1st Air Force Combined Rifles Brigade

1st Air Force Combined Rifle Brigade "Wild Duck" Detachment (2014-2023) Insignia 1st af combined rifles brig tab.png 150 1992 – present Зведена стрілецька бригада Повітряних Сил Ukraine Ukraine Air force ground forces and special forces Aerial Assault, infantry, combat support and reconnaissance 200 personnel 25px General Air Command Polish OperativesGiven by soldiers of the Donetsk People's Republic as most of its personnel during the Second Battle of Donetsk Airport came from Western Ukraine and had accents which sounded Polish which gave rise to rumors about the presence of Polish Special Operatives at the Airport, later the nickname was adopted by the detachment Russo-Ukrainian war War in Donbas Russian invasion of Ukraine Colonel Bohdan Bondar 200px Former Insignia The 1st Air Force Combined Rifle Brigade is the one and only infantry brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force. It was initially established in 2014 as the "Wild Duck" detachment composed of troops from all the units of the Ukrainian Air Force. It is subordinated to the Air Force General Command and has seen intensive action throughout the War in Donbas and Russian invasion of Ukraine. History The formation of the "Wild Duck" detachment of Ukrainian Air Force began on 15 September 2014 in the city of Vasylkiv following the order of Colonel-General Yuriy Baydak on 12 September 12, 2014. Colonel Bohdan Bondary was appointed as the commander of the detachment,http://m.20minut.ua/Novyny-Kamianets-Podilskogo/lyudi/polkovnik-z-vinnici-prosivsya-v-ato-ryadovim-soldatom-10461309.html Полковник з Вінниці просився в АТО рядовим солдатом 27 June 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160817094016/http://m.20minut.ua/Novyny-Kamianets-Podilskogo/lyudi/polkovnik-z-vinnici-prosivsya-v-ato-ryadovim-soldatom-10461309.html 17 August 2016У Василькові зустріли вінницьких військових з зони АТОПолковник з Вінниці просився в АТО рядовим солдатом Colonel Mykola Levytskyi was appointed as the detachment's deputy commander,До уваги військовослужбовців та членів їх сімей, які прибувають на материкову частину України з території АР Крим та м. Севастополь and Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Berezin was appointed as the detachment's chief of staff.Військовослужбовці Повітряних Сил повернулися до Вінниці із зони бойових дій http://vinnitsaok.com.ua/archives/240701 Всі новини Вінниці 2023-11-30 uk The detachment was deployed to take up the positions at the Zenit point after the withdrawal of the 156th Anti-aircraft Missile RegimentЯк українські зенітники в оточенні тримали оборону https://armyinform.com.ua/2021/04/09/yak-ukrayinski-zenitnyky-v-otochenni-trymaly-oboronu/ armyinform.com.ua 2023-11-30 uk as well as the entrance and above ground portion of the Butivka-Donetska mine,http://starkonnb.info/news/city/dika-kachka.html Дика качка (додано фото) uk Starokostiantyniv 2017-03-28 29 March 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170329141718/http://starkonnb.info/news/city/dika-kachka.html in order to reinforce the Donetsk Airport by providing defense to the northern approach to the airport.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ-Hu0F9HnA Донецький аеропорт. «Дика качка» // YouTube YouTube 3 April 2015 27 June 2016 13 May 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150513222909/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ-Hu0F9HnA «Нищив рашистів у складі "Дикої качки", тепер навчаю цього підлеглих» — воїн «Фантом» https://armyinform.com.ua/2022/09/27/nyshhyv-rashystiv-u-skladi-dykoyi-kachky-teper-navchayu-czogo-pidleglyh-voyin-fantom/ armyinform.com.ua 2023-11-30 uk On 23 August 2014, the detachment saw combat in the battle for the village of Lysiche, a battle in which the Ukrainian casualties were five killed and one missing but 86 Russian soldiers and separatists were killed.Dima Putyat "Нас туда завели". Разбитая колонна НВФ в н.п. Лисичье. 