The 19th Missile Brigade was formed in October–November 1997, with basis on the
USSR's 19th Missile Division. In an interview,
Viktor Muzhenko, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, discussed the deployment of "
Tochka-U" missile complexes against Russian irregulars and regular army units operating within Ukrainian territory. The first instances of using this system emerged during the intense battles for Savur-Mohyla in August 2014. Over the course of two years of conflict, approximately one hundred missiles from the "Tochka-U" system, equipped with various types of warheads, were launched to achieve a range of military objectives. Following the large-scale entry of Russian regular forces into Ukraine later that same month, the General Staff faced significant challenges. With enemy targets proving difficult to reach through other means, especially while Ukrainian troops were attempting to break out of an encirclement near Ilovaisk, the General Staff called upon the 1st Rocket Division (RDn) of the 19th Brigade and the 1st Separate Artillery Division (ReADn) of the 107th Artillery Regiment. These long-range artillery units played a crucial role by establishing what was effectively a “corridor of fire” to cover retreating Ukrainian forces. The strategy involved targeting probable enemy positions, such as elevated terrain, road junctions, and other strategic points, with strikes being coordinated based on real-time communication. Approximately twelve missile strikes were executed using between one and four Tochka-U launchers, alongside about fifteen separate volleys from
Smerch, utilizing up to three vehicles at a time. Furthermore, reports surfaced in October 2014 indicating that militants claimed a missile had struck their military installation located within the premises of military unit No. 3023 in occupied Donetsk, close to Prokofiev Airport. By August 2016, volunteers from the international InformNapalm community conducted research into the utilization of both the 9K79-1 Tochka-U and the 9K58 Smerch against Russian military units during the summer of 2014. Their findings revealed notable correlations between documented Russian military losses and potential Tochka-U missile launches. == Structure ==