59th Assault Brigade (Ukraine) explained

Unit Name:59th Separate Assault Brigade "Yakiv Handziuk"
Native Name:Ukrainian: 59-та окрема мотопіхотна бригада «Якова Гандзюка»<br />59 okrema motopikhotna bryhada "Yakiv Handziuk"
Dates:8 December 2014 present
Country:
Branch: Unmanned Systems Forces
Type:Assault infantry
Size:Brigade
Command Structure:Operational Command South
Garrison:Haisyn, Vinnytsia Oblast
Nickname:"Steppe Predators" ("Stepovi Khyzhakhy")
Motto:"To Victory"
Battles:
Identification Symbol Label:Former sleeve patch
Website:Official Facebook page

The 59th Separate Assault Brigade (uk|59-та окрема мотопіхотна бригада|translit=59 okrema motopikhotna bryhada) is a formation of the Unmanned Systems Forces formed in 2014 as part of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The brigade was activated on 8 December 2014 in the city of Haisyn in Vinnytsia Oblast and took command of three volunteer territorial defense battalions.

On 24 August 2015, Ukraine's Independence Day, the brigade received its flag and became fully operational. The brigade fought in the war in Donbas and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

History

On 8 December 2016, the commander of Operational Command South named the 59th Brigade the best Ukrainian motorized brigade according to a 2015 summary.[1]

On 20 January 2018, the brigade's units returned to garrison in Haisyn from the frontlines. They had been deployed in the combat zone in Donbas in the Pryazovia region since May 2017.[2]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

The main units of the 59th Brigade were deployed to a camp in the Oleshky Sands at the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Vastly outnumbered by Russian forces advancing from Crimea, most of the brigade withdrew over the Dnieper River to Mykolaiv, where it took part in the city's defense. The 9th "Vinnytsia Scythians" Battalion was sent to cover Melitopol in the early hours of the invasion, and its commander, Serhii Kotenko, was later killed in action near Zaporizhzhia on 9 March 2022.[3] [4] [5]

In the Mykolaiv Oblast, units of Ukraine's 59th Brigade were responsible for recapturing the villages of Shevchenkove,,,, and east of Mykolaiv.[6]

From mid-March 2022, units of the 59th Brigade held front line positions in the village of Posad-Pokrovske in Kherson Oblast along with Ukraine's 28th Brigade.[7] In November 2022, units of the 9th Battalion of the 59th Brigade raised the Ukrainian flag over the village of Blahodatne.[8] [9]

After the Russian withdrawal from right-bank Kherson Oblast, the brigade was moved to the Donetsk Oblast front, near the village of Pisky.[10] A combat drone unit attached to the 59th Brigade took part in the battle of Bakhmut under the command of Robert Brovdi.[11]

During summer 2023, the brigade continued to operate on the Donetsk front.[12] Units of the brigade, including the 11th Battalion, were positioned on the Pisky-Pervomaiske front outside of the city of Donetsk in June 2023.[13] By 8 September 2023, the brigade's units had cleared Russian positions and entrenched themselves in Opytne, bringing part of the settlement back under Ukrainian control.[14]

"Chosen Company", a group of volunteers from the United States, Australia, and several other countries, is attached to the 59th Brigade as an assault detachment within the brigade's reconnaissance company. The unit, which was formerly a part of the International Legion, conducted reconnaissance and assault operations during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive.[15] In 2024, a The New York Times article reported three incidents where members of Chosen Company killed Russian POWs, based on statements made by former members of the company.[16]

As of July 2024, the 59th Brigade was positioned near Krasnohorivka, Donetsk Oblast. Syrskyi ordered an inspection of the 59th Brigade in July 2024 amid losses and accusations of misconduct against its commander, Bohdan Shevchuk,[17] who had been appointed in April 2024.[18]

In November 2024, the brigade was positioned near the fortress city of Pokrovsk. It was ordered to stop a Russian penetration along the Zhovte-Novotroyitske-Shevchenko line, but failed to do it. Brigade members complained that they were stretched thin and that the orders were unrealistic.[19]

On 3 January 2025, the brigade was reorganized into an assault brigade and transferred to the Unmanned Systems Forces.[20] [21]

