Ukraine’s Punitive Battalions

Original: http://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/1767943.html Sept 5th, 2014
Translated by Daniel Mihailovich
Edited by S. Naylor

An industrious comrade began to collect statistics on the assorted punitive and territorial battalions of the Junta, where the structure is very confusing. Below is only a skeleton for a large database of the whole punitive organization, but eventually, the blanks in the table will be completely filled in…

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Territorial battalions:

Definition:
The National Guard of Ukraine [(“NGU”), also known as Nationalist Guard, NaziGuard, or simply nazis,] is a structure with law enforcement functions; a part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Police) of Ukraine; created by transforming the Police Internal Troops on March 12th, 2014 via a new law “On the National Guard of Ukraine”.

By converting the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs into the National Guard of Ukraine, the coup-formed Ukrainian government achieved the following goals:

– Continuity of command in the ranks of the internal troops and the Ministry of Interior was broken, and their men put in key positions;

– Repression of political opponents under the guise of “cleaning the ranks of the internal troops and the Ministry of Interior” was enhanced and continued;

– Damaging files of criminal and administrative offenses were deleted; which – in the case of disclosure – could discredit the government;

– People in the former internal security forces who were too “by-the-book” were replaced; in effect replacing the “law and order” in the ranks of internal troops and the Interior Ministry with “ideological purity” and “nationalist ideals”.

Due to these changes the ranks of the NGU have swelled with volunteers and extremist fighters of the “Right Sector”. But, despite the apparent “ideological bias”, the confrontation between different battalions of the NGU, due to different understanding of the national idea, and different levels of training, has by now split the ranks of the National Guard into three structures:

1) Territorial battalions, or punishment/punitive battalions. “Azov”, “Donbass”, “Aidar”, “Shahtersk”, etc., entirely or mostly staffed by people with criminal records, nationalists and “Right Sector” men, as well as volunteers from the Baltic states, Georgia, and PMC mercenaries. These tend to have an extremely brutal attitude towards the locals they are supposed to be “liberating”. Because statutes and regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine are not inherited by the new battalions, these “liberators” are using all possible methods of warfare as well as punitive actions in the tradition of their forbearers from SS- Galicia, the Ukraine People’s Army (UPA) and other Ukrainian ultranationalist organizations of World War II. In view of their “specialization” these units tend to also have the highest casualty rates. Identifying marking of these units is yellow duct tape.

2) Volunteer territorial battalions. “Vinnitsa”, “Tavria”, “Sich”, “Phoenix”, etc. These are formed of volunteers who are, according to the propaganda machine of Ukraine, motivated enough to be suitable for punitive battalions. They lack military training, as well as both ideological and legal basis for engaging in warfare. Identifying marking of these units is also yellow duct tape.

3) The police battalions. “Skif”, “Kherson”, “Kiev-1” and others. Remains of the internal troops that somehow escaped the purges in the ranks of Ministry of Interior, these mainly serve as units guarding Slavyansk and other “liberated” cities, as well as finding suitable “volunteers” for punitive battalions among persons with criminal records. Presumably, identifying marking of these units is red duct tape.

Below are battalion names, numbers, the Place of formation, sponsor, commanders, and composition of these units.

Battalions are listed in alphabetical order.

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“Azov” – battalion “Azov”

Place of formation: 2014.05 Mariupol (presumably)
Sponsors: Igor Kolomoisky, Arsen Avakov
Commander: Andrew Biletsky, Igor Moseichuk (Deputy Battalion Commander)

Support base: 2014.08.16. Urzuf
Heavy weapons: armored “KAMAZ” trucks, 4 armored personnel carriers
Composition: 300 people
The core of the “Azov” battalion are ultra-radical nationalists of the “Social-National Company”, “Right sector”, “Patriot of Ukraine”, and “Maidan Self-Defense” movements.

Nominal lists:
1) Vyacheslav Galway Instructor in the battalion (killed 2014.08.2)
Colonel of the General Intelligence Department in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
2) Sergey “Balagan” Greek Russian citizen (killed 2014.08.04)
3) Nikolai Berezovoi Platoon commander, the husband of the well-known Ukrainian journalist Tatyana Chornovol (killed 2014.08.10, Ilovajsk)

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“Aydar”, №24, 24th Volunteer Battalion

Place of formation: ? 2014.05
Sponsor: Igor Kolomoisky
Commander: Sergei Melnychuk
Composition:
1st company. Destroyed by Lugansk, near the village of Metallist (2014.06.19)
2nd company.
Third company. Destroyed by Lugansk Airport (2014.09.01)

Nominal lists:
1) Oleg Mikhnyuk Company commander, the commander of the 8th “Afghan” company of the Maidan self-defense. (killed 2014.08.20)
2) Philip Slobodenyuk Commander of the 1st company of the battalion. (killed 2014.08.16)

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“Artem’evsk” battalion

Place of formation: Dnepropetrovsk
Sponsor:
Commander:

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“Vinnitsa” territorial defense battalion №9

Place of formation: Vinnitsa
Sponsor:
Commander:

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“Volyn” battalion

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander:

