The brigade was formed on January 12, 2023 as part of an expansion to the Ukrainian Naval Infantry which saw the creation of four other new marine brigades. The 37th was established from a battalion of the 79th Air Assault Brigade and veteran officers from the 36th Marine Brigade. The unit has been outfitted with a mix of both new western supplied equipment, and old soviet stockpiles. This includes Canadian Roshel Senators, British Mastiffs French AMX-10 RCs and old soviet towed artillery and small arms.[1]
The unit was first reported in active combat in Novodonetske, a front-line settlement in the southern Donetsk Oblast. They began to engage the DNR Militia's Vostok Battalion on June 3. Without armored support, the Brigade used an intricate web of cover artillery fire to have their troop transports get as close to Russian positions to facilitate attacks, before returning beyond Russian artillery range. Due to this, the unit has launched a slow, but consistent advance in the region during the opening of the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive.[2]
Due to the lineage of the 36th Marine Brigade originating from loyal Ukrainian elements from the Russian occupation of Crimea western media has speculated the Ukrainian Armed Forces intend to use the 37th, as well as its other four other new marine brigades, to launch a naval invasion of the peninsula, should southern Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts be liberated.[1]
Structure
AMX-10 RC of Ukrainian 37th Marine Brigade, 15 october 2023.
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