95th Airmobile Brigade (Ukraine)

95th Airmobile Brigade

New sleeve patch of the Brigade
Active 1994/95–present
Country Ukraine
Branch Ukrainian Ground Forces
Type Airmobile
Size 1,200[1][2][3]
Part of 8th Army Corps
Garrison/HQ A0281 А1910 Zhytomyr Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine
Motto Strength, Courage, Honor
Anniversaries October 5, 1994
Engagements KFOR
United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone
Iraq Campaign
War in Donbass[4]
Commanders
Current
commander		 Lieutenant Colonel Oleh Huliak[5]
Insignia
Airmobile Forces insignia

The 95th Separate Airmobile Brigade (Ukrainian: 95 окрема аеромобільна бригада), the main ground forces component of Ukraine’s rapid reaction force.[6] Brigade is located in Zhytomyr.[7] The brigade is one of the Ukrainian Partnership for Peace units.[8]

History

The 95th Training Center of the Ukrainian Airmobile Forces was created in the early 90s in Zhytomyr (Korbutovka base) on the base of 242nd Training Armored Regiment.[7] The 242nd Training Armored Regiment had been part of the 117th Guards Tank Training Division.[9][10] Training Center acquires second base - Bohunia. In 1995 Training Center was reorganized into 95th Separate Airborne Brigade. All of the units except staff and reconnaissance company moved to Bohunia base.[7]

First jumps in the Brigade occurred in 1994. Brigade was also one of the first airmobile units to receive its Battle Banner. It received the Banner on October 5, 1994. Until spring of 1996 all of the jumps were done from Mi-8. By the end of the Ukrainian summer of 1996 soldiers began jumping from Il-76 aircraft. All the jumps were in the region of Smokovka, and in the Brigades training range, located in the area of Starokonstantinin road across the Teterev river. Currently Brigades drop zone is located near Singury settlement, few dozen miles from Zhytomyr.

The Brigade originally had 4 battalions, 1 of them was disbanded. Soldiers from the Brigade took part in peacekeeping missions in Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, former Yugoslavia, Kosovo, and between 2003-2005 in Iraq.[7][11]

In 2000 Brigade was reorganized into Airmobile Brigade and became subordinate to 8th Army Corps. Currently Brigade has 13th Separate Airmobile Battalion which consists of professionals soldiers and not conscripts and 2nd Airmobile Battalion which consists of conscripts based in Korbutovka (A-1910). Command of the Brigade, 1st Airmobile Battalion which consists of conscripts, specialized, artillery, logistics units based in Bohunia (A-0281).[7]

In 2014 the Brigade took part in the Siege of Sloviansk and the Kramatorsk standoff during the War in Donbass.[4] On May 13, 2014, 7 Paratroopers from the 95th Brigade were killed during an ambush by separatists in Kramatorsk.[12][13][14][15]

During the War in Donbass the 95th separate airmobile brigade conducted the longest raid in the military history of the world. 95th Brigade in early August of 2014 broke through the defensive line of separatists marched to Mariupol, returned along the border, destroyed several Russian artillery battalions that were already on the Ukrainian side of the border, seized their weapons and equipment. Russian tanks drove right up to Lugansk and returned to Slavyansk. [16]

The unit was deployed to Donetsk Airport on 21 November 2014 as part of a regular rotation of Ukrainian troops stationed in the area.[17]

Structure

All battalions are commonly referred to as 1st and 2nd and 3rd Battalions by the service members.

Past Commanders

Gallery

Deaths during the War in Donbass

28 April 2014 - Private and driver Dmytro Kurilenko (1992 yob; Ripky, Chernigiv region), killed after a bomb explosion at the Kramatorsk city airport.

2 May 2014 — Senior rifleman Sergiy Panasyuk (1985, Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr region) and rifleman Kovalenko Petro (1994, Rakhnivka, Vinnitsa region, killed in fighting on the outskirts of Sloviansk city.

13 May 2014 — Captain Zabrockiy (1979, Zhytomir), senior lieutenant Vitaly Dulchik (1986, Berdychiv, Zhytomir region), active reserve sergeant Oleg Slavicky (1975, Zoryane, Zhytomir region), junior sergeant Vitaly Rudy (1984, Golovine, Zhytomir region), senior rifleman Olexander Yakimov (1993, Kharkiv) and rifleman Sergiy Khrusch (1975, Verkhivnya, Zhytomir region), killed in fighting near Okyabrs'ke village, near Kramatorsk. 19 May 2014 — Rifleman Gennadiy Belyak (1978, Rikhalske, Zhytomir region).

