Western Operational Command (Belarus)


The Western Operational Command is a command of the Belarus Ground Forces. It is headquartered in Grodno. It is composed of two Mechanized Brigades and an artillery brigade. The command was created in 2001 from the 28th Army Corps, the former 28th Army.

History

The Western Operational Command traces its lineage back to the Soviet 28th Army. In July 1945, the 28th Army headquarters was relocated to Grodno. By 1988, the army was composed of the 6th Guards Tank Division, 28th Tank Division, 50th Guards Motor Rifle Division and the 514th Territorial Training Center. On 20 March 1992, the army was taken over by Belarus. In 1993, the 28th Army was downsized to become the 28th Army Corps. In 1994, the 50th Division became a separate mechanized brigade, and was further reduced to a storage base in 2001, then finally disbanded in 2006. The Western Operational Command was created in December 2001 from the 28th Army Corps. It participated in the exercises "Neman-2001", "Berezina-2002", "Chistoye Nebo-2003", "Shchit Otechestva-2004", "Shchit Soyuza-2006", "Zapad-2009", "Shchit Soyuza-2011" and the joint strategic exercises with Russian military units "Zapad-2013". In 2015, Colonel Viktor Hrenin became the command's head and Colonel Oleg Melnikov was appointed chief of staff of the command.

Formations and units

The command is composed of the following units.

Leadership

Commanders

  • Major General Anatoly Nikitin
  • Major General Aleksandr Pashukevich
  • Major General Igor Demidenko
  • Colonel Andrey Gurtsevich
  • Major General Viktor Khrenin
  • Colonel Uladzimir Bely
  • Major General Vadzim Suray

Chiefs of Staff - First Deputy Commanders

  • Colonel Alexei Evstigneev
  • Colonel Alyaksandr Laurenov

Deputy Commanders

  • Colonel Vadim Denisenko
  • Igor Demidenko
  • Alyaksandr Bas
  • Colonel Dzimitriy Bitny