Who are Ukraine's 82nd Air Assault Brigade? A new elite unit armed with the best Western gear seems
- Ukraine's elite 82nd Air Assault Brigade appears to have joined its counteroffensive fight.
- The unit has a big collection of Western vehicles and UK tanks, according to leaked US documents.
- Russian war commentators are highlighting the brigade, saying it has made some progress.
An elite Ukrainian unit has joined its counteroffensive against Russia, and seems to have rattled some of its enemies.
Ukraine's 82nd Air Assault Brigade created a stir when it joined the attack. Ukraine itself has published little information about the unit, but leaked documents and accounts from the battlefield are contributing to its reputation.
The 82nd is said to have joined battle in near the village of Robotyne in the country's southeast. The area has been the scene of intense fighting and where Ukraine says it has made small gains, Ukraine's Kyiv Post reported.
The unit, made up of 2,000 troops, had previously been held in reserve, Insider's Rebecca Rommen reported, while many of Ukraine's other units tried to press ahead, making small advances but no major breakthroughs.
The 82nd brigade could now help those efforts: It has a large supply of advanced Western equipment, which Ukrainian leaders have been distributing carefully given the relatively small amount it has.
Leaked Pentagon documents from February and March of this year said the unit was expected to have 90 US Stryker combat vehicles, 40 German-made Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 24 US-made M113 infantry carriers, and 14 Challenger tanks from the UK, Politico reported.
This would mean that the 82nd battalion alone would have half of Ukraine's best infantry armored vehicles from its NATO allies, the Kyiv Post reported.
And it means the battalion would be the only one in Ukraine using the Marder and Strkyer vehicles, the Kyiv Post reported.
In fact, the documents say all of the brigade's big equipment would be stuff that's come from allied countries, Forbes reported. Other units are much less well-equipped, often relying on Soviet-era gear, and crowdfunded equipment.
The Challenger tanks have been photographed near Robotyne, modified with added cages to protect against drone strikes, The Telegraph reported.
Russia seems to be rattled by the battalion's arrival.
Some of the most prominent Russia war commentary figures have highlighted the battalion over the past few days, including pro-war TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov, who on Monday said the unit and was fighting with Robotyne with Western vehicles.
Pro-Kremlin blogger Rybar said on Sunday that the battalion was able to push Russia out of some positions in the nearby village of Verbove.
[Both accounts suggested that Russia managed to fight back the 82nd, a claim Insider could not verify, but which would fit a pattern of exaggerated claims of success from the Russian side.]
How well the battalion will ultimately perform against Russia is unclear for now. And the Kyiv Post reported that the infantry vehicle component only began training in March.
Michael Clarke, a defense and security analyst, told Insider's Rebecca Rommen that the battalion entering the fight shows how Ukraine's generals had "decided to put all their chips on the table."
He said the 82nd appeared to be a "spearhead" force, meant to punch through Russia's heavy defenses and allow more regular troops to clean up in their wake.
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