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Ukrainian Air Assault Forces
Десантно-штурмові війська України
Emblem of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces
Founded 1992; 32 years ago
Country Ukraine
Type Rapid reaction force
Role Airborne forces
Air assault infantry
Peacekeeping
Size 35,000 (2024)[1]
Part of Armed Forces of Ukraine
Headquarters Zhytomyr
Patron Saint Michael[2]
Motto(s) Завжди перші!
(Always first!)
Color of beret Maroon
Anniversaries Air Assault Forces Day
(21 November)[3]
Engagements
Kosovo Force (KFOR)
Iraq War
Russo-Ukraine War
Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation
War in Donbas[4]
Russian invasion of Ukraine
Commanders
Current
commander Brigadier General Ihor Skybiuk[5]
Insignia
Flag
Garrison color
Shoulder sleeve insignia
Beret insignia
The Ukrainian Air Assault Forces (Ukrainian: Десантно-штурмові війська України,
romanized: Desantno-shturmovi viiska Ukrainy, pronounced [deˌsɑntno ʃtʊrmoˈvʲi ʋʲii̯
ˈsʲka ʊkrɐˈjine], abbreviated as DShV[a] or AAFU), known until 2017 as the
Ukrainian Airmobile Forces[b][6] are the airborne forces of Ukraine. After the
Dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, several Ukraine-based units from the
Soviet Airborne Forces were absorbed into the newly created Ukrainian Ground
Forces, where they remained until 2016, when they separated to become one of five
branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Air Assault Forces are in constant
combat readiness. They are the high-mobility branch of the military, responsible
for air assaults and military parachuting operations. Before the Russo-Ukrainian
War they were also the main forces sent by Ukraine to peacekeeping missions around
the world.[7] They are considered the elite of Ukraine's armed forces.[8]
History
A VDV soldier in 2011
The Ukrainian Airmobile Forces were created in 1992 as part of the Ukrainian Ground
Forces, from units of the Soviet Airborne Forces (VDV) stationed on Ukrainian
territory after the dissolution of the Soviet Union on 25 December 1991.[9] Part of
the Soviet 98th Guards Airborne Division became the basis for the Ukrainian 1st
Airmobile Division, which became known as the most capable division in the
Ukrainian ground forces during the 1990s.[10]
In the 15 years after their creation, Ukrainian paratroopers have served in
peacekeeping missions to the Balkans, in Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sierra Leone,
Liberia, Ethiopia, Georgia and DR Congo. In 2007, the 13th Separate Airmobile
Battalion served as part of Polish–Ukrainian Peace Force Battalion, a peacekeeping
unit with Kosovo Force.[7]
War in Donbas and beyond
In August 2014 the 95th Air Assault Brigade conducted a raid behind the separatist
lines. The 95th Brigade, which had been reinforced with armor assets and
attachments, launched a surprise attack on separatist lines, broke through into
their rear areas, fought for 450 kilometers, and destroyed or captured numerous
Russian tanks and artillery pieces before returning to Ukrainian lines and
established a corridor in which the Ukrainian army units and civilians trapped at
the border could retreat. It was one of the longest armored raids in military
history.[11]
In 2016, the Ukrainian Airmobile Forces became an independent branch of the Armed
Forces. Previously, they were part of Ground Forces.[12]
On 21 November 2017 (Ukraine's Paratroopers' Day) President Petro Poroshenko stated
that 469 Ukrainian paratroopers had been killed in the (ongoing) Russo-Ukrainian
War.[13] On 21 November 2018 he adjusted this to 487 killed.[14]
Air Assault soldiers in 2018.
2017 reforms
Air Assault Forces Day was celebrated on 2 August in Ukraine, as it was in the
Soviet Union, until 2017, when it changed to 21 November 2017.[15][3] President
Poroshenko said "It is logical to celebrate your professional holiday on November
21. The usual August 2 is the date of the first jump of paratroopers in the Moscow
Military District. How is it about us? Moscow is not Kyiv. Ukraine is not
Russia."[16] He added that "The start of the new Paratroop Day is part of the
Ukrainianization of the historical and political calendar – the replacement of the
Soviet-Russian imposed upon us."[17]
On 21 November 2017 the Air Assault Forces received its new insignia – the dome of
a parachute "as a symbol of airborne units around the world" and the wings of
Archangel Michael and "the flaming sword with which he hits the enemies".[13] The
color of the Ukrainian paratroopers was changed to maroon,[13] and from 2017 the
UkrAAF wear the maroon berets common to many Western airborne units.
On 23 May 2018, President Poroshenko signed legislation that renamed the Airmobile
Forces as the Air Assault Forces.[18]
Russian invasion
Main article: Russian invasion of Ukraine
Beginning Thursday, 24 February 2022, the day Russia launched its full-scale
invasion of Ukraine,[19] the UkrAAF have been participants of some of the land
combat actions of the current conflict, fighting alongside their brethen from the
Ground Forces, Territorial Defense and the National Guard.
