Last modified: 2024-01-06 by martin karner
Keywords: ukraine | azov battalion | volunteer units |
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Esteban Rivera, 28 February 2022
Regarding the types of military Units, these are Patrol Service of the Special Purpose Police of Ukraine, PSMOP (Патрульна служба поліції особливого призначення України, ПСМОП), sometimes referred to as Special Purpose Police Patrol Battalion, BPSMOP. These units were established by law on approval of the Regulations on special police units, enacted on November 7, 2015, reformed on January 1, 2017.Esteban Rivera, 29 March 2022
The concept of "Offensive Guard" is envisioned in the establishment of
a (rather temporary) Force, capable of conducting offensive (i.e.
"assault") operations, as opposed to the concept of former USSR States
(in this case Ukraine) and its military doctrine of "Border Guard"
Units, which are based on safeguarding and conducting mainly defensive
operations in a given territory. It is based on the
Territorial Defense Battalions.
This type of Units is a true paramilitary
Unit, in the sense that it is not part of the traditional Armed Forces
(i.e. Army, Navy, Air Force and/or Rocket/Missile/Space Force) but
rather an "auxiliary" (or paramilitary, parallel to military) Unit
(remember that Azov emerged from the Svoboda party, which some may
consider as its armed wing, but it is really now integrated into the
National Guard). I stress on the concept of "temporary" since the strategy and whole
purpose is to recover current invaded territory by Russian forces.
Esteban Rivera, 25 February 2023 (by e-mail)
image located by William Garrison, 28 February 2022
Image of a slightly modified ancient German rune Wolfsangel, in black, called
"Ідея Нації" (English: Idea of the Nation, IN, written in runic form either as
"ꑭ" or ꏢ). It was the Social-National Party of Ukraine's first logo from its
inception (1991) until the IX Congress Party held on February 14, 2004, when
they changed their name to All-Ukrainian Union "Svoboda" (see party flag) and also changed their
former "IN" into a hand forming a trident with its three fingers
(source:
http://www.svoboda.org.ua/pro_partiyu/istoriya)
Notice that the
Wolfsangel symbol is black instead of blue. An example of the use of both flags
at the same time (party and militia) is seen here:
https://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/azov1.jpg, source:
https://www.firstpost.com/world/russian-military-operation-puts-the-spotlight-on-ukraines-neo-nazis-what-you-need-to-know-about-them-10419921.html
Esteban Rivera, 24 August 2022
A flag with a yellow background with the Wolfsangel rune logo in the middle,
in black). It is very common to see this flag among the Azov Battalion/Regiment.
Esteban Rivera, 24 August 2022
The logo featured on early flags and shoulder patch insignia. Image copied
from the original, located here:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Emblem_of_the_Azov_Battalion.svg/800px-Emblem_of_the_Azov_Battalion.svg.png,
source:
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/). This was the emblem when the military
formation was a battalion size Unit. It was used from the beginning of the
summer of 2014 to the end of the winter of 2015, more specifically from
September 17, until August 11, 2015. See
https://preview.redd.it/g9scu00r6yn81.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=e7d1765caef4671a9e6b54459fa30c56ffe3c7bb
for explanation (image archived here).
Esteban Rivera, 24 August 2022
Logo and shoulder patch insignia (image copied from the original, located
here:
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki, source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azov_Regiment). This was the emblem when the military
formation became a Regiment. It has been in use since the beginning of the
spring 2015.
Esteban Rivera, 24 August 2022
image by Esteban Rivera
Pennant with Wolfsangel logo (image cropped from the original located here:
https://static.timesofisrael.com/www/uploads/2022/05/AP20074424743932-e1651659045985.jpg,
source:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/moscow-israeli-mercenaries-fighting-with-far-right-ukrainian-unit/.
Picture caption reads: "Ukrainian volunteers with the right-wing paramilitary
Azov National Corps with their flags demonstrate their strength, during
Ukrainian Volunteer Day in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Efrem
Lukatsky)"
Esteban Rivera, 24 August 2022
Pennant with Wolfsangel logo, reversed) (cropped image from the original
located here:
https://es-la.facebook.com/746036608925056/photos/pcb.1209496905912355/1209495259245853/?type=3&theater,
source:
https://www.facebook.com/Sean-Eternos-los-Laureles-746036608925056/).
Esteban Rivera, 24 August 2022
Flags with such unusual shapes and various designs, looking as if borrowed
from some SF video source (movie, series or game) are frequently used by
Ukrainian ultra-rightists.
Tomislav Todorovic, 25 August 2022
Chronological order of insignia
image located by Esteban Rivera
Description of the insignia (from left to right):
1. Chevron of the partisan unit "Black Corps". It was used until the beginning of summer 2014.
2. Chevron of the "Azov" battalion. It was used from the beginning of the summer of 2014 to the end of the winter of 2015.
3. Chevron of the "Azov" regiment. Used since the beginning of spring 2015.
4. Chevron of the 3rd hundred (company) of the 1st battalion of the "Azov" regiment. It has been used since the winter of 2014/2015.
