The 115th Mechanised Brigade () is a brigade of the

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...

formed in 2022.

History

The brigade was created at the beginning of March 2022 during the first weeks of the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

in the village of Blahodatne in

Cherkasy Oblast Cherkasy Oblast (, ), also referred to as Cherkashchyna (, ) is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in central Ukraine located along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The Capital city, administrative center of the oblast is the cit ...

. On April 3, its first deployment for a combat mission started in

Kreminna Kreminna (, ) is a city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, it served as the administrative center of former Kreminna Raion. Its population was estimated at as of January 2022. Following the Russian invasio ...

, then from May to July the brigade fought in

Sievierodonetsk Sievierodonetsk or Severodonetsk, officially since 2024 Siverskodonetsk, is a city in Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located to the northeast of the left bank of the Donets river and approximately to the northwest from the administrati ...

and

Lysychansk Lysychansk ( , ; , ; , ) is a city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located on the high right bank of the Donets River, approximately from the administrative center of the oblast, Luhansk. It faces Sievierodonet ...

, Siversk, Marinka and

Avdiivka Avdiivka (, ; , ) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The city is located in the centre of the oblast, just north of the regional centre, Donetsk. The large Avdiivka Coke Plant is located in Avdiivka. The city had a population of before th ...

. During the Ukrainian counter-offensive in September 2022, the 115th Brigade was garrisoned in Severodonetsk, and engaged in urban warfare fighting block by block. There were questions about Brigades readiness and ability to hold positions in Sievierodonetsk. During the Battle of Karkhiv, the 115th Mechanised Brigade was noted for their role as a successful ground unit used during combined arms attacks. Debate arose about the efficacy of the Brigade in the Battle of Ocheretyne in April 2024. The 115th Mechanised Brigade had arrived at the small town of Ocheretyne to secure the village despite numerical superiority of Russian troops. According to Mykola Melnyk, a 47th Mechanized Brigade company commander, soldiers from the 115th left their positions without permission, which led to a breakthrough by the Russians within 48 hours. The story was then picked up and amplified by Russian state media. Ukrainian media reported on 23 April 2024 that the army leadership in Kyiv had launched an investigation into the Battle of Ocheretyne. On 2 May 2024, the brigade denied responsibility for the defeat at the Battle of Ocheretyne with the press service of the brigade going onto say that: "The accusations made by Roman Pohorily (the founder of DeepStateMap.Live) are false. Who is guilty or not guilty is determined exclusively by the commission based on the results of the investigation." The brigade later claimed that it had killed "a huge number of Russian troops" and "firmly stated" that "no regular unit of the 115th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine abandoned their positions and fled, as claimed by Russian media, but heroically held the defence." The brigade also accused Deepstate and its founder Roman Pohorily, of "defaming the honor and dignity of the 115th Mechanized Brigade, as well as devaluing the lives of fallen soldiers."

Structure

As of 2024 the brigade's structure is as follows: * 115th Mechanized Brigade,

** Headquarters & Headquarters Company ** 1st Mechanized Battalion ** 2nd Mechanized Battalion ** 3rd Mechanized Battalion * 20riflebat

20th Separate Rifle Battalion (A7104) * 44riflebat

(A4049) ** Tank Battalion ** Anti-Tank Guided Missiles Artillery Battery ** Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battery ** Anti-Tank Artillery Battery ** Artillery Division ** Sniper Platoon ** Reconnaissance Company ** 37th Reserve Company ** Engineer Battalion ** Logistic Battalion ** Signal Company ** Maintenance Battalion ** Radar Company ** Medical Company ** CBRN Protection Company

References

{{Ukrainian Ground Forces Military units and formations of Ukraine in the Russian invasion of Ukraine Mechanized brigades of Ukraine Military units and formations established in 2022