As of February 20, 2024, the air assault forces suffered a total of 3,104 soldiers
killed in action, according to publicly available information.[20]
Organization
In 2014, the staffing of an airmobile brigade was brought up to 1,200 servicemen.
Each brigade was given at least one artillery battalion from the 25th and 55th
artillery brigades and a tank battalion. Currently, the total staffing of the
brigades ranges from 1,000 to 2,200 personnel, depending on the deployment. Most of
the brigades operate in 1-2 battalion tactical groups, in each of which, in
addition to infantry battalions, there are up to two field artillery battalions and
at least one tank company equipped with BTRs and BMP IFVs.
Organization 2001
In 2001 the Airmobile Force consisted of:[21]
Unit Base # Location Status
Headquarters 1st Airmobile Division А0220 Bolhrad inactive since 2003
25th Airborne Brigade А1126 Hvardiiske (Dnipropetrovsk Oblast)
45th Airmobile Brigade А1533 Bolhrad
27th Mechanized Brigade А0664 Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi
91st Artillery Regiment А0242 Veselyi Kut
95th Airmobile Brigade А0281 Zhytomyr
79th Airmobile Regiment А0224 Mykolaiv
80th Airmobile Regiment А0284 Lviv
1st Airmobile Division
Separate Brigade
Separate Regiments
Ukrainian Air Assault Forces organization 2017
Current Structure
Ukrainian Air Assault Forces is located in Ukraine77 Airmobile77 Airmobile25
Airborne25 Airborne46 Airmobile46 Airmobile71 Jaeger71 Jaeger79 Air Assault79 Air
Assault80 Air Assault80 Air Assault81 Airmobile81 Airmobile82 Air Assault82 Air
Assault95 Air Assault95 Air Assault
Air Assault Forces brigades 2023
Airborne Air Assault Airmobile Jaeger
Composition of Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine[22]
Air Assault Forces General Command A3771 Zhytomyr, Zhytomyr Oblast
Commander Maj. Gen. Maxim Myrhorodskyi
135th Headquarters Battalion[23] A3771 Zhytomyr, Zhytomyr Oblast
Commander Lt. Col. Vadym Kinzerskyi
VII Air Assault Corps
87th Headquarters Battalion[24]
25th Airborne Brigade A1126 Hvardiiske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Commander
Colonel Yuriy Sodol
46th Airmobile Brigade A4350 Poltava, Poltava Oblast Commander Col. Valeriy
Skred
71st Jaeger Brigade A4030 Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast
77th Airmobile Brigade A4355 Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
78th Assault Regiment "Herts" A7788 Commander Col. Vyacheslav
Ponamarenko
79th Air Assault Brigade
1st Separate Air Assault Company "Belarus"
3rd Separate Assault Battalion "Phoenix"
A0224
n/a
n/a
Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv Oblast
n/a
n/a
Commander Col. Oleksandr Lutsenko
Commander "Phoenix"
Commander Maj. Roman Kasyanchuk
80th Air Assault Brigade A0284 Lviv, Lviv Oblast Commander Col. Emil
Ishkulov
81st Airmobile Brigade
5th Battalion Tactical Group
90th Separate Airmobile Battalion
122nd Separate Airmobile Battalion
A2120
A1493
A0641
A4165
Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast
Terentiivka, Poltava Oblast
Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast
Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast
Col. Oleksandr Lykhman
Commander Lt. Col Oleg Chuyko
Commander Maj. Vladyslav Tsiba
Commander Maj. Oleksandr Lunyov
82nd Air Assault Brigade A2582 Chernivtsi, Chernivtsi Oblast Commander
Lt. Col. Pavlo Rozlach
95th Air Assault Brigade
13th Airmobile Battalion
A0281
A1910
Zhytomyr, Zhytomyr Oblast
Zhytomyr, Zhytomyr Oblast
Commander Col. Oleg Apostol
Commander Maj. Oleksandr Porhun
132nd Reconnaissance Battalion А2298 Ozerne, Zhytomyr Oblast Commander
Maj. Yuriy Hupalyuk
148th Separate Artillery Brigade A3316 Zhytomyr, Zhytomyr Oblast
Commander Col. Maksym Lanovy
421st Separate Battalion of Unmanned Systems (421 ОББпС) in formation
Educational parts[22]
199th Training and Education Center
37th Combined Military Training Ground
Airborne Training School (as part of 37th)
A2900
A0339
Zhytomyr, Zhytomyr Oblast
Perlyavka, Zhytomyr Oblast
Support Units[22]
Commander's Office of Amphibious Support[25]
33rd Engineering Battalion A4733
71st Center for Moral and Psychological Support Commander Lt. Col.
