25th Guards Rifle Division

The 25th Guards Rifle Division 'Chapayevskaya' was a division of the Soviet Red Army. The division was reorganised and reformed several times until the collapse of the Soviet Union, when it entered service in the Ukrainian Army as the 25th Mechanised Division.

Formed in the period from 24.04.1942 to 12.07.1942, pursuant to Directive GSHKA N org/2/783669 on 16.04.1942, by converting the 2nd Guards Rifle Brigade, ex 71st Naval Rifle Brigade. Station Sonkovo Kalinin region. 11-12.07.1942 g Division ubyla from a place of formation in the Voronezh Front, arrived in the front, the 07/22/1942 until 08/04/1942, the embattled boundary on the eastern bank of the river Bityug. Participated in the battles to establish a bridgehead on the river Don north of the city Korotoyak in August 1942, Ostrogozh-Rossoshanskij, Voronezh-Kastornoye, Kharkov offensive and operations. She took part in the operation to take the city of Budapest, Bratislava.

After the end of World War II (after 1955?), the 25th Guards Rifle Division was given the name and honors of the pre-war 25th Rifle Division, which had been destroyed in the Siege of Sevastopol. Thus it received the name 'Chapayevskaya' after the commander of the 25th RD during the Civil War, Vasily Chapayev. The division's full title became 25th Guards Rifle Sinelkov-Budapest Red Banner Order of Suvorov and B. Khmelnitsky Division named for V.I. Chapayev (25-я Гвардейская мотострелковая Синельниково-Будапештская орденов Суворова и Б. Хмельницкого дивизия имени В.Чапаева.)

Cold War service
The division was reorganized as a Motor Rifle Division in 1957, and eventually transferred to the 1st Guards Army in the Kiev Military District.

Order of Battle, 25th Guards Motor Rifle Division, 1988-9
 * 25th Guards Motor Rifle 'Sinelnikovo-Budapest' Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov and Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Division named for V.I. Chapayev (Lubny)
 * 132nd Guards Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Kutznesov Regiment (Lubny): 10 T-64; 9 BTR-60, 4 BMP (2 BMP-1, 2 BMP-1К); 12 D-30; 1 PRP-3, 3 1V18, 1 - 1V19; 5 R-145BM, 2 PU-12; 1 MT-55A
 * 136th Guards Motor Rifle Red Banner Regiment (Lubny): Equipment is identical to that of the 132nd Regiment
 * 426th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Lubny): 10 Т-64; 21 BMP (19 BMP-1, 2 BMP-1К); 3 BTR-60" 12 - 2S1 "Gvozdika"; 2 BMP-1K, 1 PRP-3, 3 RHM, 2 MTP-2; 4 R-145BM, 2 PU-12; 1 MTU-20, 1 MT-55А
 * 280th Tank Regiment (Goncharovskoe): 31 Т-64; 4 BMP (2 BMP-1, 2 BMP-1К); 12 - 2S1 "Gvozdika"; 2 BMP-1K, 1 PRP-3, 2 R-145BM, 2 PU-12; 2 МТ-55А; 29 МТ-LBT
 * 53rd Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (Lubny): 12 BM-21 "Grad"; 2 PRP-3, 3 - 1ВV18, 1 - 1V19; 22 МТ-LBT
 * 1175th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment

Ukrainian service
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union the division became part of the Ukrainian Ground Forces as the 25th Mechanized Division. The division retained its Soviet-era awards and honorifics. One of its regiments, the 280th Tank Regiment, was used to form a new armoured brigade, the 1st Armored Brigade at Honcharivske. The 25th Mechanized Division was disbanded in 2000.

Awards

 * Order of the Red Banner, the division along with 9 separate regiments.
 * Order of Lenin
 * 78 of the division's personnel were awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union

Famous People of the Division

 * Dmitri Furmanov
 * Sydir Kovpak
 * Nina Onilova
 * Ivan Yefimovich Petrov
 * Ivan Panfilov
 * Lyudmila Pavlichenko