The Ukrainian Ground Forces ( uk, Сухопу́тні військá Збрóйних сил Украї́ни), also known as the Ukrainian Army, are the

land forces Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...

of Ukraine and one of the five

branches A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term ''twig'' usually ...

of the

Armed Forces of Ukraine , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...

. They were formed from

Soviet Ground Forces uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

formations, units, and establishments, including three

military district Military districts (also called military regions) are formations of a state's armed forces (often of the Army) which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and ...

s (the

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

Carpathian 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 stretche ...

, and Odesa Military Districts), that were on Ukrainian soil when the Soviet Union collapsed. After Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine retained its Soviet-era army equipment. The Armed Forces were systematically downsized after 1991 and as a result, it was largely dilapidated by July 2014.In the Army Now: Answering Many Why's
,

The Ukrainian Week ''The Ukrainian Week'' ( uk, Український Тиждень, translit=Ukrainskyi Tyzhden) is an illustrated weekly magazine covering politics, economics and the arts and aimed at the socially engaged Ukrainian-language reader. It provides ...

(8 July 2014) Since the start of the

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 regu ...

in April 2014 in

eastern Ukraine Eastern Ukraine or east Ukraine ( uk, Східна Україна, Skhidna Ukrayina; russian: Восточная Украина, Vostochnaya Ukraina) is primarily the territory of Ukraine east of the Dnipro (or Dnieper) river, particularly Kha ...

, Ukraine embarked on a program to enlarge and modernize its Armed Forces.Poroshenko says military hardware will bring Ukraine's victory closer
,

Interfax-Ukraine The Interfax-Ukraine ( uk, Інтерфакс-Україна) is a Kyiv-based Ukrainian independent news agency founded in 1992. The company does not belong to the Russian news corporation Interfax Information Services. The company publishes i ...

(24 August 2016) Its size of 129,950 in March 2014 had grown to 204,000 active personnel in May 2015, with the Ground Forces branch having 169,000 soldiers as of 2016. In 2016, 75% of the army consisted of contract servicemen.Ukrainian army composed of 75% contract servicemen - president
,

(24 August 2016) Ukraine's ground forces have also received more modern tanks, APCs, and many other types of combat equipment.

History

Prior to the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

of 1917, three separate self-governing Ukrainian states existed on what is Ukraine today. Each of these states possessed armed forces. The largest of these, the

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR), or Ukrainian National Republic (UNR), was a country in Eastern Europe that existed between 1917 and 1920. It was declared following the February Revolution in Russia by the First Universal. In March 19 ...

, itself comprised three separate regimes. The

Ukrainian People's Army The Ukrainian People's Army ( uk, Армія Української Народної Республіки), also known as the Ukrainian National Army (UNA) or as a derogatory term of Russian and Soviet historiography Petliurovtsy ( uk, Пет ...

is an example of one of the early national armed forces. Other armed independence movements existed in the wake of both the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

, and these armies each had distinct organisation and uniforms. These armed forces, and the independent Ukrainian homeland for which they fought, were eventually incorporated into the neighboring states of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

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, Croa ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

and

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

Collapse of the USSR

Upon their establishment in 1991, the Armed Forces of Ukraine included approximately 780,000 personnel, 7,000

armored vehicles Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...

, 6,500 tanks, and 2,500 tactical nuclear missiles. A problem that Ukraine faced was that while it had vast armed forces, it lacked a proper command structure. On 24 August 1991, the

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...

of Ukraine ratified a resolution taking control of all military units of the former Soviet Armed Forces situated on the territory of Ukraine. This established the

Ministry of Defence of Ukraine Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

Creation of the Ground Forces

Following the declaration of Ukrainian independence in 1991, Ukraine inherited the 1st Guards Army, 13th Army, 38th Army, two tank armies (the

6th Guards Tank Army The 6th Guards Order of Red Banner Tank Army was a tank army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, first formed in January 1944 as the 6th Tank Army,Glantz (Companion), p. 66. and disbanded in Ukraine in the 1990s after the dissolution of the Soviet U ...

and the 8th Tank Army), and the 32nd Army Corps at

Simferopol Simferopol () is the second-largest city in the Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, and is considered the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. However, it is u ...

. The

28th Guards Motor Rifle Division 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

and the

180th Rifle Division The 180th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Red Army, formed twice. Poirer and Connor write that it was first formed 1940 in the Baltic Special Military District and became the 28th Guards Rifle Division on 3 May 1942. The ...

were left in Ukraine, having been previously under the

14th Guards Army The 14th Guards Army () was a field army of the Red Army, the Soviet Ground Forces, and the Russian Ground Forces, active from 1956 to 1995. According to sources within the 14th Army, the majority of its troops came from the Pridnestrovian Moldavi ...

headquartered at

Tiraspol Tiraspol or Tirișpolea ( ro, Tiraspol, Moldovan Cyrillic: Тираспол, ; russian: Тира́споль, ; uk, Тирасполь, Tyraspol') is the capital of Transnistria (''de facto''), a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the ...

in the

Moldovan SSR The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic ( ro, Republica Sovietică Socialistă Moldovenească, Moldovan Cyrillic: ) was one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union which existed from 1940 to 1991. The republic was formed on 2 August 1940 ...

. The post of commander of ground troops was designated in early 1992. By the end of 1992, the

Kyiv Military District The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military district of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Red Army and Soviet Armed Forces. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (Kyiv) for most of its exist ...

disbanded, and Ukraine used its structures as the basis for the Ministry of Defence and the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military u ...

. Between June and August 1993, the first redesignation of armies to army corps appears to have taken place. While the chief of ground forces post had been created in early 1992, it was over two years before the first holder, Colonel General Vasily Sobkov, was appointed on 7 April 1994. The legal framework for the Ground Forces was defined in Article 4 of the law 'On the Armed Forces of Ukraine.' At that time, the Ground Forces had no separate command body, and were directly subordinate to the Ukrainian General Staff. The creation of the Ground Forces as a separate armed service was enacted by Presidential Decree 368/96 of 23 May 1996, 'On the Ground Forces of Ukraine.' That year both the Ground Forces Command was formed and the 1st Army Corps was reorganised as the Northern Territorial Operational Command (which became the Northern Operational Command in 1998). In 1997 the Carpathian Military District was reorganised as the Western Operational Command.From 1992 to 1997, the forces of the Kyiv MD were transferred to the Odessa MD, and the Odessa MD's headquarters moved to

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: cities' alternative names), is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine loc ...

. A new 2nd Army Corps was formed in the Odessa MD. Armies were converted to army corps, and motor rifle divisions converted into mechanised divisions or brigades. Pairs of attack helicopter regiments were combined to form army aviation brigades. President

Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma ( uk, Леоні́д Дани́лович Ку́чма; born 9 August 1938) is a Ukrainian politician who was the second president of Ukraine from 19 July 1994 to 23 January 2005. Kuchma's presidency saw numerous corrup ...

revealed in a December 1996 speech that as many as 191 mechanised infantry and tank battalions were rated not ready, adding,"This is especially dangerous in the forward-based units securing the nation's borders."

Reform

Under a plan promulgated in 2000 the Ground Forces were to reduce the number of troops from the then 300,000 to 240,000 by 2015, and an ultimate change from a partial

conscript Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

-based force to a fully professional military. The Armed Forces received little more than half of the Hr 68 million it was promised for reform in 2001, but managed to disband nine

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripte ...

s and close 21 local military bases. In 2005–06, the Northern Operational Command was reorganised as Territorial Directorate "North". It was tasked with territorial defence, mobilisation training, and preparation of reserves. From 1991 the Ukrainian Ground Forces bought its military equipment only from Russia and other CIS states, as well as locally producing some of their own equipment.Ukraine must stop importing Russian weapons, switch to NATO standards
,

(18 December 2014) Until 2014 and the start of the

, the defence industry in Ukraine produced equipment mostly for export.Ukraine crisis timeline
,

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...

Russian occupation of Crimea

In the aftermath of the

2014 Ukrainian Revolution The Revolution of Dignity ( uk, Революція гідності, translit=Revoliutsiia hidnosti) also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution,

, Russian

special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and eq ...

in unmarked uniforms began surrounding Ukrainian military bases on the Crimean peninsula before capturing them individually using a mixture of attrition and threats. Over the following weeks the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two ...

consolidated control of the peninsula and established road blocks to cut off the possibility of Ukraine sending reinforcements from the mainland. The takeover of Crimea was largely bloodless, as the Ukrainian soldiers didn't retaliate. By the end of March, all remaining Ukrainian troops were ordered to pull out of Crimea. The Ukrainian Army was considered to be in a poor state during and after the annexation, with only 6,000 of its troops ready for combat and many of its vehicles lacking batteries. After Russia's annexation only 6,000 of the 20,300 Ukrainian soldiers stationed in Crimea before the annexation left the peninsula. The rest stayed in Crimea and defected to Russia.

