photo by Azov
photo by Serhiy Vahanov
Neither the city defenders nor the invaders have accurate information on the number of military personnel and weaponry used in the battle of Mariupol. However, an approximate balance of forces can be represented via data from open sources. So, the city was to be defended by about 8,000 fighters with about 40 tanks. The invaders brought more than 25,000 fighters with about 200 tanks. The enemy's advantage in various types of armored fighting vehicles (AFVs) and armored personnel carriers (APCs) was about 10:1. The Russians also dominated the sky and sea. Enemy bombers carried out up to 100 airstrikes per day supported by attack helicopters over the city.
An important factor determining the course of events was the refusal of a significant number of members of non-combat Ukrainian units to engage: they stayed in air-raid shelters. Even given such a situation, the defenders of Mariupol could count on victory, were it not for the enemy's overwhelming advantage in tanks, artillery, and aircraft. The Marines and the Azov Regiment expended their ammunition for the few howitzers and mortars they had soon after the hostilities started.
The leadership of the Operational-Tactical Group “East” entrusted the defense of Mariupol to the 12th Operational Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine.
Brigade commander – Colonel Denys Shleha. As of February 24, 2022, the basis of the 12th Brigade was the Azov Special Operations Unit under the command of Major Denys Prokopenko, call sign “Redis” (as of March 2022, Lieutenant Colonel). Apart from about 1,300 Azov Regiment troops, the brigade also included a rifle battalion for convoying, extraditing, and protecting defendants on trial, along with maintaining public order. Excluding Azov, there were about 500 personnel, mostly conscripts.
One of the most important factors that allowed building a strong defense of the city was the involvement of the Azov non-commissioned officers in managing the composite units including representatives of many Ukrainian units. This allowed for more streamlined and centralized management of the units unprepared for combat.
Since 2016, the Azov Regiment leadership had been focused on training their non-commissioned officers, to this end having established the Yevhen Konovalets Military School. The school training was based on NATO standards, using the experience of the U.S., Georgian, and Estonian militaries. Students are trained to improve their skills, ranging from physical fitness to communication with journalists.
During the military operation in Mariupol, Azov had 10 T-64B1M tanks at its disposal, three of which were not-operational. The 1st Battalion had up to a dozen APCs, including a BTR-3M2 fitted with a 120-mm self-propelled mortar. The 2nd Battalion had several APCs and MT-LBs with ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns. Azov also had KrAZ Spartan APC, Novator APC, KrAZ Cougar APC, KrAZ Shrek APC, and Kozak-2 APC armored vehicles. The artillery battalion had several D-30 122-mm howitzers (ammunition load: 80 rounds per gun) and two BS-3 field guns (model 1944).
In total, in 2022, dozens of Ukrainian military detachments and units from other defense and law enforcement agencies participated in the defense of Mariupol. We will sort them by the number of personnel engaged in the battle of Mariupol.
So, 40 fighters of the 73rd Naval Special Operations Center have greater combat effectiveness than 400 Territorial Defense personnel. However, we will rely on the number of personnel to present a general idea of the composition of the city's defenders. Therefore, the list’s order has no correlation to each unit's actual contribution to the battle for the city.
photo by Azov
photo by Serhiy Vahanov
In 2015, the 36th Separate Marine Brigade was created from the 36th Separate Coastal Defense Brigade and the 1st and 501st Separate Marine Battalions, which remained loyal to their oath and withdrew from Crimea following its occupation in 2014. The commander was Colonel Volodymyr Baranyuk until April 12, when Major Serhiy Volynskyi assumed command. The brigade was garrisoned in Mykolaiv. Based on casualty and POW figures, it can be deduced that up to 2,000 marines of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade were involved in the Battle of Mariupol.
The following marine battalions were subordinate to the brigade: the 1st (permanent station – Mykolaiv), the 501st (Berdyansk), and the 503rd (Mariupol). Only the 1st Separate Marine Battalion was present in Mariupol in full, since part of the 501st was in Berdyansk, and the 503rd was fighting on the Svitlodarsk frontline arc at the time. In general, they had several hundred servicemen in Mariupol.
