, image = 128 ОГШБр.png , image_size = 200 , caption = 128th Mountain Brigade shoulder sleeve patch , dates = 12 July 1922 – present , country =
(Jul 1922 – Jan 1992)

(Jan 1992 – present) , allegiance = , branch = , type =

Mechanized Infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). As defined by the United States Army, mechanized infantry is di ...

, role =

Mountain Warfare Mountain warfare (also known as alpine warfare) is warfare in mountains or similarly rough terrain. Mountain ranges are of strategic importance since they often act as a natural border, and may also be the origin of a water source (for example, t ...

, size =

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

, command_structure =

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. History When Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union, there were three Military Districts on ...

, garrison =

Mukachevo Mukachevo ( uk, Мукачево, ; hu, Munkács; see name section) is a city in the valley of the Latorica river in Zakarpattia Oblast (province), in Western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of Mukachevo Raion (district), the city ...

А1778 , garrison_label = , nickname = , patron = , motto = ''"For Ukraine, for its freedom."'' , colors = , colors_label = , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles =

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

War in Donbas War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, anniversaries = July 12 , decorations = (2) (removed) , battle_honours = Guards (removed)

Turkestan Turkestan, also spelled Turkistan ( fa, ترکستان, Torkestân, lit=Land of the Turks), is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and Xinjiang. Overview Known as Turan to the Persians, western Turke ...

(removed)
Zakarpattia , commander1 = Lieutenant General

Serhiy Shaptala Serhiy Oleksandrovych Shaptala ( uk, Шаптала Сергій Олександрович; born 5 February 1973) is the Ukrainian Chief of the General Staff (since 28 July 2021), holding the rank of Lieutenant general. In 2015, he was awarded ...

, commander1_label = , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , commander3_label = , notable_commanders = Serhiy Tumoshkov (1st Commander) , identification_symbol = 128bp

, identification_symbol_label = Banner of the Brigade (before 2013) , identification_symbol_2 = , identification_symbol_2_label = The 128th Mountain Assault Brigade is a formation of the

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces ( uk, Сухопу́тні військá Збрóйних сил Украї́ни), also known as the Ukrainian Army, are the Army, land forces of Ukraine and one of the five Military branch, branches of the Armed For ...

. The full title of the brigade is 128th Separate Mountain Zakarpattia Brigade, ( uk, 128-ма окрема гірсько-піхотна Закарпатська бригада). It is the second oldest serving formation of the UGF, being raised in 1922. It participated in the invasions of

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

and

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

by Soviet troops.

History

The 128th Mechanized Division was first formed within the then

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

as the 1st Turkmenistan Rifle Division on 12 July 1922 in the city of Poltoratsk (now Ashgabat,

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...

). (Other sources give the original name as the 1st Turkmenistan Mountain Division). It was a Turkmen national formation. Serhiy Tumoshkov became the division's first commander. The division was renamed 83rd Mountain Rifle Division on 1 July 1935. On 22 June 1941 the 83rd Mountain Rifle Division was part of the 58th Rifle Corps,

Central Asia Military District The Red Banner Central Asian Military District was a Military district (Soviet Union), military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, which existed in 1926–1945 and 1969–1989, with its headquarters at Tashkent (1926–1945) and Almaty (1969� ...

. Between 1 September and 1 October 1941, the division was assigned to the 53rd Army, still located within the Central Asia Military District. By January 1942 the division, still with 58th Rifle Corps, had been dispatched to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

as part of the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran. From 1 January 1943 the division fought near the area of

Krasnodar Krasnodar (; rus, Краснода́р, p=krəsnɐˈdar; ady, Краснодар), formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern ...

where it was assigned to the 56th Army. After successfully liberating the region of

Kuban Kuban (Russian language, Russian and Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Кубань; ady, Пшызэ) is a historical and geographical region of Southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Pontic–Caspian steppe, ...

and the

Taman Peninsula The Taman Peninsula (russian: Тама́нский полуо́стров, ''Tamanskiy poluostrov'') is a peninsula in the present-day Krasnodar Krai of Russia, which borders the Sea of Azov to the North, the Strait of Kerch to the West and the ...

, the division was awarded the Guards designation on 8 October 1943 and renamed the 128th Guards Turkmenistan Rifle Division. On 24 April 1944, for participation in the battles for

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

, the division was awarded its first

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...

. During the month of August, the division participated in battles for the

Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...

. The division liberated Zakarpattya and on 12 October 1944 crossed the border with

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. Units of the division liberated

Ostrava Ostrava (; pl, Ostrawa; german: Ostrau ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic, and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 280,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rive ...

