72nd Mechanized Brigade

72nd Mechanized Brigade is a unit of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.

Its roots can be dated back to the Second World War, where it was part of the Red Army. Following this, the unit underwent a series of name and role designations. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the unit was reformed as the 72nd Guards Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.

In 2014, at the beginning of the war in Donbas, the brigade participated in operations in the so-called Anti-Terrorist Operation. The unit fought fiercely on the Russo-Ukrainian border, particularly in the Azov region. In the winter of 2016, the brigade held positions in the industrial zone near Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast.

On August 22, 2016, the unit was stripped of its Guards title as part of a military-wide removal of Soviet awards and honorifics. The unit then officially became the 72nd Mechanized Brigade.

The brigade has engaged in some of the most high-profile battles of the full-scale invasion, taking part in the defense of Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, including the battle of Hostomel. They also saw heavy fighting in Bakhmut, Pavlivka. More recently, the brigade defended the city of Vuhledar in southern Ukraine, where they had arrived at their positions in January 2023. The unit had relentlessly defended the city until October 2024, when the remnants of the brigade withdrew from the bastion.

In August 2023, some members of the brigade, particularly from Nazariy Kishak’s machine gun platoon, left to help form the core of the 153rd Mechanized Brigade.

In October 2024, Col. Oleksandr Okhrimenko was appointed commander of the brigade.

Insignia

The insignia is a traditional chevron with the color scheme reflecting the brigade’s permanent garrison in Bila Tserkva in Kyiv Oblast. The central imagery of the insignia contains a black triangle in the center, representing the traditional headwear worn by the Black Cossacks. Within the triangle sits Adam’s head, a stylized skull, echoing the imagery once displayed on the reverse side of the Black Cossack’s battle standards – a tradition continued by the brigade.