The 36th Separate Marine Brigade had been participating in Mariupol's defense since the beginning of 2015. In October 2021, the brigade went on its pre-invasion rotation before the full-scale invasion. The 1st battalion and part of the 501st were deployed near the village of Pavlopil. The battalion of the 36th Brigade was stationed between Pavlopil and Shyrokyne.
The brigade's tank battalion was equipped with T-80s. In 2021, its tank crews participated in exercises at least twice. Most notably, they trained on protecting the Sea of Azov coast from landing forces with the British military. The brigade had more than ten APCs of various modifications, and Kozak and Humvee armored vehicles. Their artillery unit had BM-21 Grad and a division of 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers at their disposal.
Photo by the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The main tasks of the Donetsk Border Detachment were to guard the coast and work at checkpoints on the contact line. Commander – Colonel Valeryi Padytel. A strength of over 1,000 personnel. Apart from small arms, the border guards had APCs and anti-aircraft guns installed on the coast.
The brigade's permanent station was Mariupol. On February 24, 2022, most of the personnel were deployed in Donbas, and only about 100 personnel, mainly administrative staff, remained in the city. The brigade's main force in Mariupol was the 107th Battalion, to which about 400 city residents volunteered. Brigade commander – Major Dmytro Steblin ( promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on April 7, 2022). Commander of the 107th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade – Major Valeryi Makarov. Arms inventory – small arms, grenade launchers.
Photo by the City of Mariupol website
In February 2022, the 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade was engaged in military operations near the village of Pisky. Up to 400 personnel were at the permanent station, mostly representatives of the rear support services and women.
As of February 24, 2022, the brigade's patrol battalions were operating in Zaporizhzhia, Berdyansk, Enerhodar, and Melitopol. Mariupol was defended by a detachment under the command of Colonel Dmytro Apukhtin. After his death on March 12, the unit came under the command of Colonel Yuriy Roy (killed in action on March 19). In total, about 400 personnel of the 23rd Separate Public Order Protection Brigade participated in the battle of Mariupol.
In Mariupol, the air defense forces were composed of the S-300 SAM division of the 3301st Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (permanent station – Nikopol) and the 2323rd Radio Technical Battalion (permanent station – Mariupol) of the 164th Radio Technical Brigade. It is difficult to estimate personnel numbers given the operation specifics of such units. Approximately 200-300 personnel.
The brigade is stationed in Kryvyi Rih, with one of its units in Kropyvnytskyi. A group of approximately 150 troops was sent to Mariupol, supported by several IFVs (infantry fighting vehicles, BMPs) and APCs.
There were about 400 personnel in the detachment and several vessels, the largest of which was the Donbas maritime patrol vessel (not to be confused with the Donbas search-and-rescue vessel of the Ukrainian Navy). The commander of the 23rd Marine Guard Detachment, Captain 1st Rank Mykola Levytskyi, left his subordinates and went to Zaporizhzhia disguised as a civilian. Captain 2nd Rank Petro Melnyk took command of 150 personnel of the unit, who remained to defend the city in the ranks of the infantry. Border guards transported Ukrainian fighters from the central part of the city to Azovstal on their boats.
photo by Serhiy Vahanov
Created on the basis of the Gepard Special Forces Regiment. Permanent station – Zaporizhzhia. Approximate participation in the battle of Mariupol – 150 personnel.
Although Patrol Police officers are not classified as combatants, 120 of them, led by Captain Mykhailo Vershynin, remained in Mariupol after the city was surrounded.
photo by the Donetsk Oblast Patrol Police
The brigade participated in the battles for Volnovakha, after which four tanks, the Strela-10 SAM system of the 2nd Tank Battalion, and three 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzers were transferred to Mariupol. Tank battalion commander – Lieutenant Colonel Oleh Hrudzevych. Personnel engaged in the battle of Mariupol – up to 100 personnel.
photo by the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The unit was stationed in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The first company of the battalion (approximately 60-70 personnel) participated in the Battle of Mariupol. They were armed with three BMP-1s IFVs and one BTR-3E APCs.