Russo-Ukrainian War

War in Donbas (2014–2022)

In the early months of the

that erupted in 2014 the Armed Forces were widely criticised for their poor equipment and inept leadership, forcing Internal Affairs Ministry forces like the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. N ...

and the territorial defence battalions to take on the brunt of the fighting in the first months of the war. By February 2018 the Ukrainian armed forces were larger and better equipped, numbering 200,000 active-service military personnel. Most of the volunteer soldiers of the territorial defence battalions were integrated into the official Ukrainian army. Within the reporting period of 16 November 2017 to 15 February 2018 a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

OHCHR The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nati ...

monitoring mission documented 115 cases of credible allegations of human rights abuses committed on both sides of the contact line.Report on the human rights situation in Ukraine 16 November 2017 to 15 February 2018 "Within the reporting period, OHCHR documented 115 cases of credible allegations of unlawful or arbitrary detention, torture, ill-treatment and/or sexual violence committed on both sides of the contact line."
,

(page 6) The nature of the crimes ranges from enforced disappearances, looting of civilian property, torture, rape and sexual violence up to political repression and extrajudicial killings.

Full-scale Russian invasion

On 24 February 2022, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Ground Forces have been participants of most of the land combat actions of the current

war 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 ...

. The influx of Western materiel and supplies to the branch before and during the conflict as well as mobilization efforts have resulted in a massive expansion of the force, in addition to ongoing force modernization.

Military training and education centers

Special Forces by Andriy Ageev (26537023000)

Training in 2006 was aimed at developing mobility and combat readiness of the forces. The Ukrainian armed forces took advantage of the opportunities provided by UN exercises and exercises where Ukraine and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

nations and other partners participated. Training resulted in 6,000 combat-ready troops in the spring of 2014 of Ukraine's (then) 129,950 active military personnel. In 2016 the Ukrainian army had more than 200,000 combat-ready soldiers of its 260,000 active personnel.Ukrainian army struggling with its training system
,

Kyiv Post The ''Kyiv Post'' is the oldest English-language newspaper in Ukraine, founded in October 1995 by Jed Sunden. History American Jed Sunden founded the ''Kyiv Post'' weekly newspaper on Oct. 18, 1995 and later created KP Media for his holdings. ...

(14 September 2016) In 2015 Ukraine, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and No ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world ...

established the Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine (JMTG-U) and they set up three new training sites, in

Khmelnytskyi Khmelnytskyi ( uk, Хмельни́цький, Khmelnytskyi, ), until 1954 Proskuriv ( uk, Проску́рів, links=no ), is a city in western Ukraine, the administrative center for Khmelnytskyi Oblast (region) and Khmelnytskyi Raion (dist ...

Kamianets-Podilskyi Kamianets-Podilskyi ( uk, Ка́м'яне́ць-Поді́льський, russian: Каменец-Подольский, Kamenets-Podolskiy, pl, Kamieniec Podolski, ro, Camenița, yi, קאַמענעץ־פּאָדאָלסק / קאַמעניץ, ...

, and Yavoriv. The latter, known as the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security or the Yavoriv Combat Training Center, was hit by eight Russian missiles in March 2022. It appears that the SAS has left behind forces to train Ukrainian soldiers. At least two of the officers from the SAS were confirmed as having been in Ukraine. Each posted with a different battalion near Kyiv. There emphasis has been training Ukrainian soldiers how to use the Anglo-Swedish

NLAW The Saab Bofors Dynamics NLAW (pronounced: ''"N-LAW"'', ), also known as the MBT LAW or RB 57, is a fire-and-forget, lightweight shoulder-fired, and disposable (single-use) line of sight (LOS) missile system, designed for infantry use. The ...

. Other soldiers have actually been trained in the UK, according to the article. It would appear that the training course is approximately two weeks long for each participant. This follows an earlier report of UK special forces being left behind in Ukraine. This includes the SAS,

Special Boat Service The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the special forces unit of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The SBS can trace its origins back to the Second World War when the Army Special Boat Section was formed in 1940. After the Second World War, the Roya ...

and

Special Reconnaissance Regiment The Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) is a special reconnaissance unit of the British Army. It was established on 6 April 2005 and is part of the United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF). The regiment conducts a wide range of classified activiti ...

. The other contributors appear to be unnamed special forces from Eastern European countries. These forces are training the Ukrainian military in sabotage, counter-insurgency and sniping.

Education centers

In 2007 the system of exercise/training ranges was optimized, decreasing their number and providing a specialized role. Schooling occurs at: * 169th Training Center – (Chernihiv) – Home to army initial training, for all personnel entering the Army, it also houses the 169th Teaching Brigade which specializes in the tactics and skills of tankers and mechanized/motorized infantrymen. НУОУ 8

* Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Ground Forces Academy – (Lviv) – Is an academy for all officer cadets seeking a commission, an equivalent of the American West Point and British Sandhurst. * Ivan Chernyakhovsky National Defense University of Ukraine – (Kyiv – Teaches specializations like foreign languages, book keeping, cryptology, study of armaments, logistics, etc. * Ivan Bohun Military High School – (Kyiv) – A

JROTC The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US milita ...

style

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of " room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exte ...

which has a curriculum identical to Ukraine's public schools with added focus on military teachings and discipline. * Korolev Signals Institute – (Zhytomyr) – Teaches theory and practice of electromagnetic waves and their uses in communication, radio location, eavesdropping, and jamming. *

Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technologies Military Institute of Telecommunication and Information Technologies named after the Heroes of Kruty ( uk, Військовий інститут телекомунікацій та інформатизації імені Героїв Крут, ...

– (Kyiv) – Teaches the subjects: Computer Science, Systems engineering, Telecommunications, Security Information and Communication Systems, Systems of technical protection of information, Electronic military administration. * Odessa Artillery Academy Training ranges are at:

Branches of the Ground Forces

Armoured and mechanised forces

KrAZ Spartan of Ukrainian Airmobile Forces, Rapid Trident 2016

Ukrainian Army T-64BM during a training exercise

Mechanised 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 dis ...

and

armoured forces Armoured warfare or armored warfare (mechanized forces, armoured forces or armored forces) (American English; see spelling differences), is the use of armored fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of ...

are the primary components of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. Their primary objectives in case of war are capturing and holding targets, maintaining positions, defending against attack, penetrating enemy lines and defeating enemy forces. The mechanised and armoured forces are equipped with a combination of Soviet-made (part of them modernized) and modern Ukrainian armored vehicles which includes T-80,

T-64 The T-64 is a Soviet tank manufactured in Kharkiv, and designed by Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau. The tank was introduced in the early 1960s. It was a more advanced counterpart to the T-62: the T-64 served in tank divisions, whi ...

, (T-64BV Model 2017, T-64BV), T-64BM "Bulat" and T-72UA1 main battle tanks,

BTR-4 The BTR-4 "Bucephalus" (, abbreviation of uk, Бронетранспортер, links=no, lit=armoured transporter, translit=Bronetransporter, label=none) is an amphibious 8x8 wheeled Infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) designed in Ukraine by the ...

BTR-60 The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs). It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for the BTR-152 and was seen in public for the first time in 1961. BTR stands for ''Bron ...

BTR-70 The BTR-70 is an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier (russian: бронетранспортер/ ''Bronetransporter'', or literally "Armoured Transporter") originally developed by the Soviet Union during the late 1960s under the manufacturing ...

and

BTR-80 The BTR-80 (russian: бронетранспортёр, bronyetransportyor, literally "armoured transporter") is an 8×8 wheeled amphibious armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed in the USSR. It was adopted in 1985 and replaced the previous ...

wheeled armored personnel carriers and

BMP-1 The BMP-1 is a Soviet amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle, in service 1966–present. BMP stands for ''Boyevaya Mashina Pyekhoty 1'' (russian: link=no, Боевая Машина Пехоты 1; БМП-1), meaning "infantry fighting ...

