79th Air Assault Brigade

79th Air Assault Brigade is a unit of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces.

The brigade was initially part of the Soviet Army, known as the 40th Air Assault Brigade. Following the establishment of an independent Ukraine, it was integrated into the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1992. In September 1993, the brigade was reformed as the 40th Airmobile Brigade.

In 1999, the brigade would undergo a significant reformation, being downsized to the scale of a regiment and redesignated as the 79th Airmobile Regiment.

In July 2007, the unit was reformed once again to the size of a brigade, combining the regiment and the 11th Army Aviation Regiment, temporarily, together to strengthen the unit to the scale of a brigade.

In February 2014, through an order to the acting Minister of Defense, the 25th Airborne and 79th Airmobile Brigades were sent to the Ukrainian Capital, Kyiv, in full combat gear to disperse protestors at the Maidan remonstration. Activists in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast blocked a railway track and stopped a train carrying soldiers of the 25th Airborne Brigade.

It participated in hostilities during the war in Donbas, participating in many significant battles. The brigade helped to liberate Sloviansk, Krasny Liman, and fought against self-proclaimed separatists at Savur-Mohyla, as well as Mariupol and Debaltseve. Later, they defended Avdiivka and Maryinka.

One of the toughest battles of the brigade was the defense of Donetsk Airport, for which they were nicknamed “cyborgs” by enemy forces. They were visited by foreign journalist Serhey Loiko, who stayed with the defenders for four days. The photo of the paratroopers taken by him was seen globally, and he later wrote the book “Airport”, which detailed the heroic defense by servicemen of the brigade.

In 2016, the brigade received a greater number of pieces of equipment, including a Tank Company of T-80s. Subsequently, the brigade was reformed as the 79th Air Assault Brigade.

From the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the unit held defensive lines so that Russian Forces could not pass. It defended the city of Severodonetsk, Mykolaiv, Lyman, Sloviansk, Bohorodychne, Lysychansk, Krasnohorivka, and Novomykhailivka. It has been claimed to destroy several complete Russian mechanized and tank brigades throughout its combat path.

In June 2022, the brigade was awarded “For Courage and Bravery” by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Later, on November 20, 2023, on the eve of the Day of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, the brigade received the honorary title “Tavria” as a recognition of combat merits and exemplary performance on the battlefield.

Insignia

The insignia features the sword and wings of Archangel Michael, the patron saint of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, at the center of its chevron. The border of the chevron contains a silver contrast, with a deep red maroon as the canvas of the chevron, the colors of the forces.