The security company of the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center, which included about 70 personnel prior to the invasion, participated in the city's defense.
It was stationed in the Livoberezhnyi District of Mariupol. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Special Purpose Police Company had a strength of about 60 police officers. During the first half of March, they carried out policing duties. After they were ordered to leave the city, only one police officer remained in Mariupol.
Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters of these brigades conducted combat sorties to Mariupol, with approximately 50 pilots.
photo by the Armed Forces of Ukraine
It is stationed in the city of Izmail, Odesa Oblast. In Mariupol, the 18th Battalion probably had approximately 50 personnel. They served at a checkpoint located near the offramp from the Manhush-Mariupol highway to the airport.
During the defense of Mariupol, the port hosted the small armored gunboats “Kremenchuk” and “Lubny,” as well as the search-and-rescue vessel “Donbas.” Approximately 50 sailors from the 9th Surface Ships Division took part in the city's defense.
photo by the Armed Forces of Ukraine
A special intelligence unit of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stationed in Ochakiv, Mykolaiv Oblast. In Mariupol, approximately 40 personnel of the 1st detachment of the 73rd Naval Special Operations Center served under the command of Captain 2nd Rank Mykola Nikonov, who was killed in action on March 12, 2022.
photo by 73rd Naval Special Operations Center
A detachment of Aidar Battalion, approximately 30 personnel, defended Mariupol along the Manhush and Nikolske axes.
The Special Response Unit (KORD) of the National Police deployed fifteen officers to Mariupol at the outset of the full-scale invasion. In the first days of March, KORD officers escorted a column of civilians attempting to evacuate the city. Three officers were taken prisoner during this operation, one of whom died in captivity. Following an order to withdraw from Mariupol, two officers chose to remain and took part directly in the city’s defense.
Ten personnel from the unit under Yuriy Korop’s command were present in Mariupol. They were likely attached to either the 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade or the 36th Separate Marine Brigade.
A volunteer sabotage and assault group, led by Oleksandr Kravtsov, has been engaged in combat operations in Donbas and Pryazovia for several years. The unit’s strength was approximately ten personnel.
photo by the "Bears" Sabotage and Assault Group
Two independent platoons of the 801st Underwater Counter-sabotage Detachment – an elite detachment of the Ukrainian Navy – were based in the port of Mariupol. Each platoon comprised seven specialists. As of February 24, 2022, no more than ten personnel from these platoons remained in Mariupol.
photo by the Armed Forces of Ukraine
In the defense of Mariupol, personnel from the following organizations also took part: operatives of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (HUR), officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and specialists from the State Transport Special Service ; soldiers of the 55th Separate Artillery Brigade; groups of fighters withdrawn from Volnovakha; and patients from the 555th Military Hospital. They represented of the following units:
Division was commanded by Major General Oleg Mityaev (killed in action on March 15, 2022), and had a strength of approximately ten thousand personnel. Unlike other Russian army divisions, which are typically composed of three motor rifle regiments and one tank regiment, the 150th comprised two motor rifle regiments and two tank regiments. Each motor rifle regiment was supported by a reinforced tank battalion, and each tank regiment included an organic artillery battalion. The division’s support and specialist elements included an artillery regiment, a SAM regiment, a separate reconnaissance battalion, a communications battalion, a separate engineer-sapper battalion, a separate logistical and technical support battalion, and a medical battalion. In addition, it fielded separate companies for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), electronic warfare, and nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) defense.
Russian propagandists dubbed the 150th Motor Rifle Division the “steel monster,” claiming that its “unique maneuverability and firepower enables it to perform both motor rifle and tank division-level tasks with equal efficacy.” The division's tank regiments were equipped with upgraded T-72B3s main battle tanks fitted with additional armor, while the motor rifle regiments were primarily equipped with BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles. In the spring of 2021, satellite imagery of the open staging areas at the Kadamovsky Training Ground where the 150th Motor Rifle Division was stationed, revealed over 1,360 vehicles, including more than 130 tanks (excluding vehicles concealed in hangars and sheds).
