Ukrainian Naval Infantry
The Ukrainian Naval Infantry Corps (), also known as the Ukrainian Marines, is part of coastal defense troops of the Ukrainian Navy. It is used as a component part of amphibious, airborne and amphibious-airborne operations, alone or in coordination with formations and units of the Army in order to capture parts of the seashore, islands, ports, fleet bases, coast airfields and other coast objects from the enemy. It can also be used to defend naval bases, vital shoreline areas, separate islands and coast objects, and security of hostile areas. Mission. The Naval Infantry's missions are to : Its motto is "Вірний завжди!" ("Always Faithful!") . History. The Marine Corps is descended from the formations of the Black Sea Fleet Naval Infantry of the former Imperial Russian Navy. Hetmanate. Former Russian Imperial army general Pavlo Skoropadskyi understood the importance of naval infantry in providing security to the country. Being the commander-in-chief of land and naval forces, Skoropadskyi brought attention to creating the naval infantry during his first month in power. On May 23, 1918, he ordered the Department of Navy to "Begin forming a Brigade of naval infantry consisting of three regiments". The mission of the Naval  Infantry was protecting coastal areas, serving as a garrison force for forts and conducting landing operations. According to the order the Brigade was divided into three regiments. First regiment was responsible for the areas between the western border until the village of Suchavka, near Odesa. Second regiment was responsible for territory between Suchavka and Stanislavov. Third regiment protected the areas from Stanislavov until Perekop. Brigade was also put in charge of guarding the property of the Navy Department. Each of the three regiments consisted of three kurins. Each kurin consisted of three Sotnia and a machine gun unit. Commandant of  the first regiment was Ilarion Isaievych. On August 31, 1918, each unit was given the permanent headquarters. First regiment's HQ was located in Odesa, second's HQ in Mykolaiv and third's HQ in Kherson. Also at this time 3 squadrons of cavalry were formed. First was stationed in Odesa, second in Ochakiv and third in Perekop. In October 1918 new recruits born in 1899, would have joined the ranks of the naval infantry, however due to the political situation of that autumn the recruits had to wait until a better time. Not long after, Pavlo Skoropadskyi was removed  from power in an uprising led by Symon Petliura. The Naval Infantry continued to faithfully serve their nation under the banner of the Ukrainian People's Republic. Many of them have died for freedom and independence. Modern history. On February 22, 1993, the 880th Separate Naval Infantry Battalion of the Black Sea Fleet commanded by Major Vitaliy Rozhmanov pledged their allegiance to Ukraine. After the Navy was created on July 1, 1993, as a separate service branch of the Armed Forces, the first battalion of the Naval Infantry was formed in the city of Sevastopol. The first naval infantrymen were  transferred from the airmobile units. On September 1, 1993, the 41st Separate Naval Infantry Battalion was formed. By September 20, 1994, the 4th Naval Infantry Brigade was stationed in the Tylove village of Crimea. From May 1996 until 1998, the Brigade was a part of the Ukrainian National Guard. In 1998, it was transferred to the Navy and re-designated the 1st Separate Naval Infantry Brigade. In 1999, the Brigade consisted of two battalions numbering 1,500 marines. During 2003–04, the Ukrainian armed forces underwent a program to reduce the number of brigades, and the Naval Infantry Brigade was reduced to  a Battalion. The command of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine made a decision to form a new naval infantry battalion by force of a mechanised battalion located in Kerch. In December 2013 the militaries of the new 501st Separate Naval Infantry Battalion have taken the Naval Infantry Oath. The 1st Separate Naval Infantry Battalion was under the jurisdiction of the 36th Separate Coastal Defence Brigade, and it was stationed in Feodosiya and there was also another one battalion (501st Bn.) which was stationed in Kerch; both were in the Crimea until late March 2014. After the  Russian annexation of the Crimea the battalions were deployed to another location out of the peninsula. After the annexation of Crimea Ukraine's marine forces composed of only about 200 active duty personnel. Special reconnaissance units of the marine corps were deployed against insurgents during the 2014 War in Donbas. Oleksandr Zinchenko