The 1st Tank Brigade "

Severia Severia (, ; ) or Siveria ( / , ''Siveria'' / ''Sivershchyna'') is a historical region in present-day southwest Russia, northern Ukraine, and eastern Belarus. The largest part lies in modern Russia, while the central part of the region is the c ...

" () 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 1997.

History

The brigade is a unit of the

Armed Forces of Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

that was formed in 1997 from the 292nd Tank Regiment. In 2014, the brigade was deployed to the border with

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

in the Sumy region to protect the route to

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

. One battalion was also sent to support mechanized brigades in the

Luhansk region Luhansk Oblast (; ), also referred to as Luhanshchyna (), is the easternmost oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the name ''Voroshilovgrad Oblast'' until 1 ...

, mainly around the Luhansk Airport. In 2015, the brigade supported the 30th Mechanized Brigade in

Debaltseve Debaltseve (, ) or Debaltsevo (), is a city in Horlivka Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, currently occupied by Russia as part of the Donetsk People's Republic. The city is situated on the eastern edge of Donetsk Oblast, and borders Luhansk Oblas ...

, where they destroyed at least three enemy tanks. At the onset of the

2022 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 ...

, the brigade dispersed in anticipation of the imminent bombardment. Following the bombardment, the unit returned to

Chernihiv Chernihiv (, ; , ) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within the oblast. Chernihiv's population is The city was designated as a Hero City of Ukraine ...

to respond to Russian vanguard forces. Russian forces attempted to take the city, but were repelled. However, they eventually bypassed the city, resulting in the siege of Chernihiv. Despite encirclement, the brigade maintained one supply route for communications and resupply. By 31 March 2022, the brigade had successfully defended the city against Russian attacks and the siege was lifted. Surviving elements of the Russian 41st CAA retreated north to

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

. The brigade recaptured surrounding Ukrainian towns and the M01 Highway connecting to Kyiv. Following rest and refit in May, elements of the brigade were deployed back to the battle of Donbas in the area of southern

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...

and Kramatorsk. For its service in Chernihiv, the southern counteroffensive, and the Donbas region, the unit was awarded the recently established honorary award of "For Courage and Bravery" by Ukrainian President

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

. Zelenskyy also stated that in six months, more than a thousand personnel of this brigade were awarded state awards. In October 2023, it was reported that elements of the brigade, including its mechanized battalion, were operating near the villages of Novokalynove and

Krasnohorivka Krasnohorivka (, ; ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is situated west of Donetsk. As of the 2001 Ukrainian census, 2001 census, it had a population of 16,714. The city has been under Donetsk People's ...

(since renamed Yasnohorivka), in the

Donetsk Oblast Donetsk Oblast, also referred to as Donechchyna (, ), is an Oblasts of Ukraine, oblast in eastern Ukraine. It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 million residents. Its capital city, administrative centre is Donetsk, though d ...

, amid a Russian offensive in the area aimed at capturing

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 ...

. In August 2024, after four years as brigade commander, Col. Leonid Khoda resigned from his position, and Lt. Col. Oleh Mohulskyi took his place. In a farewell statement to his soldiers, Khoda said that the brigade had taken part in combat operations at Lyman,

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 ...

, Maryinka, Staromaiorske and Robotyne.

Structure

As of 2024, the brigade's structure is as follows: * 1st Tank Brigade

, Honcharivske,

Chernihiv Oblast Chernihiv Oblast (), also referred to as Chernihivshchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in northern Ukraine. The capital city, administrative center of the oblast is the city of Chernihiv. There are 1,511 sett ...

** Headquarters & Headquarters Company ** 1st bat 1st tank

1st Tank Battalion ** 2nd bat 1st tank

2nd Tank Battalion ** 3rd Tank Battalion ** 4th Tank Battalion ** I 1tank mech bat

1st Mechanized Battalion ** 1st rifle 1st tank

1st Rifle Battalion ** 2nd Rifle Battalion " OUN" ** I 1tank arty

Artillery Group *** Headquarters and Target Acquisition Battery *** 1st Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (

2S1 Gvozdika The 2S1 ''Gvozdika'' (, "Dianthus caryophyllus, Carnation") is a Soviet Self-propelled artillery, self-propelled howitzer introduced in 1972 and is in service in Russia and other countries . It is based on the MT-LBu multi-purpose chassis, mount ...

) *** 2nd Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (

2S3 Akatsiya The SO-152 (Russian: СО-152), usually known by its Main Missile and Artillery Directorate, GRAU designation 2S3 (), is a Soviet Union, Soviet 152.4 mm self-propelled gun developed in 1968, as a response to the American 155 mm M109 how ...

) *** Rocket Artillery Battalion (

BM-21 Grad The BM-21 "Grad" () 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 combat use in March 1969 during the Sino-S ...

) *** Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion ** Anti-Aircraft Defense Battalion ** Reconnaissance Company ** 1tank uav

Attack Drone Company "Pegasus" *** FPV Drone Group "Tuman" *** FPV Drone Group "Bora" *** Drone Group "Predator" ** Engineer Battalion ** Logistic Battalion ** Maintenance Battalion ** Signal Company ** Radar Company ** Medical Company **

Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense (CBRN defense) or Nuclear, biological, and chemical protection (NBC protection) is a class of protective measures taken in situations where chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclea ...

Company

References

Tank brigades of Ukraine Military units and formations of Ukraine in the Russian invasion of Ukraine Military units and formations of Ukraine in the war in Donbas {{UGF-stub