The brigade is part of the 22nd Army Corps, Coastal Forces of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

[3] The current brigade inherited the awards, military glory, and titles of the 126th Rifle Division (2nd formation) that took part in World War II.

According to Colonel S. I. Storozhenko, the brigade commander, 199 servicemen, of 1,200, left and 300 quit; the remainder swore allegiance to the Russian Federation.

The Ukrainian paratroopers rendered the 126th's artillery ineffective, and the 126th was forced to withdraw from the city after sustaining heavy losses.

A total of 100 Russian soldiers died, 10 were captured, and 30 of the unit's 43 armoured vehicles were either destroyed or abandoned in one day; Ukrainian forces were able to salvage 15 of these into working order.

[14] On March 28, 2022, over three weeks after being defeated at Voznesensk, it was announced that the brigade would be granted a Guards title without a change in its numerical designation.

[15] After the beginning of a Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kherson in September 2022, Telegram reports appeared saying the brigade had suffered very heavy losses.

"[17] On October 15, 2022, the Institute for the Study of War wrote in their daily "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment": "A video posted to social media on October 13 shows servicemen of the 126th Coastal Defence Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet in an unspecified location in Kherson Oblast complaining that they have been fighting in the area since the beginning of the war without breaks or troop rotation.

The servicemen asserted that they are being "crushed" by Ukrainian forces and emphasized that they have one BTR (armored personnel carrier) for 80 people, which is greatly restricting their maneuverability.

After the video circulated, a Wagner Group–affiliated Telegram channel announced on October 14 that Wagner Group leadership decided to transfer four off-road vehicles to the 126th Coastal Defence Battalion [sic: Brigade] in support of their efforts to hold the frontline in Kherson Oblast.Since at least November 2022, the 126th brigade has been stationed on Ostriv Velykyi Potomkin, the scene of continued skirmishes, as part of the 2022–2023 Dnieper campaign.