38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade

The 38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade is a Special forces brigade of the Armed Forces of Belarus. It is currently based in Brest.[1] The brigade was originally formed from the elements of the disbanded 105th Guards Vienna Airborne Division in 1979 as the 38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade.[2] In 1990, it was transferred to the Soviet airborne and renamed the 38th Separate Guards Airborne Brigade. In January 1992, it was taken over by Belarus[3] and was later renamed the 38th Guards Mobile Brigade. The brigade was renamed the 38th Guards Air Assault Brigade in 2016.

38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade
(2 August 2016–present)

38th Separate Guards Mobile Brigade
(1 September 1995–2 August 2016)

38th Separate Guards Airborne Brigade
(1 June 1990–1 September 1995)

38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade
(October 1979–1 June 1990)
Active1979–present
Country Soviet Union (1979–1992)
 Belarus (1992–present)
BranchSoviet Ground Forces (1979–1990)
Soviet Airborne Forces (1990–1992)
Spetsnaz of Belarus (2003–present)
TypeAirborne
SizeBrigade
Garrison/HQBrest
DecorationsOrder of the Red Banner Order of the Red Banner
Honorifics
Commanders
Current
commander		Colonel Dmitry Ptashnik
Notable
commanders		Vadim Denisenko

History

The 38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade was formed in October 1979 from the headquarters of the 105th Guards Airborne Division[4] in Brest, part of the Belorussian Military District.[5] The official day of formation is considered to be 10 November.[6] The brigade was composed of three airborne battalions, an air assault battalion, an artillery battalion and an antiaircraft artillery battalion. From 4 to 12 September 1981, the brigade participated in the exercise "West-81".[6] Between August 1987 and June 1989, the brigade was commanded by Vitaly Raevsky.[7] Due to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the brigade was deployed to Baku in January 1990. On 1 June 1990, the brigade was transferred to the Soviet Airborne Forces and renamed the 38th Separate Guards Airborne Brigade. Its air assault battalion was disbanded and the antiaircraft artillery battalion became a battery. After the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, the brigade was transferred to the Armed Forces of Belarus.[3]

On 1 September 1995, the brigade transferred to the Mobile Forces of the Republic of Belarus and was renamed the 38th Separate Guards Mobile Brigade.[8] From 2002 to 31 January 2003, the brigade was part of the Ground Forces. On 1 February, it moved to the Belarusian Army Spetsnatz.

Between 2008 and 2011, the brigade was commanded by Vadim Denisenko, who later became commander of the Special Forces of Belarus.[9]

On 3 June 2015, it was reported that the brigade had been brought to full combat readiness on the Ukrainian border.[10] Between 15 and 27 June, it was announced by China and Belarus that the two countries would stage Exercise Dashing Eagle 2015 with PLA paratroopers and the 38th's 382nd Mobile Battalion participating.[11]

The brigade at the 2017 Minsk Independence Day Parade.

On 2 August 2016, the brigade was renamed the 38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade, restoring its original name.[12] The brigade received the honorific Brest after its base location on 14 January 2020.[13] The brigade was used to suppress the 2020 Belarusian protests in Brest in August of that year.

Commanders

References
  1. "Силы специальных операций Военный информационный портал Министерства обороны Республики Беларусь" [Special Forces of Belarus]. www.mil.by (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2015-09-28. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  2. Zaloga, Steve (1995-01-01). Inside the Blue Berets: A Combat History of Soviet and Russian Airborne Forces, 1930–1995. Presidio. ISBN 9780891413998.
  3. "38th independent Guards Landing-Assault Brigade". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  4. Selemenev, Vadim (3 September 2011). "Неизвестная дивизия. 105-я гвардейская воздушно-десантная Краснознамённая дивизия (горно-пустынная). — Десантура.ру – о десанте без границ" [Unknown Division. 105th Guards Airborne Red Banner (Mountain and Desert) – Desantura.ru – About landing without borders]. desantura.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  5. "Войны, истории, факты. Альманах" [Almanac War History]. www.almanacwhf.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  6. "Брестский горисполком – 13 ноября пройдут торжественные мероприятия, посвящённые 35-летию 38-й отдельной гвардейской Краснознамённой Венской мобильной бригады" [November 13 will be held a solemn ceremony dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the 38th Guards Red Banner separate mobile brigade Vienna]. city-brest.gov.by (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  7. Raevsky, Vitaly A.; Kramarenko, Elena (23 November 2014). "В.А.Раевский: Между прошлым и будущим — Десантура.ру – о десанте без границ" [V.A. Raevsky: Between Past and Future]. desantura.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  8. Makarov, Alexander (6 November 2014). "С неба – в бой!" [From the sky into battle] (in Russian). Standing Committee of the Union State. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  9. "Special Operations Forces". www.mil.by. Archived from the original on 2016-10-22. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  10. "Белорусские десантники остаются на границе с Украиной Армия Беларуси" [Belarusian paratroopers on Ukrainian border]. belarmy.by (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  11. "Belarus, China militaries to joint hold counter-terrorism exercise – Xinhua English.news.cn". news.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  12. Tsapkov, Valery (2 August 2016). "38-я бригада – снова десантно-штурмовая" [38th Brigade again Air Assault]. Brestskiy Kurier (in Russian). Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  13. "Об изменении названия 103-й бригады" [On changing the name of the 103rd Brigade]. Vitebsk City Portal (in Russian). 29 January 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  14. "Сахащик Валерий Степанович". 7 March 2022.
  15. "ВРЕМЕНА МЕНЯЮТСЯ, ДЕСАНТНЫЙ ДУХ — ОСТАЕТСЯ! | Во славу Родины – Свежий выпуск" [Times are changing, airborne spirit – stay!]. vsr.mil.by (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-12-28.
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