Serhii Shevchuk
102nd Separate Storage Warehouse for Airborne Equipment А3749 Zhytomyr,
Zhytomyr Oblast
124th Topographic Unit[22] A1977 Zhytomyr, Zhytomyr Oblast
170th Separate Logistic Battalion A4633 Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr Oblast
232nd Unified Support Base A0310 Vinnytsia, Vinnytsia Oblast
25th Garrison of Airborne Assault Troops Officers
12th Center for the Protection of State Secrets A4223
347th Information and Telecommunications Node[22] A0876 Zhytomyr, Zhytomyr
Oblast
Commanders
The flag of Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief of the Air Assault Forces
Name Rank Period of command
Vitaly Raevsky Major general 1992–1998
Ivan Yakubets [uk] Colonel 1998–2005
Serhiy Lysovyi [uk] Colonel 2005–2012
Oleksandr Shvets Colonel 2012–2015
Mykhailo Zabrodskyi Lieutenant general March 2015[26][27] – August
2019[28]
Yevhen Moisiuk Major general August 2019[28] – 9 August 2021
Maksym Myrhorodskyy [uk] Major general 9 August 2021[29] – 11 February
2024
Ihor Skybiuk Brigadier general 11 February 2024[5] – present
Armament
A BTR-4
A AT-105 Saxon
A T-80BV of the 95th Air Assault Brigade
A Ukrainian soldier with a KrAZ Spartan prepares to engage the opposition force
during an air assault at Exercise Rapid Trident 16, July 2016
Personal firearms
PM, semi-automatic pistol (9×18mm)
Fort-14 [ru; uk]
AKS-74,[30] para assault rifle (AK-74 with folding skeleton buttstock) (5.45×39mm)
AKS-74U, short-barreled para assault rifle carbine with folding skeleton
buttstock(5.45×39mm)
AKMS, para assault rifle with a downward-folding metal stock similar to that of the
German MP40 (7.62×39mm)
AK-TK [ru] – AK-74 modernization
Fort-221 – TAR-21 licensed copy
RPKS-74, the light weight para machinegun (5.45×39mm)
PKM, general purpose machine gun (7.62×54mmR)
Dragunov SVDS sniper rifle (7.62×54mmR)
GP-25 and GP-30, the under-barrel 40 mm grenade launchers for fragmentation and gas
grenades which are attached to AKS-74 of some paratroopers to increase firepower
for combating enemy foot troops
AGS-17 "Plamya" (Flame),[31] automatic grenade launcher – may be replaced in the
future by a much lighter UAG-40.[32]
Armored vehicles
T-80 - principal main battle tank
Challenger 2 main battle tank
BMD-1
BMD-2
BMD-3
BTR-MDM
BTR-D
BTR-80
BTR-70
BTR-3
BTR-4
Stryker
MT-LB
GT-MU
KrAZ "Spartan"
HMMWV M1114 UAH
AT105 Saxon
Dozor-B
Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé
Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle
Artillery
M777 howitzer
2S9 "Nona-S" configuration of 2S9 Nona, 120 mm self-propelled mortar[33]
2S23 Nona-SVK
2S1 Gvozdika
2S3 Akatsiya
BM-21 Grad
ZU-23-2,[33] an aged but effective and powerful design of a double barrel 23 mm
anti-aircraft gun, commonly used against infantry and even APCs and IFVs, it is
either mounted on any amphibious hulls, usually based on PT-76 light tank, or can
be towed by jeep or truck as it has wheels.
Vehicles
KrAZ-6322
GAZ-66
Joint Light Tactical Vehicle
Gallery
A KRAZ Spartan
A KRAZ Spartan
A MTLB
A MTLB
Soldiers prepare for movement during Saber Junction-2018.
Soldiers prepare for movement during Saber Junction-2018.
Soldiers during Saber Junction-2018
Soldiers during Saber Junction-2018
VDV troops in a military parade in 2014, when they still wore sky-blue berets and
telnyashka shirts like their Russian counterparts
VDV troops in a military parade in 2014, when they still wore sky-blue berets and
telnyashka shirts like their Russian counterparts
Flag of the Airmobile forces until 2017
Flag of the Airmobile forces until 2017
Shoulder sleeve insignia until 2017
Shoulder sleeve insignia until 2017
Former emblem
Former emblem
See also
Special forces of Ukraine
Russian Airborne Forces
Notes
Ukrainian: ДШВ
Ukrainian: Високомобільні десантні війська України, romanized: Vysokomobilni
desantni viiska Ukrainy, lit. 'High-mobility airborne forces of Ukraine',
abbreviated as VDV (Ukrainian: ВДВ)
References
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(in Ukrainian) Since the beginning of the conflict in the Donbas killed 415
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"Zelensky appoints 4 new high-level military commanders". The Kyiv Independent. 11
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"№ 477-р від 3 грудня 2001 року "Про шефство Дніпропетров". Archived from the
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S stands for skladnoy (Russian: складной), means folding. Issued only for
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