Olomouc Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019). Located on th ...

and other cities. Postwar, the division was stationed in Mukacheve and became part of the 38th Army. During October and November 1956, it took part in Operation Whirlwind, the crushing of the

Hungarian Revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 10 November 1956; hu, 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the Hunga ...

. The division captured

Debrecen Debrecen ( , is Hungary's second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the largest Hungarian city in the 18th century and i ...

and

Szolnok Szolnok (; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in central Hungary. A city with county rights, it is located on the banks of the Tisza river, in the heart of the Great Hungarian Plain, wh ...

and

Jászberény Jászberény is a city and market centre in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in Hungary. Location Jászberény is located in central Hungary, on the Zagyva River, a tributary of the Tisza River. It is about from Budapest. History The oldest ...

. Advancing westward, it participated in the storming of

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

. On 15 December 1956, the division became the 128th Guards Motor Rifle Division at

Esztergom Esztergom ( ; german: Gran; la, Solva or ; sk, Ostrihom, known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the right bank of the river Danu ...

. In July 1958, the division was moved back to

Mukacheve Mukachevo ( uk, Мукачево, ; hu, Munkács; see name section) is a city in the valley of the Latorica river in Zakarpattia Oblast (province), in Western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of Mukachevo Raion (district), the city ...

. In 1968, the division participated in

Operation Danube The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia refers to the events of 20–21 August 1968, when the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Rep ...

, the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. During the operation, eleven soldiers of the division were killed. In May 1976, it was given the title "named for Marshal of the Soviet Union Andriy Hrechko". In December 1979, its 149th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment was transferred to the

201st Motor Rifle Division The Russian 201st Military Base ( tg, Пойгоҳи низомии 201-и Русия; russian: 201-я российская военная база) is a Russian military base based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, part of the Central Military Distric ...

and replaced by the newly activated 487th Motor Rifle Regiment. On 8 May 1985 the division was awarded its second

in honour of the 40th anniversary of

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

. In January 1992, the division was taken over by Ukraine. On 31 December 1992, in Decree 642/92, the President of Ukraine promoted the commander of the 128th Guards Motor Rifle Division of the Carpathian Military District, Colonel Vyacheslav Zabolotny, to Major-General. In accordance with a decree of 23 August 1998, Colonel

Oleksandr Maslenchuk Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

– commander of the 128th Mechanised Division of the 38th Army Corps of the

; was promoted to major-general. On 27 May 2000 the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, General of the Army Oleksandr Kuzmuk presented the division with its Battle Banner, and read the Order of the President of Ukraine awarding the division the honourable name "Zakarpattia". In 2002, the division was under the 38th Army Corps. After the 38th Army Corps was disbanded, the division became part of the 13th Corps. On 18 June 2004 the 128th Guards Motor Rifle Division was reorganized into a brigade by the order of the Minister of Defense. In 2013, the brigade became the 128th Mountain Brigade. In 2014–15 the brigade fought in the

, taking part in the

Battle of Debaltseve The Battle of Debaltseve was a military confrontation in the city of Debaltseve, Donetsk Oblast, between the pro-Russian separatist forces of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), and the Ukrainian Armed Force ...

. For his leadership in the Battle of Debaltseve, brigade commander Colonel

was awarded the title

Hero of Ukraine Hero of Ukraine (HOU; uk, Герой України, ''Heroi Ukrainy'') is the highest national title that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the President of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as ...

. The brigade has a training ground near the city of

Vynohradiv Vynohradiv ( uk, Виноградів, hu, Nagyszőlős, ro, Seleușu Mare, sk, Vinohradov) is a city in western Ukraine, in Zakarpattia Oblast. It was the center of Vynohradiv Raion and since 2020 it has been incorporated into Berehove Raio ...

. On 18 November 2015, the brigade's honorifics "Turkestan twice Red Banner" were removed as part of an Armed Forces-wide removal of Soviet awards and honorifics. The "Zakarpattia" battle honour, awarded for the liberation of the area in 1945, remained. On 22 August 2016, its Guards title was also removed. In April 2022, the brigade took part in the defence of Ukraine during the

, fighting in the Luhansk region, soldiers of the brigade reportedly took part in the Battle of Kreminna, suffering some losses. The brigade took part in the

2022 Ukrainian southern counteroffensive A military counteroffensive was launched by Ukraine on 29 August 2022 to expel Russian forces occupying the southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts. Military analysts consider the counteroffensive to be the third strategic phase of th ...

. In the brigade's native

Zakarpattia Oblast The Zakarpattia Oblast ( uk, Закарпатська область, Zakarpatska oblast) is an administrative oblast located in western Ukraine, mostly coterminous with the historical region of Carpathian Ruthenia. Its administrative centre is ...

on 2 September 2022, a

day of mourning A national day of mourning is a day or days marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among the majority of a country's populace. They are designated by the national government. Such days include those marking the death or funeral of ...

was held after the deaths of seven residents of the region who served in the brigade. During the southern counteroffensive, the brigade (re)captured Myrolyubivka on 3 October 2022, followed by liberating a string of villages on the right bank of the

Dnieper River } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and B ...

