| 47th Mechanized Brigade "Magura" | |
|---|---|
| 47-ма окрема механізована бригада | |
 Shoulder Sleeve Insignia | |
| Active | April 26, 2022 – present |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Branch |  Ukrainian Ground Forces |
| Role |  Mechanized Infantry |
| Part of | Operational Command North 9th Army Corps |
| Equipment | M2A2 ODS,M1A1 SA,M109A6 Paladin,D-30 |
| Engagements | Russo-Ukrainian War Battle of Bakhmut[1] 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive[2] Battle of Mala Tokmachka[3] Battle of Avdiivka Battle of Ocheretyne[4] |
| Website | https://choko.link/47th_Brigade |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Col. Maxim Oleksandrovitch Daniiltchuk |
| Notable commanders | Lt. Col.Oleksandr Sak (2022 - September 2023) Col. Oleksandr Pavlii (September 2023 - January 2024)[5] Lt. Col. Dmytro Ryumshin (January 2024 - March 2024) |
| Insignia | |
| Former sleeve patch | .png) |
The47th Mechanized Brigade "Magura" (Ukrainian:47-ма окрема механізована бригада) is abrigade of theUkrainian Ground Forces formed in 2022.[6]
The unit was formed during theRusso-Ukrainian War. The unit was originally called the 47th Assault Battalion, and was created under the leadership of Captain Ivan Shalamaga, who at the time held the position of deputy commander in the30th Mechanized Brigade; and reconnaissance officer Valery Markus.[7][8] After its official establishment on April 26, the battalion underwent training before being deployed to the Vuhlehirskaya area nearBakhmut, participating in thebattle of Bakhmut.[1][failed verification]
The battalion's success was recognized by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.Valery Zaluzhny, who ordered its expansion into a full assault regiment.[7] Within three months, the 47th Assault Battalion was reorganized into the 47th Assault Brigade, which was then led byOleksandr Sak as its commander, with Shalamaga as his deputy.[9]
General Zaluzhny appointed Oleksandr Sak as the brigade commander. The brigade underwent combat training in various locations throughout Ukraine and Europe and members of the brigade trained on vehicles at a U.S. base.[1] The brigade saw a significant increase in personnel, from roughly 400 in April to around 2,000 in January 2023.[6] The 47th Mechanized Brigade was formed from the 47th Assault Battalion, which was established with volunteers fromKyiv,Dnipro,Odesa, andLviv.[7] The head master sergeant of the battalion was Valeriy Markus.[10]
The battalion was quickly equipped and ready for action, participating in a battle for theVuhlehirska power station in the Donetsk region by May 8, 2022.[7] On June 28, 2022, the battalion was expanded to an assault regiment with the addition oftank,artillery, and fire support units.[1] The regiment underwent restructuring from October 13 to November 15, 2022, to become the 47th Mechanized Brigade, which is now equipped withM-55S,Panthera T6,BMP-1,Leopard 2 and M2A2 ODS Bradleys.[11]
On June 8, 2023, the 47th Mechanized Brigade engaged in the2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive andsuffered heavy material losses.[12][13] On July 11, 2023, headmaster sergeant Valerii Markus, who had met with the President of UkraineVolodymyr Zelenskyy at the end of June, complained about the decisions of the unit's command regarding lack of interest in soldiers morale and officers incompetence.[14]
Intense clashes occurred near the hamlet ofRobotyne, as it held a vital position in the Russian defensive front. The village endured significant damage and population loss throughout the battles.[15][16][17] The 47th Mechanized Brigade was the first Ukrainian unit to enter the village on July 22, 2023. On 22 July, 2023 Dimytro Rybakov Commander of the 47th Mechanized Brigade was killed in combat in direction of Melitopol axis. Rybakov was also a well known journalist and Economic commentator.[18]
In late July, theBBC visited the 47th Mechanized Brigade, which was fighting in "southern Ukraine". GeneralOleksandr Tarnavskyi said that the number of minefields meant that the advance must be undertaken by soldiers and not armored units. A repair workshop had a dozen vehicles being repaired, mostlyM2 Bradleys. The BBC team also traveled around the southern front and sawMastiff armored vehicles, supplied by Britain, damaged and destroyed. The 47th has used its older Soviet-era equipment, such as theT-64 tank to clear minefields. These tanks are fitted with rollers to try and detonate landmines. However, Russian mines are being stacked on top of each other. One T-64 commander said that a roller was destroyed after one explosion when typically it could withstand four explosions. Russian forces had started to leave trenches abandoned but filled with remote-controlled mines. Once Ukrainian forces entered the trench, there was an immediate explosion.[19]
On August 17, 2023, near Robotyne, one of the members of the brigade used a SwedishRBS-70MANPAD to shoot down a RussianKa-52 Alligator helicopter, reportedly killing one of the crew members. It was the first visible confirmation of Ukraine employing this system in combat.[20]After a month of intense fighting, on August 23, 2023, they unfurled theUkrainian flag on the ruins of a local school,[21] marking the capture of Robotyne and subsequently organized the evacuation of the remaining civilians.[22][23][24][17]
As of September 2023, the brigade had suffered around 2,000 casualties out of its initial complement of 5,000.[25]
On 16 September 2023, Lieutenant ColonelOleksandr Sak was removed from command and replaced by ColonelOleksandr Pavlii.[5]
Around mid-October 2023, the brigade was pulled from the southern front and transferred to reinforce the defense against Russian forces in thebattle of Avdiivka.[26][27][28][29]
The following month, the unit was visited by Spanish newspaperEl País. At the time, it was defending the railway lines north ofAvdiivka to avoid the encirclement of the city. Casualties were said to be high on both sides, with, reportedly, one Ukrainian casualty for three Russian.[30] A platoon leader reporting 17 killed and missing in action. The same officer also claimed that his Russian opponents were "superior in everything except in training". The commander of aPaladinhowitzer complained that he could only shoot 15 shells per day, compared with 100 to 150 per day during the summer counteroffensive, and that his gun's error margin had grown from 7 to 70 meters due to wear.[31] A squad leader declared having lost all his 17 men while another company lost 65 out of a total of 80 soldiers, with casualties are claimed to be comparable to those of the Russians.[30]
On December 28, nearStepove, in repelling an attack by a Russian reinforced battalion of 500 troops, the brigade allegedly killed half of them and destroyed 21 enemy tanks and 14 IFV/APCs. Reportedly, the brigade lost only two tanks abandoned in return.[32] Colonel Pavili was dismissed the following month, and replaced by Lt. Col. Dmitro Riumshin.[30]
On February 23, 2024, the brigade published a video that showed, for the first time, anM1A1 Abrams in combat operation in Ukraine. Two days later, the Russians published a video of the first-ever M1A1 Abrams destroyed in Ukraine.[33] By April 20, five of the brigade's 31 Abrams had been destroyed and three others moderately damaged, mainly byfirst-person-view drones.[34]
Ukrainian commander-in-chief Syrskyi publicly praised the 47th Brigade in March 2024 for its efforts in repelling Russian attacks on the villages ofBerdychi andOrlivka.[35] On March 10, 2024, the commander of the brigade, Ryumshin, was replaced by Col. Yan Yatsishen.[36] The latter is the fourth commander so far.[30]
El País on April 22, 2024 reported the brigade was in dire straits due to ammunition and equipment shortages; in one company, for instance, there remained only two Bradley vehicles in operation out of its initial eleven.[30]
Around April 20, the brigade was pulled back from the front line east ofOcheretyne to rest and resupply. However, coordination with the replacing unit, the115th Mechanized Brigade, failed and the Russian 30th Motor Rifle Brigade took advantage of the opportunity to advance swiftly on Ocheretyne.[37] The 47th was sent back to the fight, could not avoid the fall of the town but prevented the Russians from widening the salient.Forbes reported the brigade was 2,000 strong at the time and had lost at least 40 of its roughly 200M2 IFV and five of its 31 M1A1 tanks.[11]
On May 28, the brigade repelled a Russian attack near Novopokrovske.[9] On June 26, the brigade was commended by the General Staff for "bravely hold[ing] their positions" at an unspecified location.[8]
On July 7, the unit was reported by Spanish analysts to be back to the Avdiivka sector.[38]
On August 31,Forbes reported that the brigade had lost around half of the 31 M1 Abrams it had in operation six months earlier. For the entire summer it had been defending the front between Avdiivka and Pokrovsk, trying to slow down theRussian offensive.[39]
After a short respite after its service in the Avdiivka–Pokrovsk area, the entirety of the 47th Brigade was redeployed to Russia'sKursk Oblast in late September 2024, as part ofthe Ukrainian operation in the region.[40][41] By mid-October, it was reported that the brigade was operating near the village ofZelyonyy Shlyakh [ru], on the left flank of the group of Ukrainian forces in Kursk.[42]
It was reported in late October 2024 that units of the brigade, including its 130th Mechanized Battalion, had conducted a new breakthrough along theRussia-Ukraine border at the village ofNovyy Put in theGlushkovo District of theKursk Oblast, and had seized Russian positions.[43][44]
As of January 2025, units of the 47th Brigade were reportedly defending the village ofNikolskii [ru] along with units of the82nd Air Assault Brigade, as part ofUkraine's operation in Russia'sKursk Oblast.[45] During the next month, the brigade was still operating near Nikolskii.[46]
On May 17, the unit's battalion commander, Oleksandr Shyrshyn, resigned from his post, criticizing the command for "stupid objectives" and unnecessary casualties.[47] According to Ukrainian journalistYuri Butusov [uk;ru;et], the resignation was due to poorly organized assaults on the village ofTyotkino.[48]
In September 2025, 26-year-old Maxim Oleksandrovitch Daniiltchuk was appointed as commander of the brigade.
The brigade is armed withM2A2 ODS IFV (99 units),M109A6 Paladin SPH (18 units) andD-30 howitzers.[49][50] It was supposed to be armed withM-55S (28 units) tanks, yet later they were replaced withLeopard 2A6 (21 unit) tanks.[51] The brigade now operates theM1A1SA Abrams tank.[52]
As of 2024, the brigade's structure is as follows:[10]
47th Mechanized Brigade
3rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion
25th Separate Assault Battalion [uk]
26th Separate Rifle Battalion [uk]
1st Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion (M109 howitzer)
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1Unless stated otherwise, the brigade is mechanized. | |||||||||||||||||