BMP-2 The BMP-2 (''Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty'', , literally "combat machine/vehicle (of the) infantry") is an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, following on from the BMP-1 of the 1960s. Development his ...

and

BMD-2 The BMD-2 is a Soviet airborne infantry fighting vehicle, introduced in 1985. It is a variant of BMD-1 with a new turret and some changes done to the hull. BMD stands for ''Boyevaya Mashina Desanta'' (Боевая Машина Десанта, whi ...

infantry combat vehicles. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, a large number of the previous Soviet mechanised formations on Ukrainian soil have been disbanded – the

IISS The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England. The 2017 Global Go To Think T ...

says totals have dropped from 14 divisions, in 1992, to two divisions, six brigades, and one independent regiment in 2008. Today, all mechanised and armoured formations are called

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, 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 ...

Mountain and Jager Brigades

The Ukrainian Ground Forces also include two

mountain infantry 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, ...

brigades and the newly formed 61st Jager brigade, reformed from the 61st Motorized Infantry in 2019. * 10th Mountain Brigade * 128th Mountain Brigade * 61st Jager Infantry Brigade * 68th Jager Infantry Brigade (Reserve) (Formed in early 2022 in response to the

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 ...

) * 71st Jager Infantry Brigade (Reserve) (Formed in early 2022 in response to the

)

Army Aviation

Army Aviation An army aviation unit is an aviation-related unit of a nation's army, sometimes described as an air corps. These units are generally separate from a nation's dedicated air force, and usually comprise helicopters and light support fixed-wing airc ...

provides

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmishers ...

, tactical fire support and air transport for the Ukrainian Ground Forces. As of 2017 Ukraine's army fields four Army Aviation brigades in an Army Aviation Command directly subordinated to the Ground Forces HQ: * 11th Army Aviation Brigade,

Kherson Kherson (, ) is a port city of Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located on the Black Sea and on the Dnieper River, Kherson is the home of a major ship-building industry and is a regional economic centre. In ...

* 12th Army Aviation Brigade, Novyi Kalyniv * 16th Army Aviation Brigade,

Brody Brody ( uk, Броди; russian: Броды, Brodï; pl, Brody; german: Brody; yi, בראָד, Brod) is a city in Zolochiv Raion of Lviv Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is located in the valley of the upper Styr River, approximately ...

* 18th Army Aviation Brigade,

Poltava Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administrative ...

The Army Aviation's maintenance facility is the 57th Aviation Base in

. The service's equipment includes: Mi-2,

Mi-8 The Mil Mi-8 (russian: Ми-8, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968. It is now produced by Russia. In addition to ...

, Mi-9,

Mi-24 The Mil Mi-24 (russian: Миль Ми-24; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and has been ...

and

Mi-26 The Mil Mi-26 (russian: link=no, Миль Ми-26, NATO reporting name: Halo) is a Soviet/ Russian heavy transport helicopter. Its product code is ''Izdeliye 90''. Operated by both military and civilian operators, it is the largest and most p ...

helicopters.

Rocket Forces and Artillery

Army Air Defence

The Army Air Defence units are responsible for protecting troops against enemy air attacks anywhere on the battlefield, and while in combat. The Ukrainian Ground Forces army air defence branch is equipped with a variety of effective

surface-to-air A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...

missile systems of division level and anti-aircraft missile and

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sie ...

complexes of

level. Regiment level units are characterized by their high rate of fire, vitality, maneuverability, and capability of action under all conditions of modern combat arms operations. Surface-to-air missile systems and complexes of division level are characterized by their long range and firepower and are equipped with surface-to-air missile complexes;

S-300V The S-300 ( NATO reporting name SA-10 Grumble) is a series of long range surface-to-air missile systems developed and operated by the former Soviet Union, now fielded by the militaries of Russia and Ukraine as well as several other former East ...

, Osa, Buk, Buk-M1 and Tor. While anti-aircraft missile and artillery complexes that are of regiment level are equipped with the

Tunguska-M1 The 2K22 Tunguska (russian: 2К22 "Тунгуска") is a Soviet and now Russian tracked self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon armed with a surface-to-air gun and missile system. It is designed to provide day and night protection for infantry and ...

, Igla

MANPADS Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS or MPADS) are portable surface-to-air missiles. They are guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft, especially helicopters. Overview MANPADS were developed in the 1950s to provide military ...

system, Strela, and Shilka anti-aircraft missile systems. S-300P launchers on parade in Kiev

The army's only separate radar system, meaning it isn't a part of any anti-aircraft system, is the Ukrainian Kolchuga-M. It was designed sometime between the years 1993–1997, the system is said to be one of the most advanced passive sensors in the world, as it is claimed to be able to detect stealth aircraft.

Structure

The Donbas war caused a radical reform of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the general and the Ukrainian Ground Forces in particular. It built and expanded on the 2011 structure. As of 2022 the structure is the following: Ground Forces Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (Military Unit UА0105),

. Senior command personnel: * Commander of the Ground Forces: General/Lieutenant-General * Deputy Commander of the Ground Forces: Lieutenant-General/Major-General * Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the Ground Forces: Major-General * Commander of Territorial Defence Forces of the Ground Forces Command: Major-General * Commander of Logistics of the Ground Forces Command: Brigadier General * Chief Sergeant-Major of the Ground Forces: Command Master Sergeant Ukrainian Anti-tank Team on the Move

Formations and units directly subordinated to the Ground Forces Command: * 1004th Security and Service Battalion (MU А1937) - Kyiv * President's Own uardsBrigade '''

Hetman ( uk, гетьман, translit=het'man) is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders. Used by the Czechs in Bohemia since the 15th century. It was the title of the second-highest military co ...

Bohdan Khmelnytsky Bohdan Zynovii Mykhailovych Khmelnytskyi ( Ruthenian: Ѕѣнові Богданъ Хмелнiцкiи; modern ua, Богдан Зиновій Михайлович Хмельницький; 6 August 1657) was a Ukrainian military commander and ...

(MU А0222) - Kyiv * 148th Intelligence Command Center (MU А0189) - Kyiv * 96th Intelligence Center for Surveillance of Radio-Emitting Space Objects (MU А2571) - Velykyi Dalnyk,

Odessa Oblast Odesa Oblast ( uk, Оде́ська о́бласть, translit=Odeska oblast), also referred to as Odeshchyna ( uk, Оде́щина) is an oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, located along the northern coast of the Black Sea. Its administr ...

* 169th Mobile Repair Technical Base (MU А1405) - Kanatove railway station near Vysoki Bairaky,

Kirovohrad Oblast Kirovohrad Oblast ( uk, Кіровоградська область, translit=Kirovohradska oblast; also referred to as Kirovohradschyna — uk, Кіровоградщина) is an oblast (province) of Ukraine. The administrative center of the ...

* 3568th Air Defence Technical Missile Base (MU А4009) -

Starokostiantyniv Starokostiantyniv ( uk, Старокостянтинів; pl, Starokonstantynów, or ''Konstantynów''; yi, אלט-קאָנסטאַנטין ''Alt Konstantin'') is a city in Khmelnytskyi Raion, Khmelnytskyi Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. I ...

Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вська о́бласть, translit=Ivano-Frankivska oblast), also referred to as Ivano-Frankivshchyna ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вщина), is an oblast (region) in western Ukraine ...

* other units * Missile Troops and Artillery of the Ground Forces - Commander of Missile Troops and Artillery and Deputy Commander of the Ground Forces: Lieutenant-General/Major-General ** 19th Missile ''Zaporozhian''

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, 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 ...

'''Saint Barbara (MU А4239) -

Khmelnytskyi Oblast Khmelnytskyi Oblast ( uk, Хмельни́цька о́бласть, translit=Khmelnytska oblast; also referred to as Khmelnychchyna — uk, Хмельни́ччина) is an oblast (province) of western Ukraine covering portions of the hist ...

, armed with the Tochka-U missile complex ** 107th Rocket Artillery Brigade (MU А1546) -

Kremenchuk Kremenchuk (; uk, Кременчу́к, Kremenchuk ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnipro River. The city serves as the administrative center of the Kremenchuk Raion (district) in Poltava Oblast (p ...

Poltava Oblast Poltava Oblast ( uk, Полта́вська о́бласть, translit=Poltavska oblast; also referred to as Poltavshchyna – uk, Полта́вщина, literally 'Poltava Country') is an oblast (province) of central Ukraine. The administrative ...

