Ukraine held a military parade on Kiev's main street to mark Independence Day on 24 August, which was broadcast live by state UT1 television. This was the first large-scale parade involving armoured hardware, missiles and aircraft since 2001, the TV reported in its evening new bulletin.
TV reported in its evening new bulletin.
The parade was opened by a company of drummers from the Kiev-based Ivan Bohun military lyceum. It was followed by officers of the Presidential Regiment (detached Novorossiysk-Kiev regiment); officers of the National Defence Academy; cadets of the Lviv-based Petro Sahaydachnyy Military Academy of Land Forces; the Danylo Halytskyy 24th Detached Mechanized Brigade; the 95th Detached Airborne Brigade of the 8th Army Corps of the ground troops; the Dnipropetrovsk-based 25th Detached Paratrooper Brigade of the 6th Army Corps of the ground troops; the 26th Artillery Brigade of the 8th Army Corps of the ground troops; students of the Military Telecommunications and Computerization Institute; a battalion of the Zhytomyr-based Korolyov institute of the National Aviation University; students of the Kharkiv-based Ivan Kozhedub Air Force University; a combined battalion of the 15th Aviation Transport Brigade and the 9th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force; a combined battalion of the Uman-based 137th Air Defence and Missile Brigade of the Centre Air Defence Command; officers and cadets of the Sevastopol-based Nakhimov Navy Institute; a battalion of the 36th Detached Coastal Guards Brigade; officers and cadets of the Kiev-based National University of the Interior Ministry; a special battalion of the 25th special police brigade of the Ukrainian Interior Troops; a battalion of the Bohdan Khmelnytskyy National Border Troops Academy; troops of the Lviv National Safety University; cadets of the Ivan Bohun Military Lyceum; and a combined orchestra made up of five military orchestras.
The hardware part of the parade included tanks, missiles, transport aircraft, bombers and fighters. It was opened by a Mechanized platoon of BTR-80 armoured personnel carriers of the 95th Detached Airborne Brigade. They were followed by BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles of the Krasnohrad-based 72nd Kiev Guards Mechanized Brigade of the 8th Army Corps; a platoon of BMP-1M Shkval infantry combat vehicles of the 72nd Detached Mechanized Brigade; BMD-2 airborne combat vehicles; a mechanized platoon of the 95th Detached Airborne Brigade; a platoon of T-64M Bulat tanks of the 1st Detached Guards Novhorod Brigade; Gvozdika 120-mm mobile artillery; mobile howitzers of the 26th artillery brigade; MT-12 Rapira 100-mm antitank artillery driven by new Kraz lorries; BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers of the 72nd Detached Mechanized Brigade; Uragan multiple rocket launchers; 300-mm Smerch multiple rocket launchers; Tochka-U surface-to-surface missiles of the 19th brigade of the ground troops; Osa air defence systems; Tunguzka air defence systems of the 1st Detached Guards Tank Brigade of the 8th Army Corps; BUK-M1 mobile air defence systems of the 11th Air Defence Regiment of the Western Air Command; Vega air defence systems of the Kiev 6th Air Defence Brigade; and a division of S-300PS surface-to-air missiles, which can shoot down aircraft and missiles flying at 4,000 km per hour at the range of up to 90 km and height of up to 30 km.
The air part of the parade was opened by three Mi-8 helicopters of the 3rd Detached Military Aviation Regiment. They were followed by four Mi-24 assault helicopters of the 3rd Detached Military Aviation Regiment of 8th Army Corps; an An-26 transport aircraft escorted by two Mig-29 fighters; an Il-76MD of the 25th Transport Aviation Brigade escorted by two Su-27 fighters of the Halychyna Tactical Aviation Brigade; four Su-25 assault fighters of the Mykolayiv Tactical Aviation Brigade; four Mig-29 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade; one Su-24 MR reconnaissance aircraft and three Su-24M bombers; and four Su-27 fighters of the Halychyna Tactical Aviation Brigade.
