It was reformed in the Transcaucasian Front from the 24th Army on 28 August 1942, under General Vasily Khomenko of the NKVD. Much of its senior cadre also came from the NKVD, and among its missions was to keep order in the Caucasus, particularly in the Groznyi and Makhachkala regions.[3] This was because of a Chechen uprising that had gone on since 1941 (see 1940-1944 Chechnya insurgency). 58th Army later joined the North Caucasus Front. On 1 November 1942 it consisted of the 271st and 416th Rifle Division, and the Makhachkala Division of the NKVD.[4] Prior to the North Caucasus Front putting its main effort into the Kerch-Eltigen Operation (November 1943) the Army HQ was reorganised as Headquarters Volga Military District in October 1943.[5]
In 2004, units from the 58th provided assistance with armoured vehicles to the forces involved storming the school on the third day of the Beslan school siege.[citation needed]
Russo-Georgian War (2008)
On 3 August 2008, five battalions of the Russian 58th Army were moved to the vicinity of Roki Tunnel that links Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia with Russia's North Ossetia.[9]
On 8 August 2008[10][11][12] the 58th Army crossed the border into Georgia and engaged in combat against Georgian forces, most notably in the city of Tskhinvali.[13][14] Its then-commander, Lieutenant General Anatoly Khrulyov was wounded in action.[15]
War in Donbas (2014–22)
BM-21 "27777" launch vehicle at display in Kyiv 2014.
In June 2014 Ukrainian troops captured a damaged BM-21 Grad launcher, which the Ukrainians identified as equipment of the 58th Army of the Russian Federation.[16]
Major generalSergey Kuzovlev became commander of the army on 18 August 2016.[17] In late 2016 the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division had been reformed from the 8th Guards Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade, the 17th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, and the 18th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.[18] In January 2017, 20th Guards Army commander Major general Yevgeny Nikiforov replaced Kuzovlev.[19]
Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022–present)
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2023)
On the eve of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was reported that the headquarters of the 58th Army had deployed to Crimea commanding between 12 and 17 battalion tactical groups.[20][21] Once the invasion commenced, units of the 58th Army took part in hostilities on the southern front of the war.
About 300 South Ossetian soldiers of 4th Guards Military Base were reported in late March to have refused to return to combat after five days on the frontline in Ukraine, and instead gone back to South Ossetia.[22][23]
On 11 July 2023, the 58th Army headquarters in Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast was destroyed by a missile strike.[24][25] Among those reportedly killed was Lieutenant-General Oleg Tsokov, the deputy commander of the Russian Southern Military District, making him the highest ranking Russian officer killed during the invasion.[26][27]
On 12 July 2023, the army commander, Major General Ivan Popov, was removed from his post. In a Telegram message posted by a Russian MP, he claimed to have been fired by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu after complaining about inadequacies in logistics that led to high casualties among his men and accusing his superiors of treason.[24] Popov was replaced by Lieutenant General Denis Lyamin.[28]
On 26 September 2023, the unit was awarded the "Guards" honorific for its defense of the southern front during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive.[29]
^"Войсковая часть 27777 (18-я ОМСБр)" [Military Unit No. 27777 (18th OMSBr)]. voinskayachast.net (in Russian). 4 September 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
^"Войсковая часть 20634 (19-я ОМСБр)" [Military Unit Number 20634 (19th OMSBr)]. voinskayachast.net (in Russian). 17 March 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
^"Войсковая часть 63354 (136-я ОМСБр)" [Military Unit Number 63354 (136th OMSBr)]. voinskayachast.net (in Russian). 10 March 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
^"Войсковая часть 64670 (291-я АртБр)" [Military Unit Number 64670 (291st ArtBr)]. voinskayachast.net (in Russian). 16 November 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
^Bailey, Riley; Hird, Karolina; Mappes, Grace; Evans; Angelica; Harward, Christina; Clark, Mason (14 July 2023). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 14, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 15 July 2023. Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov claimed that elements of the Chechen 'Vostok-Akhmat' battalion (291st Motorized Rifle Regiment, 58th Combined Arms Army, Southern Military District) are defending in the Orikhiv area.
V.I. Feskov; Golikov V.I.; K.A. Kalashnikov; S.A. Slugin (2013). Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской (часть 1: Сухопутные войска) [The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II, from the Red Army to the Soviet (Part 1: Land Forces)]. Tomsk.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)[1] Improved version of 2004 work with many inaccuracies corrected.
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