The Ukrainian Air Assault Forces (, or ), known until 2017 as the Ukrainian Airmobile Forces (, ), are the

airborne forces Airborne forces, airborne troops, or airborne infantry are ground combat units carried by aircraft and airdropped into battle zones, typically by parachute drop or air assault. Parachute-qualified infantry and support personnel serving in a ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

. They formed in 1992 and were part of the

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

until 2016, when they separated to become one of 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 r ...

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 know ...

. The Air Assault Forces are in constant

combat readiness readiness is a condition of the armed forces and their constituent units and formations, warships, aircraft, weapon systems or other military technology and equipment to perform during combat military operations, or functions consistent with th ...

and are the high-mobility branch of the military, responsible for

air assault Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft—such as the helicopter—to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind ...

s and military parachuting operations. Before the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since February 2014. Following Ukraine's Rev ...

they were also the main forces sent by Ukraine to

peacekeeping Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare. Within the United ...

missions around the world. They are considered the elite of Ukraine's armed forces.

History

The Ukrainian Air Assault Forces were created in 1992 from units of the

Soviet Airborne Troops The Soviet Airborne Forces or VDV (from ''Vozdushno- desantnye voyska SSSR'', Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска СССР, ВДВ; Air-landing Forces) was a separate troops branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. First formed be ...

(VDV) stationed on Ukrainian territory after the

Dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

on 25 December 1991. In the 15 years after their creation Ukrainian paratroopers have served in peacekeeping missions to the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast� ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

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

DR 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 ...

. In 2007, the 13th Separate Airmobile Battalion served as part of

Polish–Ukrainian Peace Force Battalion Polish–Ukrainian Peace Force Battalion (POLUKRBAT) or Ukrainian-Polish Peace Force Battalion (UKRPOLBAT) is a Polish- Ukrainian peacekeeping battalion, formed in the late 1990s expressly "for participation in international peace-keeping and huma ...

, a peacekeeping unit with

Kosovo Force The Kosovo Force (KFOR) is a NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo. Its operations are gradually reducing until Kosovo's Security Force, established in 2009, becomes self sufficient. KFOR entered Kosovo on 11 June 1999, two days ...

War in Donbas and beyond

In August 2014 the 95th Air Assault Brigade conducted a raid behind the separatist lines. The 95th Brigade, which had been reinforced with armor assets and attachments, launched a surprise attack on separatist lines, broke through into their rear areas, fought for 450 kilometers, and destroyed or captured numerous Russian tanks and artillery pieces before returning to Ukrainian lines and established a corridor in which the Ukrainian army units and civilians trapped at the border could retreat. It was one of the longest armored raids in military history. In 2016, the Ukrainian Airmobile Forces became an independent branch of the Armed Forces. Previously, they were part of

Ground Forces An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

. On 21 November 2017 (Ukraine's Paratroopers' Day)

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko se ...

stated that 469 Ukrainian paratroopers had been killed in the (ongoing)

. On 21 November 2018 he adjusted this to 487 killed.

2017 reforms

Air Assault Forces Day was celebrated on 2 August in Ukraine, as it was in the

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

, until 2017, when it changed to 21 November 2017. President Poroshenko said "It is logical to celebrate your professional holiday on November 21. The usual August 2 is the date of the first jump of paratroopers in the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military D ...

. How is it about us? Moscow is not Kyiv. Ukraine is not Russia." He added that "The start of the new Paratroop Day is part of the

Ukrainianization Ukrainization (also spelled Ukrainisation), sometimes referred to as Ukrainianization (or Ukrainianisation) is a policy or practice of increasing the usage and facilitating the development of the Ukrainian language and promoting other elements of ...

of the historical and political calendar – the replacement of the Soviet-Russian imposed upon us." On 21 November 2017 the Air Assault Forces received its new insignia – the dome of a parachute "as a symbol of airborne units around the world" and the wings of

Archangel Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

and "the flaming sword with which he hits the enemies". The color of the Ukrainian paratroopers was changed to maroon, and from 2017 the UkrAAF wear the

maroon beret The maroon beret in a military configuration has been an international symbol of airborne forces since the Second World War. It was first officially introduced by the British Army in 1942, at the direction of Major-General Frederick "Boy" B ...

s common to many Western airborne units.

Russian full invasion

Beginning Thursday, 24 February 2022, the day the Russian Armed Forces begun its invasion of the republic, the UkrAAF have been participants of some of the land combat actions of the current conflict, fighting alongside their Ground Forces, Territorial Defense and National Guard brethren in arms.

Structure

In 2014, the staffing of an airmobile brigade was brought up to 1,200 personnel. Each brigade was given at least one artillery battalion from the 25th and 55th artillery brigades and a tank battalion. Currently, the total staffing of the brigades ranges from 1,000 to 2,200 personnel, depending on the deployment. Most of the brigades operate in 1-2 battalion tactical groups, in each of which, in addition to infantry battalions, there are up to two artillery battalions and at least one tank company equipped with BTRs and BMPs.

