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Russian people's militias in Ukraine

December 18, 2023

The People's Militia of the Donetsk People's Republic and People's Militia of the Luhansk People's Republic are pro-Russian paramilitaries in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, under the overall control of the Russian Federation.[5] They are also referred to as Russian separatist forces or Russian proxy forces.[6] They were affiliated with the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) during the war in Donbas (2014–2022), the first stage of the Russo-Ukrainian War. They then supported the Russian Armed Forces against the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the 2022 Russian invasion. In September 2022, Russia annexed the DPR and LPR, and began integrating the paramilitaries into its armed forces.[7] They are designated as terrorist groups by the government of Ukraine.[8]

Russian people's militias in Ukraine
The Flag of Novorossiya, which was used as a battle flag by separatist forces
FoundedMarch 2014 (as the Donbas People's Militia)
Leadership
Supreme Commanders-in-Chief Denis Pushilin
Leonid Pasechnik
Commanders of the People's Militia Directorate Major General Denis Sinenkov[1]
Guards Colonel Yan Leshchenko[2]
Personnel
Active personnel~44,000 (2021)[3]
Industry
Foreign suppliers Russia[4]
Related articles
HistoryRusso-Ukrainian War

The separatist paramilitaries were formed during the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine. The Donbas People's Militia was formed in March 2014 by Pavel Gubarev, who proclaimed himself "People's Governor" of Donetsk Oblast,[9] while the Army of the South-East was formed in Luhansk Oblast. The Donbas war began in April 2014 after these groups seized Ukrainian government buildings in the Donbas, leading the Ukrainian military to launch its Anti-Terrorist Operation against them.

During the Donbas war, Russian far-right groups were heavily involved in recruiting for the separatists, and many far-right activists joined them and formed volunteer units.[10][11] The Russian separatists have been held responsible for war crimes, among them the shootdown of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17[12] and the Mariupol rocket attacks, which they have denied.[13] The militias were also responsible for illegal abductions, detention, and torture of civilians of the Donbas.[14]

The separatist paramilitaries were supported by, and were proxies of, the Russian Armed Forces.[15] Ukraine, the United States, and some analysts deemed them to be under the command of Russia's 8th Guards Combined Arms Army.[16][17][18][19] Although the Russian government often denied direct involvement, evidence suggested otherwise.[20] The separatists admitted receiving weaponry and supplies from Russia, being trained there, and having thousands of Russian citizens in their ranks.[20][21][22] By September 2015, the separatist units, at the battalion level and up, were acting under the command of Russian Army officers.[23] In 2023, Russia acknowledged separatists who fought in the Donbas war as being eligible to receive Russian combat veteran status.[24]

Although called "militias",[25] shortly before the 2022 Russian invasion, the separatist republics began forced conscription of men to fight for Russia.[26][27][28] The Donbas conscripts have been described as the "cannon fodder" of the Russian forces;[29][30] by November 2022 the casualty rate of the separatist units was almost 50%, according to official separatist sources.[30]

History

 
Pro-Russian rally in Donetsk on April 6, 2014

On 3 March 2014, during the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine, groups of protesters took control of the regional administration building in Donetsk.[31] An armed opposition group named the Donbas People's Militia, led by Pavel Gubarev, participated.[31] This happened when 11 Ukrainian cities with significant populations of ethnic Russians erupted in demonstrations against the new Ukrainian government.[31] On 6 April 2014, 2,000 pro-Russian protesters rallied outside the regional administration building.[32] On the same day, groups of protesters in Eastern Ukraine stormed the regional administration building in Kharkiv, and the SBU headquarters in Luhansk.[9] The groups created a people's council and demanded a referendum like the one held in Crimea.[32][nb 1]

Donbas war

On 12 April, armed members of the Donbas People's Militia seized government buildings in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk,[41] and set up checkpoints and barricades.[42][43][44] The same day, former members of the Donetsk "Berkut" unit joined the ranks of the Donbas People's Militia.[45]

On 13 April, the newly established Ukrainian government gave the separatists a deadline to disarm or face a "full-scale anti-terrorist campaign" in the region.[46] Later that day, the first reports came in of fighting between the people's militia and Ukrainian troops near Sloviansk, with casualties on both sides.[47] On 14 April, members of the Donbas People's Militia blocked Ukrainian military KrAZ trucks armed with Grad missiles from entering the city.[48][49] On 15 April, a full scale "Anti-Terrorist Operation" was launched by the Ukrainian government with aim of restoring their authority over the areas seized by the militia.[50]

 
Sloviansk city council under control of Russian Registered Cossacks[51] on 14 April 2014

On 16 April, the militia entered Sloviansk with six BMD airborne amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicles[52][53] they had obtained from elements of the 25th Airborne Brigade[54] who had switched allegiance.[55][56][57] A Ukrainian military column was disarmed after the vehicles were blockaded by locals in Kramatorsk.[58] The militia also received a 2S9 "Nona-S" self-propelled 120 mm mortar.[59][60] On April 20, an unidentified armed group in civilian clothes attacked a militia checkpoint at the entrance to the city of Sloviansk. Three attackers and three members of the militia were killed.[61] On May 14, eight members of the militia seized an IMR armored vehicle from Novokramatorsky Mashinostroitelny Zavod. [62]

 
Soldier of the Somalia Battalion at the Second Battle of Donetsk Airport

On May 15, the Donbas People's Militia sent an ultimatum to Kyiv. They demanded the withdrawal of all Ukrainian troops from Donetsk oblast. On May 17, several members of the militia seized two BRDM unarmed armored vehicles from Severodonetsk and Lysychansk (Luhansk Oblast)[63] On May 22, the Federal State of Novorossiya was declared. On May 23, several members of the people's militia seized another BRDM-RKh unarmed armored vehicle from Loskutovka (Luhansk Oblast)[64]

In July 2014, the estimated manpower of the separatists was around 10,000–20,000.[65][66]

The militia were widely suspected to have been involved in the downing of a civilian airliner, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, on 17 July 2014.[67]

 
A Separatist looking though firing port at his position near Donetsk, May 2015

On August 8, the militia claimed that after battles near the Russian border, they had captured 67 pieces of equipment in varying conditions (serviceable equipment lacking ammunition or fuel, with faults, damaged in battle and completely unusable), including 18 "Grad" multiple rocket launching systems, 15 tanks and armored personnel carriers, howitzers, MANPADS, etc.[68] As of August 12, the militia had at least 200 armored vehicles.[69]

July and early August were disastrous for the militias, with many analysts saying they were on the verge of defeat, before a sudden counteroffensive, which the Ukrainian government said was supported by Russian troops, encircled thousands of Ukrainian troops and forced them into a retreat.[70] The militias soon re-captured several strategic positions such as Savur-Mohyla and Luhansk International Airport.[71]

In September 2014, the DNR and LNR People's Militias became the 1st Army Corps[72] and 2nd Army Corps[73] of the United Armed Forces of Novorossiya (Russian: Объединённые Вооруженные Силы Новороссии; acronym NAF),[74][75][76] which was to be the army of the proposed Novorossiya (New Russia) political union. Lieutenant General Ivan Korsun became its commander-in-chief.[77] The Novorossiya project was suspended in May 2015 due to infighting,[72] but the two separatist armies would still operate in an unified manner.[78]

On 2 February 2015, Head of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, announced that there would be a general mobilization in the DPR of 10,000 volunteers, and he aimed to eventually expand the NAF to 100,000 soldiers.[79]

In March 2015, the estimated manpower of the separatists rose to 30,000–35,000 personnel.[80]

On 20 May 2015 the leadership of the Federal State of Novorossiya announced the termination of the confederation 'project'[81][82] but the United Armed Forces was retained as the joint armed service of the DPR and LPR.[78]

The Ukrainian government in mid-2015 claimed there were about 42,500 fighters on the separatists' side, which include 9,000 Russian soldiers.[83]

2022 Russian invasion

Further information: Mobilization in Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics
 
Separatist troops with captured Ukrainian weapons during the 2022 Russian invasion.

