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The 3rd Separate Assault Brigade (Ukrainian: 3-тя окрема штурмова бригада, romanized: 3-tya okrema shturmova bryhada) is a brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces formed in 2022.[1]
| 3rd Separate Assault Brigade | |
|---|---|
| 3-тя окрема штурмова бригада 3-tya okrema shturmova bryhada | |
 Brigade patch | |
| Active | January 2023 – present |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Branch |  Ukrainian Ground Forces |
| Role | Mechanized Infantry |
| Part of | Operational Command North |
| Garrison/HQ | Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast |
| Engagements | |
| Website | Official Website |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Andriy Biletsky |
| Notable commanders | Andriy Biletsky Dmytro Kukharchuk |
The brigade was established by a merger of the Azov SSO (Special Operations Forces) units that had been created by former Azov Battalion veterans.[2][3] The brigade is commanded by Andriy Biletsky, founder and former commander of the Azov Battalion and former People's Deputy of Ukraine.
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With the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, most units of the Azov Regiment were based in Mariupol where they soon would be besieged. Outside of Mariupol, many former veterans of Azov outside the city began forming new units, in particular in Kyiv, Sumy and Kharkiv. These units were soon integrated into the Special Operations Forces (SSO) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and became collectively known as "Azov SSO".[2][4]
In January 2023, all the former Azov SSO were merged into a single fully operational combat unit within the Ukrainian Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[5][3] The formation of this brigade was strategically designed to create a highly mobile, well-equipped, and extensively trained force capable of engaging in both defensive and offensive operations.[2][3]
An important milestone for the brigade occurred on 24 February 2023, when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally presented the Regimental Colour during a ceremonial event.[6] The colors of the brigade were said to "symbolize the tenacity of the traditions of Ukrainian statehood; from precisely the times of the Kievan Rus', the Cossack period, the first liberation struggles in the early 20th century to modern times.[7]
The brigade's soldiers took part in the liberation of Kherson and parts of the Kherson Oblast, as well as in the battle of Bakhmut.[8] On April 12, 2023, the brigade's official media resources announced the start of recruitment efforts.[9] In May 2023, it was one of the first to report successful offensives in the Bakhmut district against the Russian Ground Forces.[10]
On 15 September 2023, after months of fighting, the brigade liberated Andriivka,[11] and held onto it despite a Russian counterattack on 17 September.[12] Ukrainian ground forces commander General Syrskyi called Klishchiivka and Andriivka "important elements of the Russian Bakhmut-Horlivka defensive line", and ISW assessed that the capture of these settlements defending a key Russian ground line of communication will make it difficult for the already weary defending forces to replenish and continue defending.[12]
In February 2024, shortly after the dismissal of Zaluzhnyi, the brigade was transferred into Avdiivka to relieve the potential encirclement of the city.[13] After the fall of Avdiivka on February 17, the brigade took new defensive lines west of Avdiivka around Lastochkyne.[14] On 17 February, the brigade's press officer, Oleksandr Borodin, claimed that during its relocation to Avdiivka, his unit had killed 1,500 Russians, wounded over 3,500, and destroyed 20 armoured vehicles. He also said that the brigade has "no reports" of large numbers of their soldiers being taken prisoner.[15]
On 27 May 2024, the brigade claimed to have killed, wounded or taken prisoner "close to" 600 Russian troops in Kharkiv Oblast. One Russian soldier captured by the brigade claimed in an interview that he was the only survivor of his 15-man section following an attack.[16] On 19 June, the brigade claimed that their 1st Mechanised Battalion had killed 250 Russians in Kharkiv Oblast, publishing a video that purportedly proved their claims.[17]
On 22 August 2024, the brigade claimed to have taken two square kilometers in a counterattack against Russia's 20th Army in Kharkiv Oblast. Despite being outnumbered 2.5 to 1, they claimed to have defeated a battalion, including "platoon and company strong points", killing 300 personnel in three days and diverting Russian forces away from Makiivka.[18]
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According to the independent French investigative online newspaper Mediapart, the French army trained soldiers from the 3rd Assault Brigade at the La Courtine camp, in the Creuse in 2023. Several of them displayed neo-Nazi symbols and on their social network profiles, including "Hitlerian salutes, Celtic crosses, emblems of several SS divisions, skulls, pictures of Adolf Hitler". Mediapart asked the French Ministry of the Armed Forces to comment on the matter. The response was "It is the Ukrainian armed forces that organise the flow and selection of Ukrainian soldiers sent to France and Europe. We therefore have no comment to make on this organisation."[19][20][21] The Politician Catherine Couturier protested against the Ministry of the Armed Forces.[22]
In 2022, the Canadian Army was also criticised for training soldiers of the 3rd Assault Brigade.[22]
In July 2024, the brigade organised a tour through Europe to recruit volunteers and promote their image. After protests from left-wing groups, especially in Germany, events in Berlin, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Cologne and Brussels were cancelled.[23][24][25][26]
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As of 2024, the brigade's structure is as follows:[27]
- 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast. Brigade executive officer Major Maksym Zhorin since 2023.