2001

In 2001 the Airmobile Force consisted of:

2022

Air Assault Forces Command, Zhytomyr

Air Assault Forces Command, N/A * 135th Management Battalion Banner

135th Management Battalion,

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 ...

199th Training and Education Center Banner

199th Training and Education Center, Zhytomyr

Combat units

25th Airborne Brigade The 25th Separate Airbone Sicheslav Brigade ( uk, 25-та окрема повітрянодесантна Січеславська бригада) is an airborne formation of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces. It is the only airborne unit of Ukra ...

, Hvardiiske * 45 одшб

45th Air Assault Brigade,

Bolhrad Bolhrad ( uk, Болгра́д, Bolhrad, ; bg, Болград, Bolgrad; ro, Bolgrad, Gagauz: ''Bolgrad''), is a small city in Odesa Oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, in the historical region of Budjak. It is the administrative center ...

46th Air Assault 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 administrativel ...

71st Jager Infantry Brigade, N/A * N/A 77th Airmobile Brigade, N/A * 79 ОДШБр к

79th Air Assault Brigade,

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 ...

80th Air Assault Brigade,

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...

81st Airmobile Brigade,

Druzhkivka Druzhkivka ( uk, Дружківка, ; russian: Дружковка, Druzhkovka) is a city of oblast significance in Donetsk Oblast (province) of Ukraine. Population: ; 64,557 (2001). The area of the city is 46 km². Druzhkivka is a city lo ...

95th Air Assault Brigade, Zhytomyr * 132ОРБ

132nd Intelligence Battalion, Ozerne * 148th Artillery Division Banner

148th Field Artillery Battalion (Airborne), Zhytomyr

Rear elements

* N/A 102nd Material Storage Unit, Zhytomyr * 124 ТЧ ДШВ

124th Topographic Unit, Zhytomyr * N/A 232nd Combined Supply Unit, N/A * 347th Communication Unit Banner

347th Communication Unit, Zhytomyr

Commanders

Armament

KrAZ Spartan of Ukrainian Airmobile Forces, Rapid Trident 2016

Personal firearms

* PM,

semi-automatic pistol A semi-automatic pistol is a type of repeating single-chamber handgun ( pistol) that automatically cycles its action to insert the subsequent cartridge into the chamber (self-loading), but requires manual actuation of the trigger to actu ...

(9×18mm) * * AKS-74, para assault rifle (

AK-74 The AK-74 ( Russian: , tr. ''Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1974 goda'', lit. 'Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1974) is an assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974. While primarily associated with the Soviet ...

with folding skeleton buttstock) (5.45×39mm) * AKS-74U, short-barreled para assault rifle carbine with folding skeleton buttstock(5.45×39mm) *

AKMS The AKM () is an assault rifle designed by Soviet small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1959. It is the most ubiquitous rifle of the Kalashnikov rifles. It was developed as a replacement to the AK-47 introduced a decade prior. Introduced ...

, para assault rifle with a downward-folding metal stock similar to that of the German

MP40 The MP 40 (''Maschinenpistole 40'') is a submachine gun chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. It was developed in Nazi Germany and used extensively by the Axis powers during World War II. Designed in 1938 by Heinrich Vollmer with i ...

(7.62×39mm) * – AK-74 modernization * Fort-221 – TAR-21 licensed copy * RPKS-74, the light weight para machinegun (5.45×39mm) * PKM,

general purpose machine gun A general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) is an air-cooled, usually belt-fed machine gun that can be adapted flexibly to various tactical roles for light and medium machine guns. A GPMG typically features a quick-change barrel design calibered f ...

(7.62×54mmR) * Dragunov SVDS sniper rifle (7.62×54mmR) * GP-25 and

GP-30 The GP-25 ''Kostyor'' ("Bonfire"), GP-30 ''Obuvka'' ("Footwear") and GP-34 are a family of Russian 40 mm under-barrel grenade launchers (''Granatomyot Podstvolnyj'') for the AK family of assault rifles. They were first seen by the West in ...

, the under-barrel 40 mm grenade launchers for fragmentation and gas grenades which are attached to AKS-74 of some paratroopers to increase firepower for combating enemy foot troops *

AGS-17 The AGS-17 Plamya ( Russian: Пламя; ''Flame'') is a Soviet-designed automatic grenade launcher in service worldwide. Description The AGS-17 is a heavy infantry support weapon designed to operate from a tripod or mounted on an installation ...

"Plamya" (Flame), automatic grenade launcher – may be replaced in the future by a much lighter UAG-40.

