# 59th Assault Brigade

The 59th Separate Assault Brigade (Ukrainian: 59-та окрема мотопіхотна бригада, romanized: 59 okrema motopikhotna bryhada) is a formation of the Unmanned Systems Forces formed in 2014 as part of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The brigade was activated on 8 December 2014 in the city of Haisyn in Vinnytsia Oblast and took command of three volunteer territorial defense battalions.
On 24 August 2015, Ukraine's Independence Day, the brigade received its flag and became fully operational. The brigade fought in the war in Donbas and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

## History

On 8 December 2016, the commander of Operational Command South named the 59th Brigade the best Ukrainian motorized brigade according to a 2015 summary.
On 20 January 2018, the brigade's units returned to garrison in Haisyn from the frontlines. They had been deployed in the combat zone in Donbas in the Pryazovia region since May 2017.

### Russian invasion of Ukraine

The main units of the 59th Brigade were deployed to a camp in the Oleshky Sands at the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Vastly outnumbered by Russian forces advancing from Crimea, most of the brigade withdrew over the Dnieper River to Mykolaiv, where it took part in the city's defense. The 9th "Vinnytsia Scythians" Battalion was sent to cover Melitopol in the early hours of the invasion, and its commander, Serhii Kotenko, was later killed in action near Zaporizhzhia on 9 March 2022.
In the Mykolaiv Oblast, units of Ukraine's 59th Brigade were responsible for recapturing the villages of Shevchenkove, Kotliareve [uk], Zelenyi Hai [uk], Olenivka [uk], and Kostiantynivka east of Mykolaiv.
From mid-March 2022, units of the 59th Brigade held front line positions in the village of Posad-Pokrovske in Kherson Oblast along with Ukraine's 28th Brigade. In November 2022, units of the 9th Battalion of the 59th Brigade raised the Ukrainian flag over the village of Blahodatne.
After the Russian withdrawal from right-bank Kherson Oblast, the brigade was moved to the Donetsk Oblast front, near the village of Pisky. A combat drone unit attached to the 59th Brigade took part in the battle of Bakhmut under the command of Robert Brovdi.
During summer 2023, the brigade continued to operate on the Donetsk front. Units of the brigade, including the 11th Battalion, were positioned on the Pisky-Pervomaiske front outside of the city of Donetsk in June 2023. By 8 September 2023, the brigade's units had cleared Russian positions and entrenched themselves in Opytne, bringing part of the settlement back under Ukrainian control.
"Chosen Company", a group of volunteers from the United States, Australia, and several other countries, is attached to the 59th Brigade as an assault detachment within the brigade's reconnaissance company. The unit, which was formerly a part of the International Legion, conducted reconnaissance and assault operations during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive. In 2024, a The New York Times article reported three incidents where members of Chosen Company killed Russian POWs, based on statements made by former members of the company.
As of July 2024, the 59th Brigade was positioned near Krasnohorivka, Donetsk Oblast. Syrskyi ordered an inspection of the 59th Brigade in July 2024 amid losses and accusations of misconduct against its commander, Bohdan Shevchuk, who had been appointed in April 2024.
In November 2024, the brigade was positioned near the fortress city of Pokrovsk. It was ordered to stop a Russian penetration along the Zhovte-Novotroyitske-Shevchenko line, but failed to do it. Brigade members complained that they were stretched thin and that the orders were unrealistic.
On 3 January 2025, the brigade was reorganized into an assault brigade and transferred to the Unmanned Systems Forces.

## Structure

As of 2024, the brigade's structure is as follows:
* 59th Motorized Brigade, Haisyn
** Brigade Headquarters and HQ Company
** 9th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Vinnytsia" (military unit A2896)
*** Aerial Reconnaissance Unit "Airships"
** 10th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Polissya" (military unit A2960)
** 11th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Kyivan Rus'" (military unit A2980)
** 1st Rifle Infantry Battalion
** 2nd Rifle Infantry Battalion
** 70th Rifle Battalion (military unit A4628)
** Separate Infantry Battalion "Da Vinci Wolves". Commander Serhii Filimonov.
** Tank Battalion (T-64BV and T-72)
** Artillery Group
*** Headquarters & Target Acquisition Battery
*** Observer Battery
*** 1st Self-propelled Artillery Division (D-20)
*** 2nd Self-propelled Artillery Division (2S1 Gvozdika)
*** Multiple Rocket Launcher Battery (BM-21 Grad)
*** Anti-tank Artillery Division (MT-12 Rapira)
** Anti-Aircraft Missile Defense Artillery Battalion
** Reconnaissance Company
*** Assault Platoon "Chosen Company" (formerly part of the International Legion for the Territorial Defense of Ukraine). Commander "Ryan".
** Consolidated UAV Battalion "Inquisition of the 59th Legion"
*** "Michigan" Group
*** "Key" Group
*** "Baltic" Group
*** "Eyes of Retribution" Group
** Combat Engineer Battalion
** Maintenance Battalion
** Logistic Battalion
** Signal Company
** Radar Company
** Medical Company
** Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Company
** MP Platoon
** Brigade Band
** Training Center
*** "Night Samurai" Unit.