47th Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)

In the wake of the Russo-Ukrainian War, a new military unit was formed, the 47th Assault Battalion.[2] This battalion was created under the leadership of Captain Ivan Shalamaga, who successfully prevented a Russian breakthrough on Svitlodarsk. After official establishment on April 26th, the battalion underwent rigorous training before being deployed to the Vuglehirskaya area near Bakhmut.[3]

The success of the battalion was recognized by Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny, who ordered for its expansion into a full assault regiment.[2] Within a span of three months, the 47th Assault Battalion was transformed into the 47th Assault Regiment, which was then led by Oleksandr Sak as its commander, with Shalamaga as his deputy.[4]

By October, the order was given to expand the regiment into a brigade, which was accomplished within a month.[5] General Zaluzhny appointed Oleksandr Sak as the brigade commander, and the brigade underwent intensive combat training in various locations throughout Ukraine and Europe.[3] The 47th Assault Brigade is equipped with a formidable array of twenty-eight M-55S main battle tanks provided by Slovenia, and fifty M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.[2] Members of the brigade have been training on these vehicles at a U.S. base in Grafenwoehr, Germany, while tank units are based in Kharkiv.[3] The brigade has seen a significant increase in personnel, from roughly 400 in April to around 2,000 in January 2023.[1] The 47th Mechanized Brigade was formed from the 47th Assault Battalion, which was established with volunteers from Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa, and Lviv.[2] The Head Master Sergeant of the Battalion was Valeriy Markus.[6]

The battalion was quickly equipped and ready for action, participating in the Battle of Vuglegirska TEC in the Donetsk region by May 8th, 2022.[2] On June 28th, 2022, the Battalion was expanded to an assault regiment with the addition of tank, artillery, and fire support units.[3] The Regiment underwent restructuring from October 13 to November 15, 2022, to become the 47th Mechanized Brigade, which is now equipped with M-55S, Panthera T6, and M2A2 ODS Bradleys.[7]

As of 2023 the brigade's structure is as follows:[6]

• 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade,
  • Headquarters & Headquarters Company
  • 1st Mechanized Battalion
  • 2nd Mechanized Battalion
  • 3rd Mechanized Battalion
  • Tank Battalion
  • 1st Assault Battalion
  • Artillery Group
  • Anti-Aircraft Defense Battalion
  • Reconnaissance Company
  • Engineer Battalion
  • Maintenance Battalion
  • Logistic Battalion
  • Signal Company
  • Radar Company
  • Medical Company
  • CBRN Protection Company