, armed with the Vilkha missile complex ** 27th Rocket Artillery Brigade '''

Kish Otaman Kish otaman ( uk, Кошовий отаман, ; russian: Кошевой атаман, ; pl, Ataman koszowy; also known as of the Zaporizhian Host) was a chief officer of the ''Kish'' (central body of government) of the Zaporozhian Host in the 1 ...

Petro Kalnyshevsky Petro Kalnyshevsky (20 June 1690? – 31 October 1803) was the last Koshovyi Otaman of the Zaporozhian Host, serving in 1762 and from 1765 to 1775. Kalnyshevsky was a hero in the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774 for which he was awarded the Gold M ...

(MU А1476) -

Sumy Sumy ( uk, Суми ) is a city of regional significance in Ukraine, and the capital of Sumy Oblast. The city is situated on the banks of the Psel River in northeastern Ukraine with a population of according to the 2021 census, making it the 2 ...

Sumy Oblast Sumy Oblast ( uk, Сумська́ о́бласть, translit=Sumska oblast; also referred to as Sumshchyna – uk, Су́мщина) is an oblast (province) in the northeastern part of Ukraine. Population: The oblast was created in its most r ...

, armed with the

BM-27 Uragan The BM-27 Uragan (russian: БМ-27 Ураган, lit=Hurricane; GRAU index 9P140) is a self-propelled 220 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system began its service with the Soviet Army in the late 1970s, and wa ...

** 43rd Artillery Brigade '''

Taras Triasylo Taras Fedorovych (pseudonym, Taras Triasylo, Hassan Tarasa, Assan Trasso) ( uk, Тара́с Федоро́вич, pl, Taras Fedorowicz) (died after 1636) was a prominent leader of the Dnieper Cossacks, a popular Hetman (Cossack leader) elected ...

(MU А3085) - Divichki Pereyaslav village near

Pyriatyn Pyriatyn (, ) is a city in Poltava Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Pyriatyn Raion. Population: History At the end of 1941 or beginning 1942, a ghetto guarded by policemen was established and numbered over 1,500 Jews by late ...

Kyiv Oblast Kyiv Oblast ( uk, Ки́ївська о́бласть, translit=Kyïvska oblast), also called Kyivshchyna ( uk, Ки́ївщина), is an oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, ...

, armed with the

2S7 Pion The 2S7 Pion ("peony") or Malka is a Soviet self-propelled 203mm cannon. "2S7" is its GRAU designation. More than 250 units were built, some sources say 500, others up to 1,000. They were distributed around the former Soviet states in the diss ...

** 15th Rocket Artillery ''Kyiv'' Regiment (MU А1108) -

Drohobych Drohobych ( uk, Дрого́бич, ; pl, Drohobycz; yi, דראָהאָביטש;) is a city of regional significance in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Drohobych Raion and hosts the administration of Drohobych urban h ...

Lviv Oblast Lviv Oblast ( uk, Льві́вська о́бласть, translit=Lvivska oblast, ), also referred to as Lvivshchyna ( uk, Льві́вщина, ), ). The name of each oblast is a wikt:Appendix:Glossary#relational, relational adjective—in Englis ...

, armed with the

BM-30 Smerch The BM-30 ''Smerch'' ( rus, Смерч, "tornado", "whirlwind"), 9K58 Smerch or 9A52-2 Smerch-M is a heavy self-propelled 300 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system is intended to defeat personnel, armore ...

* Army Aviation Directorate of the Ground Forces Command - Chief of Army Aviation of the Ground Forces Command — Major-General ** 8th Army Aviation Command Post (MU А1710) -

Chernihiv Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion withi ...

Chernihiv Oblast Chernihiv Oblast ( uk, Черні́гівська о́бласть, translit=Chernihivska oblast; also referred to as Chernihivshchyna, uk, Черні́гівщина, translit=Chernihivshchyna) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. ...

** 11th Army Aviation Brigade '''

(MU А1604) — Chornobayivka Air Base near

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 ...

- Mi-24, Mi-8, Mi-2 ** 12th Army Aviation Brigade '''Major-General

Viktor Pavlenko Viktor Pavlenko ( ukr, Віктор Олексійович Павленко; russian: Виктор Алексеевич Павленко; 1886–1932) was a Ukrainian military officer in the service of the Russian Empire and both the Hetmanate ...

(MU А3913) — Novyi Kalyniv,

- Mi-24, Mi-26, Mi-8/9 ** 16th Army Aviation Brigade '''

(MU А2595) -

, Lviv Oblast - Mi-24, Mi-8, Mi-2 ** 18th Army Aviation Brigade '''

Igor Sikorsky Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (russian: И́горь Ива́нович Сико́рский, p=ˈiɡərʲ ɪˈvanəvitʃ sʲɪˈkorskʲɪj, a=Ru-Igor Sikorsky.ogg, tr. ''Ígor' Ivánovich Sikórskiy''; May 25, 1889 – October 26, 1972)Fortie ...

(MU А3384) -

- Mi-24, Mi-8, Mi-2 ** 57th Aviation Base or maintenance, repair and supply of the army aviation(MU А3595) - Brody, Lviv Oblast * Territorial Defence Forces Command - Commander of Territorial Defence orcesof the Ground Forces Command — Major-General ** Information and Telecommunications Nod of the TDFC - Kyiv ** support units directly subordinated to the TDFC ** four territorial defence directorates under the four regional commands of the ground forces. Manoeuver elements include territorial defence brigades, made up of territorial defence battalions and support units and stand-alone separate rifle battalions. Each Ukrainian oblast is covered by its own Territorial Defence Zone, which commands one separate territorial defence brigade and one separate rifle battalion of higher mobility and readiness. In January 2022 the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has publicised information about its plans for the expansion of the territorial defence forces. The composition of the Territorial Defende Forces (''Сил ТрО ЗСУ'') should reach 25 brigades for the 25 regions ('''один регіон – одна бригада''', English: 'one region – one brigade', for the 24

Oblasts An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdom ...

and the capitol city of

) with up to 150 battalions ('''один батальйон на район or 'one battalion per

raion A raion (also spelt rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet states. The term is used for both a type of subnational entity and a division of a city. The word is from the French (meaning 'honeycomb, department'), and is c ...

') for a peacetime strength of up to 10 000 people and over 130 000 upon wartime mobilisation.

Educational institutions

Training establishments units directly subordinated to the Ground Forces Command: * National Academy of the Ground Forces '''Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi - Lviv, Lviv Oblast ** officer cadets training establishments: *** Faculty of Combat Application of the Forces *** Faculty of Combined Arms *** Faculty of Missile Troops and Artillery *** Faculty for Preparation of Combat (Operational) Support Specialists ** NCO Personnel Military College ** International Peacekeeping and Security Center (MU А4150) ** Combat Training Center for Military Units ***

Opposing Force An opposing force (alternatively enemy force, abbreviated OPFOR) is a military unit tasked with representing an enemy, usually for training purposes in war game scenarios. The related concept of aggressor squadron is used by some air forces. T ...

Battalion *** Imitation and Modelling Simulation Center ** 184th Training Center (MU А2615) - Starichi village, Lviv Oblast *** 355th Mechanized Training Regiment (MU А3211) *** Tank Training Battalion *** 356th Artillery Training Regiment (MU А3618) **** School of Self-Propelled Artillery **** School of Towed Artillery **** School of Anti-Tank Artillery **** Mortar School *** 49th Intelligence Training Center (MU А4138) *** Engineer Training Battalion *** Imitation and Modelling Simulation Center *** 138th Logistical Training Battalion (MU А2600) *** School for Initial and Refresher Training of Fire-Fighting Specialists *** other departments (''інші підрозділи'') * Odessa Military Academy - Odessa, Odessa Oblast * Armoured Forces Military Institute '''

Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...

''' - Military Faculty of the '''Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute National Technical University * 169th Training Centre, Desna ** 300th Tank Training Regiment ** 354th Mechanized Training Regiment ** 6th Artillery Training Regiment, Divychky ** 507th Maintenance Training Battalion ** 718th Transport Training Battalion ** 1121st Anti-aircraft Missile Artillery Training Regiment ** , Starychi ** ** 355th Mechanized Training Regiment ** 356th Artillery Training Regiment ** Tank Training Battalion ** 138th Material Supply Training Battalion ** Anti-Tank Missile Specialists School ** other units

Operational Command West

The

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 ...

(MU А0796) is headquartered in

Rivne Rivne (; uk, Рівне ),) also known as Rovno (Russian: Ровно; Polish: Równe; Yiddish: ראָוונע), is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the surrounding Rivne Rai ...

and has an area of responsibility covering the

Volyn Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. The ...