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“Gepard” 9th Regiment of the NGU special forces

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander: Andrew Teteruk (killed 2014.08.29. Ilovajsk)

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“Gorin” battalion

Place of formation: Rivne region
Sponsor:
Commander:
Composition: 1st battalion company (destroyed 2014.08.15)

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“Dnepr-1” battalion

Place of formation: Dnepropetrovsk 2014.04.14
Sponsor: Igor Kolomoisky, Arsen Avakov
Commander:
Composition: > 500+ infantry. Supposedly the main forces of PMC mercenaries are concentrated here. This is partially confirmed by the resistance of individual units of the battalion in the Donetsk airport and surrounding areas

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“Dnepr-2” battalion

Place of formation:
Sponsor: Igor Kolomoisky
Commander: Dmitry Yarosh (presumably)

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“Donbass” battalion

Place of formation: 2014.04. Dnepropetrovsk
Sponsor: Igor Kolomoisky
Commander: Semen Semenchenko (real name – Grishin)
Composition:
1st company.
2nd company.
3rd company: 630 people, 4000 in reserve
Rotation: One company of “Donbass” became a part of the 24th territorial defense “Aidar” battalion the Ministry of Defense

Nominal lists:
1) Alexander Romanenko Commander of the reconnaissance company. (killed 2014.08.19)
2) Mark Paslavsky – 55 years old, graduate of the West Point American military academy, former United States Army Major. (killed 2014.08.19)
3) Sergey Shkarovsky – Captain (killed 2014.08.19)
4) Yuriy Boyko – Battalion overseer from the NGU headquarters. (killed 2014.08.10, Ilovajsk)
5) Yuri Litvinsky – Deputy battalion commander. (killed 2014.08.10, Ilovajsk)

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“Golden Gate” special police patrol battalion

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander: Nikolai Shvalya

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“Ivano-Frankovsk”

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander:

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“Kiev-1” special battalion

Place of formation:
Sponsor: Klitschko brothers, Arsen Avakov
Commander: Eugen Deydey
Composition: 430 enlisted, 32 officers

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“Kiev-2”, Battalion

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander: Bogdan Wojciechowski

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“Kievan Rus” battalion №11, Kiev territorial defense battalion

Place of formation: Kiev
Sponsor:
Commander: Alexander Gumeniuk (killed 2014.08.15)

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“Krivbass”, battalion №40

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander: 1st. (killed 2014.08.08)
2nd. Alexander Motril

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“L’vov” battalion

Place of formation: L’vov
Sponsor:
Commander:

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“Mirotvorec” special police battalion

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander:

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“Nikolaev”, “St. Nicholas”, battalion?

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander:

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“Rights Right”, a mercenary unit of the SBU

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander: curator Dmitry Snegiryov

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“Cis-Carpathian”, battalion №5

Place of formation: Mobilized (mainly from the Hutsul ethnicity) in Ivano-Frankovsk region
Sponsor:
Commander:

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“Svityaz” police battalion

Place of formation: Kherson
Sponsor:
Commander:

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“Skif” 23rd police battalion

Place of formation: Staffed mainly by mobilized residents of Zaporozhye and police volunteers.
Sponsor:
Commander:

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“Temur” special battalion

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander: Temur Yuldashev

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“Tavria” battalion
Place of formation: Kherson
Sponsor:
Commander:
Use: Sabotage Battalion
Composition: 14 people as of 2014.08.16

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“Ukraine” battalion “Ukraine”

Place of formation:
Sponsor: Oleg Lyashko
Composition: Presumably, Lyashko’s personal guards, within the “Shahtersk” battalion.

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“Phoenix” Battalion

Place of formation: created based on the 79th paratrooper brigade, volunteer territorial defense battalion
Sponsor:
Commander:
Heavy weapons: Self-propelled howitzer 2S1 “Gvozdika”

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“Kherson” battalion of the Ministry of Interior

Place of formation: Kherson
Sponsor:
Commander: Ruslan Storchius (Ruslan Storcheus) (killed 2014.08.25)

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“Holodnyi Yar” unit

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander: Eugene Wojciechowski (killed 2014.07.07)

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“Black Hundred” unit

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander:

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“Chernigov” battalion

Place of formation:
Sponsor: Kolomoysky
Commander: Colonel Radievsky (killed 2014.07.21)

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“Shahtersk” battalion

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander: Andrew FILONENKO
Nominal lists:
1) Anatoly Kurochka – (killed 2014.08.19) Platoon commander, unit: “Jesus Christ” company. Destroyed 2014.08.18

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“Storm”, unit

Place of formation: Odessa
Sponsor:
Commander:

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Battalion number 39

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander:

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Battalion number 43

Place of formation: Dnepropetrovsk
Sponsor: Igor Kolomoisky
Commander:

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Battalion number ???? Kirovograd battalion of the National Guard

Place of formation:
Sponsor:
Commander: Colonel Snitsar (killed 2014.07.23)

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Depending on the information collected, article will be updated.

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01 Photo credit:  Mykola Lazarenko / Associated Press
02 Photo credit:  Ministry of Defence of Ukraine