The Legendary 1st Tank Brigade Undergoes Reform

The famous 1st Tank Brigade, which fought at Luhansk Airport in 2014, Donetsk Airport in 2014 and 2015, and more recently led the successful defense of Chernihiv during the Russian full-scale invasion in 2022, is no longer a tank brigade.

The unit follows the trend of other tank brigades and has been reformed into the 1st Heavy Mechanized Brigade. The first to undergo this reform was the 17th Tank Brigade, followed by the 5th Tank Brigade. This change for the 1st Brigade was revealed by the brigade’s Pegas assault drone company. As part of the reform, the formation loses one tank battalion and gains an additional mechanized battalion. Its new composition will include two tank battalions, two mechanized battalions, and two rifle battalions.

Currently, the Ground Forces have only two remaining tank brigades – the 3rd and 4th Tank Brigades – both of which were reactivated after the Russian full-scale invasion. There are plans to reform these remaining tank brigades into heavy mechanized units as well, although this has yet to be officially announced.

The ongoing transformation of tank brigades into heavy mechanized brigades is a logical step. Tank brigades have never fought as full brigade-level formations; instead, their linear tank battalions were deployed where needed. Additionally, there is a shortage of tanks to fully equip a tank brigade, which requires up to 160 tanks. As a result, higher command has decided to prioritize the delivery of tanks to mechanized brigades, leaving tank brigades with whatever can be salvaged.