The Ukrainian Army's 153rd Brigade Is Mechanized Again
Fresh U.S. aid means more vehicles for more brigades
In an abrupt about-face that signals renewed foreign support for Ukraine’s war effort, the Ukrainian army has re-designated its new 153rd Brigade as a mechanized unit rather than an infantry unit.
The reason is obvious. With the resumption in U.S. aid to Ukraine following a six-month blockade by pro-Russia Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Congress, and with NATO and the European Union also boosting their support, the Ukrainian armed forces have more and better armored vehicles.
In particular, this means more and better armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. With their deep reserves of potentially thousands of Cold War-vintage T-64s, the Ukrainians never really lacked for tanks.
The 153rd Brigade notoriously got downgraded—from mechanized to infantry—in April, when further U.S. aid remained in doubt. While Ukraine went to war with thousands of BMP, BTR and MT-LB IFVs and APCs and received another 5,000 IFVs and APCs from its allies, this spring it ran short on vehicles.
Combat losses—at least a thousand destroyed IFVs and APCs—plus growing demand for protected mobility as the Ukrainian added and up-armored brigades, meant that some new brigades lacked IFVs and APCs. The 153rd Brigade was a symbol of this de-mechanization.
But then those pro-Russia Republicans finally caved to overwhelming political and popular pressure and, on April 24, U.S. president Joe Biden signed into law another $61 billion in aid to Ukraine.
In four aid packages since then, the Pentagon has pledged to Ukraine no fewer than 100 M-2 IFVs plus potentially hundreds of M-113 APCs. Enough for several brigade sets. More American vehicles surely are coming this summer.
So the 153rd Brigade is, once again, a mechanized brigade. That’s good news for the brigade’s 2,000 troopers—and for the whole Ukrainian war effort.
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