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79th Air Assault Brigade (Ukraine)

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The 79th Separate Tavrian Air Assault Brigade of Mykolaiv (Ukrainian: 79-та окрема десантно-штурмова Таврійська бригада; 79 ОДШБр)[3] (Military Unit Number A0224) is a formation of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces. The paratrooper brigade is based in Mykolaiv.

79th Air Assault Brigade
(2016–present)

79th Airmobile Brigade
(2007–2016)

79th Airmobile Regiment
(1993–2007)

40th Airmobile Brigade
(1990–1993)

40th Air Assault Brigade
(1979–1993)
Ukrainian: 79-та окрема десантно-штурмова Таврійська бригада
79th Air Assault Brigade shoulder sleeve patch
Active1979–present
Country Soviet Union
(1979–1991)
 Ukraine
(1992–present)
BranchUkrainian Air Assault Forces
RoleAir Assault
SizeBrigade
Garrison/HQSoliany [uk][1] Mykolaiv Oblast[2]
MUN А0224
Motto(s)"In Unity is Power"
"В єднанні - сила!"
Engagements
Decorations
For Courage and Bravery
Commanders
Current
commander		Colonel Oleksandr Lutsenko [uk]

Soldiers from the Brigade have served as peacekeepers in Yugoslavia, Iraq, Kosovo, and Sierra Leone.[4]

Starting in 2014, the brigade took part in the war in Donbas.[5] The brigade fought in the Second Battle of Donetsk Airport, where it and other Ukrainian military units became known as the "cyborgs" due to their stubborn defense of the Donetsk Airport.

History

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Soldiers of the 79th Air Assault Brigade on BTR-80, June 2016

The brigade's history began as 40th Air Assault Brigade in the fall of 1979, formed from elements of the 97th Guards Airborne Regiment of the 7th Guards Airborne Division. Later it was reorganized into the 40th Airborne Brigade between 6 December 1989 and 1 August 1990[6] (1 June 1990 according to Holm).[7] That redesignation marked the transfer of the brigade from the Odessa Military District to the Soviet Airborne Troops.

In February 1992 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the brigade went over to Ukrainian control, against the wishes of its commander V. N. Loginov and without Moscow's knowledge. The brigade's soldiers had become frustrated over lapses in food and pay due to Russo-Ukrainian disputes over Soviet military unit upkeep, and decided that shifting to Ukrainian command would end those issues.[8] In September 1993 the brigade was renamed 40th Separate Airmobile Brigade.[9]

The 40th Brigade was reorganized and reduced into the 79th Airmobile Regiment.

On July 1, 2007, the brigade was formed by combining the 79th Airmobile Regiment with 11th Army Aviation Regiment.[2][10]

In 2014, the brigade took part in the fighting of the war in Donbas.[11][12] 54 persons called up for mobilization (and thus serving in the brigade) deserted.[13]

Russian annexation of Crimea and war in Donbas

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Pro-Russian protesters blocked the unit's base in Voznesensk on 1 March 2014 and a platoon of soldiers was sent to reinforce and secure the military equipment located at the facility from looting. The protest was resolved without violent clashes.[14] Other than Spetsnaz forces of Ukraine, the unit was one of the first to be mobilized during the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the war in Donbas by being deployed to the Crimean-Kherson border in order to prevent Russian forces from a possible advance into mainland Kherson Oblast on 13 March 2014. On March 26 Ukrainian forces secured the Russian Mars-75 naval navigation station located in Kherson Oblast.[15][16]

The unit was deployed to Donbas in May 2014 and fought in a battle in Shakhtarsk Raion where it held the objective of securing both the Russian border and the strategic Savur-Mohyla hill. The unit, along with the 72nd Mechanized Brigade became trapped in southern Luhansk Oblast as pro-Russian forces cut their supply lines from the bulk of Ukrainian force in July. Ukrainian forces attempted to keep the units resupplied delivering 15 tons of supplies through enemy lines to the unit. The 79th Airmobile Brigade was able to break through enemy lines on 7 August 2014 along with much of their equipment, however it was reported that the unit was severely short on ammunition and would likely not be able to continue holding its positions if it did not break through the encirclement.[17] Due to spending a month surrounded by enemy forces the unit was sent back to its home station in order to regroup.[18]

The unit was redeployed after a month of R&R to hold the southern Donetsk Oblast in the Mariupol and Donetsk regions. In September the unit joined the 3rd Separate Spetsnaz Regiment along with National Guard units in the defense of Donetsk Airport.[19][20] Due to their stubborn resistance during the defense of Donetsk Airport they were referred to as "cyborgs".[21]

In 2016, after brigade received a company of T-80 tanks,[22][23] the 79th Airmobile Brigade became 79th Air Assault Brigade.[24]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

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The brigade took part in the battle of Mykolaiv and the battle of Marinka. The main units of the 79th Brigade were in the Donbass at the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine; only 120 of the brigade's men were stationed at the unit's military base in Mykolaiv when the fighting reached that city.[25]

On 7–9 March 2022, the brigade's base in Mykolaiv was struck by Russian Hurricane missiles.[26] Dozens of Ukrainian servicemen died in the bombing.[27]

In late May 2022, it was reported that units of the brigade were defending the Holy Mountains National Nature Park south of the city of Lyman, attempting to prevent Russian forces from crossing the Siverskyi Donets River.[28]

 
Emblem of the 1st separate amphibious assault company "Belarus"

In June 2023, Valery Sakhashchyk, effective defence minister of the Belarusian United Transitional Cabinet (a government-in-exile opposed to the de facto government of Alexander Lukashenko) informed about the creation of the 1st Separate Amphibious Assault Company of Belarusians, which is part of the 79th Air Assault Brigade.[29] The Belarusian assault company is located in the Donetsk direction and is the reserve of the commander of one of the separate assault brigades.[30]

Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi publicly praised the 79th Brigade in March 2024 for its efforts in repelling Russian attacks on the village of Novomykhailivka.[31]

On both 24 and 29 July 2024, the brigade repelled two Russian assaults in Donetsk Oblast, with 200 troops and 57 armored vehicles for each assault. They claimed to have destroyed several dozen armored vehicles and to have killed over a hundred Russian soldiers and "leaving more of them wounded".[32]

On 1 October 2024, the brigade repelled another Russian assault near Kurakhove, destroying 19 units of equipment, including four tanks and two AFVs. 23 Russians were claimed to have been killed, with another 23 wounded.[33]

Structure

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Soldiers of the 79th Airmobile Brigade (during the KFOR mission)

Until summer of 2007 the formation was a regiment. In 2008 the brigade was being manned by contract soldiers.[34]

Until 2007

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Current structure

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As of 2024, the brigade's structure is as follows:[35]

Past commanders

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References

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  1. ^ (in Ukrainian) View from the window unto an army base Archived 2007-11-10 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b "15th Anniversary of Ukrainian Airmobile Forces" (in Ukrainian).
  3. ^ "Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the ceremony dedicated to the Day of the Air Assault Forces". www.president.gov.ua. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  4. ^ "Commander for 9th rotation of the 56th Helicopter Detachment" (in Ukrainian).
  5. ^ "Кроме нас им никто не поможет, - волонтеры собирают материальную помощь николаевским десантникам, находящимся в зоне АТО". NEWS.PN. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
  6. ^ Feskov et al 2013, pp. 244-245
  7. ^ Holm, Michael. "40th independent Landing-Assault Brigade". ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  8. ^ Zaloga, Steven J. (1995). Inside the Blue Berets: A Combat History of Soviet and Russian Airborne Forces, 1930-1995. Novato, CA: Presidio Press. p. 295. ISBN 9780891413998.
  9. ^ (in Russian)History of Airmobile Forces
  10. ^ "Ukrainian Armed Forces 2007 White Book p.38" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 10, 2008.
  11. ^ "Варваровский мост в Николаеве по-прежнему перекрыт - пикетчицы открыто пропагандируют дезертирство". NEWS.PN. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
  12. ^ ""We anywhere won't pass", - the Nikolaev paratroopers aren't going to lift "white flag" and wait help". NEWS.PN. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
  13. ^ "Since March of this year the arrangement 79-й the Nikolaev airmobile crew self-willedally was left by 54 soldiers". NEWS.PN. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
  14. ^ "Антимайдановцы ночью блокировали николаевскую аэромобильную бригаду". 0512ua.
  15. ^ "Николаевские десантники 79-й бригады укрепили блокпост у дороги на Крым". niknews.
  16. ^ "Ukrainian militaries take control of Mars-75 navigation station". ukrinform.ua. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  17. ^ ""Когда куски тел собираешь на лопату - это страшно", - боец 79-ой николаевской аэромобильной бригады". 0512ua.
  18. ^ "Десантники 79-й бригады вернулись в Николаев". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency.
  19. ^ "На Николаевщине объявлен трехдневный траур по погибшим вчера воинам 79-й бригады". niknews.
  20. ^ "Один из 'киборгов' опубликовал видео обороны Донецкого аэропорта". news.liga.net. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  21. ^ cyborgs.uatoday.tv
  22. ^ "ВДВ: гартування війною. Еліта ЗСУ в боях проти російських окупантів - Народна армія". Archived from the original on 2016-08-29. Retrieved 2016-08-30.
  23. ^ "При николаевской 79-й аэромобильной бригаде планируют создать танковое подразделение". Retrieved 2016-08-30.
  24. ^ "Структура ВДВ" [Ukrainian Airmobile Forces structure]. Archived from the original on 2016-08-25.
  25. ^ Абдурасулов, Абдужалил (22 February 2023). "Битва за Антоновский мост и победа ВСУ под Николаевом. Как и почему Украина пропустила армию РФ из Крыма в феврале 2022 года". BBC News Russian (in Russian).
  26. ^ "Оборона Мар'їнки: від вогняних валів до рукопашних сутичок". 14 October 2024.
  27. ^ "As it happened: Ukraine war latest: Gun battles as Russian troops reach Mariupol city centre, says mayor". BBC News.
  28. ^ Ponomarenko, Illia; Chernichkin, Kostiantyn (28 May 2022). "'Welcome to hell': Ukrainian airborne fighting Russia in Donbas woods". Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  29. ^ «Сахашчык сам удзельнічае ў баявых апэрацыях». Баец з новай дэсантнай роты беларусаў расказаў, чым яны займаюцца на Данбасе
  30. ^ Что за новая рота, о которой говорил Валерий Сахащик? Спросили у него
  31. ^ Fornusek, Martin (2024-03-02). "Syrskyi dissatisfied with some brigade commanders, hints at personnel changes". Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  32. ^ Tavria paratroopers recall repelling two “largest” Russian assaults late July
  33. ^ Mykolaiv-based 79th Brigade repels large-scale Russian assault on Kurakhove front – video
  34. ^ "Готуємось до війська! - Правда.mk.ua". www.pravda.mk.ua (in Ukrainian).
  35. ^ "79th Air Assault Brigade". Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  36. ^ Легендарні частини нашої Армії: 79-а Миколаївська десантна бригада Archived 26 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  37. ^ "⚡️PERUN GROUP | 79⚡️". Telegram. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  38. ^ ""Ніхто, крім нас!" — Президент України на зустрічі з десантниками 79 бригади". Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 21 August 2014.

Sources

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