MOSCOW, July 12 (AVN) - Russian General Staff has taken a decision and is working out a directive on giving a status of permanent readiness unit to the Taman second guard motorised rifle division, a source in the Defence Ministry told the Military News Agency.
The division, which is awarded the Order of October Revolution, the Order of Red Banner and the Order of Suvorov (II degree), is situated in Naro-Fominsk district of the Moscow region (the Moscow military district).
At present the division consists of two motorised rifle regiments manned according to the war-time level. These units got combat experience during the anti-guerrilla operation in the North Caucasus. The third regiment manning is going to start in the nearest future.
The Taman division is going to be the second permanent readiness unit in the Moscow military district next to the Visla third motorised division located in the Nizny Novgorod region.
Permanent readiness units creation has been going on in accordance with the Armed Forces reformation since the end of 1997. Completely manned and equipped with modern armament the units are to take part in the prevention and neutralisation of the appropriate level military conflicts in peacetime. At first several land forces divisions, brigades and regiments were created in a short period of time on every strategic direction - Western, Southern and Eastern. At present every military district has its own permanent readiness units. They have intensive personnel training and played a very important role in defeating guerrilla groups in the territories of Dagestan and Chechnya.