3rd Separate Assault Brigade
A Ukrainian Ground Forces assault brigade formed in 2023 from veteran-led units associated with the former Azov movement.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The 3rd Separate Assault Brigade is a combat formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, established in January 2023 during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It was created by consolidating several units that had emerged outside besieged Mariupol after the start of the 2022 invasion. Many of those units were organized by former veterans of the Azov Regiment and local volunteers in Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Dnipro. The resulting brigade was designed as a mobile, heavily trained and well-equipped assault formation capable of both offensive and defensive operations. The brigade’s public identity is closely associated with its combat record and with the legacy of the units from which it was formed. It has been presented as a veteran-centered organization whose personnel include experienced soldiers from earlier Ukrainian formations as well as international volunteers. Its origins also generate controversy because of the continuing association of some personnel and symbols with the Azov movement, including allegations that certain members have held far-right or neo-Nazi views. The brigade and its supporters reject broad characterizations of the formation as extremist and emphasize its multinational composition and formal status within the Ukrainian armed forces. In 2023, the brigade participated in fighting in southern Ukraine and around Bakhmut. It received its regimental colour from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 24 February 2023 and became particularly prominent during operations near Andriivka and Klishchiivka. The brigade announced the liberation of Andriivka on 15 September 2023 and subsequently defended the settlement against Russian counterattacks. Its operations near Bakhmut later became the subject of the documentary 2000 Meters to Andriivka, directed by Mstyslav Chernov. In 2024, the brigade was committed to the Avdiivka area shortly before the city fell to Russian forces. It then occupied defensive positions west of Avdiivka and later operated in Kharkiv Oblast. Brigade statements described substantial Russian losses and territorial gains, although such battlefield claims are generally difficult to verify independently. The formation also publicized the use of unmanned aerial and ground systems, including an operation in which Russian personnel were reported to have surrendered after being approached and directed by Ukrainian ground drones. In 2025, the brigade became the organizational foundation for the newly created 3rd Army Corps. During the reorganization, its personnel were reported to be operating on the Kupiansk, Lyman and Kharkiv axes, including around Borova, Nadiia and Nevske. The brigade has portrayed itself as holding an unusually long sector of the front and as combining infantry, mechanized, tank, unmanned-systems and reconnaissance capabilities. It remains an active military formation rather than a commercial brand; its public-facing website and media channels function primarily for recruitment, communications, fundraising and institutional identity.
History
The brigade’s roots lie in the improvised Ukrainian military response to Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Most of the Azov Regiment was concentrated in Mariupol, where it became trapped during the siege. Former Azov personnel outside the city helped organize new volunteer formations in Kyiv, Sumy and Kharkiv, while a separate former-Azov territorial-defense battalion was established in Dnipro. These formations initially operated within Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces and were later reassigned to the Special Operations Forces, receiving additional training and equipment. They became collectively associated with the term Azov SSO. In January 2023, those units and the 98th Territorial Defense Battalion Azov-Dnipro were merged into a single operational brigade within the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The new formation was designated the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. Its creation reflected an effort to turn experienced volunteer and veteran networks into a standardized, mobile combat unit capable of conducting assault operations while retaining the initiative and cohesion associated with its constituent formations. The brigade’s formal public inauguration included the presentation of its regimental colour by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 24 February 2023. The colour was described as representing successive traditions of Ukrainian statehood, including the princely, Cossack and modern independence eras. In April, the brigade publicly opened recruitment. During 2023 it fought in southern Ukraine and in the Bakhmut area, where it participated in Ukrainian attacks against Russian positions. It announced the capture of Andriivka on 15 September and maintained positions there despite a Russian counterattack two days later. The brigade’s actions around Andriivka were later documented in Mstyslav Chernov’s film 2000 Meters to Andriivka. The brigade was again heavily engaged in early 2024 when it was sent toward Avdiivka as Ukrainian forces attempted to reinforce the threatened city. After Avdiivka fell on 17 February, the unit moved to defensive positions west of the city, including the area around Lastochkyne. Brigade representatives issued battlefield casualty and equipment claims, but these figures were statements by the formation and should not be treated as independently verified totals. Later in 2024, brigade units operated in Kharkiv Oblast and reported attacks against Russian positions, including a counterattack that it said recovered approximately two square kilometres. The formation also became associated with experimentation involving unmanned systems. In one reported operation, aerial and ground drones were used to attack and isolate Russian positions; approaching ground vehicles then directed Russian personnel toward Ukrainian lines, where they surrendered. The episode was presented by the brigade as the first surrender of enemy soldiers facilitated by ground drones, although the broader historical characterization is a claim made by the brigade. The brigade’s public profile has been accompanied by disputes concerning its Azov background and alleged far-right symbolism. Reporting about Ukrainian soldiers trained in France in 2023 alleged that some individuals displayed neo-Nazi imagery or gestures. The French military stated that Ukrainian authorities controlled the selection and movement of personnel sent abroad. Canada’s training of Ukrainian personnel associated with the brigade also attracted criticism. In 2024, protests by left-wing groups led to the cancellation of several events on a European recruitment and promotional tour. Supporters countered that the unit includes Ukrainians and foreign volunteers from a range of ethnic and religious backgrounds and that institutional rules prohibit ethnic abuse. In 2025, the brigade served as the nucleus of the newly formed 3rd Army Corps. Units continued to operate around the Kupiansk, Lyman and Kharkiv fronts, including near Borova, Nadiia and Nevske. Reports described the brigade as holding an unusually long section of the front and combining assault, mechanized, tank, reconnaissance and unmanned-systems capabilities. Its current identity therefore reflects both continuity with the veteran formations created in 2022 and incorporation into a larger, formal corps structure.
