25th Airborne Brigade (Ukraine)

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25th Airborne Brigade
Sleeve patch for the 25 Airborne Brigade
Active	16 July 2002
Country	Ukraine
Allegiance	6th Guard Army Corps (Ukraine)
Branch	Ukrainian Airmobile Forces
Type	Brigade
Role	Airborne
Part of	6th Guard Army Corps
Garrison/HQ	А1126 Gvardeis'ke, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine
Motto	"Nobody but us"
Commanders
Current commander	Lieutenant Colonel Yuriy Sodol'^[1]

The 25th Separate Dnipropetrovsk Airborne Brigade is an airborne formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. Ukrainian: 25 окрема Дніпропетровська повітряно-десантна бригада Cухопутних військ Збройних Сил України, 25 okrema Dnipropetrovs’ka povitryano-desantna bryhada Sukhoputnykh viys’k Zbroynykh Syl Ukrayiny.^[2]

It is the only airmobile unit of Ukrainian Airborne Forces which has BMD-1^[3]^[4] and BMD-2^[5]^[6]^[7] airborne infantry fighting vehicles in its inventory. It is also the only unit which can be dropped anywhere by parachute, together with their armored vehicles, from Il-76MD and An-70 aircraft.^[8]

1 History
2 Brigade Order of Battle
3 Past commanders
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

Between June 25 and August 11, 1969, the 217th Guards Parachute Landing Regiment (Base #11389 [Military Unit No.11389?]) of the 13th Airmobile Order of Kutuziv II degree Division of the 37th Guards Svirskiy Airborne Corps, Soviet Airborne Troops was relocated to Bolhrad (Bolgrad), Odessa Oblast.^[9]

After the dissolution of the USSR, the 98th Airborne Division was split between Ukraine and Russia. In the spring of 1993, the 217th Parachute Landing Regiment was relocated to Ivanovo in Russia. The regiment's Battle Flag, Order of Kutuzov, and 55% of the supplies were also relocated.^[9]^[10]

By the order of Minister of Defence a new airmobile brigade based on the old 217th Guards Parachute Landing Regiment was formed in Bolgrad in May 1993.

By December 1, 1993, the brigade was finally formed as one of the units of the 1st Airmobile Division.^[9]

From October 1995 until December 1999, 800 paratroopers from the brigade served as part of the 240th Special Battalion in former Yugoslavia. Later they served as peacekeepers in Kosovo.^[10]

Between May and June 2002, the Brigade was relocated to an urban-type settlement Gvardeis'ke, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The brigade was given the honorable designation "Dnipropetrovsk", for their battle achievements and high level of professionalism. On July 16, 2002, Leonid Kuchma gave the Brigade their Battle Flag.^[9]

By the order of the Minister of Defence the Brigade was transferred from the 1st Airmobile Division to the 6th Army Corps on November 8, 2002.^[9]