The 96th Separate Reconnaissance Brigade (Russian: 96-я отдельная разведывательная бригада) is a military formation of the Russian Federation, part of the 1st Guards Tank Army.
The unit is garrisoned in Sormovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and has the Military Unit Number 52634.
History
The official date of formation for the unit is December 26th 2015 where Lieutenant Colonel Alexey Talalayev was named the commander of the brigade.
It is known that the brigade was deployed to Syria and participated in the Battle of Palmyra in March 2016 where at least one soldier of the unit died.
During the Russian Invasion of Ukraine the brigade was part of the first units to enter Ukraine as part of its parent unit, the 1st Guards Tank Army. There was footage of abandoned Typhoon-Ks and Iveco LMVs with the markings of the 96th Reconnaissance Brigade. Soldiers and officers of the unit captured by Ukraine were also confirmed.
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine lists Colonel Yevgeny A. Chintsov as the current commander with Lieutenant Colonel Mykola A. Kiselev as his deputy as of April 2022.