The 5th Tank Brigade ( uk, 5-та окрема танкова бригада) is a reserve armored formation of the
Ukrainian Ground Forces.
History
Formation
The brigade was formed in 2016, initially equipped with 30
T-72 tanks.
[ From late March to early April, the brigade took part in large scale exercises of ]Operational Command South
The Operational Command South (OC South) is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in the southern part of Ukraine, which was formed in January 1998 as the Southern Operation Command on the basis of the Odesa Military District and headquarter ...
, held in Kherson Oblast
Kherson Oblast ( uk, Херсо́нська о́бласть, translit=Khersónsʹka óblastʹ, ), also known as Khersonshchyna ( uk, Херсо́нщина, ), is an oblast (province) in southern Ukraine, currently claimed and partly occupied ...
. The goal of the exercise was to improve elements of overall defense of the region. At the end of the exercise it was announced, that Brigade will be stationed close to border with occupied Crimea.[
]
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
When on 24 February 2022, Russia invaded 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 ...
, the unit was deployed to the southwestern part of the country near Odesa.[ As of May, it was still in the Odessa area. After receiving T-72M1 tanks from Poland and ]YPR-765
The YPR-765 is a Dutch infantry fighting vehicle that is based on the AIFV design that was developed by the FMC Corporation. It replaced the AMX-VCI and YP-408 of the Royal Netherlands Army and entered service in 1977. The Dutch YPR-765s were ...
APCs from the Netherlands, the brigade was moved from the front into the Ukrainian strategic reserve.
David Axe
David Axe (born on April 11, 1978) is an American military correspondent, blogger, and graphic novelist. Axe founded the website ''War Is Boring'' in 2007 as a webcomic, and later developed it into a news blog.
Early life and education
David Ax ...
writing for Forbes, suggested that Brigade was inactive in August 2022. However, Brigade was mentioned by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his 200 day of war speech on 11 September 2022.
Current structure
As of 2022 the brigade's structure is as follows:[
* 1st Tank Battalion
* 2nd Tank Battalion
* 3rd Tank Battalion
* Mechanized Battalion
* Brigade Artillery Group
** Headquarters & Target Acquisition Battery
** Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (]2S3 Akatsiya
The SO-152 (Russian: СО-152) is a Soviet 152.4 mm self-propelled gun developed in 1968, as a response to the American 155 mm M109 howitzer. Development began in 1967, according to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Sovie ...
)
** 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)
* Anti-Aircraft Missile Artillery Battalion
* Logistic Battalion
Past commanders
References
{{Ukrainian Ground Forces
Brigades of the Ukrainian Ground Forces
Armoured brigades of Ukraine
Military units and formations of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Military units and formations of Ukraine