Active 2015–present Type Mountain troops Garrison/HQ Kolomyia
MUN B3950 | Country Ukraine Part of Operation Command West | |
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Branch Ukrainian Ground Forces | ||
The 10th Mountain Assault Brigade is a mountain warfare brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. It is part of Operation Command West and is based in Kolomyia. Formed in late 2015, the brigade fought in the War in Donbass between May and November 2016, defending positions around Marinka.
History
The brigade was formed on 30 October 2015 in Koloymia, part of Operation Command West. It included the 24th Separate Assault Battalion, the former Aidar Battalion. The brigade is commanded by Colonel and Hero of Ukraine Vasyl Zubanych, a former battalion commander in the 128th Mechanized Brigade. According to Zubanych in an interview at the time, the brigade will be deployed to the Donbass if necessary in a war with Russia. The main purpose of the brigade at the time was to protect Bukovina from Romanian territorial claims. The first group of recruits were 1,000 volunteers on a contract basis. There initially was a 25% pay increase offered to recruits, as recognition of their status as mountain troops. In January 2016, it was reported by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence that the brigade was ready to begin combat training. As of January 2016 the brigade was stationed at Bila Tserkva pending completion of new barracks in Kolomyia. In February 2016, it was decided by the Ukrainian Ground Forces to form a new Bukovina mountain battalion at Chernivtsi. The 8th Separate Motorized Infantry Battalion and the 46th Separate Special Purpose Battalion "Donbass-Ukraine" also became part of the brigade. The 8th Motorized Infantry, the 24th Assault, and the 46th Separate Special Purpose Battalion formed the entirety of the brigade, consisting of a few thousand men.
The brigade fought in the War in Donbass from 25 May to November 2016. The brigade defended the area around Marinka, Krasnohorivka, Taramchuk, Stepne, and Solodke. Immediately after the brigade took over its sector, it was shelled by separatist and Russian artillery, mortars, and tanks, mainly at night. The brigade also defended against repeated assaults by Russian and separatist troops. On the Independence Day of Ukraine, 24 August 2016, President Petro Poroshenko presented the brigade its battle flag. Between September and October, four soldiers of the brigade were killed in action. After the end of its tour in the Donbass, the brigade returned to Kolomyia.