72nd Brigade gets a new commander after withdrawal from Vuhledar

Source: 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade

Colonel Oleksandr Okhrimenko has stepped up as the new commander of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade days after its troops withdrew from Vuhledar overrun by Russian troops. Okhrimenko is taking over from Colonel Ivan Vynnyk.

The brigade’s official Facebook page expressed gratitude to Colonel Vynnyk for his courageous leadership during the defense of key locations.

“The battles for Bakhmut, Pavlivka, Vuhledar, Mykilske, Novomykhailivka, Vodiane… and Vuhledar again. A period that lasted over two years. It was a time when the enemy couldn’t break us. These were the battles that united us, the path we walked under the leadership of the Hero of Ukraine and People’s Hero of Ukraine, Colonel Ivan Vynnyk,” the statement reads.

Now, with a new leader at the helm, the brigade faces fresh challenges and goals. They will need to develop additional capabilities to meet these demands.