Category
Latest news

Ukraine Forms 1st National Guard Corps With Azov Brigade at the Core

2 min read
Authors
Maryna_kulakova
Maryna Kulakova
Author
Ukraine Forms 1st National Guard Corps With Azov Brigade at the Core
Members of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade “Azov” during a trench clearing training exercise on October 14, 2023 in Kramatorsk, Ukraine. (Source: Getty Images)

Based on the 12th Special Purpose Brigade “Azov,” the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine has been established as part of the ongoing reform of the Defense Forces' management. The new operational and tactical unit includes five brigades, including the newly formed 20th “Lybart” Brigade.

This was reported by the press service of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU) Azov on April 15.

“From the very beginning, Azov has been a pioneer. Within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we were the first in Ukraine to implement NATO standards in personnel training, staff organization, operational planning, and military command in combat conditions. We adapted these standards to the realities of modern warfare,” said Colonel Denys Prokopenko, known by the call sign “Redis,” commander of the 1st NGU Corps Azov.

He added that even before Russia’s full-scale invasion, the unit focused on tactical medicine: “We were the first to work on it and the first to perform a blood transfusion to a wounded soldier directly on the battlefield.”

The new operational and tactical formation consists of the following units:

  • 1st Presidential Operational Brigade “Bureviy”

  • 12th Special Purpose Brigade “Azov”

  • 14th Operational Brigade “Chervona Kalyna”

  • 15th Operational Brigade “Kara-Dag”

  • 20th Operational Brigade “Lybart” (newly created)

“The professionalism of the Azov fighters is known far beyond Ukraine’s borders. Even Kremlin dictator has repeatedly singled out Azov in his speeches,” emphasized Redis.

Earlier, it was announced that Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Unit are recruiting for the newly established Harpies Women’s Unit which will focus on using unmanned and robotic systems, according to the The Unmanned Systems Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on April 2.

See all