Ukrainian Airmobile Forces

Ukrainian Airmobile Forces
Високомобільні десантні війська України
Flag of the Ukrainian Airmobile Forces
Active	1992–present
Branch	Ukrainian Ground Forces
Type	Airborne Forces
Role	Light Infantry Airmobile infantry Peacekeeping
Headquarters	Kyiv
Motto	"Ніхто крім нас!" ("Nobody, but us!")
Anniversaries	Airmobile Forces Day (2 August)
Engagements	Kosovo Force (KFOR) Iraq War 2014 Crimean Crisis War in Donbass
Commanders
Current commander	Major general Myhaylo Zabrodskyi
Insignia
Alternative Flag
Shoulder sleeve insignia

The Ukrainian Airmobile Forces or VDV (from "Vysokomobil'ni desantni viyska Ukrayiny", Ukrainian: Високомобільні десантні війська України, ВДВ; High-mobile Airborne Forces of Ukraine) is a highly mobile component of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The airmobile forces consist of formations, units and elements of the Army and the Army aviation, trained for combined activities behind the enemy lines. The airmobile forces are in constant combat readiness and are the high mobility branch of forces. In the 15 years after their creation Ukrainian paratroopers have served in peacekeeping missions to the Balkans, in Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ethiopia, Georgia and Congo.

2001 Structure

In 2001 the Airmobile Force consisted of:

Unit	Base #	Location	Status
Headquarters 1st Airmobile Division	А0220	Bolhrad	inactive since 2003
25th Airborne Brigade	А1126	Hvardiyske (Dnipropetrovsk Rerion)
45th Airmobile Brigade	А1533	Bolhrad
27th Mechanized Brigade	А0664	Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi
91st Artillery Regiment	А0242	Veseliy Kut
95th Airmobile Brigade	А0281	Zhytomyr
79th Airmobile Regiment	А0224	Mykolaiv
80th Airmobile Regiment	А0284	Lviv

	1st Airmobile Division
	Separate Brigade
	Separate Regiments

2008 Structure

• 21px 25th Airborne Brigade
• 25px 95th Airmobile Brigade

• 25px 79th Airmobile Brigade
• 25px 80th Airmobile Regiment
• 81st Brigade Tactical Group (Iraq War)
• 28th Training Battalion

Present Structure

Ukrainian paratroopers on Victory Day parade on Kiev's Khreshchatyk street, 2008.

• 21px 25th Airborne Brigade
• 25px 95th Airmobile Brigade
• 25px 79th Airmobile Brigade
• 25px 80th Airmobile Brigade
• 81st Airmobile-Assault Brigade
• 28th Training Battalion
• 199th Training Center

Commanders

The Commander of the Airmobile Forces since 2015 is Major General Michael Zabrodskii.

Name	Rank	Period of command
Vitaly Raevsky	Major General	1992 - 1998
Ivan Yakubets	Colonel	1998 - 2005
Serhiy Lysovyi	Colonel	2005–present
Oleksandr Shvets	Colonel	2012 - 2015
Michael Zabrodskii	Major General	March 2015 – present

Armament

Equipment of the Airmobile Forces is similar to the equipment used by Russian Airborne Troops.

Personal firearms

• PM, semi-automatic pistol (9×18mm)
• AKS-74, para assault rifle (AK-74 with folding skeleton buttstock) (5.45×39mm)
• AKS-74U, short-barreled para assault rifle carbine with folding skeleton buttstock(5.45×39mm)
• AKMS, para assault rifle with a downward-folding metal stock similar to that of the German MP40 (7.62×39mm)
• RPKS-74, the light weight para machinegun (5.45×39mm)
• PKM, general purpose machine gun (7.62×54mmR)
• Dragunov SVDS sniper rifle (7.62×54mmR)
• GP-25 and GP-30, the under-barrel 40mm grenade launchers for fragmentation and gas grenades which are attached to AKS-74 of some paratroopers to increase firepower for combating enemy foot troops
• AGS-17 "Plamya" (Flame), the automatic grenade launcher - may being replaced by a much lighter UAG-40.

Armoured Vehicles

Only one Brigade, the 25th is currently using BMD-1 and BMD-2 armored fighting vehicles. The 95th Brigade, the 79th Brigade and 80th Regiment use BTR-80.

Artillery

• 2S9 "Nona-S" configuration of 2S9 Nona, 120mm self-propelled mortar
• ZU-23-2, an aged but effective and powerful design of a double barrel 23mm anti-aircraft gun, commonly used against infantry and even APCs and IFVs, it is either mounted on any amphibious hulls, usually based on PT-76 light tank, or can be towed by jeep or truck as it has wheels.

External links

• Ministry of Defence
• Military Forum