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
The brigade comprises approximately 2,000 marines. It is stationed in the Cossack Bay area of occupied Sevastopol and in Temryuk, Krasnodar Krai. Units of the 810th Brigade took part in both Chechen wars and in the 2008 invasion of Georgia. In Ukraine, they seized the drilling platforms belonging to Chornomornaftogaz. In 2014, they were observed near Mariupol, and they participated in hostilities in Donbas throughout 2015.
According to information dating back to 1998, the 810th Separate Marine Brigade included marine, reconnaissance, and assault battalions; as well as anti-aircraft missile and artillery, self-propelled artillery, and anti-tank artillery battalions.
In preparation for the full-scale invasion, the 810th Separate Marine Brigade received 92 new BTR-82A armored personnel carriers (APCs), the majority of which were deployed to Mariupol’s Livoberezhnyi District.
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
The division is stationed in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia. At the outset of the full-scale invasion, it was equipped with T-90 main battle tanks, BMP-3 IFVs, and self-propelled howitzers. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in early March 2022 up to three battalion-tactical groups of the 19th Motor Rifle Division were operating around Mariupol.
The regiment comprises approximately 2,000 marines and is stationed in Kaspiysk, Dagestan. Its core structure includes two infantry battalions, two artillery battalions, and support units. The regiment’s principal equipment consists of: Strelets command-and-control systems, BTR-82A, 2S9 Nona-M 120-mm self-propelled guns, D-30 122-mm howitzers, Orlan-10 and Eleron-3 UAVs.
The brigade, subordinate to the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (known as GRU), is stationed in Stepnoye, Rostov Oblast. It comprises approximately 1,700 personnel. and has seen action in Afghanistan, both Chechen Wars, and the 2008 invasion of Georgia. Units of this brigade were first observed operating in Ukraine as early as 2015. It consists of a brigade headquarters, four separate special forces detachments, a training detachment, and a logistical and technical support company. It was armed with Tiger and Typhoon armored vehicles, APCs, IFVs, D-30 122 mm towed howitzers, and BM-21 Grad MLRS.
Approximately 2,500 marines of this regiment participated in the Battle of Mariupol. The quasi-legal unit originated in 2014 during the battles in Sloviansk as the Semenivsky Battalion. Later that year, after receiving tanks, APCs, and artillery in Russia, it was reorganized as the 9th Separate Motor Rifle Regiment. On August 24, 2014, along with other hostile formations, the regiment crossed the border into Ukraine and captured Novoazovsk, Kominternove, Bezyminne, and Shyrokyne. In February 2016, it was redesignated the 9th Separate Marine Assault Regiment and began operating with the DPR’s Azov Flotilla. During the Battle of Mariupol, in addition to numerous IFVs and several APCs, the regiment fielded T-64BV, T-72A, and T-72B main battle tanks. Photographic and video evidence identified 22 tanks by their tactical markings, implying that the true number – distributed in at least three tank companies – was significantly higher.
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
Approximately 1,000 personnel of this formation participated in the Battle of Mariupol. The quasi-legal unit was first established in May 2014 as the Vostok Battalion by Oleksandr Khodakovskyi, former commander of the SBU’s Alpha Special Unit in Donetsk Oblast. In the summer of 2015, it was reorganized into the 11th Separate Motor Rifle Regiment and stationed in Makiivka. The regiment’s combat effectiveness derived from the extensive experience of its personnel and its robust artillery assets. Its principal armaments included: BM-21 “Grad” MLRS, D-30 122 mm towed howitzers, 2S1 “Gvozdika” 122 mm self-propelled howitzers, and 2S9 “Nona” 120 mm self-propelled mortar systems (air-droppable). At various times the regiment also fielded a Strela-10 SAM battery and maintained a tank battalion. Its infantry units were equipped with BTR-80 APCs, MT-LB tracked vehicles, and BMP-1 and BMP-2 IFVs.