During the prelude to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republic started a process of mass mobilization of its population in order to build an army for the Russian invasion. As there weren't enough volunteers in the separatist army, and the Russian government wasn't willing to start mobilization of its own population, men from ages 18 until 65 from any background were conscripted to form the separatist army.[26][27] Groups of DPR/LPR officers roamed the streets searching for men at the age range, arresting and sending to conscription offices any they found.[84] In some regions, up to 80% of employees of local enterprises were called up, which led to the shutdown of mines (the main source of employment in the Donbas) and public transport, resulting in the paralysis of city and public services.[85]

Most of the Donbas conscripts are unexperienced, received little-to-no training and were badly equipped, and suffered from morale issues and heavy casualties.[86] The role of Donbas conscripts by Russian forces has been described as "cannon fodder".[29] There were reports of conscipts being issued antiquated equipment such as World War I-era Mosin–Nagant rifles and the early Cold War-era T-62 tanks.[86][30] By November, the DPR ombudsman reported that the DPR militia suffered almost 20,000 casualties (both wounded in action and killed in action), translating into a staggering 50% casualty rate, with outside observers believing it could possibly be higher.[30] The mass conscription has been considered a war crime by some, as the Article 51 of the Fourth Geneva Convention bans the forceful conscription of soldiers from occupied territory, but Russian authorities claimed they are part of the independent sovereign nations of the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic.[87]

 
Separatist forces advancing during the Battle of Lysychansk at the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

After the leaders of the Russian proxy republics signed treaties of annexation with the Russian president on September 30, 2022, the Russian State Duma approved legislation on October 3 mandating the integration of the "people's militias" into the Russian military, backdated to the date of annexation.[7] Upon the "annexation" of Ukrainian territories in September 2022, Russian occupation officials began forcibly conscripting Ukrainian men in occupied parts of Kherson oblast, and were reportedly ready to mobilize 3,000 in occupied Zaporizhzhia oblast.[88][89]

On 31 December 2022, Putin visited the Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov-on-Don to present battle colours to representatives of the militias and a command academy in Donetsk, referring to them as the 1st Donetsk Army Corps and 2nd Guards Luhansk-Sievierodonetsk Army Corps.[90] In January 2023 the Russian defence ministry announced that "self-sufficient force groupings" would be established in Ukraine, and in February that four Russian-claimed oblasts in southeastern Ukraine were placed under command of the Southern Military District of the Russian Ground Forces,[91] part of a long-term effort to integrate various irregular forces.[92] On February 19th, the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Militias were formally integrated into the command structure of the Russian Armed Forces.[93]

Structure

 
DPR troops in Donetsk during a rehearsal for the 2015 Victory Day parade
 
Oplot Brigade troops with their flag during a rehearsal for the 2015 Victory Day parade

The militias consist of different armed groups, sworn to the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic. Militant groups which refused to do so were disarmed as gangs in the DPR.[94] Other groups are autonomous forces.[95]

According to Ukrainskyi Tyzhden, a Donetsk Operative Command set up in May 2016 by Russia coordinates the military efforts of the Donetsk People's Republic.[96] The tank battalions they claim Russia can deploy include the DPR Diesel Battalion, and LPR August Battalion.[96] Euromaidan Press reported in September 2018 that the United Armed Forces of Novorossiya comprised two army corps: the 1st Corps, called the "People's Militia of the DNR" and the 2nd Corps, called "People's Militia of the LNR".[97]

On 28 December 2018 commander of the Ukrainian Navy Ihor Voronchenko claimed that the DPR had created a flotilla stationed at Novoazovsk, made up of about 25 converted fishing boats.[98] According to Voronchenko, the DPR had named this flotilla the "9th Regiment of the Marine Corps".[98]

 
Flag of the Vostok Brigade
 
Flag of the Sparta Battalion
 
Flag of the Somalia Battalion

Donetsk People's Republic

Main article: 1st Army Corps (Russia)

  People's Militia of the Donetsk People's Republic (Russian: Народная милиция Донецкой Народной Республики, lit. 'People's Militia of the Donetsk People's Republic'), or 1st Army Corps (DPR) – Formed on 14 November 2014.

  • Militia forces
    •   1st Slavyansk Brigade (Russian: 1-ая Славянская бригада) – Brigade formerly commanded by Igor "Strelkov" Girkin. He was the Minister of Defense of allied separatist militias in the DPR and LPR from 16 May to 14 August 2014. Strelkov's name was later revealed to be Igor Girkin, a Moscow-born Russian, Army veteran and former FSB agent.[99][100]
    • AA Regiment
    • Danube Group
    •   Diesel Battalion (Russian: Батальон «Дизель») – Separate tank battalion formed in 2015, equipped with Soviet equipment, including T-72B1s.[96][101]
    • Dome Group
    • Horlivka Group
    •   Oplot 5th Separate Infantry Brigade or Oplot Brigade (Russian: Батальон «Оплот», meaning "Bulwark Battalion") – First commanded by Alexander Zakharchenko.[102][103] Originally a Donbas People's Militia battalion, it expanded to a brigade by September 2014 during the DPR militia restructuring.[104]
    • Kolchuga Group
    •   Russian Imperial Legion (Russian: Имперский легион) is the military arm of the Russian Imperial Movement, a Russian white supremacist Orthodox nationalist organization that has recruited thousands to fight for the separatists.[105][106][107] Imperial Legion and RIM have been recognized as a terrorist movement by Canada and United States for their links to neo-fascist terrorists.[108]
    • Novoazovsk Group
    • Oplot Group
    • Reconnaissance Battalion
    •   Sparta Battalion (Russian: Батальон «Спарта») – Special forces battalion formed and led by Arsen Pavlov, known as Motorola, until his assassination in 2016. His successor was Vladimir Zhoga, from Sloviansk, and known by Voha.[109] Zhoga was killed in battle in March 2022 during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[110]
    •   1st Separate Battalion-Tactical Group "Somalia" or Somalia Battalion (Russian: Батальон «Сомали») – Tactical group led by Lieutenant colonel Mikhail Tolstykh, known as Givi until his assassination in 2017.[111] In 2022 the Battalion's leader was Lieutenant Colonel Timur Kurilkin.[112]
    • Typhoon unit
  • Special forces
    • 1st Battalion Khan
    • 3rd Battalion
    •   DShRG Rusich (Russian: ДШРГ «Русич») – Special forces-type company affiliated with the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group[113] and commanded by Aleksey Milchakov, a Russian Neo Nazi.[114] Made up of far-right Russian and other European volunteers.[115] On July 10, 2015, Milchakov announced that the Rusich Company would be withdrawing from Donbas for retraining and refitting.[116] In April 2022, it was reported that Rusich had returned to eastern Ukraine, this time as part of the private military company Wagner Group.[113]
      •   Reconnaissance unit Zimargl[117]
    •   Kalmius Brigade (Russian: Бригада «Кальмиус») – Special forces brigade commanded by Sergei Petrovskiy.[118]
    • Rapid Response Team
    •   Vostok Brigade (Russian: Бригада «Восток», meaning "East Brigade") – Special forces brigade founded and led by Alexander Khodakovsky.[119][120] It has foreign volunteers including Russians and North Ossetians.[121] Begun as a battalion, as of June 2014 it had about 500 men, according to Khodakovsky.[121] It later expanded to a brigade.[122]
  • Rear forces
    • Engineering Battalion
    • Patriotic Forces of Donbas[123] (Russian: Патриотические силы Донбасса)
    • Electric Warfare unit
    • Steppe Battalion (Russian: Батальон «Степь»)[124]
    •   DPR Republican Guard (Russian: Республиканская гвардия ДНР) – Elite unit created by Alexander Zakharchenko on January 12, 2015.[125][126] Commanded by Major-general Ivan Kondratov, and composed of six battalions that total more than 3,000 fighters.[126]
    •   Slavic Unification and Revival Battalion or Svarozhich Battalion – formed by members of the Rodnovery (Slavic native faith) movement, at its peak 1,200 fighters, now part of the Vostok Brigade.[127][128]
    • Repair Battalion
    •   International Brigade "Pyatnashka" (Russian: Бригада «Пятнашка», meaning "15th Brigade") – International brigade commanded by Akhra Avidzba, known by Abkhaz. DPR positions in Marinka are held by this unit.[129]
    • Support Battalion
    •   Mariupol-Khingan Naval Infantry (Russian: Мариупольско-Хинганский морская пехота) – Formed in 2016. The name is based on the Soviet World War II 221st Infantry Mariupol-Khingan Red Banner Order of Suvorov Rifle Division.
    •   Vikings Battalion – Motorized infantry unit formed in 2015.
    • DPR Security Service Battalion (Russian: Батальон службы безопасности Донецкой народной республики) – Security Service of the Donetsk People's Republic.[118]
    • Horlivka Group
  • Territorial defence
    • 1st Battalion
    •   2nd Territorial Defense Battalion "Miner's Division" (Russian: Шахтёрская дивизия) – Reorganized into a territorial defensive battalion after September 2014.
    • 3rd Battalion
    • 4th Battalion
    • 5th Battalion
    • 6th Battalion
  • Militia Regiments
    • 1252nd regiment (from Mordovia) [130]
    • 1439th regiment [130]

Luhansk People's Republic

Main article: 2nd Army Corps (Russia)

  People's Militia of the Luhansk People's Republic (Russian: Народная милиция Луганской Народной Республики, lit. 'People's Militia of the Luhansk People's Republic'), or 2nd Guards Army Corps (LPR) – Formed on 7 October 2014.

