| 130th Reconnaissance Battalion | |
|---|---|
| 130-й окремий розвідувальний батальйон | |
 Battalion's insignia | |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Allegiance |  Armed Forces of Ukraine |
| Branch |  Ukrainian Ground Forces |
| Type | Battalion,spetsnaz |
| Role | Reconnaissance, counteroffensive andsabotage |
| Part of | Operational Command West |
| Garrison/HQ | Dubno |
| Engagements | |
| Insignia | |
| Former Insignia |  |
The130th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion (MUN A1994) is a battalion of theUkrainian ground forces acting as an independent unit subordinated directly to theOperational Command West and has seen combat during both theWar in Donbass and theRusso-Ukrainian war, performing reconnaissance and combat operations throughout the entire front.
It was established on 4 April 2014 as a separate reconnaissance battalion for theOperational Command West.
On 8 June 2015, at midnight, near Grechishkyne, in a clash between a reconnaissance group of the battalion and the DRG of theLuhansk People's Republic, a soldier of the battalion, Andriy Vasylovich Brik was killed.[1] On 27 September 2015, a soldier of the battalion was murdered at its position in Purdivka, his body had gunshot and stabbing wounds.[2] On 22 November 2015, a soldier of the battalion, Bilyk Andriy Bogdanovych died in Malinove after being blown up by a landmine while performing a combat operation.[3][4] On 5 October 2016, an officer of the Battalion, Yarovets Maksym Oleksandrovych was killed by a landmine explosion while on a combat mission.[5] On 23 October 2016, while performing a combat mission inLuhanske, a soldier of the battalion, Khrupchyk Ivan Vasilyovych was killed.[6] On 23 May 2018, a meeting was held inDubno regarding the issue of transferring the premises of the Dubno Correctional Colony to the battalion and the process was completed in August 2018.[7] On 5 January 2020, inZolote, aGAZ-66 truck of the battalion was blown up by aTM-62, a serviceman of the 130th Battalion Dychek Serhiy Oleksandrovych was killed and another soldier was seriously wounded.[8][9][10][11][12]
In March 2022, the battalion's group conducted operations in theKyiv Oblast betweenIvankiv andKyiv. The group conducted a successful ambush on a column of about fifty retreating Russian vehicles on 31 March 2022 near Leonivka and Zymovyshche killing 20 Russian soldiers.[13] Later, the battalion's Bravo Group conducted many operations in theZaporizhia direction and inDonetsk Oblast, aimed specifically at recapturing lost positions.[14] During the2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive, the group conducted four successful assaults. The group stormedLobkove in coordination with the 128th Brigade, having only one soldier wounded. The assault onPyatikhatky was more difficult as Russians used tanks to counterattack but were defeated. During combat nearRobotyne, many soldiers were wounded being engaged in mining, ambushes, and FPV warfare.[13] The Battalion was also amongst the first to take part in the2024 Kursk offensive being deployed there since the first days and was amongst the units to captureSudzha.[13] In October 2024, Andriy's unit was transferred to the Kursk direction in the Sumy region. On 24 October 2024, a soldier of the battalion, Olshansky Andriy Vitaliyovych received shrapnel wounds and died on 26 October during evacuation in theSumy Oblast as a result of a drone attack.[15]
| Model | Image | Origin | Type | Number | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy weaponry | |||||
| NLAW | .JPG) |  Sweden United Kingdom | Fire-and-forget, lightweightshoulder-fired, and disposableline of sightATGM | [13] | |
| Mk 19 |  |  United States | 40 mmbelt-fedautomatic grenade launcher | [13] | |
| Assault Rifles | |||||
| M4A1 |  | United States | 5.56×45mm NATOassault rifle | [13] | |
| CZ 805 BREN |  |  Czech Republic | 5.56×45mm NATOassault rifle | [13] | |
| FN SCAR |  |  Belgium | 5.56×45mm NATOassault rifle | [13] | |
| Unmanned Aerial Vehicles | |||||
| DJI Mavic |  |  China | FPV drone | [13] | |
The structure of the battalion is as follows:
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| International Units | |||||||||||||||||
1Unless stated otherwise, the brigade is mechanized. | |||||||||||||||||
