The Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi 36th Separate Marine Brigade () is a marine brigade of the

Ukrainian Navy The Military Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Військо́во-морські́ си́ли Збро́йних сил Украї́ни, ВМС ЗСУ) is the maritime forces of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Arme ...

. Formed on 20 July 2015, it consists primarily of Ukrainian marine forces evacuated from

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

following its 2014 annexation by the Russian Federation, in particular the , the , and the .

Establishment

On 20 July 2015, less than a year following the evacuation of Ukrainian forces from Crimea, the 36th Separate Marine Brigade was formed from military units which had remained loyal to Ukraine following the peninsula's annexation by Russia. The brigade's first commander was , who had formerly commanded the 1st Separate Marine Battalion.

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

During 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 ...

the Brigade was, along with the

Azov Regiment The Special Operations Detachment "Azov" (), also known as the Azov Regiment ( uk, Полк «Азов», translit=Polk "Azov") and formerly the Azov Battalion ( uk, батальйон «Азов», translit=Batalion "Azov"), is a unit of the N ...

, one of the two main Ukrainian units defending

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 i ...

during its siege by the Russian and DPR forces. The brigade was largely destroyed during the course of the siege. On 13 April 2022, Ukrainian government forces stated that, as a result of a special operation, units of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade managed to connect with the

Azov Battalion The Special Operations Detachment "Azov" (), also known as the Azov Regiment ( uk, Полк «Азов», translit=Polk "Azov") and formerly the Azov Battalion ( uk, батальйон «Азов», translit=Batalion "Azov"), is a unit of the N ...

in Mariupol. The same day, Russian sources claimed that over 1,000 men of the brigade had been captured, but this remains unconfirmed. The brigade commander, Colonel Volodymyr Baranyuk, and his chief of staff were among those captured, leaving Major Serhiy Volyna in command of the remnants of the brigade entrenched inside the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works. The remnants of the brigade surrendered on 20 May 2022, along with the remaining defenders of the Azovstal plant.Russian army takes control of Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant
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References

{{Reflist 2015 establishments in Ukraine Military units and formations of the Russo-Ukrainian War Military units and formations established in 2015 Ukrainian Navy Military units and formations of Ukraine