18th Marine Battalion Reorganized as Anti-Tank Unit

The 18th Marine Battalion of Ukraine’s 35th Marine Brigade has been reorganized into a dedicated anti-tank unit, as announced on the battalion’s official Facebook page. Following the transformation, the unit has left the structure of the 35th Marine Brigade and is now directly subordinated to the 30th Army Corps. The newly established 18th Anti-Tank Battalion is the first specialized formation of its kind within the Ukrainian Marine Corps.

Along with the reorganization, a new commander has been appointed. Lieutenant Colonel Maxim Avamenko was replaced by Major Dmitry Veretennikov, who will now lead the battalion.

About 18th Anti-Tank Battalion

The unit traces its origins to 2014, when it was formed as the 18th Battalion of Territorial Defense. In November of that year, it was reorganized into the 18th Motorized Battalion and placed under the command of the 28th Mechanized Brigade. In 2018, the battalion was transferred to the 35th Marine Brigade, where it was restructured as the 18th Marine Battalion. By the time of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the unit had been fully mechanized and equipped with BMP infantry fighting vehicles.

Source: official Facebook page