36th Marine Brigade

36th Brigade in an amphibious warfare exercise

British-Ukrainian marine Aiden Aslin of the 36th Brigade demonstrates a RPG-7 to a US Marine

Old unit patch (July 20, 2015-July 24th 2023)

On 20 July 2015, less than a year following the evacuation of Ukrainian forces from Crimea, the 36th Marine Brigade was formed from military units which had remained loyal to Ukraine following the peninsula's annexation by Russia.[3] The brigade's first commander was Dmytro Deliatytskyi, who had formerly commanded the 1st Marine Battalion.[3]

A member of the 36th Brigade with an FGM-148 Javelin, January 2023

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine the 501st battalion of the brigade was, along with the Azov Regiment, one of the three main Ukrainian units defending Mariupol during its siege by the Russian and DPR forces. The battalion was largely destroyed during the course of the siege.

On 18 March, two Russian Kalibr missiles, fired from nearby Kherson, struck a Ukrainian army barracks in Mykolaiv housing some 200 soldiers whom were asleep at the time of the attack. Reports from the city morgue and Ukrainian soldiers stated that at least 80 Ukrainian soldiers were killed.[5] It is presumed nearly all 200 soldiers were killed, as only one survivor was pulled from the rubble the next day and temperatures reached below 6 °C (43 °F) during the night.[6]

On 13 April, the Ukrainian government forces stated that, as a result of a special operation, units of the 36th Marine Brigade managed to connect with the Azov Regiment in Mariupol. The same day, Russian sources claimed that over 1,000 men of the brigade had been captured, but this remains unconfirmed. The brigade commander, Colonel Volodymyr Baranyuk, and his chief of staff were among those captured, leaving Major Serhiy Volyna in command of the remnants of the battalion entrenched inside the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works.[7] The remnants of the unit surrendered on 20 May 2022, along with the remaining defenders of the Azovstal plant.[8]

The 36th defended Mykolaiv — its garrison — during the Battle of Mykolaiv. Later the Brigade fought over control of the Kherson Oblast during the 2022 Ukrainian southern counteroffensive.[9] The brigade is currently taking part in the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive[10]

As of 2022 the brigade's structure is as follows:

• 36th Marine Brigade, N/A
  • Headquarters & Services Company
  • 1st Marine Battalion (In 2014 during the annexation of Crimea, only 137 soldiers decided to return to Ukraine. In 2022, a few soldiers of the battalion were able to sneak out of the besieged Mariupol).[4]
  • 501st Marine Battalion (In 2014 during the annexation of Crimea, only 64 soldiers decided to return to Ukraine). During the Siege of Mariupol in 2022, the unit was captured.[11] The battalion was reconstituted in 2023 and fought on the Donetsk front,[12] and later the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive in Zaporizhia.
  • Aristide Battalion (Linear marine battalion of the brigade. In 2022, a few soldiers of the battalion were able to sneak out of the besieged Mariupol).[4]
  • Marine Tank Battalion (Tank battalion equipped with T-80BVs. The unit was defeated during the Siege of Mariupol in 2022).[4]
  • Artillery Battalion (Equipped with 2S1 and 2S3 self-propelled artillery and BM-21 Grads).[4]
  • Anti-Aircraft Company (The company provides protection against danger from the air. It’s equipped with 2K22 Tunguska and 2K35 Strela-10 vehicles).[4]
  • Support units (This includes all rear elements such as engineers, communication, medics, and material support unit).[4]