Current structure

As of 2018, the brigade's structure is as follows: * 128th Mountain Brigade,

** Headquarters & Headquarters Company, Mukachevo ** 15th Mountain Infantry Battalion,

Uzhhorod Uzhhorod ( uk, У́жгород, , ; ) is a city and municipality on the river Uzh in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. The city is approximately equidistant from the Baltic, the Adriatic and the B ...

** 21st Mechanized Battalion, Mukachevo ** 36th Mechanized Battalion, Mukachevo ** 16th Tank Battalion, Uzhhorod ** 17th Brigade Artillery Group *** Headquarters & Target Acquisition Battery *** Self-propelled Artillery Battalion ( 2S3 Akatsiya) *** Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (

2S1 Gvozdika The 2S1 ''Gvozdika'' (russian: link=no, 2С1 «Гвоздика», "Carnation") is a Soviet self-propelled howitzer based on the MT-LBu multi-purpose chassis, mounting a 122 mm 2A18 howitzer. "2S1" is its GRAU designation. An alternative Rus ...

) *** Rocket Artillery Battalion (

BM-21 Grad The BM-21 "Grad" (russian: БМ-21 "Град", lit= hail) is a self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system and the M-21OF rocket were first developed in the early 1960s, and saw their first comba ...

) *** Anti-tank Artillery Battalion (

MT-12 Rapira 2A19 or T-12 was a revolutionary Soviet 100-mm anti-tank gun. It was the first (anti-) tank gun to adopt a smoothbore barrel, and to introduce modern armor piercing shot, like the APFSDS. It uses long projectiles that are more powerful than it ...

) ** 10th Anti-Aircraft Missile Artillery Battalion, Mukachevo ** 534th Engineer Battalion ** Maintenance Battalion ** Logistic Battalion ** Reconnaissance Company ** Sniper Company **

Electronic Warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...

Company ** Signal Company ** Radar Company ** CBRN-defense Company ** Medical Company ** Brigade Band

Division order of battle

Divisional Command and Staff,

315th Mechanized Regiment,

Berehove Berehove ( uk, Берегове; hu, Beregszász) is a city located in Zakarpattia Oblast (province) in western Ukraine, near the border with Hungary. It is the cultural centre of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine. Serving as the administrativ ...

327th Mechanized Regiment, Uzhhorod * 820-й механізований полк

820th Mechanized Regiment,

398th Armor Regiment ''Uzhorod'', Uzhhorod * 331-й артилерійський полк

331st Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment,

Perechyn Perechyn ( uk, Перечин; hu, Perecseny; rue, Перечин) is a city in Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine. It was the administrative centre of the former Perechyn Raion (district). It is now part of the Uzhhorod Raion. Today the population is ...

* 757th Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion,

Svaliava Svaliava ( uk, Свалява, hu, Szolyva, sk, Svaľava, yi, סוואליאווע ''Svalyave'') is a city located on the Latorytsia River in Zakarpattia Oblast in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Svaliava Raion (district). ...

* 253rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, Svaliava * 47th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion The 327th Mechanized Regiment was reorganized to form the 15th Mountain Infantry Battalion, which became the first Mountain Infantry formation in the current

Former commanders

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Viacheslav Zabolotnyi – 1992 - 1993 *

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Henadiy Vorobyov – 2001 - 2002 *Colonel Serhiy Horoshnikov – 2002 – 2003 *Vasyl Koka – 2004 *Colonel Viktor Hanushchak – 2007 – *Colonel Serhiy Shaptala – 2014 – 2017 *

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Serhiy Sobko – 2017 – 2019 *Serhiy Tumoshkov – 12 July 1922 –

Awards

*8 October 1943, received the honourable designation " Guards" for liberating the region of

and the

. *24 April 1944, received the

for participating in the Liberation of

. *8 May 1985, received the

in honour of the 40th anniversary of

. *On 10 January 2000, was given its Battle Banner and the honorific "Zakarpattia" *14 soldiers were awarded

orders Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

. *19 soldiers and sergeants were awarded the

Order of Glory Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

. *3 personnel were awarded state decorations for valour in the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatist forces in Donbas, Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since Feb ...

, and so far 1 awarded the Gold Star Medal as a

References

carpathia.gov.ua
{{Soviet Union divisions Brigades of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Military units and formations of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Military units and formations established in 2013 Mountain infantry brigades Military units and formations of Ukraine in the war in Donbas Hungarian Revolution of 1956