Ukraine 93Rd Mechanized Brigade

It has been described as "one of the most brutally effective" of Ukraine’s front-line brigades.

93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar"
93-тя окрема механізована бригада «Холодний Яр» 93 okrema mekhanizovana bryhada "Kholodnyi Yar"
Brigade insignia
Active	1 January 1992 - present
Country	Ukraine
Branch	Ukrainian Ground Forces
Type	Mechanized infantry
Size	3,000 (June 2023)
Part of	Operational Command East
Garrison/HQ	Cherkaske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Nickname(s)	'Kholodnyi Yar' (Official) 'Cyborgs' (Unofficial)
Motto(s)	"Never Backwards!"
Engagements	Russo-Ukrainian war War in Donbas Battle of Ilovaisk Second Battle of Donetsk Airport Battle of Debaltseve Battle of Marinka Battle of Avdiivka Russian invasion of Ukraine Eastern Ukraine campaign Battle of Kharkiv Battle of Sumy Battle of Donbas Battle of Sievierodonetsk Battle of Bakhmut Battle of Soledar Northern Ukraine campaign Battle of Trostianets 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive
Decorations	For Courage and Bravery
Website	Official Facebook page
Commanders
Current commander	Col. Pavlo Palisa (2023 - present)
Notable commanders	Col. Ruslan Shevchuk (21 January 2021 - 2023)
Insignia
Field Insignia

By January 2023, Western analysts claimed that due to captured Russian and donated Western equipment and incorporation of local volunteer battalions into the units structure, the 93rd was the size of an armored division, being a mechanized brigade in name only. The brigade is named after the Kholodnyi Yar Republic, a Ukrainian partisan state during the Ukrainian War of Independence.

The brigade traces its history to the 93rd Guards Rifle Division of the Soviet Union's Red Army, formed at Valuki in April 1943 from 13th Guards and 92nd Rifle Brigades. The division fought at Kursk, Kharkiv, Budapest, and Prague, and was serving with the 53rd Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in May 1945. After a period as a 35th Guards Mechanized Division, and then 35th Guards Motor Rifle Division 1957–65, the division was redesignated as the 93rd Guards Motor Rifle Division in 1965. It served with the Southern Group of Forces in Hungary during the last years of the Cold War, and after the fall of the Berlin Wall was withdrawn to Ukraine from October 1990 to January 1991.

There it became part of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. In Decree 925/96(?), Colonel Anatoly Savatiovich Pushnyakov, Commander of the 93rd Mechanised Division of the 6th Army Corps, Southern Operational Command, Ukrainian Ground Forces, was promoted to Major General.

The division appears to have been redesignated a brigade after 1996 and before 1999.

Throughout 1999, the '93rd Motor Rifle Division' conducted a series of small unit and staff officer exchanges with the 40th Infantry Division of the California Army National Guard.

On December 10, 2007, the Brigade received its Regimental Colour by the order of the President of Ukraine.

 

The brigade fought in the war in Donbas, defending Donetsk International Airport during the Second Battle of Donetsk Airport alongside other units. Thus, they are one of the units considered as one of the "cyborgs".

The brigade is now based in Pokrovsk. On 18 November 2015 its honorifics "Twice Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov" were removed as part of an Armed Forces-wide removal of Soviet awards and honorifics, but not its Kharkiv battle honor, given as a result of its participation in the 1943 Belgorod-Khar'kov Offensive Operation. On 22 August 2016 its Guards title was also removed.

In honor of the centennial year of the Ukrainian War of Independence the brigade received its second honorific title, Kholodnyi Yar (Kholodnyi Yar was a pro-Ukrainian partisan self-proclaimed state that existed from 1919 to 1922), in 2018, and thus its Kharkiv battle honour was officially removed from the full title of the unit. A new colour was also received by the brigade command which differs from the maroon colour it received in 2007.

In the recent history of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the 93rd Division became the first basic unit to train the first units of the peacekeeping forces. The 108th peacekeeping training center was established on the basis of the 112th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the division. Here were formed 15 rotations of the 240th battalion, which performed peacekeeping functions in the former Yugoslavia. On the basis of the 3rd Mechanized Battalion, the 71st Separate Mechanized Battalion was formed to be included in the 7th Separate Mechanized Brigade, which carried out the peacekeeping mission in Iraq in 2004–2005. It was disbanded at the end of training due to the decision to reduce the contingent. A few of its personnel were sent to replenish the 73rd Battalion. Soldiers also served in peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Lebanon.

