59th Motorized Brigade (Ukraine)
| 59th Separate Motorized Brigade "Yakiv Handziuk" | |
|---|---|
| 59-та окрема мотопіхотна бригада «Якова Гандзюка» 59 okrema motopіkhotna bryhada "Yakiv Handziuk" | |
.png) Brigade insignia | |
| Active | 8 December 2014 – present |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Branch |  Ukrainian Ground Forces |
| Type | Motorized infantry |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | Operational Command South |
| Garrison/HQ | Haisyn, Vinnytsia Oblast |
| Nickname(s) | "Steppe Predators" ("Stepovi Khyzhakhy") |
| Motto(s) | "To Victory" |
| Engagements | |
| Website | Official Facebook page |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Vadym Sukharevsky |
| Insignia | |
| Former sleeve patch |  |
The 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade (59-та окрема мотопіхотна бригада) is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces formed in 2014. The brigade was activated on 8 December 2014 in the city of Haisyn in Vinnytsia Oblast and took command of three volunteer territorial defense battalions.
On 24 August 2015, Ukraine's Independence Day, the brigade received its flag and became fully operational. The brigade fought in the war in Donbas and will become a mechanized formation in the future.
History[edit]
On 8 December 2016, the commander of Operational Command South named the 59th Brigade the best Ukrainian motorized brigade according to 2015 summary.[1]
On 20 January 2018, the brigade's units returned to garrison in Haisyn from frontlines. They were deployed in the combat zone in Donbas in the Priazovia region since May 2017.[2]
The main units of the 59th Brigade were deployed to a camp in the Oleshky Sands at the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Vastly outnumbered by Russian forces advancing from Crimea, most of the brigade withdrew over the Dnieper River to Mykolaiv, where it took part in the city's defense. The 9th Battalion was sent to cover Melitopol in the early hours of the invasion, and its commander was later killed in action in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.[3][4] The brigade continued to fight Russian units in Kherson Province into April 2022.
Since August 2022, the brigade has been on consistent rotation fighting in the Battle of Bakhmut.[5]
During summer 2023, the brigade operated in the Donetsk direction.[6] Units of the brigade, including the 11th Battalion, were positioned on the Pisky-Pervomaiske front outside of the city of Donetsk in June 2023.[7] On September 8, 2023 the brigade's units coordinated assault operations, cleared Russian positions, entrenched themselves and liberated part of the settlement of Opytne back to the Ukrainian control.[8]
"Chosen Company", a group of volunteers from the United States, Australia, and several other countries, is attached to the 59th Brigade as an assault detachment within the brigade's reconnaissance company. The unit, which was formerly a part of the International Legion, conducted reconnaissance and assault operations during the 2023 counteroffensive.[9][10]
Structure[edit]
As of 2024, the brigade's structure is as follows:[11]
- 59th Motorized Brigade, Haisyn
- Brigade Headquarters and HQ Company
- 9th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Vinnytsia"
- Aerial Reconnaissance Unit "Airships"
- 10th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Polissya"
- 11th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Kyivan Rus'"
- 1st Rifle Battalion
- Separate Battalion “Da Vinci Wolves”. Commander Serhii Filimonov.
- Tank Battalion
- Artillery Regiment
- Headquarters & Target Acquisition Battery
- Howitzer Artillery Battalion (D-20)
- Anti-tank Artillery Battalion (MT-12 Rapira)
- Anti-Aircraft Defense Battalion
- Reconnaissance Company
- Assault Detachment "Chosen Company" (formerly part of the International Legion for the Territorial Defense of Ukraine)[9][10]
- UAV Unit "Inquisition"[12]
- "Michigan" Group
- "Key" Group
- "Baltic" Group
- "Eyes of Retribution" Group
- Engineer Battalion
- Maintenance Battalion
- Logistic Battalion
- Signal Company
- Radar Company
- Medical Company
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Company
References[edit]
- ^ "Другу річницю від дня заснування відзначила 59 окрема мотопіхотна бригада | Гайсинська районна рада" [The 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade celebrates its second anniversary | Haisyn district council]. gayrayrada.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ "Гайсинська 59-та бригада повертається з передової додому (ФОТО)" [Haysyn 59th Brigade returns home from the front line (PHOTOS)]. vn.depo.ua. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ Lukashova, Sonia; Buderatskyi, Yevhen (18 September 2023). "Major General Andrii Sokolov was in charge of the defence of Ukraine's south. An interview covering Chonhar, Kherson and Melitopol". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Schwirtz, Michael (6 March 2022). "Proud Band of Ukrainian Troops Holds Russian Assault at Bay — for Now". New York Times. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ Gall, Carlotta; Berehulak, Daniel (6 March 2023). "Ukrainian Soldiers, Nearly Encircled, Push Russians Back". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ "Завдання – максимальне наближення моменту, коли F-16 допоможуть нам тримати якнайдалі російських терористів – звернення Президента України" (in Ukrainian). President of Ukraine. 25 August 2023.
- ^ ""Таке чувство, як "ні шагу назад" у них": як артилерія 59-ї бригади ЗСУ навалює по росіянах під Пісками й Донецьком. ВІДЕО". Новинарня (in Ukrainian). 28 June 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "ВСУ продвинулись возле Опытного и приблизились к Донецкому аэропорту" (in Ukrainian). President of Ukraine. 8 September 2023.
- ^ a b Truth From The Frontline, Pure Violence - 'Chosen Company' Foreign Fighter Ukraine Interview, retrieved 15 March 2024
- ^ a b "Australian man fighting with Ukraine killed in Russian artillery strike". ABC News. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "59th Motorized Brigade". Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "ЗСУ знаходять місця ночівлі окупантів і знищують їх гранатами (Відео)". Military Courier (in Ukrainian). 8 December 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2024.