Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade Relieved After A Year At Bakhmut

After a year of heavy fighting in one of the most brutal sectors of the front, the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade is now refitting to upgrade technologically and replenishing personnel.

From Kyiv to Mariupol, Kherson and Bakhmut, members of the unit have fought in some of the hardest and most significant battles of the war. JL

Kateryna Tshchenko reports in Ukraine Pravda:

After nearly a year of heavy fighting near Bakhmut, the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade withdrew from the front in early December to become the most technologically equipped unit in Ukraine. The Brigade liberated over 20 square kms out of the total of 250 square kms clawed back from the enemy during the counteroffensive. Fighters from what was originally the Azov Battalion which defended Mariupol and what is now the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade have been on the Zaporizhzhia front since April 2022 and helped liberate Kherson. They have been fighting on the Bakhmut front since early 2023, liberating Andriivka on 15 September

In early December, Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade began recuperating after exhausting battles near Bakhmut.

Source: spokesperson for the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade in a comment for Ukrainska Pravda

Quote: "After nearly a year of heavy fighting near Bakhmut, the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade withdrew from that challenging part of the front in early December 2023 to recuperate and become the most technologically equipped unit in Ukraine.

We would like to mention that soldiers from the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade carried out successful operations that saw the liberation of over 20 square kilometres out of the total of 250 square kilometres clawed back from the enemy during the counteroffensive."

Details: The brigade is currently undergoing extensive training, replenishing its stocks of weapons and equipment, and establishing effective coordination among all its members in light of the recent creation of new units within the brigade and the influx of new personnel.

The brigade is also actively recruiting new members, whose training will comprise three stages.

First is the so-called "test week", designed for those who are uncertain about whether they want to join the army or not sure about their own physical fitness. The seven-day program gives participants an opportunity to test themselves, gain basic military knowledge and experience everyday life in the army.

The second stage of the training is designed for those who have made a decision to join the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade but need to level up their physical fitness before they can undergo military recruit training. This second stage involves tactical training, combat medicine, military topography and orienteering, engineering and explosive device training, and physical exercises.

The third and final stage is the military recruit training, where participants learn the theory and practice of operating firearms, more tactical medicine, the basics of military engineering, special communications, and topography. They also undergo mental and physical endurance tests. After successfully completing the course, the recruits join the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade and undergo a period of coordinating activities with their new units. It is only after that point that they can be deployed to take part in combat activities on the front.

For reference: The 3rd Separate Assault Brigade is a volunteer unit created by Azov Battalion veterans on 24 February 2022 as a territorial defence unit. It took part in defending Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast in the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. It later became the Azov Separate Special Purpose Regiment, and then the Azov unit of the Special Operation Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In early 2023, it was incorporated into the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade.

Fighters from what is now the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade have been defending Ukraine on the Zaporizhzhia front since April 2022 and helped their brothers in arms liberate Kherson Oblast. They have been fighting on the Bakhmut front since early 2023, liberating the town of Andriivka (Donetsk Oblast) on 15 September as part of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.