Last modified: 2024-09-28 by martin karner
Keywords: ukraine | territorial defense |
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Territorial defence battalions, TerrDefB (Батальйо́ни
територа́льної оборо́ни, БТрО), were volunteer military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the
auspices of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence in 2014–2015. They
should not be confused with the volunteer units of the Special Task Patrol Service of Ukraine (Патрульна служба
особливого призначення),
which were created along with territorial defense battalions, but under the
auspices of the Ministry of Interior. The battalions were
established in mid-2014, during the early stages of the war in Donbas, to
combat the pro-Russian separatists and the forces of the Donetsk People's
Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, and the United Armed Forces of
"Novorossiya" (which translates as New Russia), the armed forces of the
(formally
called) Federal State of Novorossiya, being a proposed Confederation of
unrecognized states constituted by both, the Donetsk Republic and the Luhansk
Republic, declared on May 22, 2014 and suspended on May 20, 2015. It claims
to trace on the historical term of the Russian Empire denoting a region north
of the Black Sea (now part of Ukraine). In Ukraine the territory was better
known as Stepovyna (Steppeland) or Nyz (Lower land). 32 (although other
sources mention 43, 44 and even 46) volunteer territorial defence battalions
were formed:
1st Territorial Defence Battalion "Volyn" (Volyn Oblast)
2nd Territorial Defence Battalion "Horyn" (Rivne Oblast)
3rd Territorial
Defence Battalion "Volya" (Lviv Oblast)
4th Territorial Defence Battalion "Zakarpattia"
(Zakarpattia Oblast)
5th Territorial Defence Battalion "Prykarpattya" (Ivano-Frankivsk
Oblast, disbanded in January 2015)
6th Territorial Defence Battalion "Zbruch"
(Ternopil Oblast)
7th Territorial Defence Battalion (Khmelnytskyi Oblast)[29]
8th Territorial Defence Battalion (Chernivtsi Oblast)
9th Territorial Defence
Battalion "Vinnytsia" (Vinnytsia Oblast)
10th Territorial Defence Battalion "Polesia"
(Zhytomyr Oblast)
11th Territorial Defence Battalion "Kyivan Rus" (Kyiv
Oblast)
12th Territorial Defence Battalion "Kyiv" (Kyiv city)
13th
Territorial Defence Battalion "Chernihiv-1" (Chernihiv Oblast)
14th
Territorial Defence Battalion "Cherkasy" (Cherkasy Oblast)
15th Territorial
Defence Battalion "Sumy" (Sumy Oblast)
16th Territorial Defence Battalion
"Poltava" (Poltava Oblast)
17th Territorial Defence Battalion "Kirovohrad" (Kirovohrad
Oblast)
18th Territorial Defence Battalion "Odesa" (Odessa Oblast)
19th
Territorial Defence Battalion (Mykolaiv Oblast)
20th Territorial Defence
Battalion "Dnipro" (Dnipropetrovsk Oblast)
21st Territorial Defence Battalion
"Sarmat" (Kherson Oblast)
22nd Territorial Defence Battalion "Kharkiv" (Kharkiv
Oblast)
23rd Territorial Defence Battalion "Khortytsia" (Zaporizhia Oblast)
24th Territorial Defence Battalion "Aidar" (Luhansk Oblast)
25th Territorial
Defence Battalion "Kyivan Rus" (Kyiv Oblast)
34th Territorial Defence
Battalion "Batkivshchyna" (Kirovohrad Oblast)
37th Territorial Defence
Battalion (Zaporizhia Oblast)
39th Territorial Defence Battalion "Dnipro-2" (Dnipropetrovsk
Oblast)
40th Territorial Defence Battalion "Kryvbas" (Dnipropetrovsk Oblast)
41st Territorial Defence Battalion "Chernihiv-2" (Chernihiv Oblast)
42nd
Territorial Defence Battalion "Rukh Oporu" (Kirovohrad Oblast)
43rd
Territorial Defence Battalion "Patriot" (Dnipropetrovsk Oblast)
*44th was not
possible to establish due to lack of legal foundation
*45th Detached
Motorized Infantry Battalion was transformed into the 5th Air Defense Battalion,
of the Air Force
*46th Separate Assault
Battalion "Donbas" is currently part of the 2nd Battalion of Special
Assignment "Donbas", unit of the National Guard of Ukraine subordinated to
the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
In autumn 2014 most of the territorial
defence battalions were reorganized as motorized infantry battalions of the
Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Sources:
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_defence_battalions_(Ukraine)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_separatist_forces_in_Donbas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novorossiya_(confederation)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_defence_battalions_(Ukraine)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novorossiya
Independent formations (Незалежні формування)
(including four reformed independent formations):
Territorial defence battalions
emerged almost spontaneously out of already existing political parties
and/or groups, as "armed factions" (also known as militias in Western
sources). For instance, the Right Sector political party (not featured
on FOTW-ws yet) which spawned the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps, or the Azov
Battalion, which emerged out of the Patriot of Ukraine. If you look at
these political groups, most of them are considered ultra-right (hence
neonazi) and that is why it is labeled by Russian media as Ukrainian
Nazis. However, since most of these military units have been
incorporated into the Territorial Defence Forces, they are no longer
under control of their former political parties. So, the Territorial
defence battalions (2014–2015) were then transformed into the
Territorial Defence Forces (de facto since 2015, de iure since 2022).
