| Ukrainian Air Assault Forces | |
|---|---|
| Десантно-штурмові війська України | |
 Ukrainian Air-Assault Forces emblem | |
| Active | 1992–present |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Type | Airborne Forces |
| Role | Light Infantry Airmobile infantry Peacekeeping |
| Part of |  Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Zhytomyr |
| Patron | Saint Michael |
| Motto(s) | "Завжди перші!" ("Always first!") |
| Color of Beret | Maroon |
| Anniversaries | Air Assault Forces Day (21 November)[1] |
| Engagements | Kosovo Force (KFOR) Iraq War 2014 Crimean Crisis War in Donbass[2] |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |  Lieutenant generalMykhaylo Zabrodsky[3] |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
| Shoulder sleeve insignia |  |
| Beret insignia |  |
The Ukrainian Air Assault Forces or DShV (from "Desanto-shturmovi viyska Ukrayiny", Ukrainian: Десантно-штурмові війська України, ДШВ; Air-Assault Forces of Ukraine) are a branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The air assault forces field high-readiness ground units without air-assets. The air assault forces are in constant combat readiness and are the high mobility branch of forces.
History[]
The Ukrainian Air Assault Forces were created in 1992 from units of the Soviet Airborne Troops stationed on Ukrainian territory after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union on 25 December 1991. In the 15 years after their creation Ukrainian paratroopers have served in peacekeeping missions to the Balkans, in Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ethiopia, Georgia and DR Congo. In 2007, the 13th Separate Airmobile Battalion served as part of Polish–Ukrainian Peace Force Battalion, a peacekeeping unit with Kosovo Force.[4]
In 2016, Ukrainian Airmobile Forces where formed in independent branch of the Armed Forces. Previously, they were part of Ground Forces.[5]
On 21 November 2017 (Ukraine's Paratroopers' Day) President Petro Poroshenko stated that 469 Ukrainian paratroopers had been killed in the (ongoing) War in Donbass.[6]
On 21 November 2017 the Air Assault Forces also received its new insignia (the dome of a parachute "as a symbol of airborne units around the world" and the wings of Archangel Michael and "the flaming sword with which he hits the enemies").[6] The color of the Ukrainian paratroopers was also changed to maroon.[6] 21 November 2017 was the first time Air Assault Forces Day in Ukraine was celebrated on 21 November.[1] Up to 2017 this day was celebrated on 2 August, as it was in the Soviet Union.[1][7] According to President Poroshenko “It is logical to celebrate your professional holiday on November 21. The usual August 2 is the date of the first jump of paratroopers in the Moscow Military District. How is it about us? Moscow is not Kyiv. As well as "Ukraine is not Russia."[8] He added that "The start of the new Paratroop Day is part of the Ukrainianization of the historical and political calendar - the replacement of the Soviet-Russian imposed upon us."[9] From 2017 onward, the UkrAAF wear the maroon berets common among many Western airborne units.
Location of Ukrainian Air Assault Forces units
Structure[]
Structure of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces in 2017 as per the best available Ukrainian language sources.
2001[]
In 2001 the Airmobile Force consisted of:[10]
| Unit | Base # | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headquarters 1st Airmobile Division | А0220 | Bolhrad | inactive since 2003 |
| 25th Airborne Brigade | А1126 | Hvardiyske (Dnipropetrovsk Region) | |
| 45th Airmobile Brigade | А1533 | Bolhrad | |
| 27th Mechanized Brigade | А0664 | Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi | |
| 91st Artillery Regiment | А0242 | Veseliy Kut | |
| 95th Airmobile Brigade | А0281 | Zhytomyr | |
| 79th Airmobile Regiment | А0224 | Mykolaiv | |
| 80th Airmobile Regiment | А0284 | Lviv |
| 1st Airmobile Division | |
| Separate Brigade | |
| Separate Regiments |
2008[]
25th Airborne Brigade- 95th Airmobile Brigade
- 79th Airmobile Brigade
- File:80oaep.jpg 80th Airmobile Regiment
- 81st Brigade Tactical Group (Iraq War)
- 28th Training Battalion
2017[]
- Air Assault Forces Command, Zhytomyr
- 25th Airborne Brigade, Hvardiiske
- 45th Air Assault Brigade, Bolhrad[11]
- 46th Air Assault Brigade, Poltava[12][13]
- 79th Air Assault Brigade, Mykolaiv
- 80th Air Assault Brigade, Lviv
- 81st Airmobile Brigade, Druzhkivka
- 95th Air Assault Brigade, Zhytomyr
- 102nd Airborne Materiel Storage, Zhytomyr[14]
- 199th Airborne Forces Training Center, Zhytomyr[15]
- 347th IT and Signal Center, Zhytomyr
- 135th Command Battalion, Zhytomyr[14]
Commanders[]
The commander of the Air Assault Forces since 2 August 2015 is Lieutenant-general Mykhailo Zabrodskyi.[16]
| Name | Rank | Period of command |
|---|---|---|
| Vitaly Raevsky | Major general | 1992–1998 |
| Ivan Yakubets | Colonel | 1998–2005 |
| Serhiy Lysovyi | Colonel | 2005–2012 |
| Oleksandr Shvets | Colonel | 2012–2015 |
| Mykhailo Zabrodskyi | Lieutenant-general | March 2015 – present |
Armament[]
BTR-4
AT-105 Saxon
T-80BV of 25th Airborne Brigade
A Ukrainian soldier prepares to engage the opposition forces during an air assault at Exercise Rapid Trident 16 July 3, 2016.
