Mechanized Infantry Forces of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Механізовані війська, romanized: Mekhanizovani viiska) are the general basis and primary combat formations of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. They execute tasks of holding the occupied areas, lines and positions tasks of enemy's impacts repelling, of penetrating the enemy's defense lines, defeating the enemy forces, capturing the important areas, lines and objectives, and can operate in structure of marine and landing troops.^[1]

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Mechanized Infantry Forces
Механізовані війська
The Mechanized Infantry branch insignia
Active	1992 - Present
Country	Ukraine
Branch	Ukrainian Ground Forces
Type	Mechanized Infantry / Armored forces
Size	31 Brigades
Anniversaries	6 May, Day of the Mechanized Infantry
Insignia
Shoulder sleeve insignia

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The Mechanized Infantry Corps of the Ukrainian Ground Forces are organized into mechanized infantry brigades and motorized infantry brigades that help perform the principal missions entrusted to the Ukrainian Ground Forces and the wider Armed Forces as a whole.

When the Ukrainian Ground Forces had been formed on the basis of the Soviet Army in Ukraine in 1991-92, the majority of the new forces involved infantry (motor rifle/mechanized) divisions, a few of these with roots dating back to the Russian Civil War and the Ukrainian War of Independence and majority with Second World War battle honours. What are today the 24th, 28th, 30th, 72nd, 92nd and 108th Brigades, among others, were then infantry divisions, which would become infantry brigades in the 21st century and are the oldest in active service. In 2000, when the National Guard was merged with the Internal Troops, a few National Guard of Ukraine units, including the current Presidential Brigade were given to the Ukrainian Ground Forces instead of undergoing reflagging as special police formations.

Following Euromaidan and in the midst of the first years of the Russo-Ukrainian War the heritage of many of the brigades was replaced, under the insistence of President Petro Poroshenko, with the identities of the infantry and cavalry of both the Ukrainian People's Republic and West Ukrainian People's Republic of the War of Independence and their short-lived armed forces, with some of the honorifics celebrating other heroes from Ukraine's past. Battle honours won during the Second World War and Soviet orders and decorations were removed from unit titles and their colours. It was in these circumstances that the forces gradually expanded again with the raising of more brigade-level formations in the infantry, coupled with the Westernized training regimen and the modernization of the forces, which resulted in the debut of three more specialities for the Ukrainian infantry:

• Mountain infantry brigades,
• Motorized infantry brigades and
• Rifle infantry brigades.

In the wake of the full Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a new type of infantry speciality was created to assist in the needs of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in this current period:

• The Assault infantry brigade, with the creation of the 3rd and 5th Brigades in 2022.

All of these brigades constitute the Infantry Corps of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.

The Ukrainian Ground Forces Mechanized infantry brigades, which are the majority of those units of the Infantry Corps, are traditionally structured around either the tracked BMP-1 or BMP-2 IFV or a variant of the BTR wheeled family of APCs or IFVs (like the BTR-3 and BTR-4). These brigades are designed to be able to conduct combined arms maneuver warfare in an effort to take and hold territory from enemy forces in wartime operations. Doctrinally, the mechanized infantry brigades are built around three mechanized infantry battalions with a supporting motorized infantry battalion and tank battalion. The Russian invasion in 2022, opted the brigades to integrate militia battalions raised in the beginning of the invasion into brigade rifle infantry battalions as part of its Order of Battle, increasing their size further, with the latter addition in 2023 of an assault infantry battalion. ^[2] As such some of the brigades are already nearing division size in strength.

