Units of the 2nd battalion of the brigade were located around Mariupol. On May 9, armed terrorists made an attempt to capture the city administration of the militia. The 2nd battalion of the 72 OmbR was given a combat order to enter the city on armored vehicles to reinforce the units that repelled the assault of the terrorist of the hostages and the release of the hostages. The order was executed.

In July 2014, Ukrainian forces, consisting of units of 72 OMB, 24 OMB and 79 OAEMB, during a push to the border with the Russian Federation to reinforce the Southern Army Group, came under fire from BM-21 “Grad” rocket launchers by Russian regular armed forces near the village. Zelenopillya.

The units of the 72nd Brigade suffered no casualties killed, but Ukrainian forces in total lost at least 36 dead.

“There were days when we were continuously shot for 7 hours from all kinds of artillery and mortars. The forces were uneven, the aid was not adequate, the ammunition was running out, the equipment was almost all out of order. And then the units went for a breakthrough, not everyone was able to get out, and those who broke through really became heroes,” recalls Mykhailo Drapatyi.

At the end of October 2016, units of the brigade took up positions in the area of Avdiyivka and Verkhnotoretsky industrial zones. One of the remarkable events of that period is heavy fighting in January-February in the Avdiyivka industrial zone. The fighters of the brigade managed to knock out pro-Russian formations from the position of “Diamond” in the gray zone. Then Captain Andriy Kyzilo died in battle. He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.

In 2018, after the passage of the military coordination, the Black Zaporozhets took positions in this direction. These were the times when Bakhmut was still a flourishing Ukrainian city.

The units of the brigade entered familiar positions and held them until the rotation, which took place shortly before the full-scale invasion.

After the defense of Kiev, the units of the brigade went to the east of the country to the city of Bakhmut. Black Zaporozhets held back enemy pressure from June to August 2022, after which 
were moved to the city of Vuhledar.

In October-November 2022, Russian troops began storming the village of Pavlivka, near Vuhledar, in order to encircle Ukrainian troops. Units of the 72 OMB and other units of the defense forces repelled the offensive. After several days of fighting, the 155th Marine Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces lost half of all equipment and 300 people killed and wounded. The pressure did not stop and in order to preserve the personnel, it was decided to withdraw the brigade units to more favorable positions near the city of Vuhledar.

In the second half of January 2023, Russian occupation forces began a massive offensive to take the city of Vuhledar. The assault followed from several directions at once, but units of the brigade held the city.

At the Battle of Vuhledar, Russia lost at least 130 armored vehicles, which was the largest defeat during the Russo-Ukrainian War.

After unsuccessful attempts to storm Vuhledar, Russian troops make attempts to bypass the city from the flank. In 2024, active hostilities began in the direction of Novomykhailivka-Solodke-Volodymyrivka.