- Headquarters & Headquarters Company
1st Assault Infantry Battalion. Commander Petro "Rollo" Horbatenko.
- Headquarters & Headquarters Company
2nd Assault Company
3rd Assault Company
4th Assault Company- Mortar Battery
- Reconnaissance Platoon
FPV Drone Unit "Primus"
Special Reconnaissance and Sabotage Unit "Hatred"
Engineer Platoon
Communication Center "S6"- Medical Platoon
2nd Assault Infantry Battalion. Commander Dmytro "Slip" Kukharchuk.[28]
- Headquarters & Headquarters Company
1st Assault Company
1st Assault Platoon "Galician"
2nd Assault Platoon "Algiz"
2nd Assault Company
"Decepticons" Platoon
"Wolf Pack" Platoon
"Myron" Platoon
3rd Assault Company
- 1st Platoon "NC13"
- 2nd Platoon "Frost"
3rd Platoon "Pesto"
- 4th Assault Company
Communications Platoon
Medical Platoon
Reconnaissance and Strike UAV Unit "Hornet"
1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion. Formed in February 2022 as 98th Territorial Defence Battalion 'Azov-Dnipro'. Commander Bohdan Korzhenko "Adik".
- Headquarters & Headquarters Company
- 1st Mechanized Company
- 2nd Mechanized Company
3rd Mechanized Company
- FRST Crew
- Reconnaissance Platoon
Attack Drone Platoon "Revenge Group"- Armored Group. Commander "Malyuk"
- Separate Anti-Tank Platoon
- 1st Mortar Battery. 120mm mortars, Commander "Bald"
- 2nd Mortar Battery. 82mm mortars. Commander "Shamil"
Separate Engineering and Sapper Platoon- Technical Support Platoon
- Medical Platoon
2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion. Commander Denys "Var" Sokur.
- Headquarters & Headquarters Company
- 1st Mechanized Company
"Spear" Platoon
- 2nd Mechanized Company. Chief Sergeant "Tarzan"
"Hydra" Unit
- 3rd Mechanized Company. Commander Oleksandr "Salidol" Vinnikov.
- 4th Mechanized Company. Commander "Gerysh"
UAV Group "Punk". Artillery Spotting, FPV drops.
UAV Group "Lumiere". FPV drops and kamikaze drones.
1st Mortar Battery. 120mm mortars
2nd Mortar Battery "Gang of Gunners". 82mm mortars- Technical Support Platoon
Fire Support Platoon (SPG-9, Mk 19)
Medical Platoon
1st Rifle Battalion
2nd Rifle Battalion
Tank Battalion
- Headquarters & Headquarters Company
- 1st Tank Company
2nd Tank Company "Steel Wolves"
- Field Artillery Regiment
- Headquarters and Target Acquisition Battery
- Observer Battery
1st Self-propelled Artillery Battalion "Commando Postril"
2nd Self-propelled Artillery Battalion
2nd Artillery Battery "Martial Family"
Rocket Artillery Battalion (Bastion-01 and Bastion-02)
Anti-Tank Battalion
1st Company
3rd Company "Centuria"
FPV Drone Unit "Paskuda Group"
- Anti-aircraft Defense Missile Artillery Regiment
Unmanned Systems Battalion (formed in February 2024 as an expansion of UAV group "Kryla")[29]
Aerial Reconnaissance Company "Kryla"
Reconnaissance and Strike UAV Unit "Fatum"- UAV Crew "Over Head"
- UAV Crew "Vitrolom"
Aerial Reconnaissance Unit "Terra"
UAV Unit "Mosquitos"
Sniper Platoon "GAR"
NOVA Technology Center- Intelligence Company
Engineer Battalion
Engineer Reconnaissance Platoon
Engineer Sapper Platoon
Logistics Battalion
Signals Company
Khorunzha Service
Maintenance Battalion- Radar Company
Medical Company- Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Company
- FPV Drone Training School "Kill House"
- MP Platoon
- Brigade Band
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