War in Donbas

The brigade was deployed in the war in Donbas against the Russian army and its proxy forces. The unit fought on the frontlines from 2014 to 2016 before being recalled in March 2016. During this period, 138 soldiers were killed in action, over 1,000 were wounded, and 9 soldiers were held as prisoners of war. The brigade was involved in the battle of Ilovaisk, Avdiivka, the defence of Donetsk airport, the defence of Marinka, and the defence of Pisky. A documentary, 93: Battle for Ukraine, was made by Ukrainian director Lidia Guzhva about the brigade's role in the war, constructed primarily from videos made by members of the brigade themselves, as well as interviews with members of the brigade.

The brigade returned to the frontline. On 19 July 2016 an IFV of the brigade detonated an IED, killing two soldiers.

In June 2017 the brigade moved deeper into the disputed area near the village of Krymske and set up fortifications there "to exert stricter fire control over the enemy, and provides for a better defense."

2022 Russian invasion

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the brigade was involved in the northern Ukraine campaign by stopping the elite Russian 4th Guards Tank Division's advance in the Battle of Trostianets after it had been overextended and undersupplied due to Ukrainian partisan resistance in the Sumy Oblast.

In August 2022, the 93rd Mechanized Brigade liberated the village of Mazanivka southwest of Izium and was noted for being one of the few Ukrainian formations actively liberating Russian-occupied territory.

By September 2022, the brigade participated in the 2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive specifically moving against the Operational Group of Russian Forces Izium's vulnerable left flank. The Russian Ministry of Defence announced that Russian forces in the Izium region were "pulled out" to reinforce the Donbas. Following this, the city's mayor, Valeriy Marchenko, stated during a September 10 interview that "Izium was liberated today."

In October 2022, the 93rd Mechanized Brigade left Izium for the Battle of Bakhmut holding the northern sector of the besieged city while the 58th Motorized Infantry Brigade held the south counterattacking assaults by Russian Wagner Group mercenaries. The brigade recaptured the M03 and M06 highways east of Bakhmut. Heavy casualties have been reported on both sides for units participating in the battle and the 93rd was rotated out of the front and replaced with other units.

1997

•   Division Headquarters Battalion
•   Guards Company
•   110th Mechanized Regiment
•   529th Mechanized Regiment
•   87th Armoured Regiment
•   Command and Artillery Reconnaissance Company
•   198th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment
•   446th Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion
•   1039th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment
•   108th Combat Engineer Battalion
•   166th Signal Battalion
•   1119th Logistics Battalion
•   16th Reconnaissance Battalion
•   35th Electronic Warfare Company
•   73rd Repair and Recovery Battalion
•   89th Medical Battalion
•   133rd Chemical Battalion
•   16th Training Area
•   Military Band

2007

• 1st Mechanized Battalion
• 2nd Mechanized Battalion
• 3rd Mechanized Battalion
• Armored Battalion

As of 2024, the brigade's structure is as follows:

• 1943 received the Guards designation.
• 1943 received the Order of the Red Banner, and again in 1944.
• 1943 received the honorable name «Kharkovskaya» (later Ukrainianized as «Kharkivska»)
• 1943 received the Order of Suvorov, Second Class.
• 1945 received the Order of Kutuzov, Second Class.
• On December 10, 2007, received its Colour
• 2018 received "Kholodnyi Yar" honorific

Anniversaries

Until August 22, 2018, the brigade celebrated its anniversary on May 10, considered the day of creation of the brigade.

Since 2018, August 22 is considered the anniversary, the day when the brigade was awarded the honorary name "Kholodny Yar" by Presidential Decree No. 232/2018 and a new colour was presented.

Symbolics

On January 22, 2018, Roman Donik announced his intention to give the brigade the honorary name "Kholodny Yar", in honor of the historical area with a long military history.

Also, as part of updating the brigade symbols, the anthem of the military unit was changed. The words for the new song were written by a soldier of the press service of the 93rd OMBr, junior sergeant Vlad "Zmiy" Sord, and Serhii Vasylyuk, the frontman of the Ukrainian band "Shadow of the Sun", who wrote the music and set Stafiychuk's poem to it.

On May 10, 2018, the brigade was presented with and consecrated an honorary banner to the new honorary name "Kholodny Yar". This is only the second time in the history of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, after the 24th mechanized brigade, when a brigade received an honorary (motivational) flag in addition to the official battle flag.

In July 2018, it was announced that knives with the brigade's insignia would be developed for distinguished soldiers.

By Decree of the President of Ukraine dated August 22, 2018, No. 232/2018, the brigade was given the honorary name "Kholodny Yar". Before that, the brigade had the honorary name "Kharkivska".

On August 24, 2018, before the start of the military parade in honor of the 27th anniversary of the Independence of Ukraine, the commander of the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade "Kholodny Yar", Colonel Vladyslav Klochkov, received a new battle flag from the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko.

On February 23, 2019, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Viktor Muzhenko, approved the new emblem of the brigade.

On May 6, 2022, the brigade was awarded the honorary award "For Honor and Courage".

• Yana Rykhlitska