  • Militia forces
    • 1st Separate Mechanized Brigade "August" or August Battalion – The only tank battalion in the LPR People's Militia.[96]
    •   2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade named after Kliment Voroshilov.[131]
    •   4th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade
    • 6th Separate Cossack Motorized Rifle Regiment named after Ataman Matvei Platov.
    • 7th Chistyakovskaya Motorized Rifle Brigade
    •   Zarya Battalion (Russian: Батальон «Заря», meaning "Dawn Battalion") – First commander was Igor Plotnitsky.[132] Commanded by Andrei Patrushev.
    • AA Battalion
    • Artillery Brigade
    • Command Regiment
    •   Cossacks Motorized Brigade – Don Cossack volunteer group commanded by Rashid Shakirzanov.[95] The group has over 4,000 fighters and access to armor and artillery.[95] From May to November 2014, the group was commanded by Ataman Nikolai Kozitsyn.[95][133] Kozitsyn was forcibly removed from power in November 2014 and replaced by Shakirzanov.[95] The group's headquarters is in Antratsyt, and their rule expands to Krasnyi Luch.[95] Initially, this group was identified as Russian Special Forces by the U.S. State Department following the takeover of the Sloviansk city council.[134] In November 2014, the group instated capital punishment in Perevalsk to deter crime.[135] Kozitsyn stated that there is no more marauding, burglaries or car-jacking in the city.[135] They refused to join the LPR's military command, but cooperate with them, remaining autonomous and controlling territory.[95]
    • Dawn Battalion
    • Tank Battalion
  • Special forces
    •   Leshiy Battalion (Russian: Батальон «Леший», meaning "Forest-spirit Battalion") – Special forces battalion commanded by Aleksey Pavlov.[136]
    • Recon Battalion
    • Special Forces Battalion
  • Rear forces
    • Repair Battalion
    • Support Battalion
    •   First Cossack Regiment (Russian: Первый казачий полк) – Don Cossack volunteer group commanded by Ataman Pavel Dryomov. The group has around 1,300 fighters, and its headquarters is in Stakhanov.[95] Originally part of Kozitsyn's Cossack National Guard until it split in September 2014.[95] Dryomov denounced the LPR's leadership as corrupt and "pro-oligarchic".[95] Dryomov was killed on 12 December 2015 when his car was blown up by an unknown perpetrator the day after his wedding.[137]
    •   Interbrigades – Russian volunteers – national-bolsheviks,[138][139] members of The Other Russia.[140][141]
    • 7th Motorized Brigade
    •   Mechanized Brigade "Prizrak" or Prizrak Brigade (Russian: Бригада «Призрак», meaning "Ghost Brigade") – Mechanized infantry brigade commanded by Yuri Shevchenko, formed and led by Aleksey Mozgovoy until his assassination on 23 May 2015.[99] The group keeps its distance from LPR authorities and is based in Alchevsk and the surrounding district.[95]
    • AA Battalion
    •   Continental Unit (French: Unité Continentale) – French, Serbian and Brazilian volunteer group.[142][143]
    •   DKO (Russian: ДКО – Добровольческий коммунистический отряд) – Volunteer Communist Detachment, an international organisation commanded by Piotr Biriukov.[144][145]
    • Artillery Brigade
  • Territorial defence
    • 17th Battalion
    • Ataman Battalion
    • Kulkin Battalion
    • Lishi Battalion
    • Poid Battalion
    • Prizrak Battalion
    • Rim Battalion
    • USSR Bryanka Battalion

Former units

Donetsk People's Republic

  •   Donbas People's Militia (Russian: Народное ополчение Донбасса) – Main militia of the Donetsk People's Republic from 3 March to 16 September 2014.
 
Illustration of the uniforms of the DPR Army
  •   Russian Orthodox Army (Russian: Русская православная армия) – A senior commander of the unit is Alexander Verin.[103] One of the armed groups which control Donetsk, mostly composed of locals from coal mine towns.[146] It reportedly had 100 members at its founding. According to Ukrainian sources, in June 2014 it had at least 350 fighters.[147] According to independent sources, as fighting between separatists and the Ukrainian government worsened in Donbas, membership rose to 4,000.[148] In September 2014, the ROA changed its format and merged with the newly created Oplot 5th Separate Infantry Brigade of the DPR People's Militia.[104]
  • North Battalion (Russian: Батальон «Север») (unofficial)[149]
  •   Miners' Division (Russian: Шахтёрская дивизия) – Founded shortly after the rebel withdrawal from Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, commanded by Konstantin Kuzmin. Fighters range from ages 22–60. Composed of former coal miners.[150] Reorganized into a territorial defensive battalion after September 2014.
    •   Kalmius Battalion (Russian: Бригада «Кальмиус») – Special forces battalion commanded by Sergei Petrovskiy.[118] Formerly a subsidiary of the Miner's Division, until they split post-September 2014.
  • Consolidated Orthodox Battalion "Voshod" or Voshod Battalion (Russian: Батальон «Восход», meaning "Sunrise Battalion") – Formed in June 2014, it had 300 fighters.[151]
  •   Death Battalion – Unit composed mostly of Chechen volunteers from Russia sent by Ramzan Kadyrov. It was commanded by Apti Bolotkhanov.[152]
  •   Jovan Šević Detachment (Serbian: одред «Јован Шевић») – Serbian Chetnik-led group commanded by Bratislav Živković, with 450 fighters.[153]
  •   Orthodox Dawn (Bulgarian: Православна Зора) – Bulgarian nationalist volunteer group.[154]
  •   Legion of Saint Stephen (Russian: Легион Святого Иштвана) – Hungarian subgroup of international battalions.[155] The group espouses a Hungarian nationalist platform, demanding self-determination for the Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia Oblast,[156] and has been accused of being close to the far-right Jobbik party in Hungary.[157]
  •   Carlos Palomino International Brigade (Spanish: Brigada Internacional Carlos Palomino) – Spanish antifascist volunteer group.[158]
  •   Varyag Battalion (Russian: Батальон «Варяг»), meaning "Varangian Battalion," and named for a Russian volunteer Nazi[159] brigade – Volunteer battalion commanded by Alexander Matyushin, a neo-Nazi and former head of Donetsk Russkiy Obraz.[160][161][162]

Luhansk People's Republic

  •   Army of the South-East (Russian: Армия Юго-Востока)[163][164][165][166] – Main militia forces of the Luhansk People's Republic from mid April to 16 September 2014.
  •   Great Host of Don Cossacks[167] – An international organisation that recruited volunteers from Ukraine and Russia.[168]
  • Luhansk Region People's Militia (Russian: Народное ополчение Луганщины) – Commanded by Aleksei Mozgovoy.[169] Later was succeeded by the Prizrak Brigade.
  • United Battalions of the DPR and LPR.[170]
    •    North Battalion (DPR) and Prizrak Battalion (LPR)
  •   Separate Brigade of Special Purpose "Odessa" (Russian: Отдельная бригада особого назначения «Одесса»)
  •   Rapid Response Group "Batman" or Batman Battalion (Russian: Группа быстрого реагирования «Бэтмен») – Commanded by Alexander Bednov until he was killed in an attack on his convoy on 1 January 2015.[171] Members of the group said that the attack was ordered by head of the Luhansk People's Republic Igor Plotnitsky.[171] According to them, Bednov and his fighters were killed "by order of Plotnitsky" because he was "ordered to sweep all intransigent commanders."[172] Following this attack, the LPR arrested some of Bednov's men, and dissolved the battalion.[115] Some of its personnel were dispersed into other LPR units, while DPR field commanders Givi and Motorola invited former members to join their battalions.[115]
  •   DShRG Ratibor (Russian: ДШРГ Ратибор) – Group that was formed by Russian nationalists.
  •   Interunit – A far-left military political unit build inside the Prizrak Brigade composed of internationalist volunteers formed in 2015. The bulk of the volunteers came from Spain,[173] while it was commanded by an Italian fighter called "Nemo".[174] It was operational until 2017.

