92nd Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)

2nd Tula Rifle Division 48th Rifle Division 132nd Motor Rifle Division 48th Motor Rifle Division 6th Division of the National Guard of Ukraine 92nd Mechanized Brigade
Sleeve patch for the Brigade
Active	1920–1992 (Soviet Union) 2000–present (Ukraine)
Country	Ukraine
Branch	Ukrainian Ground Forces
Type	Brigade
Role	Mechanized
Part of	Operation Command South
Garrison/HQ	Bashkurivka, Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast[1] Ukraine
Engagements	World War II 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

The 92nd Mechanized Brigade is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The full name of the Brigade is the 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade.^[2] (Ukrainian: 92 окрема механізована бригада, 92 okrema mehanizovana Brugada)

48th Rifle Division

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 'Ropshinska.'

After the war, in 1957 the 48th Rifle Division became the 132nd Motor Rifle Division. Later 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 (ru:Клугино-Башкировка), 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. From 12 January 1992 the government of Ukraine took command of the Division, and they later redesignated it the 6th Division of the National Guard of Ukraine. Most formations of the division were dissolved in 1999, except for the reconnaissance company based in Chuhuiv.

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 of Ukrainian command to deblock encircled forces near Ilovaisk. The company tactical group was formed that had 276 soldiers, 4 tanks, 3 SPGs and 10+ IFVs. It was sent from Kharkiv oblast in direction of Ilovaisk on 24 August 2014, after it became clear Russian military forces approached Ilovaisk. The unit was supposed to meet an assault squad of Rukh Oporu Battalion and try to breach Russian encirclement. 92 Brigade's company arrived on 27 August to Komsomolske city 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 completely defeated by Russian paratroopers, losing most vehicles but having relatively low troops casualties with 8 people dead 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 Oleg Kovbasa.^[13] The brigade was stationed in Shchastya as of June 2015.^[14]

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.^[15]

Brigade Order of Battle

• 91st Engineering Regiment ^[16]
• 1835th Artillery Regiment - Malinovka^[17]

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. "The Raw Story | UN opens meeting on Lebanon troops". www.rawstory.com. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
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 deblock "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). 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). Retrieved 2016-01-28.
14. "Two Nights Under Fire In Eastern Ukraine". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
15. "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №646/2015" [Ukaz President of Ukraine No. 646/2015] (in Ukrainian). President of Ukraine. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
16. "Військовослужбовці 128-ї бригади, що нещодавно вийшли із зони бойових дій, будуть відправлені у планові відпустки". Міністерство оборони України. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
17. "Вооруженные силы Украины". www.soldat.ru. Retrieved 2016-01-29.