I think the mixing nationalities element probably went by the board a year or so after the nukes started crashing down. The Soviet transportation net can't be in any great shape, much less the communications necessary. On top of that, it would take a lot of effort to draft in the farther-away republics, in order to split them up and ship them hither and yon. I'd bet by late 2000, the Soviet divisions on the western front are mostly "western" Russians, Belorussians, and Ukrainians.
Even if they were still mixed on paper, I'd bet a lot of soldiers would desert to nearby units, in order to stay nearer their kinfolk. Say, if 20 or so Uzbeks leave the 589th Regiment, the 589th's commander has a problem. If those same 20 Uzbeks show up in the camp of the 343rd (which already has a lot of Uzbeks), the 343rd's adjutant probably won't make a big fuss.
To my mind, however, if the CIA somehow convinced a division's leadership to defect, convincing them to march to Yugoslavia seems pretty tall. Keeping them together without desertion is a REALLY tall order for the leadership, unless they are holding out a desirable ideal, like going home. I'd think the division would run down to about one-quarter of its previous strength really quickly, shedding deserters as it went. Most of the leaders might stick to the division cadre.
Either way, starting them off as ex-PWs, picked up by the division on its march, sounds like a good idea.
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My Twilight claim to fame: I ran "Allegheny Uprising" at Allegheny College, spring of 1988.
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