Commanders

 
Current Commander-in-Chief of the DPR, Denis Pushilin
 
Current Commander-in-Chief of the LPR, Leonid Pasechnik

  Donetsk People's Republic

  Luhansk People's Republic

Equipment

Main articles: List of equipment used by Russian separatist forces of the war in Donbas and List of Russo-Ukrainian conflict military equipment
 
Vikings Battalion infantrymen with Russian military equipment in July 2015

According to Armament Research Services (ARES), the rebels mostly used equipment that was available domestically before the Ukrainian crisis. However, they were also seen with weapons that were not known to have been exported to Ukraine, or otherwise be available there, including some of the latest models of Russian military equipment, never exported outside Russia.[181] According to the Donetsk People's Republic, all of its military equipment is "hardware that we took from the Ukrainian military".[182] However, according to the Ukrainian government and the United States Department of State, this is a false. They claim the separatists have received military equipment from Russia, including multiple rocket launch systems and tanks.[4] Although Russian officials deny supplying arms to the militia.[181][4][183] In August 2014 Ukrainian Defense Minister Valeriy Heletey said the proof for the weapons supply from Russia was that the fighters of the Donbas People's Militia were using Russian-made weapons never used (or bought) by the Ukrainian army.[184]

Such exclusively Russian equipment seen with pro-Russian separatists includes Russian modifications of T-72 tanks (particularly T-72B3 and T-72BA seen destroyed in Ukraine[181][185]), BTR-82AM infantry fighting vehicle (adopted in Russia in 2013),[186][187] BPM-97 armored personnel carriers,[188][189] sophisticated anti-aircraft system Pantsir-S1,[190][191] multipurpose vehicle GAZ Vodnik (adopted in Russia in 2005),[188] Russian modifications of MT-LB, rocket-propelled flamethrower MRO-A, anti-tank missile Kornet, anti-materiel rifle ASVK, suppressed sniper rifle VSS Vintorez and others.[181][186]

Military training

Higher Combined Arms Command School

The Donetsk Higher Combined Arms Command School (Russian: Донецкого высшего общевойскового командного училища) is a higher level institution in the ideological training of cadets.[192] People from both the DPR and LPR can enroll at the school.[193] It prepares future command cadres in four areas: reconnaissance, tank forces, infantry, and political officers.[clarification needed] Upon graduation, the cadets are commissioned as lieutenants. Since the fall of 2016, the Military Lyceum is affiliated to the DHCACS.

Military-Physical Training Lyceum

 
Lyceum students on parade.
 
Members of the lyceum in their white dress uniform.

The Georgy Beregovoy Military-Physical Training Lyceum (Russian: Лицей с усиленной военно-физической подготовкой имени дважды Героя Советского Союза, летчика-космонавта СССР, генерал-лейтенанта Г.Т.Берегового) is an educational facility of the People's Militia, being akin to the Suvorov Military School or the Ivan Bohun Military High School. It was established on 15 May 1993 by decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine as the Donetsk Higher Military-Political School of Engineering and Signal Corps. From 1993 to 2000, the Lyceum was with a three-year form of study. Over two decades, 2,793 graduates graduated from the institution, more than 1,000 of them currently serve in officer posts in various power structures of Ukraine.[194] It was renamed and converted in 2014; since then more than 300 students have graduated.[195] The school is open to boys between 14 and 16 years old, many of whom come from military families. The cadets live at the school six days a week.[196]

Relationship with Russia

See also: Donetsk People's Republic–Russia relations and Luhansk People's Republic–Russia relations

The conclusion of the Dutch criminal investigation into the shootdown of MH17 was that the "Russian Federation exercised overall control over the DPR", referring to vast evidence of frequent contacts between the DPR and LPR officials, and the Russian presidential administration, as well as the heads of the Russian military and FSB.[5]

As the conflict intensified, the Donbas People's Militia was bolstered with many volunteers from the former Soviet Union, mainly Russia; including fighters from Chechnya and North Ossetia.[197]

According to the Ukrainian government and the United States Department of State the Donbas People's Militia has received military equipment from Russia, including Russian tanks and multiple rocket launchers. Russia denied supplying weapons and described the Russian citizens fighting with the Donbas People's Militia as volunteers.[4][198] The Donetsk People's Republic claimed on 16 August 2014 that it had received (together with 30 tanks and 120 other armoured vehicles of undisclosed origin) 1,200 "individuals who have gone through training over a four-month period on the territory of the Russian Federation".[199] Prime Minister of the DPR Alexander Zakharchenko said in August 2014 that it had not received military equipment from Russia; and that all of its military equipment was "hardware that we took from the Ukrainian military".[182][unreliable source?]

Some injured militia members received medical care in Russia.[197] In mid-August 2014, hospitals such as the Donetsk Central Hospital in Donetsk, Russia tended to receive between ten and twenty injured fighters daily.[197] The Russian Emergency Ministry assisted with treatment logistics.[197] Those questioned and registered by the (Russian) Federal Security Service[197] and treated in Russia during this period stated that they would not return to Ukraine if the Ukrainian army won the Russo-Ukrainian War,[197] but would, instead, engage in a partisan warfare campaign in Eastern Ukraine.[197]

According to various sources, the troops of the separatists forces are under direct control of officers of the Russian Armed Forces. Specifically the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army, which has been recreated for this specific task since 2017.[200][201]

In February 2022, the UK defence ministry and the Institute for the Study of War reported that the Russian Armed Forces had officially extended the Russian Southern Military District into parts of Ukraine as part of integrating the DPR and LPR people's militias into Russian forces.[202][203][204]

In April 2023, Russia granted combat veteran status to separatist militants who had fought in the Donbas war since 2014.[24]

Ideology of the forces

A 2016 report by the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) noted that Russian ethnic and imperialist nationalism has shaped the official ideology of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.[10] During the war in Donbas, especially at the beginning, far-right groups played an important role on the pro-Russian side, arguably more so than on the Ukrainian side.[10][11] According to Marlène Laruelle, separatists in Donbas espoused a mixture of three strands of Russian nationalism: Fascist, Orthodox and Soviet.[11]

Far-right

 
Flags of three far-right Russian separatist groups in Ukraine: Rusich, Russian National Unity, and the Russian Imperial Legion.
Further information: Ruscism and Donetsk People's Republic § Right-wing nationalism

Members and former members of neo-Nazi group Russian National Unity (RNU), as well as the National Bolshevik Party and the Eurasian Youth Union, formed branches to recruit volunteers for the pro-Russia separatists.[10][205][206][207] A former RNU member, Pavel Gubarev, was founder of the Donbas People's Militia and first "governor" of the Donetsk People's Republic.[10][208] RNU is particularly linked to the Russian Orthodox Army,[10] one of a number of separatist units described as "pro-Tsarist" and "extremist Orthodox" nationalists.[106][10] In June 2014, the Russian Orthodox Army was accused of murdering four Pentecostals in Sloviansk. The men were accused of spying for the Ukrainian government,[209] but the case has been cited as part of a policy of religious persecution by the separatists.[210][211]

Openly Neo-Nazi units such as 'Rusich', 'Varyag' and 'Svarozhich' fought as part of the Russian paramilitaries from early 2014 and used Slavic swastikas on their badges,[10] although some, such as 'Varyag', have since been disbanded.[160] 'Rusich' is led by self-proclaimed neo-Nazi Alexey Milchakov and is part of the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company which has been linked to far-right extremism.[105][212]

Some of the most influential far-right Russian separatists are neo-imperialists, who seek to revive the Russian Empire.[10] These included Igor 'Strelkov' Girkin, first "minister of defence" of the Donetsk People's Republic, who espouses Russian neo-imperialism and ethno-nationalism.[10] The Russian Imperial Movement, a white supremacist militant group,[105] has trained and recruited thousands of volunteers to join the separatists through its 'Russian Imperial Legion'.[106] Some separatists have flown the black-yellow-white Russian imperial flag,[10] such as the Sparta Battalion and the (now disbanded) 'Ratibor' unit. In 2014, volunteers from the National Liberation Movement joined the Donetsk People's Militia bearing portraits of Tsar Nicholas II.[205] Other Russian nationalist volunteers involved in separatist militias included members of the banned Russian neo-nazi group Slavic Union and the Movement Against Illegal Immigration.[206] Another Russian separatist paramilitary unit, the Interbrigades, is made up of activists from the National Bolshevik (Nazbol) group Other Russia.[10] An article in Dissent noted that "despite their neo-Stalinist paraphernalia, many of the Russian-speaking nationalists Russia supports in the Donbass are just as right-wing as their counterparts from the Azov Battalion".[213]

 
Members of the far-right group Serbian Action in the Donbas.