These regiments were composed primarily of conscripts from the occupied area of Donetsk Oblast. Russian propagandists derisively dubbed them “steel helmets,” emphasizing how poorly equipped they were. In the Battle of Mariupol, their strength numbered at least 1,000 personnel.
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
The Division has seen action in both Chechen wars, the 2008 invasion of Georgia, the Syrian intervention, and the 2014 invasion of Ukraine. In the Battle of Mariupol, over 500 personnel from the division were deployed, supported by a significant armored contingent: approximately two dozen airborne infantry fighting vehicles, as well as various modifications of the BTR-D APCs.
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
The battalion is a quasi-legal military formation established in Donetsk during the first phase of the 2014 aggression against Ukraine. International bodies have documented numerous war crimes committed by its personnel. The group’s arsenal included main battle tanks, MT-LB armored tracked vehicles, BM-21 Grad MLRS. Its strength was approximately 400 personnel.
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
It is stationed in Vladivostok and in the village of Slavyanka, Primorsky Krai. During the first phase of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it took part in the occupation of Bucha, Hostomel, and Irpin, where its personnel committed documented war crimes. Little reliable information exists regarding the brigade’s role in the Battle of Mariupol. It is possible that a separate unit from the 155th operated there, or that other Russian marine units were reinforced with personnel from this brigade.
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
A quasi-legal military formation that was established on the occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast. The brigade structure comprised three motor rifle battalions, two artillery battalions, an anti-aircraft division, company- and platoon-level support units, and one or two tank battalions. During the Battle of Mariupol, its tanks operated in the city’s eastern sector.
A Form 100 wound report found on the Mariupol battlefield references Military Unit No. 43734 (formerly No. 31681). This corresponds to the GRU’s 346th Separate Special Purpose Brigade, which, according to InformNapalm, was disbanded and reorganized under the new designation No. 43734. However, Major Kunakov (killed in action on March 19) is identified in Russian sources as the Chief of Staff of the 153rd Separate Detachment of the 346th Separate Special Purpose Brigade, with his post officially recorded as of February 24, 2022.
Unit No. 43734 was tasked with breaking into the center of Mariupol from the seaport and seizing the SBU building. The unit comprised several hundred personnel, who moved in APCs, Tiger and Typhoon armored vehicles.
A Chechen special unit within the Russian National Guard, named after Ramzan Kadyrov’s father, is exceptionally well funded and equipped with modern weapons systems, gear, and vehicles. Although its total strength is about 1,000 personnel, however, the exact number deployed to the Battle of Mariupol remains unknown. According to photographic and video evidence, at least several hundred these Kadyrovtsy operated in Pryazovia.
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
Although official Ukrainian sources do not record the 61st Brigade’s involvement in the assault on Mariupol, personnel of the Ukrainian 36th Marine Brigade reported clashes with the Russian “Polar Bears.” Still, only a small number of Marines from the 61st Brigade were present in the city.
In addition to the forces already listed, Russia employed many other, less powerful units, raised both within the Russian Federation and the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast. It should be noted that Russia may very well have been conducting rotations, so the specified units were not engaged at the same time in the Battle of Mariupol. The city’s defenders, on the other hand, had no opportunity for respite.The 960th Assault Aviation Regiment, under Colonel Sergei Atroshchenko, directly participated in the airstrikes on Mariupol. The Regiment is stationed at the Primorsko-Akhtarsk airfield in Krasnodar Krai (approximately 125 km southwest of Mariupol), and employs Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft of various modifications.
In the run-up to the full-scale invasion, about a dozen Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bomber aircraft were redeployed to Primorsko-Akhtarsk. These aircraft were most likely drawn from the 559th Bomber Aviation Regiment stationed in Morozovsk, Rostov Oblast.
Since mid-April, Tupolev Tu-22M3 strategic bombers were used in airstrikes on Mariupol. These aircraft operate from the Shaykovka airfield in Kaluga Oblast – stationed by the 52nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment and 840th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiments – and may also have been employed from t airfields in occupied Crimea.
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
photo by a representative of the aggressor state