17th Heavy Mechanized Brigade

Ukrainian Ground Forces formation yes 17th Heavy Mechanized Brigade(2024present) 17th Tank Brigade(20162024) 17th Guards Tank Brigade(Sep 20032016) 17th Guards Tank Division(1965Sep 2003) 37th Guards Tank Division(19571965) 25th Guards Mechanized Division(19451957) 20th Guards Rifle Division(19421945) 174th Rifle Division(19401942) uk 17-та окрема танкова Криворізька бригада 17th tank brigade insignia daily.svg 200 17th Tank Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia 1940present USSR(19401991)Ukraine(1991present) Ukraine 25px Mechanized Infantry Brigade Operational Command East Kryvyi RihПитання удосконалення навичок виконання вправ бойових стрільб з танка планується відпрацювати з військовослужбовцями 17 окремої танкової бригади 6 армійського корпусу на Криворізьському військовому полігоні http://www.mil.gov.ua/index.php?lang=ua&part=news&sub=read&id=10294 Press Center of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense 31 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20110607172802/http://www.mil.gov.ua/index.php?lang=ua&part=news&sub=read&id=10294 7 June 2011 uk Live fire tank exercises planned for 17th Guards Tank Brigade 6th Army Corps Kryvyi Rih on training ground 13 September 2007 live А3283 Kostiantyn Pestushko World War II Russo-Ukrainian War War in Donbas Siege of Sloviansk Invasion of Ukraine Battle of Kharkiv Battle of the Siverskyi Donets Battle of Bakhmuthttps://www.alamy.com/ukrainian-soldiers-from-17th-tank-brigade-are-seen-in-the-ukrainian-position-near-bakhmut-ukrainian-armed-force-is-fighting-intensely-in-bakhmut-and-the-surrounding-area-as-russian-forces-are-getting-ever-closer-to-taking-the-eastern-city-of-ukraine-the-battle-of-bakhmut-is-now-known-as-the-bloodiest-and-one-of-the-longest-fight-it-has-become-one-of-the-most-significant-fights-in-the-war-between-ukraine-and-russia-image548360307.html Ukrainian soldiers from 17th tank brigade are seen in the Ukrainian position near Bakhmut. Ukrainian armed force is fighting intensely in Bakhmut and the surrounding area as Russian forces are getting ever closer to taking the eastern city of Ukraine. The battle of Bakhmut is now known as "the bloodiest" and "one of the longest fight", it has become one of the most significant fights in the war between Ukraine and Russia Stock Photo - Alamy Battle of the Svatove–Kreminna line Kryvyi Rih Lt. Col. Oleksandr Tarnavskiy Pavlo Zhytnyak The 17th Heavy Mechanized Brigade is a brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces formed in 1940. The full name of the brigade is the 17th Separate Kryvyi Rih Heavy Mechanized Brigade named after Kostiantyn Pestushko.https://www.president.gov.ua/documents/6182019-29185 УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №618/2019 22 August 2019 7 February 2021 President of Ukraine uk DECREE OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE №618 / 2019http://www.president.gov.ua/documents/p_4627.html УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ № 569/2006 23 June 2006 president.gov.ua Press Service of the President of Ukraine uk Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 569/2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20070817160516/http://www.president.gov.ua/documents/p_4627.html 17 August 2007 30 August 2016 dead History The unit's history stems from the 174th Rifle Division, which became the 20th Guards Rifle Division in 1942. The 174th Rifle Division fought as part of the 22nd Army in the Polotsk defensive operation, where it escaped encirclement. During the winter of 1942, it fought in defensive and counteroffensive operations in the Battle of Moscow. It was awarded the honorary title of "Guards" and was renamed into the 20th Guards Rifle Division on 17 March 1942. The 20th Guards Rifle Division fought at the Battle of Stalingrad, Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, Budapest, and Vienna. It was with the 57th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front in May 1945.http://mil.in.ua/2010/03/07/17/ 17 окрема танкова бригада Ukrainian Military Portal uk 17th Separate Tank Brigade https://web.archive.org/web/20160831090113/http://mil.in.ua/2010/03/07/17/ 2016-08-31 dead 2016-01-17 In 1945, the unit became the 25th Guards Mechanized Division,Drogovoz 2003, p. 393 and in 1957, it was renamed to the 37th Guards Tank Division at Constanza with the 1st Guards Army. The division moved to Kryvyi Rih in 1958 and was subordinated to the 6th Guards Army. In 1960, the 69th Separate Tank Training Battalion, which was part of the 37th Guards Tank Division, was disbanded. On 19 February 1962, the Missile Battalion and the 129th Separate Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion were activated. On 11 January 1965, the 37th Guards Tank