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| Ukrainian Ground Forces | |
|---|---|
| Сухопутні війська Збройних сил України | |
 Emblem of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, containing the tryzub and cossack cross | |
| Active | 1917–1922, 1991–present |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Type | Army |
| Role | Ground warfare |
| Size | 250,000[1] |
| Part of | Armed Forces of Ukraine |
| Headquarters | Kyiv, Ukraine |
| Anniversaries | Army Day (6 December)[2] |
| Engagements | |
| Website | war |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Major General Mykhailo Drapatiy[3] |
| Insignia | |
| Ensign |  |
| Cap badge |  |
| Shoulder sleeve insignia |  |
The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, Ukrainian: Сухопутні війська Збройних сил України), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, are the land forces of Ukraine and one of the eight branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They were formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Ukrainian independence, and trace their ancestry to the 1917–22 army of the Ukrainian People's Republic.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine retained its Soviet-era army equipment. The Armed Forces were systematically downsized and underinvested in after 1991. As a result, the Ukrainian army had very little of its Soviet equipment in working order by July 2014, and most systems had become antiquated. Personnel numbers had shrunk and training, command, and support functions needed improvement.[4] After the start of the war in Donbas in April 2014 in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine embarked on a program to enlarge and modernise its armed forces.[4][5][6] Personnel in the Ukrainian Armed Forces overall climbed from 129,950 in March 2014[7] to 204,000 active personnel in May 2015,[8] with 169,000 soldiers in the Ground Forces branch as of 2016.[9][needs update] In 2016, 75% of the army consisted of contract servicemen.[10][needs update] Since 2014, Ukraine's ground forces have also been equipped with increasingly modern tanks, APCs, and many other types of combat equipment.[11]
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (15 February 2023). The Military Balance 2023. London: Routledge. p. 201. ISBN 9781032508955.
- ^ Culture Smart! Ukraine by Anna Shevchenko, Kuperard, 2006, ISBN 978-1-85733-327-5
- ^ "Новим командувачем Сухопутних військ призначений Михайло Драпатий – Зеленський". www.radiosvoboda.org (in Ukrainian). 2024-11-29. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
- ^ a b In the Army Now: Answering Many Why's Archived 2015-01-08 at the Wayback Machine, The Ukrainian Week (8 July 2014)
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Tsirwwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Poroshenko says military hardware will bring Ukraine's victory closer Archived 2016-08-24 at the Wayback Machine, Interfax-Ukraine (24 August 2016)
- ^ Adam Taylor (3 March 2014). "Ukraine's military is far smaller than Russia's, but there are 3 reasons it might not be so easy to crush". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 22 November 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ Olga Rudenko (6 May 2014). "Thousands dodge Ukraine army in fight with rebels". USA Today. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Полторак поставив сухопутні війська за приклад реформ в Україні". 13 December 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-03-01. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
- ^ Ukrainian army composed of 75% contract servicemen - president Archived 2016-08-25 at the Wayback Machine, Interfax-Ukraine (24 August 2016)
- ^ Nagle, Chad (2014-12-08). "Ukrainian Army receives new tanks, APCs and other hardware". Sovereign Ukraine. Archived from the original on 2017-12-25. Retrieved 2017-12-24.