized as the 83rd Separate Airborne Brigade. The brigade was transferred to Ussuriysk in the Far Eastern Military District during July. On 1 February 1996, the brigade was detached from the Russian Airborne Troops and subordinated to the Far  Eastern Military District. In a 2002 exercise, the brigade successfully cooperated with Naval Infantry at Cape Klerk, earning it compliments from the Minister of Defence Sergei Ivanov. From 22 June 2004, the brigade participated in the exercise "Mobilnost-2004". In fall 2006, the brigade was given the banner of the Military Council. On 1 December 2013, the brigade was transferred to the Russian Airborne Troops. It was awarded Guards status on 25 March 2015. In 2022, the brigade reportedly took part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to Ukrainian state media, its deputy commander, Lieutenant Colonel Vitaliy Slabtsov, was killed  in action during the invasion. Composition. In 1996, the brigade was composed of the following units. The structure of the brigade has been unclear; it has incorporated a tank battalion in the past.