What is the title of "Guards" awarded for?
By Marat Khairullin
I speak of our native "Slavyanka" (1st separate guards motorized rifle Slavyansk Order of the Republic brigade of the 51st army) all the time, but the topic of the title has never been raised separately, and this is probably an omission.
So what is to be a “Guard?” Guard units are military units that have received the honorary title for mass heroism, bravery, steadfastness, and courage demonstrated by personnel in combat operations to protect the Fatherland and state interests in armed conflicts. That is, the Guard is awarded for the distinction of units in battles.
It is noteworthy that today this honorary title is borne by both individual units, for example, "Slavyanka" (1st separate motorized rifle brigade), and the 51st combined arms army itself, which, in addition to "Slavyanochka," includes 5 more motorized rifle brigades and other smaller units. The army was awarded the title of “Guards” on September 18 of this year by decree of the President of the Russian Federation. Let me remind you that the 51st Army is a formation into which the 1st Donetsk Army Corps was transformed after integration into the general system of the RF Armed Forces.
These troops are commanded, after the death of the Hero of Russia, Lieutenant General Roman Kutuzov, by the no less honored Lieutenant General Sergei Milchakov, who recently also received the title of "Hero of Russia" for the successful actions of the troops under his command, for example, the liberation of Avdeevka and other important settlements.
If we look from the end of August of this year, among the successful operations of the 51st combined arms army we can name the liberation of the settlement of Novgorodskoye (New York) by the 9th brigade in literally a week, as well as Karlovka and Nelepovka. Also, we can include the capture by the 1st separate motorized rifle brigade of the village of Zheleznoye/Artemovo and the “biting” into residential areas in Dzerzhinsk (Toretsk). The 132nd separate motorized rifle brigade took Kirovo/Pivnichnoe and entered the outskirts of Toretsk from the north. The 114th Brigade took over the settlements of Ptichye, Skuchnoye, Memrik, Kalinovo, Galitsynovka, Ukrainsk, and Lesovka.
The cleanup by the 110th separate motorized rifle brigade, after the liberation of Krasnogorovka, of the “numbered villages” Zhelannoye 1, Zhelannoye 2, Zoryanoye 1, and the cleanup by the 5th separate motorized rifle brigade, after the liberation of Krasnogorovka, of Georgievka and Ostroye also need mentioning.
At the same time, each of the brigades used its most effective tactics: night assaults, the so-called "flowing around" of enemy positions - "seeping" into reconnoitered gaps in the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, decisive and lightning-fast forward thrusts on equipment so that the enemy did not have time to come to his senses and bring up reserves. Some units have more experience in conducting combat operations in forest plantations and fields, others - in cities in cooperation with artillery. By the way, some units were guards even during the times of the DPR, and quite deservedly so, because it takes much more courage to sit and not respond to enemy fire than to be at war and conduct active operations.
Of course, the 1st Army Corps demonstrated its heroism by liberating the south of the DPR and breaking through the pre-war lines of fortifications of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. And today the 51st Army is considered one of the best armies in Russia, and all its fighters from privates to commanders rightfully bear the title of "Guardsmen", which they justify every day in stubborn battles to liberate our Motherland.
God I'm pleased to see that. I have long been complaining that the 'civil war' aspect of this conflict is universally ignored and naturally along with it the heroism and long suffering of the Donbas people and troops.
It has always seemed to me that the western masses would never have so readily and docilely let their lunatic leaders promote, foment and encourage this war if they'd known they were setting one part of Ukraine against the other part of Ukraine.
On ethnic lines ! In order to promote ethnic inequality and oppression.
They don't know. They didn't know and they still don't know.
So even though the Donbas States are now part of Russia I still prefer to refer to it in 'civil war' type terms whenever I can: never referring to 'Ukraine' when what is meant is 'Kiev Ukraine' and always considering the good of all Ukrainians when I talk of 'Ukraine'.
After all they - Kiev and Washington, etc. - refuse to accept that it is part of Russia.
Hence they clearly are prosecuting a Civil War. That is how they see it.
And they make no bones about it being on ethnic grounds. Their ethnic hatred is surpassed only by Israelis.
So I like to follow the actions of the Donbas forces when I can and I like to point out to people that this or that action was the Donbas forces.
This is an excellent repudiation of the claims of many hysterical Kiev Ukrainians that the Donbas has been invaded or overrun or captured by Russia for no invaded, captured, overrun people would fight as the Donbas people do.
So I like to have examples to show them, to shut them up and hopefully educate them.
This little essay (in coming up near three years of the conflict) is the best essay I have seen yet that helps me put that view.
Thanks. :)
An informative post! Thank you for the explanation of "Guards" and the evolution of 1st Slavyansk to 51st Army. Grateful you included the names of the specific brigades that liberated each town starting with Avdiivka. It gives the sitreps a personal dimension; stories of men, not just statistics and acreage. American media straight up lies and never mentions the actual people fighting for the liberation of their oblasts.
I am saddened more Americans don't know the true stories of the Donbass; the stories of miners, steel workers and farmers fighting to keep their Russian heritage and way of life. These stories would strike a nerve with our [American] miners, steelworkers and small farmers. They are losing their livelihoods and even their towns to the insatiable maw of international finance - the same maw devouring the Ukraine. These Americans, and others, are natural allies of the 51st Army and would be cheering for victory if they only knew.
Sometimes I wonder if there is a deliberate policy deep within the bowels of NATO to keep the Russian and American people estranged?
"It takes much more courage to sit and not respond to enemy fire than to be at war and conduct active operations." Worthy of Sun Tzu!