79th Airmobile Brigade (Ukraine)

The 79th Airmobile Brigade (Ukrainian: 79 окрема аеромобільна бригада, 79 okrema aeromobilna brygada) is a formation of the Ukrainian Airmobile Forces. Brigade is located in Mykolaiv. For their transport the Brigade uses UAZ fitted with DShK anti-aircraft machine gun, 2B14 Podnos 82mm mortar, SPG-9D, AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher.^[5] Until summer of 2007 the Brigade was a Regiment. In 2008 the Brigade is being manned by contract soldiers.^[6]

Soldiers from the Brigade have served as peacekeepers in Yugoslavia, Iraq, Kosovo, Sierra Leone.^[7][8]

In 2014 the Brigade took part in suppressing the 2014 insurgency in Donbass during the 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine.^[4]

History

The Brigades history began as 40th Air Assault Brigade in the late 1979.^[9] Later it was reorganized into the 40th Airborne Brigade in the later years of the 1980s (1.6 1990 according to Holm). That redesignation marked the transfer of the brigade from the Odessa Military District to the Soviet Airborne Troops. In September 1993 the Brigade was renamed 40th Separate Airmobile Brigade.^[10]

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.^[3][11]

In 2014 the Brigade took part in the fighting of the 2014 insurgency in Donbass during the 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine.^[12][13] 54 persons called up for mobilization (and thus serving in the Brigade) deserted.^[14]

Crimea Crisis and War in Donbass

Pro Russian protesters blocked the unit's base in Voznesensk on March 1, 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.^[15] Other then Spetsnaz forces of Ukraine the unit was one of the first to be mobilized during the Crimea Crisis and the War in Donbass by being deployed to the Crimean-Kherson border in order to prevent Russian forces from a possible advance into mainland Kherson Oblast on March 13, 2014. On March 26 Ukrainian forces secured the Russian Mars-75 naval navigation station located in Kherson oblast.^[16][17]

The unit was deployed to Donbass in May 2014 and participated extensively in the 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 Guards 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 air mobile brigade was able to break through enemy lines on August 7, 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.^[18][19][20] Due to spending a month surrounded by enemy forces the unit was sent back to its home station in order to regroup.^[21]

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.^[22][23] Due to their stubborn resistance during the defense of Donetsk Airport they were referred to as Cyborgs.^[24]

Structure

Soldiers of the 79th Airmobile Brigade

Regiment 1992-2007

• 1st Battalion^[5]
• 2nd Battalion^[5]

Brigade 2014

• 1st Airmobile Battalion^[5]
• 2nd Airmobile Battalion^[5]
• 3rd Airmobile Battalion «Phoenix»
• 88th Separate Airmobile Battalion
• Artillery Company
• Anti-aircraft Company
• Rocket artillery Company
• Reconnaissance Company
• Engineer Company
• Chemical Company
• Signal Company
• Maintenance Company
• Headquarters Platoon
• Field Training Site(Range)
• Separate Army Aviation Regiment^[7]

Past Commanders

• Lieutenant Colonel Atroshchenko - December 1992
• Zeleniak - December 1992 -
• Colonel Kostiantyn Maslenikov - July 1, 2007 - unknown
• Colonel Oleksiy Shandr^[25] - unknown -

References

External links

• (Russian) Unofficial website of VDV
• http://www.ww2.dk/new/vdv/40odshbr.htm - 40th Independent Landing-Assault Brigade
• http://cyborgs.uatoday.tv/