92nd Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)

The 92nd Mechanized Brigade (Ukrainian: 92-га окрема механізована бригада, romanized: 92 okrema mekhanizovana bryhada) is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The full name of the Brigade is the 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade.[2] The unit was formed in 1999 as the 6th Mechanized Division based on the 6th Division of the National Guard of Ukraine. In 2000 it was reorganized as the 92nd Mechanized Brigade. Following the 2014 Russian aggression against Ukraine and the 2015 decommunization in Ukraine, the brigade's Soviet honors and heritage were purged.

92nd Mechanized Brigade
Sleeve patch for the Brigade, 2019
Active	1999–present (Ukraine)
Country	Ukraine
Branch	Ukrainian Ground Forces
Type	Brigade
Role	Mechanized
Part of	Operational Command East
Garrison/HQ	Bashkurivka, Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast[1] Ukraine
Engagements	Operation Iraqi Freedom War in Donbass • Battle of Ilovaisk
Decorations	Order of the October Revolution (removed)  Order of the Red Banner (removed)
Battle honours	Ropsha (removed)
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel Viktor Nikolyuk

Older patch

48th Rifle Division (1920–1992)

Names

2nd Tula Rifle Division
48th Rifle Division
118th Motor Rifle Division
48th Motor Rifle Division

Early history

The division traces its heritage to the Soviet 48th Rifle Division that was established on 26 February 1920 by renaming the 2nd Tula Rifle Division.[3] It became a territorial division after the Soviet-Polish War and was then upgraded to 'cadre' status. On 2 December 1930 it was given the title 'in the name of M.I. Kalinin.' In August–September 1939, two of its rifle regiments were expanded to become the 123rd Rifle Division and the 138th Rifle Division. In 1940 the division participated in the occupation of the Baltic states. On June 22, 1941, it was assigned to the 10th Rifle Corps of the 8th Army.[4] It was based at Raseiniai in Latvia, part of the second echelon, but soon after Operation Barbarossa began it was severely battered by the 6th Panzer Division. In October 1941 it became part of the Coastal Operations Group of the Leningrad Front, defending the Oranienbaum Bridgehead pocket, just west of Leningrad on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Then fought as part of the 2nd Shock Army and 42nd Army. On 19 January 1944 it was given the title 'Ropshinskaya.'

After the war, the division became the 69th Mechanized Division. In 1957 the 69th became the 118th Motor Rifle Division at Bolhrad. In 1964 it became the 48th Motor Rifle Ropshinska Order of the October Revolution and Order of the Red Banner awards division named after Mikhail Kalinin. From October 1968, it was based at Vysoké Mýto with the Central Group of Forces.[5] It remain in Czechoslovakia until 1990 when it was the first Division to depart (between February and May 1990).[6] It appears that there wasn’t enough space for the entire Division, so the 210th Motor Rifle Regiment was attached to the 18th Guards Motor Rifle Division. The remainder of the division departed for Ukraine, with the last units arriving by May 1991.

Relocation

1996 Jane's Intelligence Review information indicated the division had been moved to Smolensk in the Moscow Military District where it was later disbanded.[7] Later information indicates that it was actually withdrawn to Kluhino-Bashkyrivka (Kluhyno-Bashkyrivka), Kharkiv Oblast (Chuhuiv) in Ukraine using the same garrison as the disbanded 75th Guards Tank Division.[8] By then, it had been decided that in order to avoid the restrictions of the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, certain elements of the Soviet Army would be transferred to other non-MOD armed forces. Whole units were transferred to the KGB. When the last of the 48th arrived in Chuhuiv, the entire Division was transferred to the Directorate of Instruction for Special Purposes KGB by June 1991. Regiments included the 265th Guards., 1335th MRR, 353rd Separate Training Battalion, 31st Separate Reconnaissance Battalion, 813th Separate Communications Battalion, 88th Separate Repair and Refurbishment Battalion, 409th Separate Material Supply Battalion, 34th Separate Medical Battalion, 99th Separate Engineering-Sapper Company, 348th Separate Chemical Defense Company. To replace the loss of the 210th MRR, the 255th Guards MRR was formed for the division, probably from what was left of the 75th GTD.

National Guard service

From 12 January 1992 the government of Ukraine took command of the division, and they later redesignated it the 6th Division (NGU) of the National Guard of Ukraine. Most formations of the division were dissolved in 1999, except for the reconnaissance company based in Chuhuiv.

92 Mechanized Brigade

In 1999 there was established 92 Mechanized Brigade based on the 6th Division (NGU). Even though most of units of the original Soviet division were relocated to Russia following dissolution of the Soviet Union, the new brigade was given all the honors of the Soviet 48th Rifle Division including its honorary name with Ukrainian adaptation, Ropshynska.