Far-right nationalists from other countries have also fought for the Russian separatists, such as the Hungarian nationalist 'Legion of Saint Stephen',[156] the Bulgarian nationalist 'Orthodox Dawn'[154] and the Serbian Chetnik 'Jovan Šević Detachment',[153] as well as members of Serbian Action.[214] According to the Italian newspaper la Repubblica, well-known Italian neo-fascist Andrea Palmeri (former member of the far-right New Force party) has been fighting for the Donetsk People's Republic since 2014 and was praised by its leader Gubarev as a "real fascist".[215] Professor Anton Shekhovtsov, an expert on far-right movements in Russia and abroad, reported in 2014 that members of Polish neo-fascist group "Falanga" and Italian far-right group "Millennium" had joined the Donbas separatists.[216][217] French Eurasianists, notably the far-right organization "Continental Unity", have also been accused of recruiting far-right extremists across Europe to fight for the Donbas separatists.[218][219] Swedish and Finnish far-right groups, such as the "Power Belongs to the People" party, reportedly recruited volunteers to fight for the separatists,[220][221] while members of the neo-Nazi "Nordic Resistance Movement" were seen attending paramilitary training in Russia.[222][223] Other far-right foreign fighters from Europe and North America have fought alongside the pro-Russian separatists in Donbas, including white nationalists, neo-Nazis, neo-fascists and Christian nationalists. Motivations for these fighters have included the belief that they are fighting America and Western interests and that Vladimir Putin is a bulwark for "traditional white European values" who they must support against the "decadent West".[224]

In April 2022, a video posted on Donetsk People's Republic's website showed Denis Pushilin awarding a medal to Lieutenant Roman Vorobyov (Somalia Battalion), who was wearing patches affiliated with neo-Nazism: the Totenkopf, used by the 3rd SS Panzer Division, and the valknut, a German neo-pagan simbol sometimes used by neo-nazis and white supremacists. The video did not show Vorobyov getting his medal when it was posted on Pushilin's website.[225][226]

While far-right activists played a key role in the early days of the conflict, their importance was often exaggerated, and their importance on both sides of the conflict declined over time. The political climate in Donetsk further pushed far-right groups into the margins.[10]

Far-left

Further information: Foreign fighters in the Russo-Ukrainian War § Far-left volunteers
 
A sleeve insignia of the Prizrak Brigade's Volunteer Communist Detachment

Far-left volunteers have also fought for pro-Russian forces, echoing Russian claims of Ukraine being a "fascist state" and seeking to engage in an "anti-fascist struggle". However, these leftist volunteers have co-operated with far-right groups in Donbas.[224] Among the early volunteers were members of the Communist Party of Ukraine, as well as some members of trade unions and labor organizations opposed to the new government that emerged after the Ukrainian Revolution.[227][228][229][230][231][232]

A small number of Spanish socialists travelled to Ukraine to fight for the separatists, with some explaining they were "repaying the favour" to Russia for the USSR's support to Republicans during the Spanish Civil War.[218][233] They were also enlisting in solidarity with those who died in the Unions House fire.[234][235] Spanish fighters established the 'Carlos Palomino International Brigade', which flew the flag of the Second Spanish Republic. In 2015, it reportedly had less than ten members, and was later disbanded.[158] Beness Aijo, a Latvian National Bolshevik of Ugandan and Russian descent, was arrested in Donetsk in 2014 for fighting with separatist forces and the National Bolshevik Interbrigades.[236][237] A female member of the Israeli Communist Party also reportedly joined the separatists in 2015.[238] Other examples were the 'DKO' (Volunteer Communist Unit) and the Interunit, both composed of foreign communist volunteers; the Interunit has been inactive since 2017.[145][173]

War crime allegations

Main article: Humanitarian situation during the war in Donbas

An 18 November 2014 United Nations report on eastern Ukraine stated that the DPR was in a state of "total breakdown of law and order".[239] The report noted "cases of serious human rights abuses by the armed groups continued to be reported, including torture, arbitrary and incommunicado detention, summary executions, forced labour, sexual violence, as well as the destruction and illegal seizure of property may amount to crimes against humanity".[239]

In September 2015, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) published a report on the testimonies of victims held in places of illegal detention in Donbas.[240] In December 2015, a team led by Małgorzata Gosiewska published a comprehensive report on war crimes in Donbas.[241]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Since 13 April 2014 all government buildings in Kharkiv are fully under Ukrainian control.[33][34][35][36][37][38][39] Kharkiv returned to relative calm by 30 April.[40]