, Zakarpattia,

Ivano-Frankivsk Ivano-Frankivsk ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вськ, translit=Iváno-Frankívśk ), formerly Stanyslaviv ( pl, Stanisławów ; german: Stanislau), is a city located in Western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of Ivano-Frankivsk Ob ...

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukra ...

Ternopil Ternópil ( uk, Тернопіль, Ternopil' ; pl, Tarnopol; yi, טאַרנאָפּל, Tarnopl, or ; he, טארנופול (טַרְנוֹפּוֹל), Tarnopol; german: Tarnopol) is a city in the west of Ukraine. Administratively, Ternopi ...

and

Chernivtsi Chernivtsi ( uk, Чернівці́}, ; ro, Cernăuți, ; see also other names) is a city in the historical region of Bukovina, which is now divided along the borders of Romania and Ukraine, including this city, which is situated on the ...

A BMP-2 provides support by fire to Ukrainian infantry during a platoon live-fire

Headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

Combat support units: *7th Combat Command Group, Rivne, Rivne Oblast * 394th Security and Service Battalion, Rivne, Rivne Oblast * 224th Automobile Battalion, Rivne, Rivne Oblast * 55th Signals Regiment, Rivne, Rivne Oblast * 346th Information and Telecommunications Nod * 146th Intelligence Command Center * Regional Center for Electronic Intelligence '''West * 436th Electronic Warfare Nod * 201st Electronic Warfare Company * 111th

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...

Surveillance and Analysis Station * 124th Joint

Logistical Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

Support Center * 146th Repair and Overhaul Regiment,

Zolochiv Zolochiv, ( ua, Золочів) may refer to the following places in Ukraine: * Zolochiv, Lviv Oblast Zolochiv ( uk, Золочів, pl, Złoczów, german: Solotschiw, yi, זלאָטשאָוו, ''Zlotshov'') is a small city of district signifi ...

* 182nd Material Supply Battalion * 233rd Combined Arms Training Range * 90th Base for Artillery Ammunitions * other specialised and logistical units * Military comissariates * Territorial centers for recruitment and social policy implementation Combat units: * 14th Mechanized Brigade ''' Roman the Great (MU A2331),

Volodymyr-Volynsky Volodymyr ( uk, Володи́мир, from 1944 to 2021 Volodymyr-Volynskyi ( uk, Володи́мир-Воли́нський)) is a small city located in Volyn Oblast, in north-western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Volodymyr ...

, Volyn Oblast * 24th Mechanized Brigade ''' King Daniel (MU A0998), Yavoriv, Lviv Oblast * 10th Mountain Assault Brigade (MU A4267),

Kolomyia Kolomyia, formerly known as Kolomea ( ua, Коломия, Kolomyja, ; pl, Kołomyja; german: Kolomea; ro, Colomeea; yi, ), is a city located on the Prut River in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province), in western Ukraine. It serves as the admini ...

, Ivano Frankivsk Oblast * 128th Mountain Assault '''Zakarpattia

(MU A1556),

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 ci ...

, Zakarpattia Oblast * 44th Artillery Brigade ''' Danylo Apostol (MU A1428),

, Ternopil Oblast * 39th Air Defence Missile Regiment, Volodymyr-Volynsky, Volyn Oblast * 703rd Operational Support ngineerRegiment,

Sambir Sambir ( uk, Самбір, pl, Sambor, yi, סאמבאָר, Sambor) is a city in Sambir Raion, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Sambir Raion (district) and is located close to the border with Poland. Sambir hosts ...

, Lviv Oblast * 130th Reconnaissance Battalion,

Dubno Dubno ( uk, Ду́бно) is a city and municipality located on the Ikva River in Rivne Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Dubno Raion (district). The city is located on intersection of two major ...

, Rivne Oblast Territorial defence units: Regional Directorate f Territorial Defence'''West''', Rivne, Rivne Oblast * Information and Telecommunications Nod of Regional Directorate '''West, Rivne, Rivne Oblast * Security and Service Company of Regional Directorate '''West, Rivne, Rivne Oblast * Territorial Defence Zone of the Volyn Oblast ** 2nd Rifle Battalion ** 100th '''Volyn Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7028) * Territorial Defence Zone of the Rivne Oblast ** 14th Rifle Battalion ** 104th '''Rivne Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7032) * Territorial Defence Zone of the Lviv Oblast ** 10th Rifle Battalion ** 103rd '''Lviv Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7031) * Territorial Defence Zone of the Ternopil Oblast ** 16th Rifle Battalion ** 105th '''Ternopil Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7033) * Territorial Defence Zone of the Khmelnytsky Oblast ** 19th Rifle Battalion * Territorial Defence Zone of the Zakarpattia Oblast ** 5th Rifle Battalion ** 101st '''Zakarpattian Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7029) * Territorial Defence Zone of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast ** 7th Rifle Battalion ** 102nd '''Ivano-Frankivsk Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7030) * Territorial Defence Zone of the Chernivtsi Oblast ** 21st Rifle Battalion ** 107th '''Chernivtsi Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7035)

Operational Command North

The

Operational Command North Operational Command North is a command 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 o ...

(MU 4583) is headquartered in

and has an area of responsibility covering the

Zhytomyr Zhytomyr ( uk, Жито́мир, translit=Zhytomyr ; russian: Жито́мир, Zhitomir ; pl, Żytomierz ; yi, זשיטאָמיר, Zhitomir; german: Schytomyr ) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the administrative ...

Cherkasy Cherkasy ( uk, Черка́си, ) is a city in central Ukraine. Cherkasy is the capital of Cherkasy Oblast (province), as well as the administrative center of Cherkasky Raion (district) within the oblast. The city has a population of Ch ...

and

and the capital city of

. Headquarters,

Combat support units: *9th Combat Command Group, Chernihiv, Chernihiv Oblast *134th Security and Service Battalion (MU А1624), Chernihiv, Chernihiv Oblast *226th Automobile Battalion (MU А2927),

Berdychiv Berdychiv ( uk, Берди́чів, ; pl, Berdyczów; yi, באַרדיטשעװ, Barditshev; russian: Берди́чев, Berdichev) is a historic city in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center ...

, Zhytomyr Oblast *5th Signal Regiment (MU А2995), Chernihiv, Chernihiv Oblast *367th Information and Telecommunications Nod (MU А2984), Chernihiv, Chernihiv Oblast *90th Intelligence Command Center *Regional

ELINT Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of '' signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ...

Center '''North (MU А2622), Chernihiv, Chernihiv Oblast **121st Maneuver ELINT Center (MU А1783), Chernihiv, Chernihiv Oblast **122nd ELINT Center (MU А1993),

Chuhuiv Chuhuiv ( uk, Чугуїв) or Chuguev (russian: Чугуев) is a city in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Chuhuiv Raion (district). It hosts the administration of Chuhuiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas o ...

, Kharkiv Oblast *20th Electronic Warfare Battalion (MU А1262),

, Zhytomyr Oblast *12th Operational Support ngineerRegiment (MU А3814),

Novohrad-Volynskyi Zviahel (, ; translit. ''Zvil'') is a city in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Originally known as ''Zviahel'', the city was renamed to ''Novohrad-Volynskyi'' () in 1795 after annexation of territories of Polish–Lithuanian ...

, Zhytomyr Oblast *107th

Surveillance and Analysis Station *125th Topographic Unit *229th Joint Logistical Support Center *50th Repair and Overhaul Regiment (MU А1586), Huiva, Zhytomyr Oblast *181st Material Supply Battalion (MU A2925), Novohrad-Volynskyi, Zhytomyr Oblast *other specialised and logistical units *1322nd Artillery Ammunitions Base *242nd Combined Arms Training Range *Military comissariates (''військові комісаріати'') * Territorial centers for recruitment and social policy implementation Combat units: * 1st Tank Brigade '''

Severia Severia or Siveria ( orv, Сѣверія, russian: Северщина, translit=Severshchina, uk, Сіверія or , translit. ''Siveria'' or ''Sivershchyna'') is a historical region in present-day southwest Russia, northern Ukraine, eastern ...

(MU А1815),

Honcharivske Honcharivske () is an urban-type settlement in Chernihiv Raion of Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine. 1st Armored Brigade and 12th Tank Battalion is stationed in the settlement. It hosts the administration of Honcharivske settlement hromada, one of the ...