23.08.14 YouTube 2016-09-24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPyakyZXriI&feature=youtu.be&t=29m12s 2017-03-28 8 April 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170408024349/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPyakyZXriI&feature=youtu.be&t=29m12s The detachment arrived in the area where the operation was to be carried out and was stationed on the outskirts of Tonenke on 27 September 2014. On 29 September 2014, at 04:25, the detachment was fired upon by separatist BM-21 Grads which destroyed two vehicles containing equipment and other stuff. Then, the detachment arrived at the Zenit position on 30 September 2014,Бойова авіація освоює стандарти НАТО https://armyinform.com.ua/2019/10/03/bojova-aviacziya-osvoyuye-standarty-nato/ armyinform.com.ua 2023-11-30 uk accompanied by the tanks and armored personnel carriers of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade.https://vn.20minut.ua/kriza-v-ukrayini/polkovnik-z-vinnitsi-prosivsya-v-ato-ryadovim-soldatom-10461309.html Полковник з Вінниці просився в АТО рядовим солдатом. 14.09.2015 2 May 2021 2 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210502092758/https://vn.20minut.ua/kriza-v-ukrayini/polkovnik-z-vinnitsi-prosivsya-v-ato-ryadovim-soldatom-10461309.html The detachment covered the northern approaches to Donetsk Airport and the first deployment lasted 45 days during October–November 2014 during which, with the exception of 2 November, the detachment wasn't attacked by separatist forces, unlike the regular attacks on Zenit position during the deployment of 156th Anti-aircraft Missile Regiment. On 27 October 2014, a soldier of the detachment (Kostyshyn Yaroslav Myroslavovych) was killed by shelling on Avdiivka by separatist forces near the Donetsk Airport.Костишин Ярослав Мирославович https://web.archive.org/web/20211027113356/https://memorybook.org.ua/14/kostyshin.htm 27 October 2021 Костишин Ярослав Мирославович https://web.archive.org/web/20211027113358/https://ukraine-memorial.org/ua/biography/kostishin-yaroslav-miroslavovich/ 27 October 2021 Ярослав Костишин https://web.archive.org/web/20150330171538/http://memory.ye.ua/Yaroslav_Kostyshyn 30 March 2015 Костишин Ярослав https://web.archive.org/web/20211027113358/https://timenote.info/ua/Jaroslav-Kostishin 27 October 2021 On 22 January 2015, at 10 o'clock in the morning, a column of the separatist 1st Slavyansk Brigade, reinforced by 10 T-72 tanks and an MT-12 anti-tank battery moved towards the Donetsk Airport moved with Ukrainian recognizable tactical signs. Ihor Yemelyanov spotted their movement from the Zenit position.https://city-adm.lviv.ua/news/society/289875-misto-pryvitalo-viiskovykh-halytsko-volynskoi-radiotekhnichnoi-bryhady Місто привітало військових Галицько-Волинської радіотехнічної бригади Maria Demchyna 25 December 2021 city-adm.lviv.ua Lviv City Council Colonel Oleksandr Turinskyi gave the order to fire from all available weapons, after 10 hours of intense battle the first column of separatists retreated followed by the second column. In the morning, the soldiers of the detachment captured the wounded and handed them over to the Security Service of Ukraine. In the battle, 50 separatists were killed and 7 were captured, in addition 2 BTR-80s and 4 MT-12s were also captured During the battle Ihor Yemelyanov personally destroyed seven BMPs and armored personnel carriers and two Ural-4320s using RPGs, inflicting heavy casualties.У бою за позицію «Зеніт» він зробив 24 постріли з гранатомета і 22 рази влучив https://armyinform.com.ua/2021/01/20/u-boyu-za-pozycziyu-zenit-vin-zrobyv-24-postrily-z-granatometa-i-22-razy-vluchyv/ armyinform.com.ua 2023-11-30 uk Moreover two personnel from the detachment (Vasyl Vasyliovych PetrenkoПетренко Василь Васильович https://web.archive.org/web/20220213095424/https://memorybook.org.ua/19/petrenkovas.htm 13 February 2022 Петренко Василь Васильович https://web.archive.org/web/20220213095420/https://ukraine-memorial.org/ua/biography/petrenko-vasil-vasilovich/ 13 February 2022 and Popovych Denys GrigoryovychПопович Денис Григорович («Денді»)) were also killed during the battle in addition to the destruction of four APCs, three BMPs, seven Ural-4320s, one Kraz, four Rapier guns and damage to two tanks of the Mechanized Brigade.Штекель Михайло «Бій тривав вісім годин. На нас ішли 10 танків і піхота» – полковник «Німець» https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/27126836.html Radio Svobada 16 November 2015 2019-03-25 uk The detachment also took part in the Battle of Avdiivka and on 23 March 2015, during the mortar and tank shelling of Ukrainian positions in Opytne and Avdiivka, a tank attacked the detachment's positions killing a soldier of the 11th Anti-aircraft Missile Regiment serving under the command of the detachment (Savitsky Yuri Mykolayovych) and wounding another.