After the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, Ukrainian SSVs, having received heavy armored vehicles, became like mechanized troops. This solution makes it possible to more effectively strike in those areas where the enemy does not expect it.

The Ukrainian Assault and Assault Forces were considered and are considered a military elite — a mobile formation that can move quickly and respond to threats, as well as conduct operations in the rear of the enemy. In the conditions of the war in Ukraine, operations in the rear of the enemy should be carried out after the breakthrough of the front line, with the entry into the operational space of strong mobile groups with high maneuverability and firepower.

The classic of such a breakthrough operation The Kharkov offensive operation in September 2022 and the Kursk offensive operation, which began in August 2024, played an important role in the first hours of the assault, reconnaissance and special units with the support of the DSHV raid groups, which played an important role in the first hours of the weak front and penetration into the rear of the DSHV raid groups.

The first noticeable change in comparison with the landing forces of the pre-war era, there was a transition from the doctrine of light airmobile and assault troops to mechanized raiding troops, which include even an armored component. In this way, DSHVs became similar to mechanized troops, but retained some landing capabilities (in Ukrainian conditions mostly using helicopters), conducting strategic aerial diversions and raiding operations in isolation from their main forces.

Therefore, the VSHs of Ukraine are adapted for operations characteristic of the so-called operational-maneuverable group. The Operational Maneuver Group operates separately from the main forces and is designed to conduct highly maneuvered combat actions to disorganize the defense of the enemy.

These are the kinds of operations we see in the Kursk offensive operation. In addition, they had already taken place in the Kharkiv Offensive Operation and had failed in the Zaporizhzhya Offensive Operation.

The second change — armament of VSHVs with Western equipment, including wheeled transporters such as VAB, Stryker, Dingo, wheeled MRAPs and tracked infantry fighting vehicles in “heavy” battalions such as Marder. The brigade has become better armored and armed, but it is still focused on mobility, albeit with a dedicated heavy component — BMP and tank support.

When it comes to the transition of DSHV brigades to Western equipment, of course, a lot depends on the transfer of weapons, but a certain tendency is to arm the air mobile brigades with wheeled vehicles and 105 mm artillery. Heavy equipment, such as infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled artillery, also goes to the assault brigades.

In the assault brigades, a peculiar mix of post-Soviet and Western technology is often observed, which varies from battalion to battalion.

Thus, the nomenclature of equipment in the armament of DSHV is very diverse, especially in the types of transporters, MRAPs and armored vehicles: Stryker, VAB, Bushmaster, Iveco, MaxxPro, Cougar, Spartan, Shield, Novator, Dingo, etc.

Third change — the emergence of formations that go far beyond the typical assault units, even based on their names.

The rapid quantitative growth of the Ukrainian armed forces in general and the military in particular is not surprising. A component on the basis of which new brigades were created stood out from the old DSHV brigades.

Speaking about changes in air defense systems in wartime, attention should be paid to the development of unmanned systems, especially airborne. Obviously, a very significant change in the organization of “landing” brigades was the formation of UAV platoons in battalions and brigade strike unmanned companies, the so-called RUBAK (companies of attack unmanned aircraft complexes), and recently even an independent battalion.