Operational Command West

Operational Command West (OC West) is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in western Ukraine. Its headquarters is located in Rivne.

Operational Command West
OC West (in green)
Active1998–present
Country Ukraine
BranchUkrainian Ground Forces
TypeMilitary district
Garrison/HQRivne
Commanders
Current
commander		Major General Oleksandr Pavlyuk
Insignia
Operational Command West Shoulder sleeve insignia (2020-)
Operational Command West Shoulder sleeve insignia (2015-2020)
Western Operational Command Shoulder sleeve insignia

History

When Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union, there were three Military Districts on its territory. These were the Kiev, Odessa and Carpathian Military Districts. In 1998, the Western Operational Command was created from the Carpathian Military District.[1]

By 1 July 2006, the Western Operational Command consisted of units directly subordinated to the command and to the 13th Army Corps. These units were:

  • 7th Separate Army Aviation Regiment
  • 11th Separate Artillery Brigade
  • 15th Rocket Artillery Regiment
  • 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade
  • 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade
  • 55th Separate Communications Regiment
  • 80th Airmobile Regiment
  • 146th Reconnaissance and Command Center
  • 59th Artillery Regiment
  • 128th Separate Mountain Infantry Brigade
  • 703rd Engineering Regiment
  • 704th Separate Chemical Defense Regiment

In October 2013, Operational Command North was created in Rivne. The Western Operational Command's headquarters was moved to Lviv and disbanded in August 2015. In November 2013, the 80th Airmobile Regiment was upgraded to brigade strength.[2] From the beginning of 2015, Operational Command North was moved to Chernihiv. Operational Command West headquarters remained in Rivne.[3] Major General Ihor Dovhan led the command from 2015.[4]

In October 2015, the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade was formed in the command.[5][6] During late January and early February 2016, units of Operational Command West participated in joint training exercises with British instructors in Rivne. [7] On 5 February, the command was assigned responsibility for Ground Forces troops in Volyn, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, and Chernivtsi Oblasts.[8] As of December of that year, it included the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade, the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade, 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, 128th Separate Mountain Brigade, and 44th Separate Artillery Brigade.[9] In March 2017, Major General Oleksandr Pavlyuk became commander of OC West after Dovhan was promoted to Deputy Commander of the Ground Forces for Combat Training.[10]

Current Structure
Structure of the Operational Command West in 2017 as per the best available Ukrainian language sources.

Operational Command West has operational command of ground force units in Volyn, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, and Chernivtsi oblasts.

Additionally the following major ground combat formations of other branches of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, respectively the ground forces, are based in the area of Operational Command West:

  • Ground Forces:
  • Air Assault Forces:
    • 80th Air Assault Brigade, in Lviv
  • Air Forces:
    • 11th Anti-aircraft Missile Regiment, in Shepetivka
    • 223rd Anti-aircraft Missile Regiment, in Stryi
    • 540th Anti-aircraft Missile Regiment, in Kamianka-Buzka
  • Special Forces:
    • 8th Special Forces Regiment, in Khmelnytskyi
  • Territorial Defense Forces
    • 100th Independent Territorial Defense Brigade
    • 101st Independent Territorial Defense Brigade
    • 102nd Independent Territorial Defense Brigade
    • 103rd Independent Territorial Defense Brigade
    • 104th Independent Territorial Defense Brigade
    • 105th Independent Territorial Defense Brigade
    • 106th Independent Territorial Defense Brigade
    • 107th Independent Territorial Defense Brigade

Commanders
  • Lieutenant General Valeriy Stepanov (1992)
  • Colonel General Vasyl Sobkov (1993–1994)
  • Colonel General Petro Shuliak (1994–1998)
  • Colonel General Serhiy Chernilevsky (1998–1999)
  • Colonel General Mykola Petruk (2003–2004)
  • Lieutenant General Mykhailo Kutsyn (2004–2010)
  • Major General Viktor Hanushchak (2010; acting)
  • Lieutenant General Yuri Domanskii (2010 – May 2012)
  • Lieutenant General Ihor Kolesnik (?-2015)
  • Major General Ihor Dovhan (2015–March 2017)[10]
  • Major General Oleksandr Pavlyuk (March 2017–present)[10]

References
  1. Kuzmuk, O.I. (2011). "Еволюція структури Збройних Сил України (1991-2011 рр.)" [Evolution of the Structure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (1991–2011)] (PDF). Viysʹkovo-naukovyy visnyk [Military-Scientific Bulletin] (16): 55.
  2. "80-й окремий аеромобільний полк – desant-ukrain" [80th Separate Airmobile Regiment]. desantukrain (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  3. "Ukrainian Military Pages: Сухопутні війська". www.ukrmilitary.com. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  4. "Commander of Operational Command "West" checked prepare one of the teams in Lviv and awarded soldiers". Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  5. "В Україні сформували нову гірсько-штурмову бригаду ЗСУ – Новини – Український тиждень, Тиждень.ua". tyzhden.ua. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  6. "У Коломиї створили нову 10 гірсько-штурмову бригаду | 10 гірсько-штурмова бригада". 10brygada.com.ua. Archived from the original on 2016-01-31. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  7. "На Рівненщині закінчився курс підготовки українських підрозділів за участю інструкторів Збройних Сил Великої Британії" [In Rivne ended training course with the participation of Ukrainian units of the Armed Forces instructors UK]. mil.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). 2 February 2016. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  8. "Військово-адміністративний поділ території України" [Military Administrative Divisions of Ukraine]. Verkhovna Rada. Decree No. 39/2016 (in Ukrainian). 5 February 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  9. Holcomb, Franklin (December 2016). "The Order of Battle of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: A Key Component in European Security" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War: 12. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. "У Рівному представили нового керівника ОК «Захід»" [New commander of OC West introduced in Rivne]. Radio Trek (in Ukrainian). 22 March 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
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