Ukrainian Air Assault Forces

The Ukrainian Air Assault Forces or DShV (from "Desanto-shturmovi viyska Ukrayiny", Ukrainian: Десантно-штурмові війська України, ДШВ; Air-Assault Forces of Ukraine) are a branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The air assault forces field high-readiness ground units without air-assets. The air assault forces are in constant combat readiness and are the high mobility branch of forces.

History
The Ukrainian Air Assault Forces were created in 1992 from units of the Soviet Airborne Troops stationed on Ukrainian territory after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union on 25 December 1991. In the 15 years after their creation Ukrainian paratroopers have served in peacekeeping missions to the Balkans, in Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ethiopia, Georgia and DR Congo. In 2007, the 13th Separate Airmobile Battalion served as part of Polish–Ukrainian Peace Force Battalion, a peacekeeping unit with Kosovo Force.

In 2016, Ukrainian Airmobile Forces where formed in independent branch of the Armed Forces. Previously, they were part of Ground Forces.

On 21 November 2017 (Ukraine's Paratroopers' Day) President Petro Poroshenko stated that 469 Ukrainian paratroopers had been killed in the (ongoing) War in Donbass.

On 21 November 2017 the Air Assault Forces also received its new insignia (the dome of a parachute "as a symbol of airborne units around the world" and the wings of Archangel Michael and "the flaming sword with which he hits the enemies"). The color of the Ukrainian paratroopers was also changed to maroon. 21 November 2017 was the first time Air Assault Forces Day in Ukraine was celebrated on 21 November. Up to 2017 this day was celebrated on 2 August, as it was in the Soviet Union. According to President Poroshenko “It is logical to celebrate your professional holiday on November 21. The usual August 2 is the date of the first jump of paratroopers in the Moscow Military District. How is it about us? Moscow is not Kyiv. As well as "Ukraine is not Russia." He added that "The start of the new Paratroop Day is part of the Ukrainianization of the historical and political calendar - the replacement of the Soviet-Russian imposed upon us." From 2017 onward, the UkrAAF wear the maroon berets common among many Western airborne units.

2001
In 2001 the Airmobile Force consisted of:

2008

 * 25 Airborne Brigade.jpg 25th Airborne Brigade
 * 95aembr.jpg 95th Airmobile Brigade
 * 79 OAeMBr ZSU.png 79th Airmobile Brigade
 * 80oaep.jpg 80th Airmobile Regiment
 * 81-а тактична група.jpg 81st Brigade Tactical Group (Iraq War)
 * 28 ОНАеМБ.png 28th Training Battalion

2017

 * Air Assault Forces Command, Zhytomyr
 * 25 ОПДБр.png 25th Airborne Brigade, Hvardiiske
 * 45 ОДШБр (2016).png 45th Air Assault Brigade, Bolhrad
 * 46 ОДШБр.png 46th Air Assault Brigade, Poltava
 * 79 ОДШБр.png 79th Air Assault Brigade, Mykolaiv
 * 80 ОДШБр1.png 80th Air Assault Brigade, Lviv
 * 81 ОАеМБр.png 81st Airmobile Brigade, Druzhkivka
 * 95 ОДШБр.png 95th Air Assault Brigade, Zhytomyr
 * 102nd Airborne Materiel Storage, Zhytomyr
 * 199th Airborne Forces Training Center, Zhytomyr
 * 347th IT and Signal Center, Zhytomyr
 * 135th Command Battalion, Zhytomyr

Commanders
The commander of the Air Assault Forces since 2 August 2015 is Lieutenant-general Mykhailo Zabrodskyi.

Personal firearms

 * PM, semi-automatic pistol (9×18mm)
 * Fort-14
 * AKS-74, para assault rifle (AK-74 with folding skeleton buttstock) (5.45×39mm)
 * AKS-74U, short-barreled para assault rifle carbine with folding skeleton buttstock(5.45×39mm)
 * AKMS, para assault rifle with a downward-folding metal stock similar to that of the German MP40 (7.62×39mm)
 * АК-ТК - AK-74 modernization
 * Fort-221 - TAR-21 licensed copy
 * RPKS-74, the light weight para machinegun (5.45×39mm)
 * PKM, general purpose machine gun (7.62×54mmR)
 * Dragunov SVDS sniper rifle (7.62×54mmR)
 * GP-25 and GP-30, the under-barrel 40mm grenade launchers for fragmentation and gas grenades which are attached to AKS-74 of some paratroopers to increase firepower for combating enemy foot troops
 * AGS-17 "Plamya" (Flame), the automatic grenade launcher – may being replaced by a much lighter UAG-40.

Armored Vehicles

 * T-80 - main battle tank
 * BMD-1
 * BMD-2
 * BTR-D
 * BTR-80
 * BTR-70
 * BTR-3
 * BTR-4
 * MTLB
 * KRAZ "Spartan"
 * HMMWV M1114 UAH
 * AT105 Saxon
 * Dozor-B

Artillery

 * 2S9 "Nona-S" configuration of 2S9 Nona, 120mm self-propelled mortar
 * 2S23
 * 2S1
 * BM21
 * ZU-23-2, an aged but effective and powerful design of a double barrel 23mm anti-aircraft gun, commonly used against infantry and even APCs and IFVs, it is either mounted on any amphibious hulls, usually based on PT-76 light tank, or can be towed by jeep or truck as it has wheels.

Vehicles

 * KrAZ-6322
 * GAZ-66