, Chernihiv Oblast * 12th Tank Battalion (MU А0932), Honcharivske, Chernihiv Oblast * 30th Mechanized Brigade ''' Knyaz Konstanty Ostrogski (MU A0409),

, Zhytomyr Oblast * 58th Motorized Infantry Brigade ''' Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky (MU А1376),

Konotop Konotop ( uk, Конотоп ) is a city in Sumy Oblast in northeastern Ukraine. Konotop serves as the administrative center of Konotop Raion. Konotop is located about 129 km from Sumy, the oblast administrative center. It is host to Ko ...

, Sumy Oblast * 61st Jager Infantry Brigade ' ''Stepov''' (MU unidentified), Chernihiv, Chernihiv Oblast * 72nd Mechanized Brigade ''' Black Zaporizhians (MU А2167),

Bila Tserkva Bila Tserkva ( uk, Бі́ла Це́рква ; ) is a city in the center of Ukraine, the largest city in Kyiv Oblast (after Kyiv, which is the administrative center, but not part of the oblast), and part of the Right Bank. It serves as the adm ...

, Kyiv Oblast область * 26th Artillery Brigade ''' Major-General Roman Dashkevich (MU А3091),

, Zhytomyr Oblast * 1129th ''

'' Air Defence Missile Regiment (MU А1232), Bila Tserkva, Kyiv Oblast * 54th Reconnaissance Battalion '''Mykhailo Tisha (MU А2076),

, Zhytomyr Oblast * possibly a security company based at Kyiv Boryspil Airport Territorial defence units: Regional Directorate f Territorial Defence'''North''', Kyiv * Information and Telecommunications Nod of Regional Directorate '''North, Kyiv * Security and Service Company of Regional Directorate '''North, Kyiv * Territorial Defence Zone of the City of Kyiv ** ? Rifle Battalion ** 112th '''City of Kyiv Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7040) * Territorial Defence Zone of the Kyiv Oblast ** 8th Rifle Battalion ** 114th '''Kyiv Oblast Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7042) * Territorial Defence Zone of the Zhytomyr Oblast ** 4th Rifle Battalion ** 115th '''Zhytomyr Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7043) * Territorial Defence Zone of the Poltava Oblast ** 13th Rifle Battalion ** 116th '''Poltava Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7044) * Territorial Defence Zone of the Sumy Oblast ** 15th Rifle Battalion ** 117th '''Sumy Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7045) * Territorial Defence Zone of the Cherkasy Oblast ** 20th Rifle Battalion ** 118th '''Cherkasy Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7046) * Territorial Defence Zone of the Chernihiv Oblast ** 22nd Rifle Battalion ** 119th '''Chernihiv Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7047)

Operational Command South

The Operational Command South (MU 2393) is headquartered in

Odesa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern sho ...

and has an area of responsibility covering the

Vinnytsia Vinnytsia ( ; uk, Вінниця, ; yi, װיניצע) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug. It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast and the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. ...

Kirovohrad Kropyvnytskyi ( uk, Кропивницький, Kropyvnytskyi ) is a city in central Ukraine on the Inhul river with a population of . It is an administrative center of the Kirovohrad Oblast. Over its history, Kropyvnytskyi has changed its name ...

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( uk, Миколаїв, ) is a city and municipality in Southern Ukraine, the administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv city, which provides Ukraine with access to the Black Sea, is the location of the most downriver brid ...

and

Combat support units: * 10th Combat Command Group, Odesa, Odesa Oblast * 363rd Security and Service Battalion (MU А1785), Odessa, Odesa Oblast * 225th Automobile Battalion, Odesa, Odessa Oblast * 7th Signal Regiment (MU А3783), Odesa, Odessa Oblast * 64th Information and Telecommunications Nod (MU А1283), Odesa, Odesa Oblast * 91st Intelligence Command Center (MU А2152) * Regional ELINT Center '''South (MU А3438) ** 78th ELINT Center (MU А2395) ** 79th ELINT Center (MU А2412) ** 82nd Manoeuver ELINT Center (MU А2444) * 23rd Electronic Warfare Company * 16th Operational Support ngineerRegiment * 108th

Surveillance and Analysis Station * 46th Joint Logistical Support Center * 31st Repair and Overhaul Regiment * 183rd Material Supply Battalion * 1513th Artillery Ammunitions Base * 235th Joint Forces for Preparation of Military Units and Sub-Units * 241st Combined Arms Training Range * other specialised and logistical units * Military comissariates * Territorial centers for recruitment and social policy implementation Combat units: * 28th Mechanized Brigade ''' Participants in the First Winter Campaign (MU А0666),

Chornomorske Chornomorske or Chernomorskoye ( uk, Чорномо́рське; russian: Черномо́рское; crh, Aqmeçit, el, Καλός Λιμήν) is an urban-type settlement and the administrative center of Chornomorske Raion in Crimea, a territ ...

, Odesa Oblast * 56th Motorized Infantry '''

Mariupol Mariupol (, ; uk, Маріу́поль ; russian: Мариу́поль) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast (Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius River. Prior to the 2022 Russian ...

Brigade (MU А0989), Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast * 57th Motorized Infantry Brigade '''

Kosh otaman Kish otaman ( uk, Кошовий отаман, ; russian: Кошевой атаман, ; pl, Ataman koszowy; also known as of the Zaporizhian Host) was a chief officer of the ''Kish'' (central body of government) of the Zaporozhian Host in the 1 ...

Kost Hordiyenko Kost Hordiyenko ( uk, Кость Гордієнко, translit=Kost Hordiienko) (unknown - 15 May 1733) was a Zaporozhian Cossack Kosh otaman. After 1709 he allied with Ivan Mazepa, and co-authored the Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk. Hordiyenko was ...

(MU В4533),

Nova Kakhovka Nova Kakhovka ( uk, Нова́ Кахо́вка, ; russian: Новая Каховка) is a city in the central Kakhovka Raion region of Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine currently under Russian occupation. Nova Kakhovka is an important po ...

, Kherson Oblast * 59th Motorized Infantry Brigade '''Yakіv Gandzyuk (MU А1619),

Haisyn Haisyn or Haysyn ( uk, Га́йсин, Haysyn; pl, Hajsyn; russian: Га́йсин, Gaysin) is a city in central Ukraine, the administrative center of the Haisyn Raion in Vinnytsia Oblast. Its population is It is located in the eastern part of ...

, Vinnytsia Oblast * 40th Artillery Brigade 'Grand Knyaz

Vytautas Vytautas (c. 135027 October 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian: ', be, Вітаўт, ''Vitaŭt'', pl, Witold Kiejstutowicz, ''Witold Aleksander'' or ''Witold Wielki'' Ruthenian: ''Vitovt'', Latin: ''Alexander Vitoldus'', O ...

' (MU А2227), Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv Oblast * 38th Air Defence Missile Regiment '''Major-General Yuriy Tyutyunnyk (MU А3880),

Nova Odesa Nova Odesa (, ) is a city in Mykolaiv Raion, Mykolaiv Oblast (region) of southern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Nova Odesa urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The population of Nova Odesa is Until 18 July 2020, Nova Odesa ...

, Mykolaiv Oblast * 131st Reconnaissance Battalion (MU В1109), Gushchintsy, Vinnytsia Oblast * 143rd Reconnaissance Battalion (MU В1053), unidentified location, Mykolaiv Oblast Territorial defence units: Regional Directorate f Territorial Defence'''South''', Odessa, Odessa Oblast *Information and Telecommunications Nod of Regional Directorate '''South, Odessa, Odessa Oblast * Security and Service Company of Regional Directorate '''South, Odessa, Odessa Oblast * Territorial Defence Zone of the Vinnytsia Oblast **1st Rifle Battalion **120th '''Vinnytsia Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7048) *Territorial Defence Zone of the Kirovohrad Oblast **9th Rifle Battalion **121st '''Kirovohrad Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7049) *Territorial Defence Zone of the Odessa Oblast **12th Rifle Battalion **122nd '''Odessa Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7051) *Territorial Defence Zone of the Mykolaiv Oblast **11th Rifle Battalion **123rd '''Mykolaiv Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7052) *Territorial Defence Zone of the Kherson Oblast **18th Rifle Battalion **124th '''Kherson Territorial Defence Brigade (cadred) (MU А7053)

Operational Command East

The Operational Command East (MU 1314) is headquartered in

Dnipro Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper Riv ...

and has an area of responsibility covering

Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper Riv ...

Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запоріжжя) or Zaporozhye (russian: Запорожье) is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia has a populati ...