Esteban Rivera, 1 March 2023 (by e-mail)
Now, in the current armed conflict, which escalated into a military campaign
on February 24, 2022, there have been new military formations activated,
under the Territorial Defence Forces (Війська територіальної оборони), which are the military reserve component of the Ukrainian Armed
Forces. These Defense Forces are composed of Battalions (hence the term
"Territorial defence battalions") and have been active since 2014 as well.
Additionally, new militias (outside this hierarchy) are also starting to
appear and be called "territorial defense units", since they have not yet
achieved battalion size status, that is: composed of 300 to 1000 personnel.
Most likely, these new militias will either be incorporated to the already
existing battalions or form new ones. The latest legal steps towards
reactivation and reorganization of these military formations were taken on May
25, 2021 when the President passed a Bill to Parliament called "On the foundation of national
resistance", approved on July 16, 2021 and signed into Law on July 29 by the
President. It was further amended on January 1, 2022 (other sources mention
January 27). On Section I General Dispositions, Article 1 Basic Terms
definitions, item 15, they are formally labeled as "Territorial Defense Forces of the
Armed Forces of Ukraine", meaning a separate paramilitary force that acts in
coordination with the existing Armed Forces. The new voluntary units are
authorized by Resolution № 1449 of December 29, 2021 of the Cabinet of
Ministers of Ukraine, in which the Regulations on voluntary formations
of territorial communities is approved. They
are known as "ТрО" (English: TerrDef), "тероборона" (English: Defense),
ТрОЗСУ (Romanized: "Sprotyv") (English: TerrDef ZSU), ЗСУ Romanized as ZSU,
standing for Zbroini Syly Ukrainy, Armed Forces of Ukraine) and
"ТериторіальнаОборона ЗСУ", (English: Territorial Defense ZSU).
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_Defense_Forces_(Ukraine) and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021%E2%80%932022_Russo-Ukrainian_crisis)
For additional information go to Sprotyv (official website)
https://sprotyv.in.ua/
Esteban Rivera, 28 February 2022
image located by Zachary Harden, 8 May 2023
(source, picture)
The English subtitles in the source-video
(scroll down) allude that this flag is that of the Ukrainian 130th Territorial Defense Battalion during
the recapture of Hoptivka, September 2022.
William Garrison, 8 May 2023
image located by William Garrison, 19 June 2022
The 58 ОМПБр (Independent Motorized Infantry Brigade, IMIB) is a brigade size military Unit which was incorporated into the Ukrainian Army Land Forces encompassing originally three Territorial Defense Battalions :
– 13th Territorial Defence Battalion " Chernihiv-1" (Chernihiv Oblast) (13 окремий мотопіхотний батальйон (смт. Вороніж).
– 15th Territorial Defence Battalion "Sumy" (Sumy Oblast) (15 окремий мотопіхотний батальйон).
– 16th Territorial Defence Battalion "Poltava" (Poltava Oblast) (16 окремий мотопіхотний батальйон).
It was established on February 17, 2015 (even though its founding Units were established earlier) and took active part in the War in Donbass (2014-2015 and current conflict) as part of the "Оперативне
командування «Північ»" (Operational Command "North") (official website ).
Sources: Memorybook, source #2, source #3 and source #4.
The flag in question has the same color composition background as that of Ukraine, that is: blue on top and yellow on bottom.
