Marchenko about the artillerymen of the 406th brigade: «They showed superhuman capabilities»

Mykolaiv in the first months of a full-scale invasion, 2022

The key role in the defense of Mykolaiv in the spring of 2022 was played by the fighters of the 406th Artillery Brigade, and the soldiers of the 299th Tactical Aviation Brigade were responsible for the defense of the Kulbakyne airfield. Thanks to their work, the enemy did not succeed in occupying the city.  

Major-General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmytro Marchenko and commander of the 123rd separate brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Yurii Chaplenko told about this in the documentary film «Mykolaiv — City of Heroes».

Yurii Chaplenko, commander of the 123rd separate brigade of the territorial defense, recalls that in the first weeks of the full-scale war, the military defended Mykolaiv with available forces and means «at 100%».

«They went to Mykolaiv in only four columns. They could not disperse into small units, so they marched in columns. At that time, «Bayraktar» worked very well. I remember how they worked when enemy columns left Kherson for Snigurivka. Our aviation was working. The more we destroy the columns on the march, the better for the troops on the defensive. We worked 100% with the forces and means we had,» said Yurii Chaplenko.

Yurii Chaplenko, commander of the 123rd separate brigade of the TD

Major General Dmytro Marchenko said that the fighters of the 406th separate artillery brigade played a key role in the defense of the city, showing «superhuman capabilities».

«Artillerymen of the 406th Artillery Brigade played a key role in the defense of Mykolaiv. They worked day and night, almost without rest. They showed superhuman capabilities and prevented the enemy from even sniffing Mykolaiv,» said Dmytro Marchenko.

Major General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmytro

The documentary also showed a video of a broken convoy of Russian military equipment near Mykolaiv, on which gunners worked.

«It was the 406th artillery brigade. They did not allow the infantry to approach. They did not allow the enemy to deploy into the battle line,» added Yurii Chaplenko.

He also said that the 299th tactical aviation brigade was directly responsible for the defense of the Kulbakyne airfield, which at that time was to be reinforced by a joint unit of the 123rd separate brigade of the Military Air Force, soldiers of the Military Law and Order Service and patrol police officers.  

«This is their object. They had formed detachments, but we understood that these detachments would not last long, because they did not have heavy weapons. They were pilots, they were technicians, service personnel who were armed with a maximum of automatic weapons. That is why at that moment they were reinforced by a joint detachment from my battalion, and servicemen of the VSP and patrol police were also sent there. More or less combat-ready units that already had combat experience were drawn there. That is, the boys who took part in hostilities in the east of the country,» said Yurii Chaplenko.

Defense of Nikolaev

The first explosions in Mykolaiv occurred around 5 am on February 24. On the same day, Russian troops tried to bypass Kherson from the east and continue the offensive on Mykolaiv.

The occupiers tried to surround Mykolaiv. During an attempt to enter Mykolaiv on March 4, 2023, Russian troops tried to divert the attention of the city's defense forces, Major General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmytro Marchenko said in an interview with NikVesti. To do this, several units of enemy vehicles entered the territory of the Kulbakyne airport, but they were repulsed by a group of police. After an unsuccessful maneuver in Kulbakine, the Russians' attempt to enter Mykolaiv failed.

Since the beginning of the Great War, Major General Dmytro Marchenko, who was in charge of the defense of Mykolaiv, was ordered to blow up the Varvarivskyi Bridge 8 times. However, he managed to convince the highest command not to blow up the bridge, because then the city could be completely surrounded - at that time Mykolaiv was blocked in three directions out of four.

Secretary of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, SSU Colonel Roman Kostenko believes that the defense of Mykolaiv is one of the most tragic victories of this war. After all, it made it possible to protect not only Odesa, but also Moldova from the invasion of the invaders.