Special forces of Ukraine: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|noneUkrainian special operation units}}

** [[99th Headquarters and Support Battalion (Ukraine)|99th Staff and Support Battalion]], [[Berdychiv]]

** [[3rd Separate Special Purpose Regiment (Ukraine)|3rd Special Purpose Regiment]], [[Kropyvnytskyi]]

** [[8th Separate Special Purpose Regiment (Ukraine)|8th Special Purpose Regiment]], [[Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine|Khmelnytskyi]]

** [[73rd Naval Special Operations Center (Ukraine)|73rd Naval Special Purpose Center]], [[Ochakiv]]

** [[140th Separate Special Purpose Regiment (Ukraine)|140th Special Purpose Center]], Khmelnytskyi

** [[72nd Psychological and Information Warfare Center (Ukraine)|72nd Informational-Psychological Operations Center]], [[Brovary]]

[[File:Berkut_emblemBerkut shoulder patch.pngsvg|thumb|150px|Berkut emblem]]

Ukraine's [[Berkut (special police force)|Berkut]] ("[[golden eagle|eagle]]"), a [[special police]] force, was perhaps the nation's most well known Spetsnaz unit and served under the Ministry of Internal Affairs until its dissolution in 2014. Following the [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|Crimeaannexation Crisisof Crimea]], the [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Russia)|Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs]] absorbed the Crimean Berkut unit.

{{Update section|reason=Needs to be updated to include more recent developments in the war since the 2022 full-scale invasion.|date=June 2023}}

Ukraine's Berkut special police force gained mainstream notoriety during the 2014 Ukrainian revolution as it was one of the main forces used by the government to quell the uprising. Ukraine relies on Spetsnaz forces for various activities like intelligence gathering, fighting fraud and organized crime, responding to terrorism, electronic warfare, as well as responding to mass protests. Spetsnaz units were extensively used during the [[2014 Ukrainian Revolution]] by the [[Viktor Yanukovych|Yanukovych]] regime to suppress [[Euromaidan]] protesters. During the subsequent [[Annexationannexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|Crimea Crisis]] and the [[War in Donbas (2014–2022)|war in Donbas]] the new government was hesitant to use these forces as they were seen as symbols of the previous regime.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://inforesist.org/majdan-vs-prorossijskie-separatisty-sravnitelnaya-tablica/|title=Майдан VS пророссийские сепаратисты: сравнительная таблица|publisher=Info Resist|accessdate=16 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tsn.ua/ukrayina/tragediya-z-ditmi-v-zugresi-ta-prodovzhennya-bitvi-za-doneckiy-aeroport-pidsumki-dnya-v-zoni-ato-372185.html|publisher=TSN|script-title=uk:Трагедія з дітьми в Зугресі та продовження битви за донецький аеропорт. Підсумки дня в зоні АТО|trans-title=Tragedy with children in Zugres and the continuing struggle for Donetsk airport. Progress of the day in the ATO zone. | language=Ukrainian |date=4 Oct 2014 | accessdate=15 October 2014}}</ref>

Due to the corruption of the Ministry of Interior many Spetsnaz units and commanders were sacked, Berkut being the most notable. However, Russian Spetsnaz units soon recruited many of the released members. During the [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|Crimeaannexation Crisisof Crimea]] Berkut members could be seen alongside Russian "[[Little green men (GRU)|little green men]]" who later admitted to being Russian Spetsnaz members. SBU also reported that about 30% of its Alpha group members in [[Donetsk Oblast|Donetsk]] and [[Luhansk Oblast|Luhansk]] regions were unaccounted for and were likely fighting alongside Donetsk or Luhansk insurgent groups and in March 2014 the Alpha group only had about 200 active members still loyal to Ukraine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.informator.su/tret-spetsnaza-sbu-v-donbasse-predateli/|publisher=Informator|title=1/3 of Alpha group traitors|accessdate=16 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/30513.html|title=The President instructed the Head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration to relocate temporarily the administration office to Mariupol|publisher=Official Ukrainian Presidential site|date=13 June 2014|access-date=17 October 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318013353/http://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/30513.html|archive-date=18 March 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

At the beginning of the [[Annexationannexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|Crimea Crisis]] and the [[War in Donbas (2014–2022)|war in Donbas]] Ukraine's parliament stated that their forces only had 6,000 combat ready infantrymen, this compared with approximately 20,000 troops stationed at Russian bases in Crimea alone. At the time Ukraine also had a sizable number of units deployed across the world as part of missions such as [[Operation Atalanta]], [[ISAF]], [[Kosovo Force]], and over 200 troops attached to a UN peacekeeping mission in the Congo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lifenews.ru/news/134278|publisher=Life News|title=Украина возвращает миротворцев из Африки для переброски на юго-восток}}</ref>

In May and June 2014 Special Forces units were involved in aiding regular army and National Guard Units in the [[First Battle of Mariupol]]. By this time Russian separatists had captured most of Donetsk Oblast as far north as Yampil', although government troops retained control of key points such as Kramatorsk and Donetsk airfields. Insurgents then spread south toward [[Mariupol]], the second largest city in the Donbas.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/uk-ukraine-crisis-mariupol-idINKBN0D302I20140417|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305205933/http://in.reuters.com/article/uk-ukraine-crisis-mariupol-idINKBN0D302I20140417|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 March 2016|work=Reuters|title=Three separatists killed as Ukrainian troops repel attack-minister|date=17 April 2014}}</ref>

On 17 April 2014, a large group of several hundred separatists attempted to storm a military base in Mariupol. The Ukrainian military counterattacked and an Omega special forces unit was air lifted unto the scene to help local troops drive back the attackers. During the failed assault 63 separatists were captured and three killed. The Omega special forces group was then tasked with protecting Mariupol for the remainder of the First Battle of Mariupol.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/uk-ukraine-crisis-mariupol-idINKBN0D302I20140417|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305205933/http://in.reuters.com/article/uk-ukraine-crisis-mariupol-idINKBN0D302I20140417|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 March 2016|work=Reuters|title=Three separatists killed as Ukrainian troops repel attack-minister|date=17 April 2014}}</ref>