| Unit Name: | 2nd Motorized Infantry Brigade "Stefan Cel Mare" |
| Dates: | 16 October 1992-present |
| Branch: | Moldovan Ground Forces |
| Type: | Motorized Infantry |
| Nickname: | The Stefan Cel Mare Brigade |
| Garrison: | Chișinău |
| Notable Commanders: | Mihail Buclis Oleg Chulkov |
| Identification Symbol Label: | Shoulder Patch |
| Native Name: | Brigada 2 Infanterie Motorizată „Stefan Cel Mare” |
| Battles: | Transnistria War |
| Battle Honours: | State Order "Faith of the Homeland" 1st class (2017)[1] |
The 2nd Motorized Infantry Brigade "Stefan Cel Mare" is a motorized infantry unit of the Moldovan National Army's Ground Forces based in the Moldovan capital of Chișinău.
It was created on October 16, 1992, on the basis of former Soviet units of the Kishinev Garrison.[2] [3] Prior to its official creation, it underwent a 2-month training period, in which the units that now make up the brigade prepared for frontline service in the Transnistria War. In June 2019, it was revealed that several soldiers from the brigade were beaten, which caused the prosecutor's office to open a criminal case.[4]
Like all the other motorized infantry brigades in the ground forces, the brigade maintains a military band which serves on special occasions.
In September 2015, on the instructions of Defense Minister Anatol Șalaru and with his personal participation, the T-34 tank mounted on the territory of the brigade in Chișinău was removed from the pedestal. According to Salaru, the tank will be exhibited in the Museum of the Soviet Occupation, along with five more monumental tanks planned for dismantling.[5] He explained his reasoning for removing the tank as needing "to educate a new generation on other values" than what the tank represents.[6] [7]