101st Territorial Defense Brigade

101st Territorial Defense Brigade is a unit of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces.

The unit was formed in January 2018 in Zakarpattia Oblast. In September 2019, the brigade participated in a training exercise in Orikhovytsia, near the city of Uzhorod, Zakarpattia Oblast, to undergo training. Many soldiers across the oblast participated in exercises across Uzhorod, Khust, Vynohradiv, and Mukachevo.

In response to the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the unit began to prepare for the defense of the nation in the east of the country and was deployed. In December 2022, the brigade received its battle flag from the then Commander in Chief, General Valeriy Zaluzhny.

The brigade fought in the bloody Bakhmut campaign and also defended the nearby town of Klischiivka. It also defended parts of Kharkiv Oblast. A commander of one of the brigade’s separate battalions, which was formed alongside the brigade, stated that 90% of the personnel were those who were previously civilians.

In August 2024, at the beginning of the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast, Russia, part of the brigade, the 72nd Territorial Defense Battalion, participated in the operation.

In mid to late 2025, as part of the reformation of the Territorial Defense Forces, which saw the reformation of many separate battalions into linear battalions amongst the branches ‘ brigades, several of its battalions were reformed.

Insignia

The insignia depicts a chevron, with a battlement design at the top of the chevron’s border in blue. The central imagery of the insignia shows a white canvas, contrasted with a vibrant, red lion facing left, representing the brigade’s courage and readiness to defend the independence and sovereignty of their nation.