Southern Military District

The Southern Military District (Russian: Южный военный округ) is one of the four operational strategic commands of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was formed in accordance with Presidential Decree №1144 signed on September 20, 2010. The district includes the territory of former North Caucasus Military District, the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla.

The Southern Military District was formed on October 22, 2010. According to Presidential Decree of 20 September 2010 № 1144 "On the Military Administrative Division Of the Russian Federation' the Southern Military District, was created, encompassing the administrative borders of the Republic of Adygea, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria Republic, the Republic of Kalmykia, Karachay-Cherkessia Republic of North Ossetia - Alania, Chechen Republic, Krasnodar, Stavropol, Astrakhan, Volgograd and Rostov regions.

By order of Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, on July 22, 2010, interim commanders were named for the new military districts. Thus, the new position of commander of the Southern Military District, was Lt. Gen. Aleksandr Galkin, former Commander of the North Caucasus Military District, with Maj. Gen. Nikolai Pereslegin as the chief of staff for the district. Galkin was later promoted to Colonel General.

District organization
As part of the larger reorganisation, the 49th Army appears to have reformed with its headquarters seemingly in the former Institute of Communications of the Strategic Rocket Forces at Stavropol. According to warfare.ru, 49th Army (listed at Stavropol/Maikop) has under control the 4th Guards and 7th Military Bases (South Ossetia and Abkhazia) and the 8th (former Taman Guards Motor Rifle Division), 33rd and 34th separate Mountain Motor Rifle Brigades (Borzoi, Chechniya, Maikop, and Storozhevaya-2), as well as the 66th Communications Brigade.

There are also three Spetsnaz brigades (the 100th, 10th, and 22nd), plus two Russian Airborne Troops units also stationed in the district. The Russian Air Force has the 4th Air and Air Defence Forces Command in the district. Also under the district's control are the Navy's Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla, including their respective air and Naval Infantry components.