Division became the 17th Guards Tank Division, a designation it would retain until the fall of the Soviet Union. In 1968, the 26th Separate Guards Sapper Battalion became an engineer-sapper battalion. The chemical defence company activated the 44th Separate Chemical Defence Battalion in 1972. The 1055th Separate Material Supply Battalion was formed from the separate motor transport battalion. In 1979-81, Colonel, later General-Major, Mikhail Kolesnikov commanded the division. In June 1989, the 1158th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment was transferred to East Germany, and was replaced by the 1069th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment of the 47th Guards Tank Division. The 25th and 92nd Tank Regiments of the 58th Tank Division replaced the division's 216th Guards and 224th Tank Regiments in June 1990. During the Cold War, the division was maintained at 60% strength. http://www.ww2.dk/new/army/td/17gvtd.htm 17th Guards Tank Division Holm Michael www.ww2.dk 2016-03-01 It is still designated a tank division as of Decree N 350/93 (21 August 1993), when Colonel Ivan Svidi, Commander of the 17th Tank Division, 6th Army Corps, Odesa Military District, became a major-general. In accordance with Decree 925/98, of 23 August 1998, division commander Serhiy Andriyovych Harbuz was promoted to Major General.http://zakon4.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/925/98 У К А З ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ Про присвоєння військових звань Verkhovna Rada uk Decree of the President of Ukraine On Conferring Military Rank https://web.archive.org/web/20160831090006/http://zakon4.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/925/98 2016-08-31 live 2016-01-17 In September 2003, the division was downsized into a brigade. After the 6th Army Corps was disbanded in 2013, the brigade became part of Operational Command East. During the War in Donbas elements of the brigade took part in the fighting for Semenivka, a suburb of Sloviansk as part of the siege of the city in 2014.25-а Окрема повітряно-десантна бригада. Перші бої в АТО 2026-04-28 https://tyzhden.ua/25-a-okrema-povitriano-desantna-bryhada-pershi-boi-v-ato/ 2026-08-01 During the Second Battle of Donetsk Airport, the word cyborg (uk кіборг) was used to refer to the Ukrainian defenders of the airport.https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29793696 The 'cyborg' defenders of Donetsk airport Vitaly 30 October 2014 BBC News 22 January 2015 Shevchenkohttp://www.dw.de/donetsk-airport-strategic-rubble-of-high-symbolic-value/a-18203321 Donetsk airport: Strategic rubble of high symbolic value Goncharenko Roman 20 January 2015 Deutsche Welle 22 January 2015 It was first applied to these soldiers online, and was picked up by the Ukrainian media. It refers to the way that the airport defenders were able to fend off constant attacks by DPR forces in close quarters with little sleep or support, just as science-fiction cyborgs are "indestructible half-men, half-machines", or "superhuman".http://www.kyivpost.com/content/kyiv-post-plus/cyborgs-pledge-to-defend-ruined-donetsk-airport-367553.html 'Cyborgs' pledge to defend ruined Donetsk airport Oksana 10 October 2014 Kyiv Post 22 January 2015 Grytsenko The cyborgs have become part of Ukrainian national mythos, and are cast in a "near-legendary light" amongst many Ukrainians.https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/01/22/the-death-of-ukraines-cyborg-army-ukraine-russia-donetsk-airport-shelling/ The Death of Ukraine's Cyborg Army Miller James 22 January 2015 Foreign Policy Vaux Pierre 22 January 2015 The term "cyborg" is usually applied to the following units: 3rd Spetsnaz Regiment, 93rd Mechanised Brigade, 79th Airmobile Brigade, 17th Tank Brigade, and the Right Sector volunteer battalion.http://cyborgs.uatoday.tv/ Cyborgs v Kremlin Ukraine Today https://web.archive.org/web/20141016234021/http://cyborgs.uatoday.tv/ 16 October 2014 dead 11 December 2015 On 18 November 2015, its honorifics "Red Banner Order of Suvorov" were removed as part of an Armed Forces-wide removal of Soviet awards and honorifics.http://www.president.gov.ua/documents/6462015-19568 УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №646/2015 18 November 2015 President of Ukraine uk Ukaz President of Ukraine No. 646/2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20160831090416/http://www.president.gov.ua/documents/6462015-19568 2016-08-31 live 14 August 2016 The Kryvyi Rih battle honour remained because Kryvyi Rih is located in Ukraine.http://www.istpravda.com.ua/short/2015/11/21/148742/view_print/ З назв військових частин прибрали радянські відзнаки. СПИСОК 21 November 2015 Istorychna Pravda uk List of military units with removed Soviet designations https://web.archive.org/web/20160831090505/http://www.istpravda.com.ua/short/2015/11/21/148742/view_print/ 2016-08-31 live 28 August 2016 On 22 August 2016 its Guards title was removed.http://www.president.gov.ua/documents/3442016-20457 УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №344/2016 22 August 2016 17 February 2017 President of Ukraine uk Ukaz of the President of Ukraine No. 344/2016In 2019 it was granted the honorific "Kostiantyn Pestushko". 