153rd Mechanized Brigade

153rd Mechanized Brigade is a unit of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.

The brigade was formed in late August of 2023 as the 153rd Mechanized Brigade, and during the autumn of that year, as part of an expansion of the Ukrainian Ground Forces to increase manpower. The core of the brigade was built up around Nazariy Kishak’s machine gun unit from the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, a highly well-spoken and experienced unit that is battle-hardened.

According to popular Ukrainian blogger Yuri Butusov, the brigade was trained in Germany.

In April 2024, due to a lack of vehicles for mechanized units, the brigade was reformed as the 153rd Infantry Brigade, a trend which was continued with another expansion of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in the spring of that year. Several months later, in June 2024, with foreign aid slightly surplusing the military with more vehicles, the brigade was once again reformed into a mechanized brigade and received a new, although unofficial, insignia.

In January 2025, Butusov reported on some of the issues that the brigade faced. The brigade struggled with a lack of experienced commanders, inadequate training time, and frequent personnel reassignments, which led to poor organizational cohesion. Insufficient equipment, such as drones and power supplies, hampered the brigade’s combat readiness. Allegedly, there was a plan for the brigade to be deployed as part of the 3rd Assault Brigade for it to gain experience; however, at the last moment, it was decided that this would not occur. Many of the brigade’s issues were also further highlighted by the commander of the 1st Assault Regiment “Da Vinci”, callsign “Perun”.

The brigade saw its first major deployment in the Kharkiv direction following the Russian invasion of the Oblast in early May 2024, targeting Russian vehicles and infantry with drones. Parts of the brigade were deployed to the Pokrovsk direction in December 2024 and in the vicinity of Novojelyzavetivka in January 2025. Since then, the unit has been in recovery in the Kherson area.

Insignia

The insignia features a chevron with a blue border and a green background, showcasing a yellow Viking ship adorned with red shields and a white sail flag. This emblem serves as a tribute to Ukrainian heritage, symbolizing the legendary ship of Prince Oleh of the Kievan Rus, who led a campaign against the Byzantine Empire in Constantinople in 907.