Luhansk Luhansk (, ; uk, Луганськ, ), also known as Lugansk (, ; russian: Луганск, ), is a city in what is internationally recognised as Ukraine, although it is administered by Russia as capital of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). ...

, and

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.

with the Russian-occupied territory of the

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 po ...

nominally attached to it as the Separate Ground Forces Area (''Окремий військово-сухопутний район''). OC East is the general command responsible for frontline regular UGF formations fighting in the

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 regu ...

and the current Russian invasion. Headquarters,

(as the result of war in Donbas, a split from the OC "South") Combat support units: * 8th Combat Command Group, * 133rd Security and Service Battalion (MU А3750), Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast *227th Automobile Battalion (MU А1823),

Kryvyi Rih Kryvyi Rih ( uk, Криви́й Ріг , lit. "Curved Bend" or "Crooked Horn"), also known as Krivoy Rog ( Russian: Кривой Рог) is the largest city in central Ukraine, the 7th most populous city in Ukraine and the 2nd largest by area. ...

, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast * 121st Signal Regiment (MU А1214), Cherkaske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast * 368th Information and Telecommunications Nod (MU А2326), Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast * 188th Intelligence Command Center * Regional ELINT Center '''East *502nd Electronic Warfare Battalion (MU А1828), Cherkaske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast *91st Operational Support ngineerRegiment (MU А0563),

Okhtyrka Okhtyrka ( uk, Охти́рка, ) is a city located in the Sumy Oblast (province) of Ukraine. It is administratively incorporated as a city of oblast significance. The city has also served as the administrative center of the smaller Okhtyrka ...

, Sumy Oblast * 102nd

Surveillance and Analysis Station (''102 розрахунково-аналітична станція'') *532nd Repair and Overhaul Regiment (MU А3336) *218th Joint Logistical Support Center *78th Material Supply Battalion (MU В4756), Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast *222nd Central Artillery Ammunitions Base *239th Combined Arms Training Range *other specialised and logistical units *Military commissariats * Territorial centers for recruitment and social policy implementation Combat units: * 17th ''Kryvyi Rih'' Tank Brigade ''' Konstantin Pestushko (MU А3283),

* 53rd Mechanized Brigade ''' Knyaz Vladimir Monomakh (MU А0536),

Sievierodonetsk russian: Северодоне́цк , other_name = Severodonetsk , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = Severodoneck prapor.png , image_shield ...

, Luhansk Oblast * 54th Mechanized Brigade ''' Hetman Ivan Mazepa (MU А0693),

Bakhmut Bakhmut ( uk, Ба́хмут, ) is a city in the Donbas and the administrative centre of Bakhmut Raion in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is located on the Bakhmutka River, about 89 km north of Donetsk city, the administrative center of the o ...

, Donetsk Oblast * 92nd Mechanized Brigade '''

Ivan Sirko Ivan Sirko ( uk, Іван Дмитрович Сірко, Romanization of Ukrainian, tr. , ; pl, Iwan Sierko, ; russian: Иван Дмитриевич Серко, translit=Ivan Dmitrievich Serko, ; c. 1610–1680) was a Ukrainian Cossack military ...

(MU А0501),

, Kharkiv Oblast * 93rd Mechanized Brigade ''' Kholodny Yar (MU А1302), Cherkaske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast * 55th Artillery Brigade '''

Zaporozhian Sich The Zaporozhian Sich ( ua, Запорозька Січ, ; also uk, Вольностi Вiйська Запорозького Низового, ; Free lands of the Zaporozhian Host the Lower) was a semi-autonomous polity and proto-state of Cos ...

(MU А1978),

Zaporizhia Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запоріжжя) or Zaporozhye (russian: Запорожье) is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia has a populatio ...

, Zaporizhzhia Oblast * 1039th Air Defence Missile Regiment (MU А1964), Hvardiiske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast * 74th Reconnaissance Battalion (MU А1035), Cherkaske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Territorial defence units: Regional Directorate f Territorial Defence'''East''', Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast *Information and Telecommunications Nod of Regional Directorate '''East, Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast * Security and Service Company of Regional Directorate '''East, Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast * Territorial Defence Zone of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast ** 3rd Rifle Battalion ** 108th '''Dnipropetrovsk Territorial Defence Brigade (MU А7036) * Territorial Defence Zone of the Kharkiv Oblast ** 17th Rifle Battalion ** 113th '''Kharkiv'' Territorial Defence Brigade (MU А7041) * Territorial Defence Zone of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast ** 6th Rifle Battalion (''6-й окремий стрілецький батальйон'') **110th '''Zaporizhzhia Territorial Defence Brigade (MUА7038) *Territorial Defence Zone of the Donetsk Oblast **? Rifle Battalion **109th '''Donetsk Territorial Defence Brigade (MU А7037) *Territorial Defence Zone of the Luhansk Oblast **? Rifle Battalion **111th '''Luhansk Territorial Defence Brigade (MU А7039) Ground Forces Area - Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula, these structures exist only nominally: *Territorial Defence Zone of Sevastopol **Rifle Battalion **Territorial Defence Brigade *Territorial Defence Zone of the Crimean Autonomous Republic **Rifle Battalion **Territorial Defence Brigade

Reserve Corps

Reserve Corps * 3rd Tank "Iron" Brigade * 5th Tank Brigade * 14th Tank Brigade * 15th Mechanized Brigade * 33rd Mechanized Brigade * 45th Artillery Brigade * 60th Infantry Brigade "Inguletska" * 62nd Mechanized Brigade * 63rd Mechanized Brigade The army's Reserve Corps ( Ukrainian: ''Корпус резерву'') is a new formation, directly subordinated to the General Staff. It is also called the Army Strategic Reserve Corps. Its main function is to prepare and administer the

reservist A reservist is a person who is a member of a military reserve force. They are otherwise civilians, and in peacetime have careers outside the military. Reservists usually go for training on an annual basis to refresh their skills. This person is ...

s of the ground forces. According to plans it should be fully operational by 2020 with reserve servicemen in three separate categories: * Operational Reserve of the First Line (''оперативний резерв першої черги'') – by 2020 it should include about 50,000 reserve servicemen with extensive combat training (60 days of combat training every two years) in the reserve companies and batteries of the operational army brigades and regiments and those reservists are to become casualty replacements in wartime * Operational Reserve of the Second Line (''оперативний резерв другої черги'') – it should include reserve servicemen with combat training of 30 days every two years in territorial defence brigades. In addition, the command personnel will undergo 10 days training cycles yearly. The 4th Army Corps should also act as the pool formation for those territorial brigades and transfer them to the ground forces' operational commands in wartime as needed. * Mobilization Reserve (''мобілізаційний резерв'') – it should include all the Ukrainian citizens, who are eligible to

mobilization Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and t ...

in case of a war, but do not belong to the first or the second line operational reserve. They could be used to form support units or to boost the service numbers of the territorial brigades as casualty replacements. In that organization the Reserve Corps is currently (2022) engaged in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, and its reservists have fought in every ground operation of the conflict.

Geographic distribution

List of commanders

Title "Commander-in-chief" ( uk, Головнокомандувач) 1992 – 2005, "Commander" ( uk, Командувач) 2005 – present * 1992–1994 no appointment (see above text) * 1994–1998 Colonel General Vasyl Tymofiiovych Sobkov * 1998–2001 Colonel General Petro Ivanovych Shuliak * 2001–2002 Colonel General Oleksandr Ivanovych Zatynaiko * 2002–2004 Colonel General Petro Ivanovych Shuliak * 2004–2006 Colonel General Mykola Mykolaiovych Petruk * 2006–2007

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Valerii Semenovych Frolov * 2007–2009 Colonel General Ivan Yuriiovych Svyda * 2009–2014 Colonel General Henadii Petrovych Vorobiov * 2014–2016 Lieutenant General Anatolii Savvatiiovych Pushniakov * 2016–2019 Colonel General Serhii Mikolaiovych Popko * 2019–present Colonel General

Oleksandr Syrskyi Oleksandr Stanislavovych Syrskyi (; born 26 July 1965) is a Ukrainian military officer. Holding the rank of Colonel general, he has been the commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces since 2019. Previously, he was the commander of the Joint Fo ...

Military ranks

; As a non-member state, NATO rank codes are not used in Ukraine, they are presented here for reference purposes only: In the new uniforms the Ukrainian Ground Forces unveiled in August 2016 the stars that traditionally adorn shoulder straps have been replaced by diamonds. A new set of insignia are being adopted.