Савіцький Юрій Миколайович («Партизан») On 13 April 2015, during one of the attacks by separatists on the Zenit position near Avdiivka, the fragment of a 120-mm mine shell hit the ammunition boxes in the dugout and the resulting explosion killed five soldiers of the detachment (Oleksiy Anatoliyovych Vovchenko,Вовченко Олексій Анатолійович https://web.archive.org/web/20170520092348/http://memorybook.org.ua/3/vovchenkooleks.htm 20 May 2017 Dmytro Ivanovych Hura,Гура Дмитро Іванович https://web.archive.org/web/20170520093534/http://memorybook.org.ua/4/gura.htm 20 May 2017 Vasyl Mykolayovych Putanenko,Путаненко Василь Миколайович https://web.archive.org/web/20170520082439/http://memorybook.org.ua/19/putanenko.htm 20 May 2017 Путаненко Василь Oleksandr Mykolayovych TyshchenkoТищенко Олександр Миколайович and Bohdan Anatoliyovych GoncharenkoГончаренко Богдан Анатолійович https://web.archive.org/web/20170622035336/http://memorybook.org.ua/4/goncharenkobogdan.htm 22 June 2017 ) who were taking cover. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the detachment was reformed into the 1st Combined Rifles Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force in February 2023 and the reformation was officially confirmed on 26 June 2023,Зведений загін «Дика качка» перетворився на стрілецьку бригаду Повітряних Сил https://armyinform.com.ua/2023/06/27/zvedenyj-zagin-dyka-kachka-peretvoryvsya-na-strileczku-brygadu-povitryanyh-syl/ armyinform.com.ua 2023-11-30 uk the brigade was already serving on the frontlines in Donetsk Oblast and also saw combat during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive for which fifteen personnel of the regiment received state awards.Повітряні Сили відправили у бій зведену стрілецьку бригаду https://www.ukrmilitary.com/2023/06/dyka-kachka-brigade.html 2023-06-27 2023-11-30 On 9 September 2024, a soldier of the brigade (Muravsky Vadim Anatoliyovych) was killed in combat on the frontlines.Герої АТО Вадим Муравський і Ігор ЄмєльяновМужні героїAugust 2026 InternetArchiveBot 13 вересня на Львівщині попрощаються з імома військовимиСьогодні Львівщина прощається із сімома захисниками Commanders Wild Duck Detachment 1st Deployment: Commander: Colonel Bohdan Bondar Chief of Staff Oleksandr Berezin 5th Deployment: Commander: Colonel Vyacheslav Khlopyachihttp://www.mil.gov.ua/news/2018/11/05/yakist-pidgotovki-fahivcziv-povitryanih-sil-polipshuyut-vikoristovuyuchi-tehnologii-virtualnoi-realnosti/ Якість підготовки фахівців Повітряних Сил поліпшують, використовуючи технології віртуальної реальності 22 February 2020 22 February 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200222121945/http://www.mil.gov.ua/news/2018/11/05/yakist-pidgotovki-fahivcziv-povitryanih-sil-polipshuyut-vikoristovuyuchi-tehnologii-virtualnoi-realnosti/ Chief of Staff: Kostiantyn Gerasimov 6th Deployment: Commander: Colonel Ihor Levchuk Chief of Staff: Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Misyura 7th Deployment: Commander: Colonel Taiga Chief of Staff: Colonel Igor Chikin 1st Combined Rifles Brigade Colonel Bohdan Bondar (2023-) Sources Как винницкие летчики «Диких уток» на фронт посылали http://censor.net.ua/resonance/322733/bez_raznitsy_aeroport_gorod_selo_ili_kusok_polya_svoyu_zemlyu_nujno_zaschischat_starshina_brigady_takticheskoyi https://web.archive.org/web/20160818181948/http://censor.net.ua/resonance/322733/bez_raznitsy_aeroport_gorod_selo_ili_kusok_polya_svoyu_zemlyu_nujno_zaschischat_starshina_brigady_takticheskoyi 18 August 2016 Загін «Дика качка» (продовження) https://web.archive.org/web/20160807032230/http://starkonnb.info/news/city/zagin-dika-kachka-prodovzhennya.html 7 August 2016 «Бій тривав вісім годин. На нас ішли 10 танків і піхота» — полковник «Німець» https://web.archive.org/web/20170424000259/http://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/27126836.html 24 April 2017 Notes References Category:Military units and formations of Ukraine in the Russian invasion of Ukraine Category:Air force brigades of Ukraine Category:Military units and formations established in 1992 Category:1992 establishments in Ukraine