Preobrazhensky Grenadiers

Preobrazhensky Lifeguard Regiment — III —
Preobrazhensky Regiment fighting the Battle of Paris, 30 March 1814, with the Montmartre in the background
Active	1683–1917 2013- present as the 154th Preobrazhensky Independent Commandant's Regiment
Country	Russian Empire
Branch	Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Regiment
Garrison/HQ	St. Petersburg
Insignia
Banner of the regiment
Badge of the regiment

The Preobrazhensky Lifeguard Regiment was one of the oldest and most elite guard regiments of the Imperial Russian Army. Along with the Semyonovsky Regiment, the Preobrazhensky Regiment also served as a gendarmerie unit for the state Secret Chancellery (secret police) in the 18th century, headed by Prince Fyodor Romodanovsky.

It was formed by Peter the Great in the late 17th century from his poteshnye voiska ("toy forces"), during his military games in the village of Preobrazhenskoye (now a district in Moscow). The Preobrazhensky Regiment distinguished itself during the Great Northern War of 1700–1721, the Patriotic War of 1812, and the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878.

As the body-guard of Catherine the Great, as well as the main supporter of her bloodless coup against her husband Peter III, this regiment was declared the highest in the order of military precedence from 14 July 1762.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, membership was reserved for young Russian aristocrats and was considered a proof of loyalty to the government and the tsar. Among its membership was the Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky.

The regiment was disbanded in December 1917 by its last commander, Colonel Alexander Kutepov (later a general). In 2013, it was recreated for the Russian Armed Forces as the 154th Preobrazhensky Independent Commandant's Regiment.