To the left it features the patch insignia, having a shield with silver outline, divided in the middle vertically by two equal stripes, left in red and right in blue, superimposed by the monogram "TW" in black capitals, with the motto on top in Latin SIMUL AD VICTORIAM (together for victory).
To the right, on the blue stripe, it features the name of the Unit: 58 ОМПБр 958th IMIB0 імені гетьмана = in memoriam Hetman Івана Виговського = Ivan Vyhovsky
Below, on the yellow stripe, towards the fly, it features the three
coats of arms (patch insignia) of the founding Units mentioned above (13-й, 15-й and 16-й) and below that, the same motto, this time in Ukrainian "Разом до перемоги!" (Together to victory!) (picture).
Notice that the images of the coats of arms may have slight variations when referring to the flag sent since they either evolved when incorporated from being volunteer Units to standing military formations and/or readjusted according to task):
– #44a is the coat of arms of the 13th Territorial Defence Battalion "Chernihiv-1".
– #44b is the coat of arms of 15th Territorial Defence Battalion "Sumy".
– #44b is the coat of arms of 16th Territorial Defence Battalion
"Poltava".
Esteban Rivera, 21 June 2022
image located by William Garrison, Martin Karner
(source,
source,
picture)
Flag of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade (128 Окрема Гірсько-Штурмова Закарпатська Бригада).
This is confirmed by a Twitter message presented by Youtuber Jake Broe in the newest of his analysis
videos (see beginning of the video, the unit called there 128th Jaeger Brigade – perhaps an
inaccurate translation, perhaps a self-designated short version (still image from video.
The right flag is from the 2nd Separate Rifle Battalion).
Martin Karner, 20/21 June 2023
image located by William Garrison, 20 June 2023
This flag belongs to 2nd Separate Rifle Battalion (2-й окремий стрілецький батальйон)
(source).
Zachary Harden, 21 June 2023
[still image from video, see 128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade above]
still image from video located by William Garrison, 20 June 2023
(source: Youtube)
Flag of the 127th Kharkiv City Defense Brigade, Territorial
Defense Forces. The 247 seen in the badge (not the black text) refers
to the 247th separate battalion that is a part of this brigade.
The
text reads "For the defense of Slobozhanshchyna 24/7" with that area
is referring to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloboda_Ukraine.
Zachary Harden, 25 June 2023
image located by William Garrison
Source:
https://thesanghakommune.org/2022/03/13/lugansk-neo-nazi-aidar-battalion-criminality-destroys-lenin-statue-1-5-2007/
caption: A black-field flag with white slogans & logo, allegedly used by
the Ukraine Aidar Bn.; c. March 2022.
William Garrison, 29 March 2022
The inscriptions make parts of a single motto: "Freedom of Ukraine or death".
The emblem is a variation of the 1918–1921 arms
of Ukraine which has had several variations during the time of its use:
http://www.heraldicum.ru/ukraine/unr.htm
Tomislav Todorovic,
29 March 2022
This Unit is listed as 24th Territorial Defence Battalion "Aidar"
(Ukrainian: 24-й батальйон територіальної оборони «Айдар).
"At the end
of April 2014, during the Revolution of Dignity (Революції Гідності)
(November 30, 2013 – February 23, 2014), the commander of the Maidan Self Defense delegated on the commander of the 28th Hundred, "Сотня", romanized sotnia or sotnya, "hundred" is
a military term of Slavic origin, which was also a territorial subdivision used
in Ukraine in the times of the Cossack Hetmanate to
establish a military unit in the Luhansk Oblast. The word, which literally means
"hundred", in this context refers to a military unit of about 75–150 persons. In
modern military language it is the equivalent to a company-size military
formation.
On May 1st, the creation of the Battalion was approved and on
May 3rd, 2014 the Minister of Defence issued an Order formally establishing Battalion No. 165 which later was named "Aidar".
It is important to highlight the fact that this was the first Territorial
Defense Battalion of Ukraine – a volunteer military detachment subordinate to
the Ministry of Defence. Furthermore, this unit represents and started the
evolution from civilian Maidan Self Defense
(militias) to standing military formations.
Currently the unit's official
formal status is 24 Separate
Assault Battalion, also denominated as 24th Detached Assault Battalion, abbreviated as
24 OSHB).
Hence, it is by no means coincidence that Russian forces
started the current military campaign on February 23–24 2022 coinciding with the
end of the "Revolution of Dignity" eight years prior.
Sources:
http://aidar.kiev.ua/іstorіya-bataljonu
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotnia
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/
The symbol of the Battalion is a night
owl, because it is a hunting bird that approaches silently.
Source:
http://aidar.kiev.ua/simvolіka-bataljonu/
Notice that depending on
the illustration of the symbol (owl or trident) of the battalion, it is
represented on the flag. That is: there are three (which are the most well
known/used).
1. Black background and b/w trident. This
is a modern representation of the Kholodny Yar Republic, Cold Ravine Republic
or Kholodnoyarsk Republic (1919–1922),
which was a self-proclaimed state formation, partisan movement, and ran on the
lands of the Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR), in
the Chyhyryn district of the Kyiv province (now Cherkasy Raion of Cherkasy
Oblast), in the area of the Kholodny Yar forest tract. The village of Melnyky
was its capital. Kholodny Yar Republic was the last territory in which
Ukrainians continued to fight for an independent Ukrainian state before the
incorporation of Ukraine into the Soviet Union as the Ukrainian SSR. In fact,
the logo used in the flag is the coat of arms of such Republic. The
inscription reads "Воля України або смерть" (Freedom of Ukraine or
death).
"In the 21st century the Kholodny Republic flag was used during the
Euromaidan demonstrations and by the Azov Battalion." (Sources:
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kholodny_Yar_Republic#Legacy and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Free_or_Die)
2. Blue and yellow (based
on the Ukrainian national flag) with the logo in the middle, meaning it was a
paramilitary unit.
3. Purple variant, with a white eagle, the name of the
Battalion on top in yellow, and the motto "З нами Бог" (English: God with us)
(below). This flag also has the coat of arms of the
Ukrainian Ground Forces on the canton, meaning it is now an incorporated
military Unit.
Additional flag images are seen here:
https://zname.com.ua/ua/flags/fat809.html
Images:
Coat of arms in use between 1918–1920 of the historical Ukrainian People's Republic, adapted and used in a black and white pattern, on the flag of the militias of the Aidar Battalion).
Flag copied from the original located here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kholodny_Yar_Republic#/media/File:Volya_abo_smert%60.jpg source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kholodny_Yar_Republic.
Image from the original located here:
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/...Aidar_battalion_patch.png, source:
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Image from the original located
here:
https://thesanghakommune.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/1377338_original.jpg, source:
https://thesanghakommune.org/2022/03/13/lugansk-neo-nazi-aidar-battalion-criminality-destroys-lenin-statue-1-5-2007/.
This is a flag found from the link that William Garrison provided.
[Another picture provided by William Garrison, source]
For additional
information go to Aidar (official website):
http://aidar.kiev.ua
Esteban Rivera, 29 March 2022
The Donbass Battalion is a troop of voluntaries, who are fighting for the Ukraine government against the Russian separatists in East Ukraine.
Here is a photo of the consecration ceremony of their flag in 2014.
Jan-Patrick Fischer, 1 January 2015
Please note that flag colours are reversed to compare with Ukrainian national flag, does it have any significance?
Zoltan Horvath, 2 January 2015
This battalion was established as an Ukrainian military volunteer unit (now incorporated) into the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as opposed to the "Donbass People's Militia"
Donbas Battalion, (Ukrainian: Батальйон "Донбас"), is a volunteered National Guard of Ukraine unit subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, based in Severodonetsk. The (military) formation was established in the Spring of 2014 during the 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine, more precisely through a fundraiser in April 2014 by Semen Semenchenko (nom de guerre of Kostyantyn Hrishyn) (who claimed to be an ethnic Russian native of Donetsk and holds the rank of Major in the National Guard of Ukraine. The unit has been fully integrated into the armed forces of Ukraine and re-designated as the 3rd Reserve Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine.
Semenchenko, a former Ukrainian reserve captain, claims that he and
the other members of the Donbas Battalion gained combat experience in the
Ukrainian Ground Forces or Soviet Army.
According to him the all-volunteer Battalion was initially funded
wholly by their own members savings and donations from individuals and
"receiving zero salary from either the state or oligarchs". The
Ukrainian Interior Ministry adopted Donbas Battalion as a National
Guard of Ukraine unit thus allowing them to operate legally.
The flag is the emblem on a horizontal yellow over blue (equal stripes) flag, as seen here.
The emblem has the word Донбас (Donbass in Ukrainian) over the Donetsk County flag, above a diving black eagle.
