https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%BC%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%94%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%86%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D0%A0%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BF%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B8
The People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic (Народная милиция Донецкой Народной Республики) comprised the military forces of the Pro-Russian separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, formed from various separatist militias initially organised by Pavel Gubarev.
It was briefly formally unified with the Luhansk People’s Militia in 2014 as the Army of Novorossiya, but this Army later disbanded and the two militias remained separate.
The militia forces became part of the Russian Army as the 51st Guards Combined Arms Army after the annexation of the DPR into Russia in late 2022:
The first army corps of the DPR and the second army corps of the LPR became part of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, they were awarded combat colors, according to the materials of the Ministry of Defense for the visit of the President of the Russian Federation to the headquarters of the Southern Military District.
The First Donetsk and Second Guards Luhansk-Severodonetsk Army Corps, as well as the Donetsk Higher Combined Arms Command School, are included in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,” the Ministry of Defense says.
The department’s materials indicate that “combat experience acquired over eight years confirms that the formations that have become part of the RF Armed Forces today are combat-ready formations of the Russian army.”
During the War in Donbas, the Militia forces incorporated some (Pro-Russia) Volunteer Battallions, including the Russian Orthodox Army (as the 1st Battalion of the 5th Oplot Brigade) and the Rusich Group PMC (a unit transferred from the Luhansk Militia).
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