Russia has redeployed military personnel from its Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN)—the elite branch tasked with overseeing the country’s nuclear arsenal—into frontline combat roles in Ukraine, according to an open-source intelligence report released by Unit Observer on March 12.
The RVSN units have been identified fighting near Toretsk, a contested area in eastern Ukraine.
According to OSINT findings, the 12th Main Directorate of the RVSN, which is responsible for nuclear weapons storage and logistics, has been actively moving personnel toward the Donetsk front since at least November 2024.
Analysts tracked their presence through military movements and, later, obituaries of fallen soldiers, which helped pinpoint their origins and affiliations.
Combat Troops from Nuclear Security Brigades
The analysis revealed that the 12th Directorate was connected to a newly identified 20th Regiment, operating without a clearly defined command chain in the Toretsk sector.
Later confirmation tied the regiment to military unit No. 43879, part of the 132nd Motorized Rifle Brigade—a formation believed to be staffed by troops from several nuclear security and logistics units, including:
Unit No. 25625, known as Object 1200 in Khabarovsk-47
Unit No. 73752, a key technical and repair base
Unit No. 39995, or Object 644 in Irkutsk-45, linked to engineering and security support for Russia’s nuclear arsenal
This crossover between nuclear forces and conventional infantry roles is unusual and, to some experts, deeply concerning.
It suggests that Russia is expanding its mobilization pool even further to fill combat gaps—possibly at the cost of weakening security around its strategic nuclear infrastructure.
The first public mention of a motorized rifle regiment composed of RVSN personnel was in July 2024, suggesting that the effort to convert nuclear forces into combat troops began earlier last year.
NATO and Nuclear Escalation Tensions
The report on RVSN troops coincides with renewed nuclear deterrence debates in Europe, especially in Poland, where officials are openly pushing for a permanent U.S. nuclear presence.
Polish President Andrzej Duda has called on President Donald Trump to station American nuclear warheads in Poland, arguing that NATO’s deterrence strategy must shift in response to Russia’s expanding war.
"NATO’s borders moved eastward in 1999, so after 26 years, its infrastructure should move eastward as well,” Duda told the media.
Duda confirmed that he discussed the proposal with Trump adviser Keith Kellogg, noting that the war in Ukraine has changed the security dynamics in Eastern Europe.