The Donbass battalion is one of such "Territorial defense battalions"
(Ukrainian: Батальйо́ни територіа́льної оборо́ни) which are
non-professional (para)military units compounded of volunteers and
they are under the command of
Ukrainian Ministry of Interior and Ministry of
Defence created
to combat
Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk
People's Republic insurgents (and allegedly also regular Russian troops who later
joined the conflict) during the War in Donbass.
By late 2014 there were more than 50 of these units.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_defense_battalion_(Ukraine)
For additional information go to:
Donbass Battalion (official website)
http://www.bat-donbass.com/
Esteban Rivera, 2 January 2015
A flag used by the Dudayev Battalion, a
foreign fighters unit fighting alongside Ukraine and composed of Chechen
volunteers.
The battalion is named after Dzhohar Dudayev, the first
president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Most commanders within the
battalion fought for the independence of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
(1991–2000) which explains the use of one of its flag variant (during the
republic existence, a version of the flag without the emblem was also used). The
central emblem can also be seen on the uniform of various members of the
battalion.
Since the she-wolf is facing toward the viewer's right, I
would assume it's the reverse of the flag we are seeing. Of note is the fact
that the unlike most other monochromatic versions of the emblem, the circle
above the she-wolf is grey rather than black.
The Dudayev Battalion
should not be confused with another Chechen unit, the 141st Special Motorized
Regiment (AKA "Kadyrovtsy" [Kadyrov's followers]) lead by Ramzan Kadyrov, the
Head of the Chechen Republic within the Russian Federation, which is fighting
alongside Russian forces.
Source: Al Jazeera English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxsXAq0tmgk
Marc Pasquin, 17 October 2022
See also: Independentist Chechen Flag
Ukrainian-Chechen solidarity flag
Akhmad and Ramzan Kadyrov flags
Flag
image located by
Esteban Rivera
Logo
image located by Esteban Rivera
image located by Esteban Rivera
image cropped from the original located here: https://sprotyv.info/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/dobrovolcy-533x261.jpg, (picture) source: https://uawire.org/georgian-legion-left-the-ukrainian-armed-forces
image located by Esteban Rivera
image from the original located here:
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki, source:
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki
For additional information go to Georgian Legion (official website):
http://georgianlegion.com.ua/
Esteban Rivera, 28 February 2022
image from the
original located here:
https://www.google.com/maps/@50.5266205,30.596692,3a,15.1y,241.74h,100.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sApqiuOtiJHK0h04YhVWe3w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=es-419. It seems that this was either the first or one of the first flags to be
displayed at the "паркові алеї "Доброволець" (English: "Volunteers" park
alley), since the flag shown is from May, 2015.
Sources:
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki
images located by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg (left), Martin Karner
In yesterday's report [picture],
Jake Broe showed a massive Russian ammunition dump being blown up. Quiet a sight, but the more important
bit, was of course that Jake currently shows a flag in his background. I read it as
being from Kharkiv, but the lower line of text is only partially visible, and my Ukrainian is not good
enough to recognise the partial text to determine what it says.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 21 September 2024
The inscriptions are "Kharkiv City of Heroes (or Heroic City)", as are not good visible
the last letter/s.
Valentin Poposki, 21 September 2024
In this blog
of the Ukrainian musician Sergei Babkin (scroll down about a quarter of the page at 15 September 2024) he
is holding up on a photo the same flag as Jake Broe has in his videos. The text reads (translated with
deepl.com): "The musician added that he chose to help Ukrainian defenders by donating funds from his
charity concerts. According to the singer, it is already hundreds of thousands of Euros. Babkin showed a
flag that was handed over to him by the 127th Separate Brigade of the Kharkiv-based Logistics Forces of the
Ukrainian Armed Forces and two watches one for men and one for women."
Martin Karner, 21 September 2024
I can confirm this is a flag belonging to the 127th Territorial Defense Brigade (Wikipedia).
As for the text, Valentin Poposki is correct about the text. It says "Kharkiv Misto Heori"
(Kharkiv Hero City). It was awarded to the city, along with several others, on the onset of the 2022
invasion by Russia (see Wikipedia).
About the embattlement on top of the insignia, it's a tell that 90% of those units belong to the TrO
[TrO = Terytorialnoi Oborony = Territorial Defense]. This copies the sleeve insignia used by the TrO
on the national level.
Zachary Harden, 22 September 2024 (and via e-mail)