President of Ukraine Visits Combat Brigades in Kharkiv Oblast Denys Glushko - 03 October 2023

During a visit to Kharkiv region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended the location of the 15th Mobile Border Guard Detachment of the Steel Frontier Brigade of the State Border Guard Service, as well as the 113th and 125th separate brigades of the Territorial Defense Forces, which are performing missions within the Kharkiv Military District.

The 15th Steel Frontier Brigade performed combat missions in the areas of the Bakhmut tactical group and the Soledar military unit. The brigade includes soldiers who were the first to meet the enemy at the border, participated in the battles for Azovstal, were on the defense line in the Lyman and Bakhmut directions and defended the state borders from the Russian aggressor. The 113th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade has been defending Ukraine as part of the Kharkiv Joint Task Force since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion and defended the city from the invaders. During the counteroffensive in September 2022, the brigade’s battalions de-occupated more than 60 settlements, including the liberation of Vasylenkove and Artemivka in Kharkiv region. After the counteroffensive, the soldiers performed tasks on the border of Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk regions. The brigade was awarded a battle flag for participation in combat operations. The 125th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade performed combat missions to defend Donetsk, Kharkiv and Sumy regions. The brigade’s battalions, together with other units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, liberated the villages of Ozerne, Dibrova, Torske and Yampil in Donetsk region. The soldiers took part in battles near Bakhmut. “I want to express my gratitude for defending our borders, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and most importantly, our Ukrainian families and our state every day. I wish you health, inspiration and only victory. I wish your families and friends, your children to be healthy and strong,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Mr. President held a meeting in Kharkiv on the security situation in the Kupyansk-Lyman area, where the Russian army has launched active offensives.