1st Presidential Operational Brigade (Ukraine)

The 1st Presidential Operational Brigade (1-ша бригада оперативного призначення НГ) is a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine, and is part of the Northern Operational Zone. The brigade was formed in 2014 in response to the beginning of the War in Donbas.

War in Donbas
On July 27, 2014, the 14th Special Purpose Regiment was reorganized into the 1st Operational Brigade, with significantly improved equipment. It became the first national guard brigade to receive armoured vehicles and howitzers.

The brigade participated in several battles during the War in Donbas, mainly in Krasnyi Lyman and Ilovaisk. During the second battle, the brigade held positions near Komsomolske (now Kalmiuske).

Interwar
On August 31, 2015, opposition parties organized a rally outside the Verkhovna Rada calling for administrative decentralization, and the 1st Operational Brigade were sent to maintain order. The protest turned violent as grenades were thrown at the brigade's members. More than 50 were wounded and 4 died after the incident.

On August 23, 2017, by Presidential Decree No. 232/2017, the brigade was honored with the title "Presidential Brigade "Hetman Petro Doroshenko"".

On February 17, 2022, the 1st Operational Brigade and the national police took control of the Kyiv Hydroelectric Station.

According to the calculations of the "Book of Remembrance of the Fallen", the brigade lost at least 6 soldiers in the War in Donbas before the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Russian invasion of Ukraine
On February 24, 2022, once the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the 1st Operational Brigade began defending the capital of Kyiv in the Battle of Kyiv. On March 15–16, during the Battle of Moshchun, 6 soldiers from this brigade were killed in action.

After successfully defending Kyiv, the brigade was then transferred to the Battle of Donbas in summer 2022. They participated especially for the major battles in Severodonetsk and Lysychansk. By late 2022, the brigade was then transferred to help the fight in the Battle of Bakhmut.

In January 2023, the brigade became an "Offensive Guard" brigade, used specifically for military offensives. By spring, the brigade was engaged in the defense of Luhansk Oblast, specifically in the village of Bilohorivka. They also fought in the area of the Serebryansky forest near the city of Kreminna.

On March 26, 2024, the 1st Operational Brigade received the honorary award "За мужність та відвагу" by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.