The Berdyansk Border Detachment (MUN 1491) is a brigade level detachment of the Southern Regional Department of the State Border Service of Ukraine. The detachment guards the Sea of Azov and the "border" with Crimea (occupied by Russia) in two raions (Melitopol Raion and Berdiansk Raion) of Zaporizhia Oblast as well as guarding the Port of Berdiansk and Zaporizhzhia International Airport with a total length of 395.5km. Due to the Russian occupation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, it's operations along the coast are currently suspended and it currently operates against Russian forces on the frontlines.[1]
| 8th Berdyansk Border Detachment | |
|---|---|
| 8-й Бердянський прикордонний загін (Ukrainian) | |
 Detachment Insignia | |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Allegiance | .png){kind=small} Ministry of Internal Affairs |
| Branch |  State Border Guard Service of Ukraine |
| Type | Brigade |
| Role | Border Guard |
| Part of | State Border Guard Service of Ukraine |
| Garrison/HQ | Berdiansk |
| Engagements | Russo-Ukrainian war |
| Decorations | For Courage and Bravery |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Pavlyk Oleksandr Mykolayovych |
| Insignia | |
| Former Insignia |  |
History
editThe detachment was established on 10 February 2001 following the presidential decree for it's establishment on 16 November 2000 and started it's operations on 15 April 2001. The detachment included five border outposts, two border control units and guardian units, which guarded a section along the coast of the Sea of Azov within Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Kherson Oblast. Colonel Anatoliy Serafimovych Podoplelov was appointed as its first commander and Colonel Serhii Gennadiyovych Fomenko was appointed as it's chief of staff. In May 2008, it's size and duties were expanded and again following the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war.[2]
After the Russian invasion of Crimea, it started operations along the border with Crimea.[3] Following the start of the War in Donbass, it saw combat against separatists. On 6 July 2014, the detachment captured a member of Donetsk People’s Republic armed forces at "Chonhar" Border Control post and his Chevrolet vehicle was captured.[4] On 13 July 2014, a part of the detachment was deployed to fight in the Battle of Mariupol where two guardsmen temporarily attached to the detachment (Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Grechany[5] and Epifanov Serhii Petrovych[6]) were killed on 14 July.[7][8][9] It continued to operate on checkpoints in Mariupol where the detachment accidentally killed a civilian in a vehicle that failed to stop at a checkpoint.[10] In July 2015, it detained two people trying to illegally cross from Crimea.[11]
On 16 April 2020, the detachment detected and detained two poachers fishing illegally.[12] In November 2020, it received naval assistance from US.[13] In July 2021, the detachment along with Azov police department conducted a raid, they discovered 25 cannabis plants weighing 40+ kg and about 1 kg cannabis in dried form and subsequently destroyed it.[14] In January 2022, it detained 15 potential illegal migrants and an illegal fisherman.[15]
On 24 February 2022, a part of the detachment was deployed to the front of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Detachment was tasked to track Russian movements in the Sea of Azov.[16] On 27 February 2022, three days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Berdiansk was captured by the Russian Army during the Southern Ukraine offensive.[17] In November 2022, while performing tasks on the frontlines they discovered and neutralized a 152 mm divisional self-propelled howitzer "Acacia".[16] On 29 January 2023, two officers of the Berdyansk Detachment, Colonel Oleksandr Dotsenko and his wife Lieutenant Colonel Nelya Dotsenko died in Khmelnytskyi Oblast as a result of a strike while on a short leave to home.[18] On 19 July 2023, it was awarded the honorary award "For Courage and Bravery".[19] Following the Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, the detachment was involved in rescue and relief operations of those affected by the flooding as well as Demining operations near the coast.[20] In March 2024, the Berdyansk Detachment in coordination with Khortytsia Brigade destroyed a Russian Murom-M complex.[21] On 8 November 2024, the detachment struck Russian positions in Kamianka-Dniprovska across from Nikopol.[22]
