124th Territorial Defense Brigade (Ukraine)

The 124th Independent Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces (124-та окрема бригада територіальної оборони) is a military formation of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine in Kherson Oblast. It is part of Operational Command South.

Formation
On 30 June 2018, the brigade was formed in Kherson Oblast. From September 3 to 12, 2018, brigade-wide training exercises were held, involving close to 3,500 reservists up to sixty years old. Exercises were held in Bilozerka Raion, Oleshky Raion, Henichesk Raion, Ivanivka Raion, and Skadovsk Raion. Each battalion only had two contract permanent officers, commander and chief of staff, with everyone else being a reservist. A battalion stationed in Oleshky took 300 of its reservists from Oleshky Raion, Kakhovka Raion and Novovorontsovka Raion. The 195th battalion had 290 reservists, including 41 officers from Oleshky Raion, Hola Prystan Raion and Skadovsk Raion. The 197th battalion was stationed on Arabat Spit, and after September 7, began joint patrols with State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and guarding of critical infrastructure in Henichesk Raion. From 5 to 15 December, another exercise was held. Kherson Oblast governor Andrii Gordieiev gave awards to members of the 193rd battalion for their participation in the exercise.

Between September 19 and 26, 2020, the 196th battalion took part in another exercise.

Another exercise was held from April 7 to 16, 2021, at the cost of two and a half million hryvnia.

The 197th battalion had 70% of its contract positions filled by 16 February 2022. However, this specific battalion had insufficient living conditions. Later, a new base was founded in Henichesk.

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On February 24, Major Ihor Likhnov, commander of the 192nd Battalion, took a few hundred volunteers and began the defense of Kherson. His first battle was for Antonivka Road Bridge, where the battalion covered the retreat for regular army units. On March 1, one of his companies fought against a Russian tank company. After the city was occupied, a portion of the battalion remained in the city. Part of those were captured. Likhnov began to rebuild the battalion with 13 soldiers, which eventually was used in Donetsk Oblast and in Kherson Oblast.

Also on 1 March, around 40 members of 194th Battalion took part in the Battle of Buzkovyi Park (Lilac Park) where they suffered heavy casualties after being ambushed by a Russian armoured column instead of an expected infantry column. The unit was armed with rifles, grenades, a small amount of RPGs and self-made Molotov cocktails. At least 24 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and others wounded, with the Russians suffering at least one KIA. The fallen servicemen were buried in the park by locals and a memorial was unveiled there on the first anniversary of the battle in March 2023. Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Ishchenko was ordered to move to Mykolaiv in May.

On April 16, 2023, the 193rd battalion together with other units destroyed an enemy ammo depot on the left bank of Dnipro river.

Structure
As of 2022, the brigade's structure is as follows:
 * Headquarters and Service Company
 * 192nd Territorial Defense Battalion (Kherson) А7358
 * 193rd Territorial Defense Battalion (Beryslav) А7359
 * 194th Territorial Defense Battalion (Bilozerka) А7360
 * 195th Territorial Defense Battalion (Skadovsk) А7361
 * 196th Territorial Defense Battalion (Nova Kakhovka) А7362
 * 197th Territorial Defense Battalion (Henichesk) А7363
 * Combat Engineer Company
 * Signals Company
 * Logistics Company
 * Mortar Battery

Commanders

 * Lieutenant colonel Dmytro Ishchenko (2018 - present)

Insignia
The emblem shows a silver cross with three gold crowns on a blue field, which is a proposed coat of arms of Kherson region during Ukrainian People's Republic.