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December 18, 2023
russian, people, militias, ukraine, people, militia, donetsk, people, republic, people, militia, luhansk, people, republic, russian, paramilitaries, donbas, region, eastern, ukraine, under, overall, control, russian, federation, they, also, referred, russian, . The People s Militia of the Donetsk People s Republic and People s Militia of the Luhansk People s Republic are pro Russian paramilitaries in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine under the overall control of the Russian Federation 5 They are also referred to as Russian separatist forces or Russian proxy forces 6 They were affiliated with the self declared Donetsk People s Republic DPR and Luhansk People s Republic LPR during the war in Donbas 2014 2022 the first stage of the Russo Ukrainian War They then supported the Russian Armed Forces against the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the 2022 Russian invasion In September 2022 Russia annexed the DPR and LPR and began integrating the paramilitaries into its armed forces 7 They are designated as terrorist groups by the government of Ukraine 8 Russian people s militias in UkraineThe Flag of Novorossiya which was used as a battle flag by separatist forcesFoundedMarch 2014 as the Donbas People s Militia LeadershipSupreme Commanders in ChiefDenis Pushilin Leonid PasechnikCommanders of the People s Militia DirectorateMajor General Denis Sinenkov 1 Guards Colonel Yan Leshchenko 2 PersonnelActive personnel 44 000 2021 3 IndustryForeign suppliers Russia 4 Related articlesHistoryRusso Ukrainian War War in Donbas Russian invasion of UkraineThe separatist paramilitaries were formed during the 2014 pro Russian unrest in Ukraine The Donbas People s Militia was formed in March 2014 by Pavel Gubarev who proclaimed himself People s Governor of Donetsk Oblast 9 while the Army of the South East was formed in Luhansk Oblast The Donbas war began in April 2014 after these groups seized Ukrainian government buildings in the Donbas leading the Ukrainian military to launch its Anti Terrorist Operation against them During the Donbas war Russian far right groups were heavily involved in recruiting for the separatists and many far right activists joined them and formed volunteer units 10 11 The Russian separatists have been held responsible for war crimes among them the shootdown of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 12 and the Mariupol rocket attacks which they have denied 13 The militias were also responsible for illegal abductions detention and torture of civilians of the Donbas 14 The separatist paramilitaries were supported by and were proxies of the Russian Armed Forces 15 Ukraine the United States and some analysts deemed them to be under the command of Russia s 8th Guards Combined Arms Army 16 17 18 19 Although the Russian government often denied direct involvement evidence suggested otherwise 20 The separatists admitted receiving weaponry and supplies from Russia being trained there and having thousands of Russian citizens in their ranks 20 21 22 By September 2015 the separatist units at the battalion level and up were acting under the command of Russian Army officers 23 In 2023 Russia acknowledged separatists who fought in the Donbas war as being eligible to receive Russian combat veteran status 24 Although called militias 25 shortly before the 2022 Russian invasion the separatist republics began forced conscription of men to fight for Russia 26 27 28 The Donbas conscripts have been described as the cannon fodder of the Russian forces 29 30 by November 2022 the casualty rate of the separatist units was almost 50 according to official separatist sources 30 Contents 1 History 1 1 Donbas war 1 2 2022 Russian invasion 2 Structure 2 1 Donetsk People s Republic 2 2 Luhansk People s Republic 2 3 Former units 3 Commanders 4 Equipment 5 Military training 5 1 Higher Combined Arms Command School 5 2 Military Physical Training Lyceum 6 Relationship with Russia 7 Ideology of the forces 7 1 Far right 7 2 Far left 8 War crime allegations 9 See also 10 Notes 11 ReferencesHistory nbsp Pro Russian rally in Donetsk on April 6 2014On 3 March 2014 during the 2014 pro Russian unrest in Ukraine groups of protesters took control of the regional administration building in Donetsk 31 An armed opposition group named the Donbas People s Militia led by Pavel Gubarev participated 31 This happened when 11 Ukrainian cities with significant populations of ethnic Russians erupted in demonstrations against the new Ukrainian government 31 On 6 April 2014 2 000 pro Russian protesters rallied outside the regional administration building 32 On the same day groups of protesters in Eastern Ukraine stormed the regional administration building in Kharkiv and the SBU headquarters in Luhansk 9 The groups created a people s council and demanded a referendum like the one held in Crimea 32 nb 1 Donbas war On 12 April armed members of the Donbas People s Militia seized government buildings in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk 41 and set up checkpoints and barricades 42 43 44 The same day former members of the Donetsk Berkut unit joined the ranks of the Donbas People s Militia 45 On 13 April the newly established Ukrainian government gave the separatists a deadline to disarm or face a full scale anti terrorist campaign in the region 46 Later that day the first reports came in of fighting between the people s militia and Ukrainian troops near Sloviansk with casualties on both sides 47 On 14 April members of the Donbas People s Militia blocked Ukrainian military KrAZ trucks armed with Grad missiles from entering the city 48 49 On 15 April a full scale Anti Terrorist Operation was launched by the Ukrainian government with aim of restoring their authority over the areas seized by the militia 50 nbsp Sloviansk city council under control of Russian Registered Cossacks 51 on 14 April 2014On 16 April the militia entered Sloviansk with six BMD airborne amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicles 52 53 they had obtained from elements of the 25th Airborne Brigade 54 who had switched allegiance 55 56 57 A Ukrainian military column was disarmed after the vehicles were blockaded by locals in Kramatorsk 58 The militia also received a 2S9 Nona S self propelled 120 mm mortar 59 60 On April 20 an unidentified armed group in civilian clothes attacked a militia checkpoint at the entrance to the city of Sloviansk Three attackers and three members of the militia were killed 61 On May 14 eight members of the militia seized an IMR armored vehicle from Novokramatorsky Mashinostroitelny Zavod 62 nbsp Soldier of the Somalia Battalion at the Second Battle of Donetsk AirportOn May 15 the Donbas People s Militia sent an ultimatum to Kyiv They demanded the withdrawal of all Ukrainian troops from Donetsk oblast On May 17 several members of the militia seized two BRDM unarmed armored vehicles from Severodonetsk and Lysychansk Luhansk Oblast 63 On May 22 the Federal State of Novorossiya was declared On May 23 several members of the people s militia seized another BRDM RKh unarmed armored vehicle from Loskutovka Luhansk Oblast 64 In July 2014 the estimated manpower of the separatists was around 10 000 20 000 65 66 The militia were widely suspected to have been involved in the downing of a civilian airliner Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on 17 July 2014 67 nbsp A Separatist looking though firing port at his position near Donetsk May 2015On August 8 the militia claimed that after battles near the Russian border they had captured 67 pieces of equipment in varying conditions serviceable equipment lacking ammunition or fuel with faults damaged in battle and completely unusable including 18 Grad multiple rocket launching systems 15 tanks and armored personnel carriers howitzers MANPADS etc 68 As of August 12 the militia had at least 200 armored vehicles 69 July and early August were disastrous for the militias with many analysts saying they were on the verge of defeat before a sudden counteroffensive which the Ukrainian government said was supported by Russian troops encircled thousands of Ukrainian troops and forced them into a retreat 70 The militias soon re captured several strategic positions such as Savur Mohyla and Luhansk International Airport 71 In September 2014 the DNR and LNR People s Militias became the 1st Army Corps 72 and 2nd Army Corps 73 of the United Armed Forces of Novorossiya Russian Obedinyonnye Vooruzhennye Sily Novorossii acronym NAF 74 75 76 which was to be the army of the proposed Novorossiya New Russia political union Lieutenant General Ivan Korsun became its commander in chief 77 The Novorossiya project was suspended in May 2015 due to infighting 72 but the two separatist armies would still operate in an unified manner 78 On 2 February 2015 Head of the DPR Alexander Zakharchenko announced that there would be a general mobilization in the DPR of 10 000 volunteers and he aimed to eventually expand the NAF to 100 000 soldiers 79 In March 2015 the estimated manpower of the separatists rose to 30 000 35 000 personnel 80 On 20 May 2015 the leadership of the Federal State of Novorossiya announced the termination of the confederation project 81 82 but the United Armed Forces was retained as the joint armed service of the DPR and LPR 78 The Ukrainian government in mid 2015 claimed there were about 42 500 fighters on the separatists side which include 9 000 Russian soldiers 83 2022 Russian invasion Further information Mobilization in Donetsk and Luhansk People s Republics nbsp Separatist troops with captured Ukrainian weapons during the 2022 Russian invasion During the prelude to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine the Donetsk and Luhansk People s Republic started a process of mass mobilization of its population in order to build an army for the Russian invasion As there weren t enough volunteers in the separatist army and the Russian government wasn t willing to start mobilization of its own population men from ages 18 until 65 from any background