Structure
editThe detachment is composed of:
- Management and Headquarters
- Border Service Department "Kyrilovka"
- Border Service Department "Priazovsk"
- Border Service Department "Primorsk"
- Border Service Department "Berdyansk"
- Border Service Department "Zaporizhia"
- Border Service Department "Genichesk"
- Border Service Department "Chongar"
- Border Service Department "Blagovishchenka"
- Border Service Department "Blagovishchenka"
- Border Service Department Melitopol"
- Border Service Department "Novooleksiiivka"
- Mobile Border Outpost "Berdyansk"
- Aerial Division
- Airport Outpost "Zaporizhzhia"
- Marine Division
- Seaport Outpost "Berdiansk"
- Guardian units
Commanders
edit- Colonel Anatoliy Serafimovych Podoplelov (April 2001-November 2002)
- Colonel Pluzhnyk Vasyl Petrovych (March 2003-November 2004)
- Colonel Mykola Pavlovich Zamelyuk (February 2005-September 2006)
- Colonel Radaev Anatoly Valeryovich (September 2006-September 2008)
- Colonel Veretilnyk Vitaly Viktorovych (September 2008-December 2011)
- Colonel Marchuk Volodymyr Mykolayovych (December 2011-February 2014)
- Colonel Yurii Mykhailovych Chernov (February 2014-December 2014)
- Colonel Britsky Vadim Vasyliovych (December 2014-July 2015)
- Lieutenant Colonel Popik Oleksandr Mykolayovych (July 2015–December 2015)
- Colonel Martynyuk Oleksandr Volodymyrovych (January 2016-May 2018)
- Colonel Yuriy Borisovich Kovalchuk (May 2018-December 2019)
- Colonel Tsymbal Ruslan Oleksandrovych (January 2020-August 2020)
- Colonel Oleg Volodymyrovych Chichanovsky (August 2020-September 2022)
- Colonel Gidzula Volodymyr Oleksandrovych (September 2022-December 2023)
- Colonel Pavlyk Oleksandr Mykolayovych (December 2023-)
References
edit- ^ "Архівована копія". Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ Бердянський прикордонний загін Archived 3 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine Державної прикордонної служби України Archived 3 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ukrainian border guards start patrolling border with Russia north of Crimea
- ^ Member of "DNR" and comrade-in-arms of "Strelok" was detained in Kherson region
- ^ Гречаний Володимир Володимирович Archived 23 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Єпіфанов Сергій Петрович Archived 11 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Щодо обстрілу прикордонників у Маріуполі // Офіційний сайт ДПСУ, 14 червня 2014". Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ "В Маріуполі на місці загибелі воїнів-прикордонників було відкрито Меморіал пам'яті // Сайт ДПСУ, 17 червня 2017". Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ "Прощання на плацу Оршанця // «ПроЧерк», 17 червня 2014". Archived from the original on 20 June 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ Kolmogorov case: a Ukrainian border guard sentenced to 13 years in prison for doing his duty
- ^ Прикордонникам Бердянського загону намагались двічі дати хабаря за безперешкодний перетин адмінмежі
- ^ (VIDEO) Drones against poachers. Border guards detected offenders using UAV
- ^ US to help construct Ukrainian coast guard facilities in Azov Sea
- ^ LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS FOUND CANNABIS PLANTATIONS IN PRIAZOVIA
- ^ (ВІДЕО) Бердянський прикордонний загін – на варті Азовського узбережжя
- ^ a b We are fighting for our homeland and Motherland, - the border service of Ukraine
- ^ Yulia Zakharchenko (February 28, 2022). "Бердянськ захопили бойовики, у Харкові та Сумах – тиша: Арестович про ситуацію в Україні". Fakty i Kommentarii. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
- ^ Ex-spokeswoman for the Luhansk border guard unit and her husband die in Khmelnytskyi oblast
- ^ "Про відзначення почесною відзнакою "За мужність та відвагу"". 19 July 2023.
- ^ Rogue mines detonating in Black Sea following Kakhovka dam breach
- ^ Berdyansk border guards destroyed the Murom-M long-range visual surveillance complex for the invaders
- ^ November 8, 2024 Berdyansk border detachment reports attacks on Russian positions in and around Kamianka-Dniprovska