Armored vehicles

T-80 The T-80 is a main battle tank (MBT) that was designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union and manufactured in Russia. The T-80 is based on the T-64, while incorporating features from the later T-72. The chief designer of the T-80 was S ...

– main battle tank *

BMD-1 The BMD-1 is a Soviet airborne amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle, which was introduced in 1969 and first seen by the West in 1970. BMD stands for ''Boyevaya Mashina Desanta'' (Боевая Машина Десанта, which literally ...

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, whic ...

BTR-D The BTR-D is a Soviet airborne multi-purpose tracked armoured personnel carrier. It was introduced in 1974 and first seen by the West in 1979 during the Soviet–Afghan War. BTR-D stands for ''Bronetransportyor Desanta'' (БТР-Д, Бронет ...

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 ...

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 ...

BTR-3 The BTR-3 is an Eight-wheel drive armored personnel carrier developed in 2000–2001 by an international consortium. The companies involved in the project include the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau of Ukraine, the ADCOM MANUFACT ...

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 t ...

* MT-LB *

GT-MU The GT-MU (russian: ГТ-МУ) is an all-terrain, lightly armored and buoyant tracked vehicle developed in the then Soviet Union. The vehicle was developed in the Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod and is a further development of the . The vehicle was ...

* KrAZ "Spartan" *

HMMWV The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...

M1114 UAH *

AT105 Saxon The Saxon is an armoured personnel carrier used by the British Army and supplied in small numbers to various overseas organisations. It was developed by GKN Sankey from earlier projects, AT 100 IS and AT104, and was due to be replaced by the F ...

* Dozor-B *

Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé The Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé or VAB (literally meaning "Armoured Forward Vehicle"; but more appropriately translated: "Armoured Vanguard Vehicle") is a French armoured personnel carrier and support vehicle designed and manufactured by Renault ...

Artillery

* 2S9 "Nona-S" configuration of

2S9 Nona S9 may refer to: Transportation * SIAI S.9, a 1918 Italian flying boat * Aircraft registration prefix of São Tomé and Príncipe * USS ''S-9'' (SS-114), a 1920 S-class submarine of the United States Navy * County Route S9 (California) * Rans ...

, 120 mm self-propelled mortar * 2S23 Nona-SVK *

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

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

* ZU-23-2, an aged but effective and powerful design of a double barrel 23 mm anti-aircraft gun, commonly used against infantry and even APCs and IFVs, it is either mounted on any amphibious hulls, usually based on

PT-76 The PT-76 is a Soviet Union, Soviet amphibious vehicle, amphibious light tank that was introduced in the early 1950s and soon became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army and the other Warsaw Pact armed forces. It was widely exported ...

light tank, or can be towed by jeep or truck as it has wheels.

Vehicles

* KrAZ-6322 *

GAZ-66 The GAZ-66 is a Soviet and later Russian 4x4 all-road (off-road) military truck produced by GAZ. It was one of the main cargo vehicles for motorized infantry of the Soviet Army and is still employed in former Soviet Union countries. It is nick ...

Joint Light Tactical Vehicle The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) is a United States military (specifically U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps) and United States Special Operations Command program to partially replace the Humvee fleet with a family of more survivable vehicl ...

Gallery

File:Гвардійський спецназ взяв нову висоту - наодинці з небом 7216 (21514334409).jpg, A

KRAZ Spartan The STREIT Group Spartan is an armoured personnel carrier designed and built by STREIT Group; it is also license produced by KrAZ (Kremenchuk Automobile Plant) in Kremenchuk, Ukraine. The Spartan can be used in a wide variety of applications, ...

File:На полігоні у Гончарівському тривають навчальні збори резервістів 1-ї окремої танкової бригади (27734086840).jpg, A MTLB File:Міжнародні навчання «Saber Junction-2018» (24) (44223012115).jpg, Soldiers prepare for movement during Saber Junction-2018. File:Міжнародні навчання «Saber Junction-2018» (64) (44414039954).jpg, Soldiers during Saber Junction-2018 File:Ukrainian Airmobile Forces.jpg, VDV troops in a military parade in 2014, when they still wore sky-blue berets and ''

telnyashka The Russian telnyashka ( rus, тельняшка, p=tʲɪlʲˈnʲaʂkə) is an undershirt horizontally striped in white and blue (occasionally black or green) and which may be sleeveless. It is an iconic uniform garment worn by various Russian mi ...

'' shirts like their Russian counterparts File:Ukrainian Airmobile Forces Flag.svg, Flag of the Airmobile forces until 2017 File:ВДВ-Україна.svg, Shoulder sleeve insignia until 2017 File:Emblem of Airmobile troops of Ukraine.svg, Former emblem

References

External links

Official site

Ministry of Defence

Military Forum
{{War in Donbas Military units and formations of Ukraine Airmobile units and formations