Motorized infantry formations, a much more younger type of infantry brigade that debuted in the 2010s after Euromaidan and are a legacy of the war in Donbas, are organized around the Humvee systems or similar vehicles, including those of Ukrainian manufacture. However, they do not have a tank battalion assigned to it. Their medium counterparts, the Jäger (Rifle) Infantry Brigades, are similarly organized but have a tank battalion, and can be either mechanized or motorized in its composition and armaments. Mechanized rifle infantry brigades may have an option for a motorized rifle battalion in its brigade Order of battle to put in line with the rest of the infantry brigades. Assault infantry brigades, a newer form of infantry brigade which was created in light of the 2022 invasion, are different, in which these are dedicated as the offensive assault forces in wartime operations against enemy formations and fortified positions in conjunction with other types of infantry brigades and the armor. These brigades perform the same duties of combined arms operations as in the regular mechanized infantry brigades in both peacetime and war. Due to brigades being designed for independent operations in peace and war, these brigades have a complete set of organic supporting units including a headquarters and Headquarters company, a complete field artillery regiment, an anti-tank battalion, an anti-aircraft defense battalion, a sniper company, a recon company, an engineer battalion, material repair battalion, logistics battalion, electronic warfare company, radar company, CBRN defense company, signals company, medical company, a commandant's platoon and a military band under brigade Headquarters.

Since the start of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine, the size and composition of Ukraine's mechanized and motorized infantry brigades, as well as its rifle infantry and assault infantry brigades, have changed dramatically to include both more men - and women - as the Armed Forces of Ukraine constantly mobilize but also to include the different kinds of weapons and equipment being supplied by Ukraine's Western backers.

Ukraine's two mountain infantry brigades are organized in like manner as the mechanized infantry but are organized for mountain warfare operations in wartime as well as other operations as needed and are armed similarly.

In 2019, 6 May was declared as the official Day of the Mechanized Infantry and thus serves as the official branch holiday of the Mechanized Infantry.

The Mechanized Infantry are equipped with the following vehicles:

• M55S, T-62, T-64, T-72, T-80, Leopard 1, Leopard 2, M1 Abrams, Challenger 2, PT-91 Twardy main battle tanks in armored battalions
• AMX-10 RC wheeled light tanks/armored reconnaissance vehicles in armored battalions and reconnaissance battalions
• FV101 Scorpion tracked light tanks/armored reconnaissance vehicles in armored battalions and reconnaissance battalions
• BMP-1, BMP-2, BMP-3, BVP M-80, M2 Bradley, YPR-765, Marder 1 IFV, AMX-10P, Combat Vehicle 90 tracked infantry fighting vehicles in tracked mechanized infantry battalions
• BTR-3, BTR-4, KTO Rosomak wheeled infantry fighting vehicles in wheeled mechanized infantry battalions or wheeled motorized infantry battalions
• BTR-60, BTR-70, BTR-80, BTR Otaman 6x6, Kamaz Typhoon, Ural Typhoon, VAB, M1117, ACSV, TAB-71, Stryker, ACMAT Bastion, Patria Pasi, Pandur 1 wheeled armored personnel carriers in wheeled mechanized infantry or wheeled motorized infantry battalions
• MT-LB, GT-MU, FV103 Spartan, FV105 Sultan, FV432, FV430 Bulldog, M113, Bandvagn 202, Bandvagn 206, BvS 10 tracked armored personnel carriers in tracked mechanized infantry battalions
• BRDM-2, Ferret, Fennek wheeled armored scout cars, some on tank destroyer configuration
• MT-LB-12 (TD) tracked tank destroyers
• FV107 Scimitar tracked armored reconnissance vehicles
• Bushmaster, AMZ Dzik, Cougar, Mastiff, Mamba APC, International MaxxPro, BMC Kirpi, BPM-97 and Iveco LMV MRAPs in wheeled mechanized infantry battalions, wheeled motorized infantry battalions and reconnaissance battalions
• Humvees, GAZ Tiger, Roshel Senators, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, ATF Dingo, BATT UMG, Snatch Land Rover, Gaia Amir, MSPV Panthera T6, Mowag Eagle I, Novator, VPK-Ural armored cars and mobility vehicles in wheeled motorized infantry battalions and reconnaissance battalions