The 65th Mechanized Brigade âÂÂVelykyi Luhâ () is a brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.
The brigade was officially activated in April 2022. By December 2022, it had already been deployed to the frontlines, engaging in battles along the Zaporizhzhia direction.
In June 2023, the brigade played a role in UkraineâÂÂs counteroffensive, spearheading an assault toward Melitopol, a strategically significant city under Russian occupation. As part of this operation, Ukrainian forces successfully captured the village of Robotyne. However, their advance was ultimately halted by entrenched Russian resistance nearby. Among the standout figures during this campaign was Major Taras Mykhalchuk, known by his call sign "The Spaniard," who served as the deputy commander of the 3rd battalion. For his leadership in planning and executing the assault on Robotyne, Mykhalchuk was awarded the prestigious Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 2nd class. Reflecting on the operation later, Mykhalchuk admitted that he initially believed his unitâÂÂs attack might have been intended as a diversionary maneuver. The sector around Orikhiv and Robotyne was notorious for being one of the most heavily mined and fortified stretches of the entire frontline.
By September 2024, the brigade remained stationed near Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, holding the same stretch of the front where they had fought since 2022. On December 20, 2024, the brigadeâÂÂs steadfast commitment earned formal recognition from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who bestowed upon it the honorary title âÂÂGreat Meadowâ through a presidential decree.
As of 2025, the brigade's structure is as follows: