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54th Mechanized Brigade
54th Mechanized Brigade
54-та окрема механізована бригада імені гетьмана Івана Мазепи
	Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia
Active	December 2014 – present
Country	Ukraine
Branch	Ukrainian Ground Forces
Type	Mechanized Infantry
Size	Brigade
Part of	Operational Command East
Garrison/HQ	Bakhmut
Patron	Ivan Mazepa
Engagements	War in Donbas; Russian invasion of Ukraine Battle of Marinka (2022–2023);
Decorations	; For Courage and Bravery
Commanders
Current; commander	Oleksiy Maystrenko [uk]
Insignia
Subdued SSI

The 54th Mechanized Brigade named after Hetman Ivan Mazepa (Ukrainian: 54-та окрема механізована бригада імені гетьмана Івана Мазепи) is a brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, part of Operational Command East. The brigade is based in Bakhmut and was formed in 2014. The brigade fought in the war in Donbas and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

History

Between 18 and 22 December 2016, the brigade fought in the Battle of Svitlodarsk. The fighting began with a pro-Russian separatist attack against the 54th's positions. The brigade counterattacked the separatist flank and captured new positions. During the fighting, nine of the brigade's soldiers were killed and 35 were wounded. Press reports at the time described the action as the bloodiest in the preceding five months.^[1]

The Georgian Legion fought in eastern Ukraine under the overall command of the 54th Mechanized Brigade. In December 2017, the Legion withdrew from the brigade citing the "incompetence" of the brigade's command after a costly operation conducted near Svitlodarsk on 16 December 2017.^[2] The 54th Mechanized Brigade denied that a "Georgian Legion" had ever existed among their ranks.^[3] In January 2018 the Legion's commander Mamulashvili said the Legion remained committed to the Ukrainian cause and had moved to another brigade. He added that the decision was not connected to a political conflict between Mikhail Saakashvili and President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.^[4]

On May 5, 2018, during a raid, a unit of the 25th Infantry Battalion of the brigade captured a Russian soldier from the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Motorized Rifle Brigade.^[5]^[6]

On June 15, 2018, the brigade returned from the Joint Forces Operation Zone, where they had fought for eight months on the Svitlodarsk Arc. During the rotation, 170 fighters of Russian-aligned groups and 19 pieces of materiel were neutralized, three enemy positions were destroyed, and two settlements were recaptured.^[7]^[8]^[9]

In mid-July 2019, the 54th Brigade conducted an operation in the Donbas, destroying a military base. The attack, which lasted only 12 minutes, destroyed valuable military equipment, killed 20 soldiers, and wounded 11.^[10]

On May 6, 2020, the brigade was given the honorary title of "Ivan Mazepa."^[11]

On December 6, 2022, the brigade was awarded the medal "For Courage and Bravery" by presidential decree.^[12]

Organization

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

54th Mechanized Brigade, Bakhmut
- Headquarters & Headquarters Company
- 1st Mechanized Battalion
  - Attack UAV Unit "Legion"
- 2nd Mechanized Battalion "K-2"
  - Attack UAV Platoon
- 3rd Mechanized Battalion
- 25th Separate Motorized Battalion "Kyivan Rus" (unit number А2457)
- 1st Rifle Battalion
- 2nd Rifle Battalion
- Tank Battalion
- Field Artillery Regiment
  - Headquarters & Target Acquisition Battery
  - 1st Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (2S3 Akatsiya)
  - 2nd Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (2S1 Gvozdika)
  - Rocket Artillery Battalion (BM-21 Grad)
  - Anti-tank Artillery Battalion (MT-12 Rapira)
- Anti-Aircraft Missile Artillery Battalion
- Special Purpose Reconnaissance Company "Incognito"
- Aerial reconnaissance Drone Unit "Ministry of Magic"
- Attack UAV Company "Divine Punishment" ("Nebesna Kara")
- Sniper Company
- Engineer Battalion
- Maintenance Battalion
- Logistic Battalion
- Electronic Warfare Company
- Signal Company
- Radar Company
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Company
- Medical Company