72nd separate mechanized brigade named after Black Zaporozhets

The combat history of the brigade began in March 2014, when the military unit was placed on high alert. By the end of that month, individual units were already holding defensive positions around Mariupol and Volnovakha in the Donetsk region.

On May 9, 2014, soldiers of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade took part in the liberation of hostages in Mariupol, and in July — conducted raids along the border areas in Luhansk region.

At the end of October 2016, brigade units took positions near the Avdiivka industrial zone and Verkhnotoretske. One of the defining moments of that period was the heavy fighting in January and February in the Avdiivka industrial area. The brigade’s troops succeeded in driving out pro-Russian forces from the “Almaz” position in the gray zone. Captain Andriy Kyzilo was killed in action during this battle. He was posthumously awarded the title Hero of Ukraine.

At the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Black Zaporizhians defended the capital on both banks of the Dnipro River. Their victorious battles in Moschun, Hostomel, Irpin, and the Brovary district are forever engraved in their history. After the defense of Kyiv, the brigade's units were redeployed to eastern Ukraine, where they held off enemy advances near Bakhmut, Pavlivka, Vuhledar, and Novomykhailivka.

Today, the brigade continues to hold the line in active combat zones, heroically fighting for Ukraine’s independence.

During the national liberation struggle in the early 20th century, the cavalry regiment of the Black Zaporizhians was feared by the Muscovites like fire. These warriors, once engaged in battle, fought until the last enemy fell.

The brigade is named in honor of the Black Zaporizhians — a legendary unit of the Ukrainian People’s Republic Army. Today’s Black Zaporizhians pay tribute to their ancestors and uphold the traditions passed down since the days of the Zaporizhian Sich, when Cossacks were known for their free spirit and military customs.

The brigade's sleeve insignia features an emblem and a motto ribbon. The emblem is a red British heraldic shield, symbolizing the brigade’s permanent deployment in Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region. The black triangle on the shield represents the cap peak worn by the cavalrymen of the original Black Zaporizhians, with the image of a “Skull of Adam” at its center — a symbol of fearlessness in the face of death, once depicted on the reverse of their battle standard. The motto ribbon bears the regiment's slogan: "Ukraine or Death."

On May 6, 2022, the brigade was awarded the honorary distinction “For Courage and Bravery.” A street in Bila Tserkva has been named Heroes of the 72nd Brigade Street in their honor, along with many other streets across Ukraine named after the Black Zaporizhians.