Missions to Iraq

During October 2003, the 61st Separate Mechanized Battalion was formed. The Battalion was in Iraq from February to September 2004 as a unit of the 6th Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine). 104 soldiers from the brigade have taken part in UN peacekeeping missions to Lebanon,[9] Liberia, Sierra Leone and Former Yugoslavia.[10] Between 2007 and 2011, the brigade was commanded by Colonel Serhiy Guschenko. In 2011, Colonel Volodymyr Kozak became the brigade commander. Colonel Viktor Nikolyuk has commanded the brigade since 2013.

War in Donbass

The brigade fought in the War in Donbass.

In August 2014 the brigade's units were involved in an attempt to relieve encircled forces near Ilovaisk. A company tactical group was formed with had 276 soldiers, four tanks, three SPGs and more than ten IFVs. It was sent from Chuhuiv towards Ilovaisk on 24 August 2014, after it became clear that Russian military forces were approaching Ilovaisk. The unit was supposed to join up with an assault detachment from the Rukh Oporu Battalion and try to breach the Russian encirclement. The 92nd Brigade's company arrived at the city of Komsomolske on 27 August and advanced towards Ilovaisk. The column stopped in the field for a night and shortly after it was hit by heavy artillery shelling. The next morning it was defeated by Russian paratroopers, losing most vehicles but suffering relatively low personnel casualties: eight killed and several missing.[11]

On 18 September 2014, the brigade received a number of refurbished T-64BV tanks.[12] On 5 April 2015, four soldiers of the brigade were killed when their vehicle was blown up while crossing a bridge in Shchastya. Among those killed was brigade deputy chief of staff Major Oleh Kovbasa.[13] The brigade was stationed in Shchastya as of June 2015.[14]

On 16 May 2015, troops of 92nd Mechanized Brigade captured two Russian soldiers of the 3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade during a fight near Shchastya. One Ukrainian soldier was killed in the fight.[15][16]

On 18 November 2015 the brigade's honorifics "Ropsha Order of the October Revolution Red Banner" were removed as part of an Armed Forces-wide removal of Soviet awards and honorifics.[17]

Current Structure

T-64BV of 92nd mechanized brigade

As of 2017 the brigade's structure is as follows:

• 92nd Mechanized Brigade, Klugino-Bashkirivka
  • Headquarters & Headquarters Company
  • 1st Mechanized Battalion
  • 2nd Mechanized Battalion
  • 1st Tank Battalion
  • 2nd Tank Battalion
  • 22nd Motorized Infantry Battalion "Kharkiv"
  • Brigade Artillery Group
    • Headquarters & Target Acquisition Battery
    • Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (2S3 Akatsiya)
    • Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (2S1 Gvozdika)
    • Rocket Artillery Battalion (BM-21 Grad)
    • Anti-tank Artillery Battalion (MT-12 Rapira)
  • Anti-Aircraft Missile Artillery Battalion
  • Engineer Battalion
  • Maintenance Battalion
  • Logistic Battalion
  • Reconnaissance Company
  • Sniper Company
  • Electronic Warfare Company
  • Signal Company
  • Radar Company
  • CBRN-defense Company
  • Medical Company

Sources and references

1. "Харківська обласна державна адміністрація". kharkivoda.gov.ua. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
2. President.Gov.Ua Archived August 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
3. Avanzini/Crofoot, Armies of the Bear, 131.
4. Avanzini/Crofoot, Armies of the Bear, 132.
5. Holm, Michael. "48th Motorised Rifle Division". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
6. Craig Crofoot, Central Group of Forces Version 3.0.0, MicroArmorMayhem.
7. Andrew Duncan, 'Russian forces in decline,' Jane's Intelligence Review, 1996.
8. http://www.ww2.dk/new/army/msd/48msd.htm and V.I. Feskov et al 2013, 481.
9. "UN opens meeting on Lebanon troops". Deutsche Presse-Agentur. August 20, 2006.
10. "Харківська обласна державна адміністрація" [Kharkiv Regional State Administration]. kharkivoda.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2016-01-28.
11. "Серпень 2014. Іловайськ. Частина ІІІ. Спроба деблокади «Іловайського котла», 27 – 28 серпня" [August 2014. Ilovaisk. Chapter 3. Attempt to relieve "Ilovaisk kettle".]. tyzhden.ua. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
12. "92 окрема механізована бригада отримала партію модернізованих танків Т-64БВ" [92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade receives batch of modernized T-64BV tanks]. old.kharkivoda.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
13. "У Чугуєві попрощалися із загиблими бійцями 92-ї окремої механізованої бригади" [In Chuhuyiv said goodbye to the dead soldiers of the 92 th separate mechanized brigade]. old.kharkivoda.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
14. "Two Nights Under Fire In Eastern Ukraine". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
15. "Russian artillerists shelled Russian reconnaissance group to conceal their participation in combat operations in east of Ukraine". Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
16. Reuters (18 May 2015). "Captured Russian Soldier 'Admits' on Video to Spying in Eastern Ukraine". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
17. "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №646/2015" [Ukaz President of Ukraine No. 646/2015] (in Ukrainian). President of Ukraine. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2016.