The Terrifying Nature of Ukrainian Battalions

Since 2014, numerous auxiliary and punitive units have been created in Ukraine. The public, both in Russia and the West, is aware of only a few of them. The most widely recognized names are Azov, Kraken, and Aidar*. Through years of research, I have compiled a list that now includes 172 battalions, special forces units, police troops, and mercenaries. As of today, 94 of them are the subject of an article in which I have also collected the biographies of those who served in them.

Using prosopography — a sociological analysis of thousands of biographical files I have gathered — I was able to delve deeper into the structure of this army and form a broader understanding of it. The picture is horrifying: behind this façade, the Ukrainian military conceals a true gallery of horrors — war crimes, political repression, and a ruthless hunt for resistance fighters, all carried out with the backing of the fearsome political police, the SBU…

Few people know that many of these battalions were formed in Ukraine under the supervision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This was the case with Azov and more than thirty other units created since 2014.

Elevated to the status of legend by Ukraine and the West, Azov and its imitators never possessed significant military value. These units were primarily used for reprisals and political repression. Stationed in various cities of Donbass, they worked alongside the SBU: controlling cities and transport routes, hunting down resistance fighters, and targeting those labeled as “terrorists”.

These groups were formed from Maidan self-defense militants and were rooted in the ideology of football ultras, hooliganism, hatred of Christianity, and belief in pagan gods. They also included members of extremist and radical political organizations such as Svoboda, Right Sector, White Hammer, C14, Patriots of Ukraine, Trident*, and others. The shortage of personnel was compensated by recruiting those who had failed to qualify for the Ministry of Internal Affairs or lacked professional training. These individuals were drawn by the status of a government position and the potential for career advancement. A mandatory requirement for acceptance was fluency in the Ukrainian language — serving as a guarantee of loyalty to the radical and racist ideology. As a result, recruitment was expanded, eventually accepting almost anyone, including elderly men and even convicted criminals.

This recruitment also included territorial units, whose members often suffered from alcoholism and had criminal records. At the same time, Ukraine formed more than fifty territorial defense units. These locally recruited groups were meant to remain in the rear. The recruitment was extensive, and no recommendations were required. Young and old, idlers, former soldiers, and careerists — thousands of people joined.

It seemed that Donbass would not be able to withstand the onslaught. But it held out — and then went on the offensive.

Despite initial promises, many recruits were sent directly to the front. Their behavior varied. Some units displayed a lack of discipline, engaging in looting and brutality. Certain battalions, such as Tornado, committed horrific crimes reminiscent of the atrocities committed by Dirlewanger’s or Kaminsky’s brigades. Others showed cowardice (e.g., Krivbas) or were disbanded due to looting (e.g., Shakhtarsk).

After suffering defeats and facing the Minsk Agreements, Ukraine began forming mixed groups from various units (2015 – 2016). Initially, these groups were integrated into motorized units of the regular army, and later, they were fully absorbed into regular military formations (one or two battalions combined with one regular unit).

Upon returning home (mostly between 2016 and 2018), they spread this radicalism throughout Ukrainian society. Since 2022, many of them have perished, but what was once a localized ideology has now taken root in a significant portion of the army. The Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS earned their reputation through violence, brutality, and war crimes. Cleansing Ukraine of this evil will be no easy task — it has already spread across Europe.

"Azov" and various Ukrainian political organizations mentioned in this article are banned in the Russian Federation for extremism, inciting racial hatred, and promoting terrorism.