January 16, 2026: Last year Russia decided to abandon its brigade-based army organization and return to a division-based system. So far the Russian Pacific Fleet has upgraded its 155 ^th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade to a division size unit. The army is also converting its brigades to division size units. At the end of 2025 the army had 70 combat divisions. About half of those divisions were deployed in or near Ukraine. Most of these units were Motor Rifle divisions, consisting of a battalion size division command organization, two motor rifle regiments and one tank battalion. These were supported by a self-propelled artillery regiment, anti-tank and anti-aircraft units as well as a reconnaissance and engineer battalion. Support was provided by a communications battalion, a logistics battalion and a medical evacuation battalion.

In 1917 Russia modified a 2008 reorganization to reconstitute the famous, during World War II and the Cold War, 1st Guards Tank Army. This revived unit was stationed in western Russia, the better to frighten European countries that were invaded during World War II, or threatened by it during the Cold War by the original 1st Guards Tank Army. The latest version was a showcase unit and the first to receive new tanks and other weapons as well as the best troops available.

The new 1st Guards Tank Army was actually remarkably similar to its World War II counterpart. Back then mechanized tank or infantry forces were based on brigades organized into division-sized mechanized or tank corps. Thus the World War II 1st Guards Tank Army consisted of the 8th Guards Mechanized Corps with three motorized infantry brigades and one tank brigade. The 11th Guards Tank Corps of three tank brigades and one motorized infantry brigade. The 2015 version consisted of one tank division with two tank regiments. There was one mechanized infantry division with one tank regiment, three mechanized infantry regiments, one independent tank brigade and one independent mechanized infantry brigade. At full strength this unit had about 14,000 troops. Because of heavy casualties in Ukraine and difficulties recruiting additional troops, actual division strength is ten to twelve thousand personnel.

During the 1949-1991 Cold War the 1st Guards Tank Army consisted of two tank divisions and one mechanized infantry division. All three divisions of the 1st Guards Tank Army had about the same number of troops, some 35,000 troops and about 300 tanks. All three versions had supporting troops, artillery, anti-aircraft, engineers, supply and so on.

The World War II era brigades had few support units and depended on the corps and army for supply, maintenance, artillery and so on. In 2008 Russia reorganized its army by replacing divisions with more self-sufficient brigades. When that change was complete several years later the combat forces consisted of 57 combat brigades composed of 33 mechanized infantry, four tank and 22 Spetsnaz, airborne or air assault units. These brigades were about half the size of American combat brigades and about a third of the personnel were conscripts who served for one year. The skill levels of troops in these brigades were much lower than for comparable troops in American or British brigades and elite brigades in French, German and some other Western forces. There were also 28 combat support brigades, eight armed with multi-barrel rocket launchers like the U.S. MLRS, nine with short range ballistic missiles, ten with anti-aircraft missile systems and one engineer brigade.

Russia, like the United States, did not get rid of divisions as divisions, but they became a headquarters with some support units that could handle two or more combat brigades.