Personal firearms[]
- PM, semi-automatic pistol (9×18mm)
- Fort-14
- AKS-74,[17] para assault rifle (AK-74 with folding skeleton buttstock) (5.45×39mm)
- AKS-74U, short-barreled para assault rifle carbine with folding skeleton buttstock(5.45×39mm)
- AKMS, para assault rifle with a downward-folding metal stock similar to that of the German MP40 (7.62×39mm)
- АК-ТК - AK-74 modernization
- Fort-221 - TAR-21 licensed copy
- RPKS-74, the light weight para machinegun (5.45×39mm)
- PKM, general purpose machine gun (7.62×54mmR)
- Dragunov SVDS sniper rifle (7.62×54mmR)
- GP-25 and GP-30, the under-barrel 40mm grenade launchers for fragmentation and gas grenades which are attached to AKS-74 of some paratroopers to increase firepower for combating enemy foot troops
- AGS-17 "Plamya" (Flame),[18] the automatic grenade launcher – may being replaced by a much lighter UAG-40.[19]
Armored Vehicles[]
- T-80 - main battle tank
- BMD-1
- BMD-2
- BTR-D
- BTR-80
- BTR-70
- BTR-3
- BTR-4
- MTLB
- KRAZ "Spartan"
- HMMWV M1114 UAH
- AT105 Saxon
- Dozor-B
Artillery[]
- 2S9 "Nona-S" configuration of 2S9 Nona, 120mm self-propelled mortar[20]
- 2S23
- 2S1
- BM21
- ZU-23-2,[20] an aged but effective and powerful design of a double barrel 23mm anti-aircraft gun, commonly used against infantry and even APCs and IFVs, it is either mounted on any amphibious hulls, usually based on PT-76 light tank, or can be towed by jeep or truck as it has wheels.
Vehicles[]
- KrAZ-6322
- GAZ-66
Gallery[]
.jpg "Парад техники - Equipment parade (29096544002).jpg (3.68 MB)")
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 (Ukrainian) Day of paratroopers decided to move, Ukrayinska Pravda (8 November 2017)
- ↑ (Ukrainian) Since the beginning of the conflict in the Donbas killed 415 Marines, Ukrayinska Pravda (2 August 2016)
- ↑ Mykhailo Zabrodskyi appointed as new chief of ATO forces, UNIAN (9 November 2017)
- ↑ "Ukrainian paratroopers celebrate 15th anniversary". 31 August 2007. p. 23. http://www.nato.int/kfor/chronicle/2007/chronicle_08/chronicle_08.pdf.
- ↑ "Основні показники реформування Міністерства оборони та Збройних Сил у 2016 році". http://www.ukrmilitary.com/2017/08/pokaznyky-reformuvannya-zsu-2016.html.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Poroshenko: 469 Ukrainian paratroopers killed in Donbas amid war, UNIAN (21 November 2017)
- ↑ Ukraine is marking the 25th anniversary of the Air Assault Forces on August 2, UNIAN (2 August 2017)
- ↑ President: The Day of Airborne Forces will be celebrated on November 21, Presidential Administration of Ukraine (21 November 2017)
- ↑ (Ukrainian) President: Day of Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be celebrated on November 21, Presidential Administration of Ukraine (21 November 2017)
- ↑ (Russian) № 477-р від 3 грудня 2001 року "Про шефство Дніпропетров
- ↑ "New Airborne Brigade created in Ukrainian Army". UNIAN. 19 October 2016. http://www.unian.info/society/1580432-new-airborne-brigade-created-in-ukrainian-army.html.
- ↑ Захисти своїх
- ↑ 46 окрема десантно-штурмова бригада ВДВ ЗС України запрошує на службу! Захисти своїх!
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Ukrainian Military Pages: Високомобільні десантні війська" (in Ukrainian). http://www.ukrmilitary.com/p/ukrainian-airmobile-forces.html.
- ↑ "Сергій Машковський привітав військовослужбовців 199 навчального центру ВДВ ЗСУ." (in Ukrainian). http://oda.zt.gov.ua/sergij-mashkovskij-privitav-vijskovosluzhbovcziv-199-navchalnogo-czentru-vdv-zsu.-foto.html.
- ↑ "President conferred the rank of Brigadier General to commander of the Airborne Forces Mykhailo Zabrodskyi". Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. 2 August 2015. http://www.mil.gov.ua/en/news/2015/08/04/president-conferred-the-rank-of-brigadier-general-to-commander-of-the-airborne-forces-mykhailo-zabrodskyi/. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
- ↑ S stands for skladnoy (Russian: складной), means folding. Issued only for parachute-landing purposes
- ↑ (Ukrainian) MoD News Article
- ↑ "Automatic grenade launcher UAG-40". Public Company Leninska Kuznya Plant. http://www.lk.com.ua/specials/armament/grenadelauncher-uag40.php?lang=en.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 (Ukrainian) MoD News Article
External links[]
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The original article can be found at Ukrainian Air Assault Forces and the edit history here.