were conscripted to form the separatist army 26 27 Groups of DPR LPR officers roamed the streets searching for men at the age range arresting and sending to conscription offices any they found 84 In some regions up to 80 of employees of local enterprises were called up which led to the shutdown of mines the main source of employment in the Donbas and public transport resulting in the paralysis of city and public services 85 Most of the Donbas conscripts are unexperienced received little to no training and were badly equipped and suffered from morale issues and heavy casualties 86 The role of Donbas conscripts by Russian forces has been described as cannon fodder 29 There were reports of conscipts being issued antiquated equipment such as World War I era Mosin Nagant rifles and the early Cold War era T 62 tanks 86 30 By November the DPR ombudsman reported that the DPR militia suffered almost 20 000 casualties both wounded in action and killed in action translating into a staggering 50 casualty rate with outside observers believing it could possibly be higher 30 The mass conscription has been considered a war crime by some as the Article 51 of the Fourth Geneva Convention bans the forceful conscription of soldiers from occupied territory but Russian authorities claimed they are part of the independent sovereign nations of the Donetsk People s Republic and Luhansk People s Republic 87 nbsp Separatist forces advancing during the Battle of Lysychansk at the 2022 Russian invasion of UkraineAfter the leaders of the Russian proxy republics signed treaties of annexation with the Russian president on September 30 2022 the Russian State Duma approved legislation on October 3 mandating the integration of the people s militias into the Russian military backdated to the date of annexation 7 Upon the annexation of Ukrainian territories in September 2022 Russian occupation officials began forcibly conscripting Ukrainian men in occupied parts of Kherson oblast and were reportedly ready to mobilize 3 000 in occupied Zaporizhzhia oblast 88 89 On 31 December 2022 Putin visited the Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov on Don to present battle colours to representatives of the militias and a command academy in Donetsk referring to them as the 1st Donetsk Army Corps and 2nd Guards Luhansk Sievierodonetsk Army Corps 90 In January 2023 the Russian defence ministry announced that self sufficient force groupings would be established in Ukraine and in February that four Russian claimed oblasts in southeastern Ukraine were placed under command of the Southern Military District of the Russian Ground Forces 91 part of a long term effort to integrate various irregular forces 92 On February 19th the Donetsk and Luhansk People s Militias were formally integrated into the command structure of the Russian Armed Forces 93 StructureParts of this article those related to unit lists need to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information June 2023 nbsp DPR troops in Donetsk during a rehearsal for the 2015 Victory Day parade nbsp Oplot Brigade troops with their flag during a rehearsal for the 2015 Victory Day paradeThe militias consist of different armed groups sworn to the Donetsk People s Republic and Luhansk People s Republic Militant groups which refused to do so were disarmed as gangs in the DPR 94 Other groups are autonomous forces 95 According to Ukrainskyi Tyzhden a Donetsk Operative Command set up in May 2016 by Russia coordinates the military efforts of the Donetsk People s Republic 96 The tank battalions they claim Russia can deploy include the DPR Diesel Battalion and LPR August Battalion 96 Euromaidan Press reported in September 2018 that the United Armed Forces of Novorossiya comprised two army corps the 1st Corps called the People s Militia of the DNR and the 2nd Corps called People s Militia of the LNR 97 On 28 December 2018 commander of the Ukrainian Navy Ihor Voronchenko claimed that the DPR had created a flotilla stationed at Novoazovsk made up of about 25 converted fishing boats 98 According to Voronchenko the DPR had named this flotilla the 9th Regiment of the Marine Corps 98 nbsp Flag of the Vostok Brigade nbsp Flag of the Sparta Battalion nbsp Flag of the Somalia BattalionDonetsk People s Republic Main article 1st Army Corps Russia nbsp People s Militia of the Donetsk People s Republic Russian Narodnaya miliciya Doneckoj Narodnoj Respubliki lit People s Militia of the Donetsk People s Republic or 1st Army Corps DPR Formed on 14 November 2014 Militia forces nbsp 1st Slavyansk Brigade Russian 1 aya Slavyanskaya brigada Brigade formerly commanded by Igor Strelkov Girkin He was the Minister of Defense of allied separatist militias in the DPR and LPR from 16 May to 14 August 2014 Strelkov s name was later revealed to be Igor Girkin a Moscow born Russian Army veteran and former FSB agent 99 100 AA Regiment Danube Group nbsp Diesel Battalion Russian Batalon Dizel Separate tank battalion formed in 2015 equipped with Soviet equipment including T 72B1s 96 101 Dome Group Horlivka Group nbsp Oplot 5th Separate Infantry Brigade or Oplot Brigade Russian Batalon Oplot meaning Bulwark Battalion First commanded by Alexander Zakharchenko 102 103 Originally a Donbas People s Militia battalion it expanded to a brigade by September 2014 during the DPR militia restructuring 104 Kolchuga Group nbsp Russian Imperial Legion Russian Imperskij legion is the military arm of the Russian Imperial Movement a Russian white supremacist Orthodox nationalist organization that has recruited thousands to fight for the separatists 105 106 107 Imperial Legion and RIM have been recognized as a terrorist movement by Canada and United States for their links to neo fascist terrorists 108 Novoazovsk Group Oplot Group Reconnaissance Battalion nbsp Sparta Battalion Russian Batalon Sparta Special forces battalion formed and led by Arsen Pavlov known as Motorola until his assassination in 2016 His successor was Vladimir Zhoga from Sloviansk and known by Voha 109 Zhoga was killed in battle in March 2022 during Russia s invasion of Ukraine 110 nbsp 1st Separate Battalion Tactical Group Somalia or Somalia Battalion Russian Batalon Somali Tactical group led by Lieutenant colonel Mikhail Tolstykh known as Givi until his assassination in 2017 111 In 2022 the Battalion s leader was Lieutenant Colonel Timur Kurilkin 112 Typhoon unit Special forces 1st Battalion Khan 3rd Battalion nbsp DShRG Rusich Russian DShRG Rusich Special forces type company affiliated with the Kremlin backed Wagner Group 113 and commanded by Aleksey Milchakov a Russian Neo Nazi 114 Made up of far right Russian and other European volunteers 115 On July 10 2015 Milchakov announced that the Rusich Company would be withdrawing from Donbas for retraining and refitting 116 In April 2022 it was reported that Rusich had returned to eastern Ukraine this time as part of the private military company Wagner Group 113 nbsp Reconnaissance unit Zimargl 117 nbsp Kalmius Brigade Russian Brigada Kalmius Special forces brigade commanded by Sergei Petrovskiy 118 Rapid Response Team nbsp Vostok Brigade Russian Brigada Vostok meaning East Brigade Special forces brigade founded and led by Alexander Khodakovsky 119 120 It has foreign volunteers including Russians and North Ossetians 121 Begun as a battalion as of June 2014 it had about 500 men according to Khodakovsky 121 It later expanded to a brigade 122 Rear forces Engineering Battalion Patriotic Forces of Donbas 123 Russian Patrioticheskie sily Donbassa Electric Warfare unit Steppe Battalion Russian Batalon Step 124 nbsp DPR Republican Guard Russian Respublikanskaya gvardiya DNR Elite unit created by Alexander Zakharchenko on January 12 2015 125 126 Commanded by Major general Ivan Kondratov and composed of six battalions that total more than 3 000 fighters 126 nbsp Slavic Unification and Revival Battalion or Svarozhich Battalion formed by members of the Rodnovery Slavic native faith movement at its peak 1 200 fighters now part of the Vostok Brigade 127 128 Repair Battalion nbsp International Brigade Pyatnashka Russian Brigada Pyatnashka meaning 15th Brigade International brigade commanded by Akhra Avidzba known by Abkhaz DPR positions in Marinka are held by this unit 129 Support Battalion nbsp Mariupol Khingan Naval Infantry Russian Mariupolsko Hinganskij morskaya pehota Formed in 2016 The name is based on the Soviet World War II 221st Infantry Mariupol Khingan Red Banner Order of Suvorov Rifle Division nbsp Vikings Battalion Motorized infantry unit formed in 2015 DPR Security Service Battalion Russian Batalon sluzhby bezopasnosti Doneckoj narodnoj respubliki Security Service of the Donetsk People s Republic 118 Horlivka Group Territorial defence 1st Battalion nbsp 2nd Territorial Defense Battalion Miner s Division Russian Shahtyorskaya diviziya Reorganized into a territorial defensive battalion after September 2014 3rd Battalion 4th Battalion 5th Battalion 6th Battalion Militia Regiments 1252nd regiment from Mordovia 130 1439th regiment 130 Luhansk People s Republic Main article 2nd Army Corps Russia nbsp People s Militia of the Luhansk People s Republic Russian Narodnaya miliciya Luganskoj Narodnoj Respubliki lit People s Militia of the Luhansk People s Republic or 2nd Guards Army Corps LPR Formed on 7 October 2014 Militia forces 1st Separate Mechanized Brigade August or August Battalion The only tank battalion in the LPR People s Militia 96 nbsp 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade named after Kliment Voroshilov 131 nbsp 4th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade 6th Separate Cossack Motorized Rifle Regiment named after Ataman Matvei Platov 7th Chistyakovskaya Motorized Rifle Brigade nbsp Zarya Battalion Russian Batalon Zarya meaning Dawn Battalion First commander was Igor Plotnitsky 132 Commanded by Andrei Patrushev AA Battalion Artillery Brigade Command Regiment nbsp Cossacks Motorized Brigade Don Cossack volunteer group commanded by Rashid Shakirzanov 95 The group has over 4 000 fighters and access to armor and artillery 95 From May to November 2014 the