103rd Territorial Defense Brigade

103rd Territorial Defense Brigade is a unit of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces.

It was formed in January 2018 in Lviv Oblast.

When the brigade was initially formed, it was commanded by Colonel Mykola Androschuk. Since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the brigade command passed to Colonel Valeriy Kurk, and later passed on to Colonel Ihor Bondarenko.

Since March 2022, the brigade was immediately deployed to Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine, successfully holding positions on the Siverskyi Donets River, close to Bilohorivka. At the beginning of offensive operations in September 2022, in Kharkiv Oblast, the brigade liberated several settlements, including Ozerne, Dibrova, and Yampil.

In September 2022, the brigade was awarded its Battle Banner and a certificate from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The brigade also participated in taking up defensive lines in the Kupyansk direction, one of the areas that saw the most of the fighting during the Ukrainian offensive in the region. In 2024, the brigade and its subordinate units were redeployed to settlements in Sumy Oblast, carrying out defensive operations and safeguarding the Ukrainian border.

In August 2024, alongside other brigades, it was deployed into Kursk Oblast in the Russian Federation, carrying out offensive operations against Russian forces. That same month, the unit received the honorary name of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi.

Insignia

The insignia depicts a chevron, with a battlement design at the top of the chevron’s border in yellow. The base of the chevron contains a blue canvas. The central imagery depicts a yellow Galician lion, adhering to the military traditions of the Galicia-Volyn Principalities.