92nd Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)

92nd Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)

The 92nd Mechanized Brigade is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The full name of the Brigade is the 92nd Separate Mechanized Ropshinska Order of the October Revolution and Order of the Red Banner awards Brigade. (Ukrainian: 92 окрема механізована Ропшинська орденів Жовтневої Революції та Червоного Прапора бригада, 92 okrema mehanizovana Ropshinska oedeniv Zhovtnevoi Revolutsii ta Chervonogo Prapora Brugada)

The original 48th Rifle Division was established on 26 February 1920 by renaming the 2nd Tula Rifle Division. It became a territorial division after the Soviet-Polish War and was then upgraded to 'cadre' status. On 2 December 1930 it was given the title 'in the name of M.I. Kalinin.' In August-September 1939, two of its rifle regiments were expanded to become the 123rd Rifle Division and the 138th Rifle Division. On June 22, 1941, it was assigned to the 10th Rifle Corps of the 8th Army. It was based at Raseiniai in Latvia, part of the second echelon, but soon after Operation Barbarossa began it was severely battered by the 6th Panzer Division. In October 1941 it became part of the Coastal Operations Group of the Leningrad Front, defending the Oranienbaum area. Then fought as part of the 2nd Shock Army and 42nd Army. On 19 January 1944 it was given the title 'Ropshinska.'

After the war, in 1957 the 48th Rifle Division became the 132nd Motor Rifle Division. Later it became the 48th Motor Rifle Ropshinska Order of the October Revolution and Order of the Red Banner awards division named after Mikhail Kalinin. During the 1970s it was stationed in with the Central Group of Forces in Czechoslovakia. It remain in Czechoslovakia until 1990 when it was the first Division to depart (between February and May 1990).

1996 Jane's Intelligence Review information indicated the Division had been moved to Smolensk in the Moscow Military District where it was later disbanded. Russian forum information ( and following) indicates that it was actually withdrawn to Chuguev in Ukraine using the same garrison as the disbanded 75th Guards Tank Division. It appears that there wasn’t enough space for the entire Division, so the 210th MRR was attached to the 18th Guards Motor Rifle Division. The remained of the Division departed for Ukraine, with the last arriving by May 1991. By then, it had been decided that in order to avoid the restrictions on the CFE Treaty, certain elements of the Soviet Army would be transferred to other non-MOD armed forces. Whole units were transferred to the KGB. When the last of the 48th arrived in Chuguev, the entire Division was transferred to the Directorate of Instruction for Special Purposes KGB by June 1991. Regiments included the 265 гв., 1335 мсп, 353 оучб, 31 орб, 813 обс, 88 орвб, 409 обмо, 34 омедб, 99 оиср, 348 орхз. To replace the loss of the 210th MRR, the 255th Guards MRR was formed for the Division, probably from what was left of the 75th GTD. From 1992 the government of Ukraine took command of the Division, and they later redesignated it the 6th Division of the National Guard of Ukraine.

On being reassigned back to the Soviet Union it came under command of the Soviet 6th Guards Tank Army. It had its name changed to a brigade circa 2000.

During October 2003, the 61st Separate Mechanized Battalion was formed. The Battalion was in Iraq from February to September 2004 as a unit of the 6th Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine). 104 soldiers from the brigade have taken part in UN peacekeeping missions to Lebanon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Former Yugoslavia.