81st Airmobile Brigade
81-ша окрема аеромобільна бригада
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
ActiveOctober 7, 2014 – present
Country Ukraine
Branch Ukrainian Air Assault Forces
RoleAir assault forces
Garrison/HQKramatorsk, Donetsk oblast
Motto(s)Born to win
EngagementsWar in Donbas
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Decorations
For Courage and Bravery
Websitehttps://www.facebook.com/81oaembr
Commanders
Current
commander		Col. Oleksandr Lykhman

The 81st Separate Slobozhanska Airmobile Brigade (Ukrainian: 81-ша окрема аеромобільна Слобожанська бригада; 81 ОАеМБр)[1] is a brigade of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces. The brigade fought in the war in Donbas and in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[2][3]

History

The 81st Airmobile Brigade was established in fall 2014 from elements of the 25th Airborne Brigade.[4] The brigade includes the 90th and 122nd Separate Airborne Battalions. In May 2015, the volunteer OUN Battalion became part of the brigade.[5] The brigade fought in the Battle of Donetsk Airport. On 9 June 2015, brigade Lieutenant Ivan Zubkov was awarded the title Hero of Ukraine posthumously for calling in artillery fire on himself during the battle at Donetsk Airport. The brigade's 90th Battalion was named for Zubkov on 30 December of that year.[6]

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported that the brigade was attacked by Russian missile troops during the night of the 24/25 April 2022.[7]

By September 10, the brigade was involved in the Battles of Lyman as part of the larger eastern counteroffensive. After fighting for Bohorodychne for more than three months, the brigade raised the Ukrainian flag over the village on September 11, 2022.[8] On September 24, Russian military bloggers reported that the brigade liberated half of Novoselivka, just 10 km north of Lyman. Four days later on the 28th, the town was fully recaptured alongside members of the National Guard of Ukraine. Following the town's capture, the brigade turned south and east towards Lyman.[9] On October 1, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced the withdrawal from Lyman.[3]

Structure

As of 2022 the brigade's structure is as follows:

  • 81st Airmobile Brigade, Kramatorsk
    • Headquarters & Headquarters Company
    • 90th Airmobile Battalion (Created in September 2014 on the basis of 95th AirAssault Brigade and was made up exclusively of volunteers).[2]
    • 122nd Airmobile Battalion (Formed in the fall of 2014 on the basis of 3rd battalion of 80th AirAssault Brigade).[2]
    • 5th Battalion Tactical Group
    • Tank Company
    • Reconnaissance Company
    • Artillery Group (Brigade artillery group equipped with 2S1 self-propelled artillery vehicles).[2]
    • Anti-Aircraft Company
    • Support units (This includes all rear elements such as engineers, communication, medics, and material support unit).[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the ceremony dedicated to the Day of the Air Assault Forces". www.president.gov.ua. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "81 окрема аеромобільна бригада". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  3. 1 2 "Russian forces pull out of Lyman, a key city in Ukraine's Donetsk region". MSN. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  4. ↑ "81-я бригада получила первую часть инструментов и стройматериалов от "ДоброДія"". 248.dp.ua. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  5. ↑ "Бійці батальйону "ОУН" стали розвідниками у складі ЗСУ". ТСН.ua. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  6. ↑ "President confers name of Hero of Ukraine Ivan Zubkov to 90th battalion, 81st airborne brigade". Міністерство оборони України. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  7. ↑ "Briefing by Russian Defence Ministry". Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  8. ↑ "Залишилися руїни: Як виглядає Богородичне через рік після звільнення" (in Ukrainian). novosti.dn.ua. 14 September 2023.
  9. ↑ Aditi Sangal; Adrienne Vogt; Tara Subramaniam; Sana Noor Haq; Hannah Strange; Mike Hayes (2022-09-28). "September 28, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news". CNN. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
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