- 2025
3rd Army Corps reorganization
[1]The brigade became the organizational foundation of the newly established 3rd Army Corps.
- 2024
Avdiivka deployment
[1]The brigade reinforced the Avdiivka sector and later defended positions west of the city.
- 2023
3rd Separate Assault Brigade formed
[1]The Azov-linked special operations and territorial-defense units were merged into a brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.
- 2023
Regimental colour presented
[1]President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented the brigade’s colour on 24 February.
- 2023
Andriivka captured
[1]The brigade announced the capture of Andriivka during operations around Bakhmut.
- 2022
Veteran-led units formed outside Mariupol
[1]Former Azov personnel and local volunteers organized new territorial-defense formations in several Ukrainian regions after the full-scale invasion began.
Products and positioning
An elite, veteran-led Ukrainian assault formation emphasizing combat effectiveness, intensive training, recruitment, technological adaptation and a strong institutional identity.
Military capability · 2023
Assault and infantry operations
The brigade’s central function is the conduct of offensive and defensive ground combat. Its assault elements operate alongside mechanized infantry, tank, reconnaissance and support units, allowing it to attack fortified positions, reinforce threatened sectors and establish defensive lines. The formation’s veteran-heavy origins and public emphasis on intensive preparation are central to its institutional image.
Military technology
Unmanned systems
The brigade publicizes the use of FPV aerial drones, unmanned ground vehicles and remotely operated weapons as part of reconnaissance, strike and battlefield-control operations. Its reported drone-assisted surrender operation illustrates the formation’s emphasis on reducing direct exposure of personnel while applying pressure to isolated positions.
Controversies
2024
European recruitment-tour protests
A European tour intended to recruit volunteers and promote the brigade was opposed by left-wing groups, with events in Berlin, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Cologne and Brussels cancelled or withdrawn.
2023
Allegations concerning far-right imagery among trainees in France
Mediapart reported that some Ukrainian soldiers trained at La Courtine displayed alleged neo-Nazi symbols or imagery on clothing and social-media profiles. The French Ministry of the Armed Forces said Ukrainian authorities controlled the selection and movement of personnel sent abroad and did not provide further comment on that process.
2022
Criticism of Canadian training
The Canadian Army faced criticism over training personnel associated with the brigade and its predecessor formations, reflecting wider scrutiny of the Azov movement’s history and alleged extremist links.
Marketing campaigns
- 2025Kupiansk, Lyman and Kharkiv front operations
Kharkiv and Luhansk oblasts · Ukraine
Units operated around Borova, Nadiia and Nevske while reportedly holding a long section of the active front.
Outcome. The brigade reported recapturing Nadiia and Nevske and continuing defensive operations during its integration into the 3rd Army Corps.
- 2024Avdiivka defense and withdrawal
Donetsk Oblast · Ukraine
The brigade was deployed to support the threatened Avdiivka position shortly before the city fell and then established defensive positions farther west.
Outcome. The unit continued operations after the loss of Avdiivka from positions around Lastochkyne and other western approaches.
- 2024Kharkiv Oblast counterattack
Kharkiv Oblast · Ukraine
The brigade reported a counterattack against Russian forces, claiming territorial gains and heavy enemy losses over several days.
Outcome. The brigade reported recapturing approximately two square kilometres and disrupting Russian operations; the detailed casualty claims were not independently verified.
- 2023Bakhmut and Andriivka operations
Donetsk Oblast · Ukraine
The brigade participated in Ukrainian operations around Bakhmut and announced the capture of Andriivka in September 2023. It reported holding the settlement against a subsequent Russian counterattack.
Outcome. Andriivka was captured according to Ukrainian and brigade reporting; the fighting became the subject of a documentary film.
Brand decisions
2025
Transformation into the core of the 3rd Army CorpsStrategyBackground
Ukraine began reorganizing parts of its force structure into larger army corps during the continuing war.
Action taken
The 3rd Separate Assault Brigade was used as the foundation for the newly formed 3rd Army Corps.
Aftermath
The brigade became part of a larger corps-level structure while retaining its operational identity and combat role.
2023
Consolidation into a permanent assault brigadeStrategyBackground
Several veteran-led units had developed separately after the invasion and operated under territorial-defense or special-operations structures.
Action taken
The Ukrainian military merged them into a single operational brigade within the Ground Forces.
Aftermath
The new formation gained a unified command, broader equipment base and a distinct national recruitment and communications identity.
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