National Guard Forms Two Artillery Brigades

As part of the final steps towards transitioning to a Corps-Brigade structure across the Ukrainian Defense Forces, the Ukrainian National Guard is forming two new artillery brigades, each assigned to one of the combat corps established within the branch last spring.

Since the beginning of the branch-wide reform, the newly established 1st Azov Corps and 2nd Khartia Corps lacked dedicated corps-level artillery brigades. By contrast, other branches of the Ukrainian Armed Forces either already possessed such formations or began creating new artillery units to support the restructuring.

The beginning of this process was first hinted at in October 2025, when the commander of the Ukrainian National Guard, Brigadier General Oleksandr Pivnenko, stated in an interview that new artillery formations would be formed within the branch, one for each corps, leading to the conclusion that two brigades would eventually be formed, distinct from the Separate Artillery Brigade which exists within the branch.

Newly Formed Units

In February 2026, concrete evidence emerged confirming that both brigades had begun forming and had already been assigned their designations as the 7th and 8th Artillery Brigades. However, publicly available information on the two formations remains limited.

The first unit, the 7th Artillery Brigade, was confirmed to be subordinated to the 2nd Khartia Corps. It is currently recruiting through various employment platforms, indicating that it remains in the process of formation.

The second formation, the 8th Artillery Brigade “Harmash”, is known to be subordinated to the 1st Azov Corps. Its existence was confirmed through the corps’ official website, listed as part of its organizational framework.

The newly formed Harmash Brigade has already received its own insignia, following the iconography of the corps. It has been redrawn exclusively for MilitaryLand in high-definition quality.

The insignia is a pointed chevron, in theme with the symbolism throughout the corps, and its core formation, the Azov Brigade. Its central imagery depicts a lightning bolt transitioning into a star at the bottom, symbolising its quick strike capabilities, in black and yellow colors. Its peak contains the nickname of the unit in cyrilic writing.

Both corps will consolidate newly acquired and existing assets from subordinate brigades to speed up the formation of these units, providing them with the necessary capabilities to operate effectively within their designated sectors.

Efforts to begin forming these new artillery brigades were visibly seen in October 2025, with MilitaryLand reporting the expansion of the Kontakt-12 Artillery Reconnaissance Unit, as part of the Artillery Group of the Azov Brigade. Kontakt-12 could potentially be integrated into the newly formed 8th Artillery Brigade, providing it with an experienced artillery reconnaissance and target acquisition component at the corps level.

The nickname of the 8th Artillery Brigade, being “Harmash”, is a reference to the name given to Cossack gunners, as well as gunsmiths, in the Zaporozhian Sich, a historical state consisting of Zaporozhian Cossacks that existed between the 16th and 18th centuries.

It is likely that the other artillery unit in the branch, the Separate Artillery Brigade, the first unit of its kind inside the National Guard, will remain independent of both corps. It will presumably operate independently and provide support where required, similar to the 19th Missile Brigade or 43rd Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, which remains outside any Army Corps structure due to its distinct role.