26th Artillery Brigade (Ukraine)
The 26th Artillery Brigade is an artillery formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, based in Berdychiv. It traces its history to the 117th Guards Rifle Division of the Second World War.
117th Guards Rifle Division 32nd Guards Mechanized Division (? – 4 Jun 1957) 26th Artillery Brigade | |
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Active | 1942–present |
Country | Ukraine (from 1992) |
Branch | Ukrainian Ground Forces |
Type | Artillery |
Size | Brigade |
Part of | Operational Command North |
Garrison/HQ | Berdychiv |
Engagements | War in Donbas |
Decorations | For Courage and Bravery |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Lt Col Andranyk Hasparyan |
After the war, and several redesignations, the 117th Guards Rifle Division became the 117th Guards Tank Training Division. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the 117th Guards Tank Training Division was succeeded by the 62nd Mechanized Brigade, which, in turn, was created 26th Artillery Brigade (based on the Directive of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine from 18.06.2004 № 312/1/014).
The brigade is operating Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzers gifted by Germany and the Netherlands during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, artillery used in the Battle of Bakhmut.