95th Airmobile Brigade (Ukraine)

95th Airmobile Brigade (Ukraine)

The 95th Separate Airmobile Brigade (Ukrainian: 95 окрема аеромобільна бригада), the main ground forces component of Ukraine’s rapid reaction force. Brigade is located in Zhytomyr. The brigade is one of the Ukrainian Partnership for Peace units.

The 95th Training Center of the Ukrainian Airmobile Forces was created in the early 90s in Zhytomyr ( Korbutovka base) on the base of 242nd Training Armored Regiment. The 242nd Training Armored Regiment had been part of the 117th Tank Training Division. Training Center acquires second base - Bohunia. In 1995 Training Center was reorganized into 95th Separate Airborne Brigade. All of the units except staff and reconnaissance company moved to Bohunia base.

First jumps in the Brigade occurred in 1994. Brigade was also one of the first airmobile units to receive its Battle Banner. It received the Banner on October 5, 1994. Until spring of 1996 all of the jumps were done from Mi-8. By the end of the Ukrainian summer of 1996 soldiers began jumping from Il-76 aircraft. All the jumps were in the region of Smokovka, and in the Brigades training range, located in the area of Starokonstantinin road across the Teterev river. Currently Brigades drop zone is located near Singury settlement, few dozen miles from Zhytomyr.

The Brigade originally had 4 battalions, 1 of them was disbanded. Soldiers from the Brigade took part in peacekeeping missions in Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, former Yugoslavia, Kosovo, and between 2003-2005 in Iraq.

In 2000 Brigade was reorganized into Airmobile Brigade and became subordinate to 8th Army Corps. Currently Brigade has 13th Separate Airmobile Battalion which consists of professionals soldiers and not conscripts and 2nd Airmobile Battalion which consists of conscripts based in Korbutovka (A-1910). Command of the Brigade, 1st Airmobile Battalion which consists of conscripts, specialized, artillery, logistics units based in Bohunia (A-0281).