Russia has deployed about 35,000 National Guardsmen to Ukraine’s occupied territories as of January 2024, the Special Operations Forces’ National Resistance Center reported on Jan. 7, citing information from Ukrainian partisans.
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The National Guard of Russia, or Rosgvardia, is the second most important component of the Russian occupation forces, after their military. The National Guard serves as rear units to suppress civilian resistance. Their duties include filtering civilians and identifying members of the underground.
They were also used to guard “polling stations” in the occupied territories during a sham referendum in September 2022 and the pseudo-elections in September 2023. On the territory of the Russian Federation itself, the Rosgvardia is responsible for preserving Putin’s power, the NRC explained.
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Half of the 35,000 deployed guardsmen in the occupied territories are regular formations, which are structured into brigades, five battalion-tactical groups, and 44 tactical groups. The rest are more than 100 consolidated units that are brought in from Russia on a rotational basis. The consolidated units are formed from the riot police and the SOBR Special Rapid Response Unit.
In addition to service vehicles and armored personnel carriers, the Rosgvardia also has tanks, artillery systems, and helicopters, and they use the entire range of weapons to subdue those who disagree with the Russian occupation, the National Resistance Center noted.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine