History of Coastal Defense Forces in Ukraine

Coastal defense troops were a branch of the Naval Forces tasked with protecting naval bases, ports, and key sections of the coastline from enemy ships and amphibious landings. A separate Coastal Defense Command was established in 2003 on the basis of the 32nd Army Corps but was disbanded a year later as part of broader force reductions.

At the time of its creation, the command included the 36th Coastal Defense Brigade as well as the 25th and 85th Coastal Defense Divisions. Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, a significant number of personnel defected. The remnants of the 1st and 501st Marine Battalions, previously subordinated to the 36th Brigade, formed the foundation of the 36th Marine Brigade in July 2015 under the leadership of Dmytro Delyatsky, now commander of the 30th Marine Corps.

Coastal defense capabilities re-emerged in 2021, when the 360th Coastal Missile Brigade received the first operational systems of the Neptune anti-ship missile complex. The unit gained prominence following the successful strike on the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, which was sunk on April 14, 2022.

In October 2024, the 150th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces was transferred to the 30th Marine Corps and reorganized into the 40th Coastal Defense Brigade. Shortly thereafter, the 124th and 126th Territorial Defense Brigades were also transferred and redesignated as the 34th and 39th Coastal Defense Brigades, respectively. This marked the return of coastal defense units into Armed Forces of Ukraine after 10 years.

Although these three brigades operated under the 30th Marine Corps, they were not designated as marine formations. As coastal defense units, their primary role remained defensive operations.

On March 1, 2026, all three brigades were officially redesignated as Marine Brigades, leaving the 360th Coastal Missile Brigade as the only remaining formation in the Armed Forces bearing the “coastal” designation.