5. Chevron of the tank battalion of the "Azov" regiment (the unit has its own name – "Kholodny Yar"). It has been in use since spring 2015. (source located by Esteban Rivera)
This type of Unit (Azov) is a true paramilitary
Unit, in the sense that it is not part of the traditional Armed Forces
(i.e. Army, Navy, Air Force and/or Rocket/Missile/Space Force) but
rather an "auxiliary" (or paramilitary, parallel to military) Unit
(remember that Azov emerged from the Svoboda party, which some may
consider as its armed wing, but it is really now integrated into the
National Guard). I stress on the concept of "temporary" since the strategy and whole
purpose is to recover current invaded territory by Russian forces (see also here).
Esteban Rivera, 25 February 2023 (by e-mail)
image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 September 2023
(source)
image located by William Garrison/Esteban Rivera
Caption: "Ukrainian Pres. V. Zelensky holds the flag of a [unidentified] military unit as
an officer kisses it, during
a commemorative event in Kiev on the occasion of the one year anniversary of the Russian military invasion
of Ukraine; Feb. 24, 2023." (source: Times of Israel)
William Garrison, 25 February 2023
This video identifies that this unit color
(Boyovyy prapor) belongs to the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, formed
in Nov 2022.
The unit's name will appear on the reverse of the banner, along with
each corner of the flag with their specialty badge (artillery,
tankist, logistics, etc). You can see an example of the reverse of the
banner here
for the 105th Territorial Defense Brigade.
Zachary Harden, 25 February 2023
The obverse of the Battle Banner reads in Ukrainian on top "ЗА УКРАЇНУ
" (FOR UKRAINE)
and on bottom "ЗА ЇЇ Волю
" (By her will), part of the patriotic poem "For Ukraine" (source),
and on the reverse, the full name of the Unit, which follows the
same pattern as all Battle Flags (also known as Colors or Standards) in the
Ukraine Military Forces which are
squared in design and measure 130 × 130 cm. (source)
This Unit (3rd Separate Assault Brigade) is part of the Azov Brigade, as
stated here: "3 SAB (Separate Assault Battalion) is an Azov unit formed on the basis
of the TerrDef volunteer detachment created on February 24, 2022."
(source: https://recruiting.ab3.army)
The composition, or Order of Battle, is
a combination of Forces from Border Guard, National Guard, and Police
Units, of which Azov is assigned as part of the National Guard component in this
active military zone (source).
The use of combined forces does not mean they are under a
specific Force (i.e. Border Guard, National Guard, etc.) but rather,
are part of a "Theater of Operations" where a military campaign is
being conducted, in which several Forces are used.
Esteban Rivera, 26 February 2023 (by e-mail)
image located byWilliam Garrison/Esteban Rivera
In the video of the ceremony,
provided by Zachary Harden, one can see (from 23:58 onwards) a kneeling soldier
receiving the flag, featuring in his uniform a shoulder patch insignia
of the Azov Brigade. Hence
indicating that this Unit is related to the Azov Brigade. Notice that
this Unit's shoulder patch insignia
is derived from that of Azov Brigade's current shoulder patch insignia (also on this page above).
This Unit was previously known as Azov Special
operations forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Azov SSO.
This is part of a much wider military strategy called "Offensive Guard" in which the key objective is
restoring the military capabilities of this Brigade, along with a
current expansion via a recruiting campaign by the Ministry of
Internal Affairs,
whose purpose is to form new Assault
Brigades as part of the National Guard, Police
and Border Guard, which will
liberate all occupied territories (which are: Sevastopol, Crimea
and the Donbass
Region (comprising Lugansk People's Republic and Donetsk People's
Republic as determined by the Supreme Council of Ukraine, the country's unicameral
Parliament, on April 15, 2014 and its accompanying legislation).
Esteban Rivera, 25 February 2023
See also: Support Azov (foundation)
Flags of
different factions that were involved in the fighting) (cropped image from
the original located here:
https://georgianlegion.com.ua/images/novyny/1917000_1664205160486286_2818795244783449221_n.jpg, source:
https://georgianlegion.com.ua/novini/631-vidkrittya-pam-yatnogo-znaku-na-chest-zagiblikh-dobrovoltsiv-foto-video).
From right to left, I can locate 12 poles, but cannot identify all the
flags:
1. Azov
2. Ukrainian National Self-Defence
3. Two flags in the
same pole (cannot identify either of them, thus these are two UFEs)
4.
OUN
5. Ukraine
6.-12. Imperceptible
The original news report reads: (translated):
"OPENING OF A MEMORIAL SIGN IN HONOR OF FALLEN VOLUNTEERS (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
On December 19, a memorial sign in honor of all the fallen volunteers of
the Russian-Ukrainian war was erected on the Dobrovolets Park Alley in the
Desnianskyi district of
Kyiv. The flags of all volunteer battalions participating in this war were
raised on 6-meter flagpoles nearby. These flags will remain there forever, so
that people will remember those people who did not hesitate to leave peaceful
life and stand up for Ukraine. Among the flags that are now flying there is
the flag of our Georgian National Legion."
This is dated December 19, 2015,
although by late 2014 there were already some display of unit flags
Sources:
https://m.facebook.com/ps.kyiv/posts/1529329597333893 and
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Here's a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxuRBvq9ov0
Esteban Rivera, 28 February 2022