The Operational Command South (OC South) is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in the southern part of Ukraine, which was formed in January 1998 as the Southern Operation Command on the basis of the Odesa Military District and was headquartered in Odesa.
In 2005-2013 it was known as the Southern Operation Association.
In January 2007 RIA Novosti reported that destruction of ammunition would take place at the 275th artillery ammunition base (275-й артиллерийской базе боеприпасов) near the village of Novobogdanivka, Zaporizha region.
Until 2015 Operational Command South covered 9 oblasts and autonomous republics: Odesa, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk oblasts and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. In 2015 eastern parts of the operation command territory were passed on to newly formed Operation Command East based in Dnipro. The headquarters of the OC South was relocated from Odesa to Mykolaiv.
Composition
By 1 July 2006, the Southern Operational Command included 6th Army Corps (6 AK) and other units comprising: 17th Armoured Brigade (Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast) 28th Guards Mechanised Brigade (Chornomorske, Odesa Oblast) reorganized as 28th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in 2015. 92nd Mechanised Brigade Kluhoshyno-Bashkyrivka, Chuhuiv Raion, Kharkiv Oblast 93rd Mechanised Brigade. Cherkaske Novomoskovsk Raion Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. 55th Artillery Brigade (Zaporizhzhia) 107th Rocket Launcher Regiment (Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast) 25th Airborne Brigade Hvardiiske Dnipropetrovsk Oblast 79th Airmobile Brigade (Mykolaiv) 11th Army Aviation Regiment (Chornobaivka, Kherson Oblast) 1039th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment (Hvardiiske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast) 3rd special purpose Regiment. Kropyvnytskyi 50 Academic squad of special training. Kropyvnytskyi
Exercises that command units have taken part in include "Autumn-98", "reaction", "Southern redoubt-99", "Redoubt-2000", including peacekeeping – series of "Peace Shield", "Cossack Steppe," "common neighborhood", "Sea Breeze", "Fairway of Peace," "South," "cooperative partner" joint exercises with units of the armed forces of France and Italy.
Organization
Operational Command South has operational command of ground force units in Vinnytsia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, and Kherson oblasts.
Operational Command South, in Odesa
21st Mechanized Brigade, in
28th Mechanized Brigade, in Chornomorske
41st Mechanized Brigade, in Odesa
56th Motorized Brigade (was based in Melitopol) 57th Motorized Brigade, in Kropyvnytskyi 59th Motorized Brigade, in Haisyn 60th Mechanized Brigade 40th Artillery Brigade, in Pervomaisk 38th Anti-aircraft Missile Regiment, in Nova Odesa 7th Signal Regiment, in Odesa 16th Engineer Regiment, in 145th Maintenance Regiment, in 131st Reconnaissance Battalion, in Hushchyntsi 143rd Reconnaissance Battalion, in 183rd Materiel Support Battalion, in Balta 225th Transport Battalion, in Balta 363rd Guard & Service Battalion, in Odesa 91st Command & Intelligence Center, in Krasnosilka 64th Information & Signal Center, in Odesa Regional Radioelectronic Intelligence (REI) Center, in Krasnosilka 78th REI Center, in Balta 79th REI Center, in Reni 82nd Maneuverable REI Center, in Krasnosilka 23rd Electronic Warfare Company
Additional forces
The following formations of other branches of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, respectively the general staff of the Ukrainian ground forces, are based in the area of Operational Command South and can be assigned to the command as needed:
Ground Forces: 11th Army Aviation Brigade (was based in Kherson) 70th Engineer Regiment, in Bar 808th Pontoon Bridge Regiment, in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi
Air Assault Forces: 79th Air Assault Brigade, in Mykolaiv 81st Airmobile Brigade, in Druzhkivka
Marine Corps: 35th Marine Brigade, in Dachne 36th Marine Brigade, in Mykolaiv 37th Marine Brigade, in 38th Marine Brigade, in 406th Artillery Brigade, in Mykolaiv 32nd Rocket Artillery Regiment, in Altestove 140th Reconnaissance Battalion, in
Air Force: 14th Radio Technical Brigade, in Odesa 19th Special Purpose Radio Intercept Brigade, in Halytsynov 160th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, in Odesa 208th Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade, in Kherson 201st Anti-aircraft Missile Regiment, in Pervomaisk 43rd Communication Regiment, in Odesa 101st Communication Regiment, in Vinnytsia 182nd Communication Regiment 28th Airfield Engineer Battalion, in Mykolaiv 1194th Electronic Warfare Battalion, in Pervomaisk