137th Separate Marine Battalion is a marine battalion of the 35th Marine Brigade. It was established in late 2015 as a part of the
Ukrainian Navy
The Ukrainian Navy (), is the Navy, maritime force of Ukraine and one of the eight Military branch, service branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The naval forces consist of five components: surface forces, submarine forces, Ukrainian Naval ...
but was transferred to the
Ukrainian Marine Corps
The Ukrainian Marine Corps (, ), also known simply as the Ukrainian Marines (), is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2023, responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations. From ...
in 2018. Internationally, it's also a part of the Balkan Battlegroup of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
The battalion was established in November 2015. After establishment, it took part in training exercises in Chornomorske especially that of neutralizing sabotage and reconnaissance squads. In December 2015, the battalion, along with
Ukrainian Naval Aviation
The Ukrainian Naval Aviation (, ) is a component of the Ukrainian Navy.
During the breakup of the Soviet Union, significant portions of the Soviet Naval Aviation were based in Ukraine, which were intended to support the Black Sea Fleet. These fo ...
and heavy artillery, conducted training in the Okny Raion at the border of
Transnistria
Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie, is a Landlocked country, landlocked Transnistria conflict#International recognition of Transnistria, breakaway state internationally recogn ...
as a deterrent against any possible conflict with
Transnistria
Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie, is a Landlocked country, landlocked Transnistria conflict#International recognition of Transnistria, breakaway state internationally recogn ...
.
The personnel of the battalion carried out patrols in the
Exclusive Economic Zone
An exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the exploration and use of marine natural resource, reso ...
near the Snake Island, inducted into the Balkan Battlegroup, and participate in the "Sea Breeze" exercises and in February 2016, conducted training in
Mykolaiv Oblast
Mykolaiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Mykolaivshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Mykolaiv. At the most recent estimate, the population ...
and
Kherson Oblast
Kherson Oblast (, ; ), also known as Khersonshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in southern Ukraine. It is located just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson, on the northern or right bank ...
including multi-kilometer marches, target protection, amphibious assault, sea crossing, landing, evacuations amongst others. In the spring and summer of 2016, the battalion's howitzer artillery underwent training in
Mykolaiv Oblast
Mykolaiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Mykolaivshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Mykolaiv. At the most recent estimate, the population ...
and the battalion took part in the international exercises "Sea Breeze 2016". It received training from British and American instructors in
military theory
Military theory is the study of the theories which define, inform, guide and explain war and warfare. Military theory analyses both normative behavioral phenomena and explanatory causal aspects to better understand war and how it is fought. It ...
and the usage of
unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Dron ...
s, respectively It took part in combat operations in
Mariupol
Mariupol 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, Kalmius River. Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was the tenth-largest city in the coun ...
during 2016. The battalion also fought at the Shyrokyne standoff
On April 28, 2017, during a combat operation near the village of Pavlopil, a vehicle of the battalion was struck by a landmine although the personnel remained same and evacuated but one soldier (Oleksandr Olehovych Berdnyk) returned to retrieve the vehicle but was killed in another landmine blast. In mid-June 2017,
Ihor Voronchenko
Ihor Oleksandrovych Voronchenko (; born 22 August 1964) is a Ukrainian admiral and a former commander of the Ukrainian Navy.Chermalyk were shelled by separatist forces killing a soldier (Mykhailo Oleksandrovych Kobets) of the battalion. On August 24, 2017, the President of Ukraine
Petro Poroshenko
Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician and Oligarchy, oligarch who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Minister ...
, presented a Battle Flag to the battalion commander.
The battalion saw intensive combat in the village of Mykolaivka during which two soldiers of the battalion (Kozma Denys Petrovych and Sakal Ivan Volodymyrovych) were killed on 1 and 6 May 2019 respectively and another was wounded. On June 19, 2019, the villages of Mykolaivka and Novotroitske killing a soldier of the battalion (Oleksandr Ivanovych Lyashok).
On July 13, 2020, while performing combat operations in Zaytseve, a unit of the battalion was ambushed. The commander of the battalion's reconnaissance platoon (Krasnogrud Dmytro Anatoliyovych) was severely wounded in an explosion and later died. Nine soldiers came to retrieve his body but were ambushed by the Russians. The Russians indiscriminately attacked the medics of the battalion wearing white helmets. A medic of the battalion (Ilin Mykola) and another soldier (Yaroslav Serhiyovych Zhuravel) were killed during the ambush and several more were wounded who were later returned after negotiations with the separatists.
In early 2022, during 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 ...
, several units from the battalion carried combat operations on a 200 km stretch in southern Ukraine. One platoon was stationed near Chonhar Bridge, one at Kalanchak and one near the village of Kairy and they were the first to encounter Russian troops during the
Southern Ukraine campaign
The southern front of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is an ongoing Theater (warfare)#Theatre of operation, theatre of operation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022. The Russian Armed Forces, Russian military inva ...
. The battalion saw combat in
Kherson Oblast
Kherson Oblast (, ; ), also known as Khersonshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in southern Ukraine. It is located just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson, on the northern or right bank ...
during which a soldier of the battalion (Mykhailo Mykolayovych Kravchuk) was killed on March 18, 2022 and another soldier of the battalion (Oleksandr Sosyedkin), was killed on September 14, 2022, during the
2022 Kherson counteroffensive
A military counteroffensive was launched by Ukraine on 29 August 2022 to expel Russian forces occupying the southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts.
Military analysts consider the counteroffensive to be the third strategic phase of th ...
. It also saw action in the
Zaporizhzhia Oblast
Zaporizhzhia Oblast (), commonly referred to as Zaporizhzhia (), is an oblast (region) in south-east Ukraine. Its administrative centre is the city of Zaporizhzhia. The oblast covers an area of , and has a population of The oblast is an import ...
where the commander of the battalion's air assault battalion (Berdnyk Ivan Igorovych) was killed in combat on April 11, 2022.
The battalion took part in the Battle of Vuhledar. On June 13, 2023, the battalion was involved in the liberation of the village of Makarivka as a part of the
2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive
In early June 2023, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine launched a Counter-offensive, counteroffensive against Russian forces Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, occupying its territory with a goal of breaching the front lines ...
.
In March 2024, the battalion was deployed to the left Bank of the
Kherson Oblast
Kherson Oblast (, ; ), also known as Khersonshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in southern Ukraine. It is located just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson, on the northern or right bank ...
, and was highly successful in destroying Russian equipment by using FPV drones.
Structure
* Management & HQ
* Amphibious Assault Company
* 1st Marine Company
* 2nd Marine Company
* Fire Support Company
* Anti-tank Artillery battery
* Mortar battery
* Anti-aircraft missile platoon
* Guardian company
* Aerial Reconnaissance company "Hydra"
* Engineering vehicle platoon
* IT platoon
* Medical center
BTR-60
The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet Union, 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 (vehi ...
- an unknown number of vehicles
*
122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30)
The 122-mm howitzer D-30 (GRAU index 2A18) is a Soviet howitzer that first entered service in 1960. It is a robust piece that focuses on the essential features of a towed field gun suitable for all conditions. The D-30 has a maximum range of or ...