12th Operational Brigade (Ukraine)

The 12th Brigade of Operational Assignment (12 BrOP — military unit 3057) was a military formation of the National Guard of Ukraine. It was part of the Eastern operational territorial association. It was based in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast.

Establishment
On January 18, 1990, the 129th Special Motorized Militia Battalion of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR (military unit 5509) was formed in Mariupol.

On January 2, 1992, on the basis of the 129th special motorized police battalion, the 10th Separate Battalion of the NGU (military unit 1041) was formed, which was part of the 4th Northern Division. In 1995, the battalion was transferred to the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and renamed the 17th Separate Special Motorized Battalion (military unit 3057).

Battle of Mariupol
In April 2014, the situation in the city of Mariupol became significantly complicated. Supporters of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic held systematic unauthorized rallies with attempts to seize state authorities, including the seizure of the Mariupol City Hall building. In the period from April 10 through 14 of 2014, supporters of the DPR led by the so-called "people's mayor", Denis Kuzmenko, and representatives of the force block of their security service repeatedly arrived at the checkpoint of military unit 3057 in order to persuade the command to submit to the leadership of the DPR and transfer weapons for their use. But after receiving a refusal, saboteurs blocked the checkpoint with wheels, sandbags and other objects. By the next morning, the remains of the barricade were removed with the assistance of the police. On April 16, 2014, servicemen of the 17th Separate Battalion under the command of Serhiy Sovinskyi repelled an attempt to capture the HQ of the military unit. At 20:00, a group of female protestors started an unauthorized rally at the gate of the unit. In this way, they distracted the attention of military personnel. The attack on the military unit began at 20:30. Protesters started throwing Molotov cocktails and tearing down gates. They demanded that the personnel hand over their weapons. Realizing that this would not bring success, they began to request reinforcements over the radio. The minibuses arrived in twenty minutes. Armed men in uniforms and balaclavas disembarked from them. A total of about 200 people started shooting with firearms in the direction of the unit. Shelling was carried out along the entire perimeter from nearby houses. The servicemen of the 17th Battalion opened fire first in the air, and then at the targets. The personnel of the unit held the defense until midnight. At 24:00, all units of the Mariupol police arrived to help, and the cleaning of the adjacent part of the territory began. At least 19 attackers were wounded, 3 of them fatally.

Restructuring
In December 2014, the unit was reformed into the 18th Operational Regiment of the National Guard of Ukraine, and during the next four months, its ranks were replenished with servicemen from the "Azov" and "Donbas" special forces battalions.

Thus, in 2015, the regiment included:


 * A patrol battalion
 * Emblem of the Donbas Battalion.svg Donbas Battalion
 * Emblem of the Azov Battalion.svg Azov Battalion
 * A special patrol company
 * A rifle company (reserve)

On September 9, 2016, the "Donbas" battalion was transferred to the 15th Regiment, which was stationed in the city of Sloviansk.

In October 2019, the regiment was reorganized as 12th Separate Operational Brigade.

Siege of Mariupol
The brigade took part in the Siege of Mariupol. After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the brigade took up the defense in the city of Mariupol. On 16 April 2022, Russian forces captured the base of the unit, in western Mariupol. Together with other units, the brigade defended the city until May 2022, at which time the final blockade of the Ukrainian troops at the Azovstal plant was carried out. On May 3, the brigade commanders reported on the catastrophic situation at the plant and called on the military-political leadership of Ukraine and the International community to evacuate all troops from the territory of "Azovstal".

Reformation into Azov Brigade
During the Siege of Mariupol, most of the troops of the Azov Regiment were captured, the remaining troops and the 12th Brigade were then reorganized into the 12th Special Purpose "Azov" Brigade.

Honours
On March 24, 2018, by decree of the President of Ukraine, with the 18th Operational Regiment was awarded the honorary title "name of Dmytro Vyshnevetsky" after Dmytro Vyshnevetsky.

On October 27, 2022, the unit received the honorary award "For Courage and Bravery" by the decree of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

Commanders

 * Colonel Serhii Yevhenovich Sovinskyi (2014)
 * Colonel Oleksandr Ivanovych Kryachko (2014–2021)
 * Colonel Denis Oleksiyovych Shlega (2021–2022).