Structure

As of 2024, the brigade's structure is as follows:[22]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: http://gayrayrada.gov.ua/druhu-richnytsyu-vid-dnya-zasnuvannya-vidznachyla-59-okrema-motopihotna-bryhada/. uk:Другу річницю від дня заснування відзначила 59 окрема мотопіхотна бригада Гайсинська районна рада. The 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade celebrates its second anniversary Haisyn district council. gayrayrada.gov.ua. uk. 2018-01-31.
  2. News: https://vn.depo.ua/ukr/vn/gaysinska-59-ta-brigada-povertayetsya-z-peredovoyi-dodomu-foto-20180130718103. uk:Гайсинська 59-та бригада повертається з передової додому (ФОТО). Haysyn 59th Brigade returns home from the front line (PHOTOS). vn.depo.ua. 2018-01-31.
  3. Web site: Major General Andrii Sokolov was in charge of the defence of Ukraine's south. An interview covering Chonhar, Kherson and Melitopol. 2023-09-18. 2024-05-04. Sonia. Lukashova. Yevhen. Buderatskyi. Ukrainska Pravda.
  4. News: Schwirtz. Michael. Proud Band of Ukrainian Troops Holds Russian Assault at Bay – for Now. 8 March 2022. The New York Times. 6 March 2022.
  5. Web site: https://vezha.ua/zagyblomu-komandyru-vinnytskyh-skifiv-prysvoyily-zvannya-geroj-ukrayiny-ta-udostoyily-ordenom-zolota-zirka/. uk:Загиблому командиру "Вінницьких скіфів" присвоїли звання Герой України та удостоїли орденом "Золота Зірка". uk. 2024-05-09. 2022-03-21.
  6. Web site: 23-летний Герой Украины рассказал, как защищали Херсон в первые часы вторжения России. Юлія. Ткач. ru. НикВести. 2022-06-20. 2024-05-10.
  7. Web site: The Ukrainian Village That Sacrificed Itself for Kherson. Stephanie. Glinski. 2024-06-05. 2022-11-29. Foreign Policy.
  8. Web site: "Росія навчилася відступати на цій війні". Що відомо про звільнення Миколаївщини та Херсонщини. Тетяна. Войтюк. Олександра. Бойко. uk. Suspilne. 19 January 2025. 11 November 2022.
  9. Web site: 59-та бригада підняла синьо-жовтий прапор в Благодатному на Херсонщині. ВІДЕО. Новинарня. 11 November 2022. 20 January 2025. uk. Людмила. Кліщук.
  10. Web site: https://fakty.com.ua/ua/videos/istoriya-geroya-tankista-yakyj-brav-uchast-u-proryvi-na-hersonshhyni/. 2023-09-06. uk:Історія героя-танкіста, який брав участь у прориві на Херсонщині. uk. Тетяна. Наконечна. 2024-05-09.
  11. News: Gall. Carlotta. Berehulak. Daniel. 2023-03-06. Ukrainian Soldiers, Nearly Encircled, Push Russians Back. en-US. The New York Times. 2023-03-07. 0362-4331.
  12. Web site: https://www.president.gov.ua/news/zavdannya-maksimalne-nablizhennya-momentu-koli-f-16-dopomozh-85193. uk:Завдання – максимальне наближення моменту, коли F-16 допоможуть нам тримати якнайдалі російських терористів – звернення Президента України. 25 August 2023. President of Ukraine. uk.
  13. Web site: https://novynarnia.com/2023/06/28/59ombr-video/. uk:"Таке чувство, як "ні шагу назад" у них": як артилерія 59-ї бригади ЗСУ навалює по росіянах під Пісками й Донецьком. ВІДЕО. 2023-06-28. 2024-05-03. uk. Новинарня.
  14. Web site: https://focus.ua/voennye-novosti/591226-vsu-prodvinulis-vozle-opytnogo-i-priblizilis-k-doneckomu-aeroportu-deepstatemap-karty. uk:ВСУ продвинулись возле Опытного и приблизились к Донецкому аэропорту. 8 September 2023. President of Ukraine. uk.
  15. News: 2023-11-19. Australian man fighting with Ukraine killed in Russian artillery strike. 2024-03-15. ABC News. Australia. en-AU.
  16. News: Gibbons-Neff. Thomas. 2024-07-06. In Ukraine, Killings of Surrendering Russians Divide an American-Led Unit. 2024-07-08. The New York Times. en-US. 0362-4331. deviated. https://web.archive.org/web/20240708004055/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/06/world/europe/ukraine-russia-killings-us.html. 2024-07-08.
  17. Web site: Syrskyi orders inspection of 59th Motorized Brigade after recent losses. The Kyiv Independent. 24 August 2024. 15 July 2024. Martin. Fornusek.
  18. Web site: Inspection of Ukraine's 59th Brigade finds management issues, but no criminal charges laid. 26 July 2024. 24 August 2024. The Kyiv Independent.
  19. Web site: 2024-12-15 . Battle for Pokrovsk: What’s at stake as Russian forces move within 3 km of strategic Donbas city . 2025-01-06 . hromadske . en.
  20. https://mil.in.ua/uk/news/59-tu-brygadu-reorganizuvaly-u-shturmovu-brygadu-bezpilotnyh-system/ 59-ту бригаду реорганізували у штурмову бригаду безпілотних систем
  21. Web site: 2025-01-25 . The Ukrainian 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade (59th Infantry Brigade) was reorganized into the 59th separate Assault Brigade (59th Infantry Brigade) and transferred from the Ground Forces of Ukraine, suddenly, to... - Pravda Ukraine . 2025-01-26 . ukraine.news-pravda.com . en.
  22. Web site: 59th Motorized Brigade. 2023-08-25.
  23. News: 8 December 2023. uk:ЗСУ знаходять місця ночівлі окупантів і знищують їх гранатами (Відео). https://mil.co.ua/zsu-znahodyat-misczya-nochivli-okupantiv-i-znyshhuyut-yih-granatamy-video/. 15 March 2024. Military Courier. uk.
  24. News: 7 July 2024. uk:Як навчають і тренують «Нічні самураї» 59 ОМПБр.. https://armyinform.com.ua/2024/06/08/yak-navchayut-i-trenuyut-nichni-samurayi-59-ompbr-fotoreportazh-armiyainform/. 7 July 2024. armiyainform. uk.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "59th Assault Brigade (Ukraine)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.