Active 1992–present Type Mechanized Engagements War in Donbass | Garrison/HQ Kiev | |
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Part of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine | ||
The 101st Brigade for the Protection of the General Staff (Ukrainian: 101-ша бригада охорони Генштабу) is a headquarters area protection brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The brigade was formed in 1992 from the Soviet Protection and Service Battalion, responsible for guarding the Kiev Military District headquarters during the later years of the Soviet Union. The brigade fought in the War in Donbass.
History
In the last years of the Soviet Union the 368th Battalion of Protection and Service guarded and supported the headquarters of the Kiev Military District, stationed in the area of the Kiev Military School. The 101st Brigade of the General Staff Armed Forces of Ukraine was established on 10 March 1992 from the 368th Battalion. At the time the brigade consisted of: a battalion of guards, a guard of honor, the command and control center battalion, motor battalion and support units. The 2nd Protection Battalion was formed on 7 June 1995 and the 3rd Protection Battalion on 11 September of the same year. The soldiers of the brigade took part in the command and staff exercises "Forpost-2002", "East-West", "Reaction-2005", "Artery-2007", "Clean Sky", "The decisive action of 2008", "Interaction 2010 "" Adequate response 2011".
The brigade fought in the War in Donbass. The brigade entered the combat zone on 3 August 2014. The brigade defended Debaltseve and saw its first combat action on 15 August. Colonel Mykola Shvets commanded the brigade at the time. It escorted 300 convoys to the front and more than ten military intelligence extractions by February 2015. During its time in combat, eleven soldiers of the 101st Brigade were killed and 49 wounded. Eighteen soldiers of the brigade received either the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky or the Order For Courage.