3 June 2014 — Lieutenant Colonel Taras Senyuk (1980, Zhytomir).

6 June 2014 — Active reserve private Maxim Dobryak (1988, Korostyshiv, Zhytomir region).

13 June 2014 — Private and driver-mechanic Olexander Golyachenko (1992? SLaviv, Zhytomir region).

19 June 2014 — Captain Oleksiy Krementar (1984, Autonomous Republic of Crimea) and senior private of intelligence unit - Oleksiy Shevchenko (1988, Levkiv, Zhytomir region), killed in a skirmish on the outskirts of the city Krasny Liman.

24 June 2014 — Private and gun-layer Igor Vaschuk (1994, Ovruch, Zhytomir region) and Commanding sergeant of a mortar platoon Andriy Kogan (1984, Vysoka Pich, Zhytomir region).

28 June 2014 — Sergeant Olexander Zakusilo (1974, Bililivka, Zhytomir region), private Petro Bodnar (1976, Panka, Chernivtsi region) and private Leonid Ordynsky (1973, Chemerysy-Barski, Vinnitsa region).

2 July 2014 — Major Olexander Skulsky (1975, Zhytomir).

19 July 2014 — Senior lieutennat maxim Savchenko (1989, Sumy), sergeant Arthur Pushanko (1993, Zhytomir), private Oleg Klim (1977, Schiretz, Lviv region), private Yuriy Lyapin (1995, Kapustinzy, Kyiv region) and private Mykola Burlak (1987, Stol'ne, Chernigiv region), killed during fighting in the Lugansk region.

21 July 2014 — Senior private Artem Strizhenko (1993, Zhytomir), killed during fighting in the Lugansk region.

23 July 2014 — Senior lieutenant Igor Kholo (1992, Olexandrivka, Cherkassy region), died during an operation in a field hospital in Kharkiv for injuries sustained on 20 July in the Lugansk region.

27 July 2014 — Senior sergeant Olexander Knysh (1982, Levkiv, Zhytomir region), private Sergiy Biloushenko (1993, Korsun-Shevchenkivsky, Cherkassy region) and private Olexander Vasilenko (1991, Zhytomir region), killed in fighting near the city of Torez.

29 July 2014 — Captain Sertgiy Shulikov (Zhytomir)

31 July 2014 (approximate date) — Senior private Viktor Babyuk (1984, Oshikhliby, Chernivtsi region), killed in a skirmish near Shakhtarsk city.

4 August 2014 — Private Taras Shpiganevich (1994, Chernyatyn village, Vinnitsa region), died in a field hospital from injuries received during fighting on 27 July near the city of Torez.

17 August 2014 — Private Vasyl kondratenko (1987, Shostka, Sumy region), killed after rebels attacked a military checkpoint near Yasinuvata.

References

  1. ↑ (Ukrainian) A lot of brave men and not enough parachutes
  2. ↑ (Ukrainian) Females serve for money
  3. ↑ "Ключевая битва за Донбасс". enews.
  4. 1 2 More than 30 killed in Odessa blaze as Ukraine violence spreads, Channel NewsAsia (3 May 2014)
    (Ukrainian) The number of dead commandos during Kramatorsk increased to seven - SBU, Ukrayinska Pravda (13 May 2014)
  5. 1 2 (Ukrainian) Brigade prepares for 16th anniversary of airmobile troops
  6. ↑ U.S.-Ukraine military relations and the value of interoperability, pg 17
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 (Russian) 95th Airmobile
  8. ↑ Partnership for Peace Ukrainian Designated Units.
  9. ↑ Holm, Michael. "117th Guards Training Tank Division". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  10. ↑ Feskov et al. 2004, p55
  11. ↑ Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Official Bulletin(Ukrainian)
  12. ↑ http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/defense-ministry-armed-separatist-rebels-ambush-ukrainian-troops-in-kramatorsk-killing-six-347651.html
  13. ↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27396448
  14. ↑ http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSBREA4C0PV20140514?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
  15. ↑ http://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2014/05/13/7025246/
  16. ↑ Bloger (20 November 2014). "95th separate airmobile brigade of Ukraine held the longest raid in the military history of the world". mnogovbloge.com.
  17. ↑ ""Киборги" провели ротацию в Донецком аэропорту". Ukrinform.
  18. ↑ (Ukrainian) Staff meeting of the 8th Army Corps
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