General and officer ranks

Other ranks and NCOs

Equipment

Uniforms

The Ukrainian Army unveiled its new uniforms on 24 August 2016 (

Independence Day of Ukraine Independence Day of Ukraine ( uk, День Незалежності України) is the main state holiday in modern Ukraine, celebrated on 24 August in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence of 1991. History When Ukraine was sti ...

). The new uniforms are modeled on British military styles, having a modern pixelated digital camouflage pattern. They also incorporate details from the uniforms worn by the

.Fashion statement: Ukrainian troops debut post-Soviet uniforms
,

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...

(25 August 2016) The new cap includes an insignia of a Ukrainian Cossack grasping a cross.

Deployment outside of Ukraine

Iraq

Ukraine deployed a sizable contingent of troops to the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

, these were stationed near

Kut Kūt ( ar, ٱلْكُوت, al-Kūt), officially Al-Kut, also spelled Kutulamare or Kut al-Imara, is a city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about south east of Baghdad. the estimated population is about 389,400 people. It ...

. Ukraine's troop deployment was the second largest of all former Soviet states besides

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and they deployed more soldiers to the nation then many members of

such as Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Ukraine also suffered the fifth highest casualty toll during the war, with only Polish, Italian, UK, and US forces suffering heavier losses. From 2003 to 2005 over 1,700 Ukrainian soldiers were deployed to Iraq, the third-largest contingent at the time, they were designated to the 5th Mechanized Brigade, as in Ukraine's mission to Kosovo the troops deployed were contract soldiers and not conscripts. Ukraine began to severely draw down its troop levels in Iraq in 2005 due to mounting casualties and the political toxicity of the conflict. By 2005 only 876 soldiers, roughly half of the original contingent were deployed, by years end troop levels dropped to below 100. In 2008, one year before the official end of the US military mission, President Viktor Yushchenko ordered all remaining troops deployed to Iraq to be returned home and Ukraine's mission to the nation officially over.

Afghanistan

Between 2001 and 2021, Ukraine allowed United States military cargo planes to fly over and refuel on Ukrainian soil on their way to Afghanistan. In 2007 Ukraine deployed a detachment of the 143rd De-mining Center of the

to Afghanistan. Ukraine has kept a team of soldiers deployed to Afghanistan as part of ISAF since 2007, these mostly consisted of pilots, medical officers, and bomb disposal experts. Ukrainian pilots were responsible for training the pilots of the Afghan Air Force on the operation of several air craft as Afghanistan's forces consisted of many Soviet designed aircraft such as the

Mi-17 The Mil Mi-17 ( NATO reporting name: Hip) is a Soviet-designed Russian military helicopter family introduced in 1975 (Mi-8M), continuing in production at two factories, in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russian servic ...

, which Ukrainian troops were very familiar with. In 2013, the contingent of troops in Afghanistan totaled 26 troops. As of 2014 the Ukrainian contingent was further drawn down and the team included 8 bomb disposal experts and several medical officers.

Kosovo

Ukrainian forces have also been deployed to

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...

since 2000 as part of the 600 man Polish–Ukrainian Peace Force Battalion. In August 2014, Ukraine ended its mission to Kosovo due to the 2014 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Africa

Ukrainian peacekeeping forces have been deployed to the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. ...

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic ...

and

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Con ...

and

Cote d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

. Ukrainian forces have also been requested to take a more active role in the

Northern Mali Conflict {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Mali War , partof = the Islamist insurgency in the Sahel and the War on terror , image = MaliWar.svg , image_size = 380 , caption = Military situation ...

of 2012 in battling Islamic forces. One of the largest deployments is the 18th Separate Helicopter Unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine which consisted of 160 servicemen and four

P helicopters and was deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2011.

Military decorations

File:Ukrainian_Goldenstar.jpg,

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 ...

File:Zasluhy-1.jpg,

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

File:Hmel-1.jpg,

Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky The Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky ( uk, Орден Богдана Хмельницького, Orden Bohdana Khmelʹnytsʹkoho) is a Ukrainian military award named after Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks. The award was establis ...

File:Mugnist-1.jpg, Order For Courage File:Orden-danilo-galitsky.jpg, Order of Danylo Halytsky File:Order_of_Ivan_Mazepa.jpg, Cross of Ivan Mazepa File:Vijs-slug.jpg, Medal For Military Service to Ukraine File:Bezdog-1.jpg,

Medal "For Irreproachable Service" The Medal "For Irreproachable Service" is a service medal of Ukraine. It was established by presidential decree on 5 October 1996. The medal is presented to officers and Warrant Officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as well as Officers and enli ...

File:Ukraine-Defender_of_the_Motherland_Medal.PNG,

Defender of the Motherland Medal The "Defender of the Motherland" Medal ( uk, Медаль «Захиснику Вітчизни») is a commemorative medal awarded by Ukraine. It was established on 8 October 1999 by presidential decree № 1299. Criteria An award of the Pres ...

Veterans

Ukraine provides combat veterans with various benefits. Ukrainians who have served in World War II, the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...

, or as liquidators at the

Chernobyl disaster The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. It is one of only two nuc ...

are eligible for benefits such as a monthly allowance, a discount on medical and pharmacy services, free use of public transportation, additional vacation days from work, having priority for retention in case of work layoffs, easier loan access and approval process, preference when applying for security related positions, priority when applying to vocation school or trade school, and electricity, gas, and housing subsidies. Veterans are also eligible to stay at military sanatoriums, provided there is available space. Since gaining independence, Ukraine has deployed troops to Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, gaining a new generation of veterans separate from those who served in the Soviet forces. Most recently the government passed a law extending veteran benefits to Ukrainian troops participating in the

. Veterans from other nations who move to or reside in Ukraine may be eligible for some of the listed benefits. This provision was likely made to ensure that World War II, Chernobyl, and Afghanistan veterans from other Soviet states who moved to Ukraine received similar benefits. As Ukraine has participated in numerous NATO led conflicts since its independence it is unclear if NATO veterans would be extended these benefits. Veteran groups are not as developed as in the United States which has numerous well known national organizations such as the

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or ...

. World War II veterans, and even persons who have lived through the war are generally treated with the highest respect. Other veterans are not as well known. Ukrainian veterans from the Soviet War of Afghanistan are strikingly similar to the Vietnam veterans of the United States, although the Soviet Union generally kept the public in the dark through the war, unlike in Vietnam, where coverage was very high. Afghanistan is often labeled as a mistake by the Soviet Union and its successor states, but the lack of media coverage, and the censorship through the war have ensured that many still remain unaware of their nation's involvement in the conflict. Despite Ukraine having the 3rd largest contingent of troops in Iraq in 2004, few also realize that their nation has many veterans of the Iraq war. Soldiers that took part in the

can receive free land plots.Soldiers participating in ATO get 863 land plots of 394 ha, 45% of petitions satisfied – land agency
,

(16 December 2014) On 22 November 2018 the (Ukrainian) Ministry for Veterans Affairs was officially established.Ukraine parliament appoints Markarova, Friz ministers
, UNIAN (22 November 2018)

Notes

References

Citations

General sources

International Institute for Strategic Studies The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England. The 2017 Global Go To Think ...

, The Military Balance 2006. * Yuriy Yurchnya, 'The Armed Forces of Ukraine,' Geneva Centre for DCAF, 2010.

5 Kanal 5 Kanal ( uk, 5 канал, lit=Channel 5) is a television station in Ukraine formerly owned by businessman and fifth President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. 1991 establishments in Ukraine Armies by country Military of Ukraine

History

Collapse of the USSR

Creation of the Ground Forces

Reform

Russian occupation of Crimea

Russo-Ukrainian War

War in Donbas (2014–2022)

Full-scale Russian invasion

Military training and education centers

Education centers

Branches of the Ground Forces

Armoured and mechanised forces

Mountain and Jager Brigades

Army Aviation

Rocket Forces and Artillery

Army Air Defence

Structure

Educational institutions

Operational Command West

Operational Command North

Operational Command South

Operational Command East

Reserve Corps

Geographic distribution

List of commanders

Military ranks

General and officer ranks

Other ranks and NCOs

Equipment

Uniforms

Deployment outside of Ukraine

Iraq

Afghanistan

Kosovo

Africa

Military decorations

Veterans

See also

Notes

References

Citations

General sources

Further reading

External links