128th Mechanized Brigade ( Ukraine ) The 128th Guards Mechanized Brigade is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces . Full name of the Brigade is 128th Separate Guards Mechanized Turkestan - Zakarpattia twice Order of Red Banner Brigade , ( ) . History . The 128th Mechanized Division was first formed within the then USSR ' s Red Army as the 1st Turkmenistan Rifle Division on July 12 , 1922 in the city of Poltoratsk ( now Ashgabat , Turkmenistan ) . ( Other sources give the original name as the 1st Turkmenistan Mountain Division ) . It was a Turkmen national formation . Sergiy Tumoshkov became the Division ' s first commander . The Division was renamed 83rd Mountain Rifle Division on July 1 , 1935 . On June 22 , 1941 , the 83rd Mountain Rifle Division was part of 58th Rifle Corps , Central Asia Military District . Between 1 September and 1 October 1941 the division was assigned to the 53rd Army , still located within the Central Asia Military District . By January 1942 the division , still with 58th Rifle Corps , had been dispatched to Iran as part of the Anglo - Soviet invasion of Iran . From January 1 , 1943 the Division fought near the area of Krasnodar where it was assigned to the 56th Army . After successfully liberating the region of Kuban and the Taman Peninsula , the Division was awarded the Guards designation on October 8 , 1943 , and renamed as the 128th Guards Turkmenistan Rifle Division . On April 24 , 1944 for participation in the battles for Crimea , the Division was awarded its first Order of the Red Banner . During the month of August , the Division participated in battles for Carpathian Mountains . The Division liberated Zakarpattya and on October 12 , 1944 crossed the border with Czechoslovakia . Units of the Division liberated Ostrava , Olomouc and other cities . On May 8 , 1985 the Division was awarded its second Order of the Red Banner in honor of the 40th anniversary of Victory Day . On 31 December 1992 , in Decree 642 / 92 , the President of Ukraine promoted the commander of the 128th Guards Motor Rifle Division of the Carpathian Military District , Colonel ЗАБОЛОТНОМУ Вячеславу Григоровичу , to Major - General . In accordance with a decree of 23 August 1998 , Colonel МАСЛЕНЧУКУ Олександру Семеновичу - commander of the 128th Mechanised Division of the 38th Army Corps Західного оперативного командування Ground Forces of Ukraine ; was promoted to major - general . On May 27 , 2000 the Minister of Defense of Ukraine , General of the Army Oleksandr Kuzmuk presented the Division with its Battle Banner , and read the Order of the President of Ukraine awarding the Division the honorable name " Zakarpattia " . In 2002 the Division was under 38th Army Corps . After 38th Army Corps was disbanded , the Division became part of 13th Corps . On June 18 , 2004 the 128th Guards Motor Rifle Division was reorganized into a Brigade by the order of Minister of Defense . The Brigade has a training ground near the city of Vynohradiv . Division Order of Battle . The 327th Mechanized Regiment was reorganized to form the 15th Mountain Infantry Battalion , which became the only Mountain Infantry formation in the current Ukrainian Ground Forces .