The 42nd Separate Mechanized Brigade () is a

mechanized infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with Armoured personnel carrier, armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also armoured corps). As defined by the United States Army, me ...

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 ...

History

The brigade was formed on January 25, 2023, as part of the expansion of the

Ukrainian Army 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 ...

in anticipation 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 ...

, primarily from personnel mobilized in western Ukraine and officers from the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade. The command was entrusted to Lieutenant Colonel Volodymyr Bolechan, former commander of the 109th Battalion of the 10th Brigade. However, these were only equipped to one battalion, and the other two received the BMP-1LB, vehicles based on the

MT-LB The MT-LB (, literally "multi-purpose towing vehicle light armored") is a Soviet Union, Soviet multi-purpose, fully amphibious vehicle, amphibious, tracked Armoured fighting vehicle, armored fighting vehicle in use since the 1970s. It was also ...

hull and equipped with a modern stabilized turret. In September 2023 the brigade was deployed to the front for the first time, being sent together with the 44th Mechanized Brigade to the

Kupiansk Raion Kupiansk Raion () is a raion (district) in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. The administrative center of the raion is the city of Kupiansk. Population: On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of raions of Kharkiv Ob ...

to reinforce the Ukrainian defenses in the north. Starting from October it was deployed in the Andriivka area near

Bakhmut Bakhmut is a city in eastern Ukraine. It is officially the administrative center of Bakhmut urban hromada and Bakhmut Raion in Donetsk Oblast. The city is located on the Bakhmutka River, about north of Donetsk, the administrative center ...

. In the first months of 2024 they were part of the Ukrainian defense against the Russian winter offensive in the direction of

Chasiv Yar Chasiv Yar (, ) is a city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is located west of Bakhmut and is the center of Chasiv Yar urban hromada. In January 2022, it had a population of 12,250, though RBC News claimed the population in May 20 ...

2024 Kharkiv offensive On 10 May 2024, the Russian Armed Forces began an offensive operation in Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast, shelling and attempting to breach the defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the direction of Vovchansk and Kharkiv. ''The Guardian'' reported ...

The brigade was transferred to the

Kharkiv region Kharkiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in eastern Ukraine. Kharkiv borders Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the southeast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the southwest, Poltava Oblast to the wes ...

, on 9 May, providing support to the 125th Territorial Defense Brigade in repelling a Russian attacks near the village of Pylna reportedly its "Perun" drone unit destroyed 4 Russian BMPs along with personnel near Pylna, Hlyboke and Lukiantsi. Forced to give up ground in the following days, with the arrival of elements of the

92nd Assault Brigade The 92nd Assault Brigade "Ivan Sirko" (), abbreviated 92 OShBr (), is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. Its honorific name is after Cossack military leader Ivan Sirko. The unit was formed in 1999 as the 6th Mechanized Division based on ...

it managed to stop the advancement of the 18th Motor Rifle Division by taking positions in the village of

Lyptsi Lyptsi (; ) is a village in the Kharkiv Raion, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. Situated at the point where the Lypets River flows into the Kharkiv River, Lyptsi is close to the border with Russia. It hosts the administration of Lyptsi rural hromada, ...

. The drone operators of the unit fly 20 kilometers deep into

Belgorod Oblast Belgorod Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Belgorod. , the population is 1,540,486. History During the Princely ...

to destroy enemy targets. A soldier from the brigade who goes by the callsign "Chirva", told

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

that many scouts in the brigade had only been given 14 days of training before being sent into combat. As of December 2024, the brigade was still fighting in the Kharkiv Oblast.

Structure

As of 2024 the brigade's structure is as follows: * 42nd Mechanized Brigade, ** Headquarters & Headquarters Company ** 1st Mechanized Battalion ** 2nd Mechanized Battalion ** 422riflebat

422nd Separate Rifle Battalion (A4850) ** 424riflebat

424th Rifle Battalion (А4856) ** Tank Battalion (

T-64 The T-64 is a Soviet tank manufactured in Kharkiv, and designed by Alexander Morozov. The tank was introduced in the early 1960s. It was a more advanced counterpart to the T-62: the T-64 served in tank divisions, while the T-62 supported i ...

) ** Artillery Group "Gods of War" (“Боги війни) *** Rocket Artillery Battery. (

BM-21 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-So ...

) Commander Captn. Mykola Kozachenko *** Self-propelled Artillery Battery. Commander "Nazar". ** Anti-Aircraft Defense Battalion ** Reconnaissance Company ** Perun Company

Unmanned Systems Battalion "

Perun In Slavic paganism, Slavic mythology, Perun () is the highest god of the Pantheon (religion), pantheon and the god of sky, thunder, lightning, storms, rain, law, war, fertility and oak trees. His other attributes were fire, mountains, wind, ir ...

" ** Engineer Battalion ** Logistic Battalion ** Signal Company ** Maintenance Battalion ** Radar Company ** 42nd Brigade Medical 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

Insignia History

File:42nd mech.png, Original unit patch File:42nd Separate Mechanized Brigade.png, Old unit patch File:42nd Mechanized Brigade New Patch.png, Officially approved variant, 2023

References

{{Authority control Military units and formations of Ukraine in the Russian invasion of Ukraine Military units and formations established in 2023 Mechanized brigades of Ukraine