of the 73rd Spetsnaz Detachment was the first Ukrainian Marine killed during the War in Donbas. The Ukrainian Marine Corps was particularly hard hit by the Crimea Crisis as all of their forces except for the 73rd Spetsnaz Detachment were stationed on the peninsula, due to this the  unit had to undergo extensive reorganization before being able to be deployed to the war in the Donbas. In September 2014 the Ministry of Defense announced that the marine corps were reforming from the Crimea Crisis and the remaining members of the 1st Marine Battalion which was stationed in Feodosya would take an active part in the War in Donbas. On 29 October 2014 Ukraine's Marine Corps conventional forces, recently recovered from the Crimea Crisis suffered their first casualty near Mariupol, the Marine was a Major and was killed when his unit's position came under Russian artillery fire . On 8 November 2014 Ukrainian marines returned to their permanent place of deployment in Mykolaiv as part of a regular rotation of Ukrainian forces during the War in Donbas. On 23 May 2018, the NI celebrated the first Marine Corps Birthday celebrations, the holiday being officially sanctioned by President Petro Poroshenko as part of a nationalization of the former Soviet holidays, replacing those with the ones celebrating Ukrainian military history. The holiday marked the formation of the first marine units in May 1918, during the Ukrainian War of Independence. New colours were awarded incorporating the speciality badge awarded to the  unit in 2007. The NI was transformed into the Fleet Marine Division with 2 brigades and an independent brigade of marine artillery. The former black berets were changed to light green following the practice of the British Royal Marines and the Italian Army Lagunari. Expansion. The new colours include the blue cross from the naval ensign as an acknowledgement of its role as a constituent service of the Navy. Plans are underway for the formation of a 3rd Marine brigade, bringing the total number of brigades to four plus one MRL regiment, with an option for a fourth brigade. If  the expansion continues it can be possible that the Naval Infantry Corps will be elevated to a full Corps-sized formation within the Navy, becoming the largest ever marine unit in Eastern Europe outside of Russia and with possible accession to NATO, the largest marine component within its European member armed forces. However Ukraine joining NATO is extremely unlikely. Due to the comments of President Zelenskiy. Reform. The ideal goal in the reform of the Naval Infantry Corps is to form a unit which would be similar to the units sent to Iraq. It is planned that there will be  no more conscripts in the Naval Infantry, only professional naval infantrymen under contract service. 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Siege of Mariupol. On 12 April 2022, videos have emerged of fighters apparently from the 36th Marine Brigade vowing not to surrender their positions, saying "We are holding on to every bit of the city wherever possible," and "But the reality is the city is encircled and blocked and there was no re-supply of ammunition or food,". The next day, Russian Defence Ministry as well as the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov announced 1,026 Ukrainian marines, including 162 officers, of the  36th Marine Brigade laid down their weapons and surrendered in Mariupol. Ukrainian Defence Ministry spokesperson Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said he had no information about the claim, and there was no immediate comment from the Ukrainian President's office nor the Ukrainian general staff. A top advisor to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said another marine unit that was encircled in the middle of Mariupol had broken through to connect with the Azov Regiment and that Mariupol is still standing. By 16 April, the Marines and Azov has entrenched themselves in the Azovstal iron and steel works, the last Ukrainian bastion  in Mariupol. Organization. Fleet Naval Infantry Division. As of 2018 the Fleet Naval Infantry Division's structure is as follows: It was announced June 10, 2019 that the 56th Motorized Brigade may be transferred to the Ukrainian Naval Infantry. It is not known if the 56th Brigade would be redesignated as either the 37th or 40th Naval Infantry Brigades or if it will retain its current designation as 56th Brigade. The Naval Infantry infantry battalions are organized as follows: The tank and artillery battalions are organized similarly but with one to 4 tank companies or artillery batteries. Ukrainian Naval Infantry