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine thumb|T-72 of the 17th Tank Brigade in 2022 During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the brigade participated in the battle of Kharkiv. On the night of the invasion, part of the brigade was stationed in Luhansk Oblast and one tank battalion in Mariupol. From the 8th to the 11th May 2022, in the battle of the Siverskyi Donets, the artillery from the 17th Tank Brigade destroyed a Russian battalion tactical group.Growing evidence of a military disaster on the Donets pierces a pro-Russian bubble https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/15/world/europe/pro-russian-war-bloggers-kremlin.html Anton Troianovski Marc Santora New York Times 15 May 2022 16 May 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220516030015/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/15/world/europe/pro-russian-war-bloggers-kremlin.html 16 May 2022Ukraine repels Russia's attempt to cross Donbas river, and drives invaders away from Kharkiv https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/13/ukraine-has-repelled-russias-attempt-to-cross-donbas-river-uk-confirms Dan Sabbagh The Guardian 14 May 2022 16 May 2022 The brigade has since been involved in combat in the battle of Bakhmut.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65347835 Ukraine war: Bakhmut defenders worry about losing support www.bbc.co.uk en 27 April 2023 27 April 2023 Alongside the 60th Infantry Brigade, the 4th Battalion of the 17th Tank Brigade took part in the March 2022 recapture of eleven villages in the Kherson Oblast.https://hromadske.radio/news/2022/03/31/zsu-zvil-nyly-11-naselenykh-punktiv-na-khersonshchyni ЗСУ звільнили 11 населених пунктів на Херсонщині 25 February 2024 31 March 2022 uk Мирослава Станкевич Hromadske Radiohttps://mil.in.ua/en/news/the-armed-forces-of-ukraine-liberated-11-settlements-in-the-kherson-region/ The Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated 11 settlements in the Kherson region 1 April 2022 Militarnyi 3 February 2025 In October 2024, the tank brigade was reformed into a heavy mechanized brigade.January 2025 Structure As of 2023 the brigade's structure is as follows:January 2025 17th Tank Brigade, Kryvyi Rih Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company 25px 1st Tank Battalion 2nd Tank Battalion 3rd Tank Battalion 4th Tank Battalion 25px 17th Mechanized Infantry Battalion 25px 2nd Rifle Infantry Battalion 25px 17th Artillery Group Headquarters & Target Acquisition Battery Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (2S3 Akatsiya) Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (2S1 Gvozdika) Rocket Artillery Battalion (BM-21 Grad) Anti-Aircraft Defense Battalion Reconnaissance Company Snipers Platoon Fire Platoon Combat Engineer Battalion Maintenance Battalion Logistic Battalion Signal Company Radar Company Medical Company CBRN-defense Company Brigade Band Past commanders Nikolay Mikhaylovich Dreyer – 25 February 1944 – April 1945 Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Tarnavskiy – temporary commander 2007http://www.mil.gov.ua/index.php?lang=ua&part=news&sub=read&id=10294 Питання удосконалення навичок виконання вправ бойових стрільб з танка планується відпрацювати з військовослужбовцями 17 окремої танкової бригади 6 армійського корпусу на Криворізьському військовому полігоні 13 September 2007 Press Center of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense uk Live fire tank exercises planned for 17th Guards Tank Brigade 6th Army Corps Kryvyi Rih on training ground 31 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20110607172802/http://www.mil.gov.ua/index.php?lang=ua&part=news&sub=read&id=10294 7 June 2011 dead Decorations Order of Suvorov (removed) Order of the Red Banner (removed) 15 individual state medals for valor during the Russo-Ukrainian War References Танковый меч страны Советов Drogovoz Igor AST 2003 9851311332 Moscow ru Tank Sword of the Soviet country Category:Heavy mechanized brigades of Ukraine Category:Military units and formations of Ukraine in the Russian invasion of Ukraine Category:History of Kryvyi Rih Category:Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner Category:Military units and formations of Ukraine in the war in Donbas Category:Military units and formations established in 2003