The Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), a russian think tank, has released an update concerning new military units in process of establishment. Published on the Center's unofficial blog bmpd, this is a regular summary of open-source information on the topic, and most notable of this data is about the creation of two new missile brigades.
According to this intel, December 2023 the 41st Missile Brigade was reinstated in the Eastern Military District of russia. The unit was re-equipped with Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile systems and received a new name as the 15th Missile Brigade. Also, an entirely new missile brigade was established in the Leningrad Military District but there are no details in regard to the weapons it received, name, or date of creation.
Read more: Half N.Korean KN-23 Missiles Exploded Mid-Flight in Ukraine – Reuters
For starters, let us remind you that according to the peacetime norms, a standard Iskander-M brigade should consist of three divisions with 12 launchers and 12 loader-transport vehicles in each. In other words, the russians claim they've managed over the past year not only to increase the rates of producing the 9M723 ballistic missiles fired by this system but also have supplied enough vehicles to mount the launchers on. The chassis are the MZKT-7390 Astrolog from the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant.
Based on the dubious probability of this sudden surge of specialized vehicles from belarus and the geographic location of the new russian unit, Defense Express assumes that the mentioned 41st Missile Brigade might have instead received KN-23 systems provided by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, used for the strikes on Ukraine in January–February 2024.
For one, the Eastern Military District hosting the unit is the one responsible for the regions directly bordering North Korea. Another suspicious detail is about the "re-equipment" of the newly created brigade, meaning it initially got one type of missile system yet switched to another along the way. It is currently unknown whether there are any KN-23 units left in service with this brigade. Especially considering the underwhelming performance of KN-23 missiles in Ukraine.
Apart from that, the review by CAST also mentions details about several other previously unknown new military units within the russian armed forces. For example, it reveals the 30th Motor Rifle Regiment in the context of its participation in the May 9 Victory Day parade in St. Petersburg.
Or the 32nd Motor Rifle Division which never before appeared in public data, was stated in an obituary of a dead soldier as the one he belonged to. Additionally, there's a notice about the newly established 2nd Artillery Brigade as part of the 2nd Army Corps of the russian land forces, although no specifics about its equipment.
Read more: russian Troops Deploy Modernized T-62M Tanks in Northern Kharkiv Oblast