group was commanded by Ataman Nikolai Kozitsyn 95 133 Kozitsyn was forcibly removed from power in November 2014 and replaced by Shakirzanov 95 The group s headquarters is in Antratsyt and their rule expands to Krasnyi Luch 95 Initially this group was identified as Russian Special Forces by the U S State Department following the takeover of the Sloviansk city council 134 In November 2014 the group instated capital punishment in Perevalsk to deter crime 135 Kozitsyn stated that there is no more marauding burglaries or car jacking in the city 135 They refused to join the LPR s military command but cooperate with them remaining autonomous and controlling territory 95 Dawn Battalion Tank Battalion Special forces nbsp Leshiy Battalion Russian Batalon Leshij meaning Forest spirit Battalion Special forces battalion commanded by Aleksey Pavlov 136 Recon Battalion Special Forces Battalion Rear forces Repair Battalion Support Battalion nbsp First Cossack Regiment Russian Pervyj kazachij polk Don Cossack volunteer group commanded by Ataman Pavel Dryomov The group has around 1 300 fighters and its headquarters is in Stakhanov 95 Originally part of Kozitsyn s Cossack National Guard until it split in September 2014 95 Dryomov denounced the LPR s leadership as corrupt and pro oligarchic 95 Dryomov was killed on 12 December 2015 when his car was blown up by an unknown perpetrator the day after his wedding 137 nbsp Interbrigades Russian volunteers national bolsheviks 138 139 members of The Other Russia 140 141 7th Motorized Brigade nbsp Mechanized Brigade Prizrak or Prizrak Brigade Russian Brigada Prizrak meaning Ghost Brigade Mechanized infantry brigade commanded by Yuri Shevchenko formed and led by Aleksey Mozgovoy until his assassination on 23 May 2015 99 The group keeps its distance from LPR authorities and is based in Alchevsk and the surrounding district 95 AA Battalion nbsp Continental Unit French Unite Continentale French Serbian and Brazilian volunteer group 142 143 nbsp DKO Russian DKO Dobrovolcheskij kommunisticheskij otryad Volunteer Communist Detachment an international organisation commanded by Piotr Biriukov 144 145 Artillery Brigade Territorial defence 17th Battalion Ataman Battalion Kulkin Battalion Lishi Battalion Poid Battalion Prizrak Battalion Rim Battalion USSR Bryanka BattalionFormer units Donetsk People s Republic nbsp Donbas People s Militia Russian Narodnoe opolchenie Donbassa Main militia of the Donetsk People s Republic from 3 March to 16 September 2014 nbsp Illustration of the uniforms of the DPR Army nbsp Russian Orthodox Army Russian Russkaya pravoslavnaya armiya A senior commander of the unit is Alexander Verin 103 One of the armed groups which control Donetsk mostly composed of locals from coal mine towns 146 It reportedly had 100 members at its founding According to Ukrainian sources in June 2014 it had at least 350 fighters 147 According to independent sources as fighting between separatists and the Ukrainian government worsened in Donbas membership rose to 4 000 148 In September 2014 the ROA changed its format and merged with the newly created Oplot 5th Separate Infantry Brigade of the DPR People s Militia 104 North Battalion Russian Batalon Sever unofficial 149 nbsp Miners Division Russian Shahtyorskaya diviziya Founded shortly after the rebel withdrawal from Sloviansk and Kramatorsk commanded by Konstantin Kuzmin Fighters range from ages 22 60 Composed of former coal miners 150 Reorganized into a territorial defensive battalion after September 2014 nbsp Kalmius Battalion Russian Brigada Kalmius Special forces battalion commanded by Sergei Petrovskiy 118 Formerly a subsidiary of the Miner s Division until they split post September 2014 Consolidated Orthodox Battalion Voshod or Voshod Battalion Russian Batalon Voshod meaning Sunrise Battalion Formed in June 2014 it had 300 fighters 151 nbsp Death Battalion Unit composed mostly of Chechen volunteers from Russia sent by Ramzan Kadyrov It was commanded by Apti Bolotkhanov 152 nbsp Jovan Sevic Detachment Serbian odred Јovan Sheviћ Serbian Chetnik led group commanded by Bratislav Zivkovic with 450 fighters 153 nbsp Orthodox Dawn Bulgarian Pravoslavna Zora Bulgarian nationalist volunteer group 154 nbsp Legion of Saint Stephen Russian Legion Svyatogo Ishtvana Hungarian subgroup of international battalions 155 The group espouses a Hungarian nationalist platform demanding self determination for the Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia Oblast 156 and has been accused of being close to the far right Jobbik party in Hungary 157 nbsp Carlos Palomino International Brigade Spanish Brigada Internacional Carlos Palomino Spanish antifascist volunteer group 158 nbsp Varyag Battalion Russian Batalon Varyag meaning Varangian Battalion and named for a Russian volunteer Nazi 159 brigade Volunteer battalion commanded by Alexander Matyushin a neo Nazi and former head of Donetsk Russkiy Obraz 160 161 162 Luhansk People s Republic nbsp Army of the South East Russian Armiya Yugo Vostoka 163 164 165 166 Main militia forces of the Luhansk People s Republic from mid April to 16 September 2014 nbsp Great Host of Don Cossacks 167 An international organisation that recruited volunteers from Ukraine and Russia 168 Luhansk Region People s Militia Russian Narodnoe opolchenie Luganshiny Commanded by Aleksei Mozgovoy 169 Later was succeeded by the Prizrak Brigade United Battalions of the DPR and LPR 170 nbsp nbsp North Battalion DPR and Prizrak Battalion LPR nbsp Separate Brigade of Special Purpose Odessa Russian Otdelnaya brigada osobogo naznacheniya Odessa nbsp Rapid Response Group Batman or Batman Battalion Russian Gruppa bystrogo reagirovaniya Betmen Commanded by Alexander Bednov until he was killed in an attack on his convoy on 1 January 2015 171 Members of the group said that the attack was ordered by head of the Luhansk People s Republic Igor Plotnitsky 171 According to them Bednov and his fighters were killed by order of Plotnitsky because he was ordered to sweep all intransigent commanders 172 Following this attack the LPR arrested some of Bednov s men and dissolved the battalion 115 Some of its personnel were dispersed into other LPR units while DPR field commanders Givi and Motorola invited former members to join their battalions 115 nbsp DShRG Ratibor Russian DShRG Ratibor Group that was formed by Russian nationalists nbsp Interunit A far left military political unit build inside the Prizrak Brigade composed of internationalist volunteers formed in 2015 The bulk of the volunteers came from Spain 173 while it was commanded by an Italian fighter called Nemo 174 It was operational until 2017 Commanders nbsp Current Commander in Chief of the DPR Denis Pushilin nbsp Current Commander in Chief of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik nbsp Donetsk People s Republic Denis Pushilin Head of the DPR Alexander Zakharchenko Vladimir Kononov Eduard Basurin Pavel Gubarev 9 former Romashka nom de guerre real name Sergei Zhurikov Russian Sergej Zhurikov Alexander Khodakovsky Igor Bezler former Alexander Verin Botsman 175 Konstantin Kuzmin Sergei Petrovskiy Motorola nom de guerre real name Arsen Pavlov Givi 176 nom de guerre real name Mikhail Tolstykh Akhra Avidzba Ivan Milosevic Roman Kutuzov commander 1AC major general in the Russian Ground Forces killed 5 May 2022 in Popasna Raion Luhansk Oblast Ukraine nbsp Luhansk People s Republic Leonid Pasechnik Head of the LPR Igor Plotnitsky former Valery Bolotov former Nikolai Kozitsyn former Pavel Dryomov his car was blown up by unknown 137 Aleksey Mozgovoy Alexander Bednov Yuri Shevchenko Oleg Bugrov arrested 177 178 former Minister of Defence a position which was allegedly abolished in the DPR on 1 October 2018 179 180 EquipmentMain articles List of equipment used by Russian separatist forces of the war in Donbas and List of Russo Ukrainian conflict military equipment nbsp Vikings Battalion infantrymen with Russian military equipment in July 2015According to Armament Research Services ARES the rebels mostly used equipment that was available domestically before the Ukrainian crisis However they were also seen with weapons that were not known to have been exported to Ukraine or otherwise be available there including some of the latest models of Russian military equipment never exported outside Russia 181 According to the Donetsk People s Republic all of its military equipment is hardware that we took from the Ukrainian military 182 However according to the Ukrainian government and the United States Department of State this is a false They claim the separatists have received military equipment from Russia including multiple rocket launch systems and tanks 4 Although Russian officials deny supplying arms to the militia 181 4 183 In August 2014 Ukrainian Defense Minister Valeriy Heletey said the proof for the weapons supply from Russia was that the fighters of the Donbas People s Militia were using Russian made weapons never used or bought by the Ukrainian army 184 Such exclusively Russian equipment seen with pro Russian separatists includes Russian modifications of T 72 tanks particularly T 72B3 and T 72BA seen destroyed in Ukraine 181 185 BTR 82AM infantry fighting vehicle adopted in Russia in 2013 186 187 BPM 97 armored personnel carriers 188 189 sophisticated anti aircraft system Pantsir S1 190 191 multipurpose vehicle GAZ Vodnik adopted in Russia in 2005 188 Russian modifications of MT LB rocket propelled flamethrower MRO A anti tank missile Kornet anti materiel rifle ASVK suppressed sniper rifle VSS Vintorez and others 181 186 Military trainingHigher Combined Arms Command School The Donetsk Higher Combined Arms Command School Russian Doneckogo vysshego obshevojskovogo komandnogo uchilisha is a higher level institution in the ideological training of cadets 192 People from both the DPR and LPR can enroll at the school 193 It prepares future command cadres in four areas reconnaissance tank forces infantry and political officers clarification needed Upon graduation the cadets are commissioned as lieutenants Since the fall of 2016 the Military Lyceum is affiliated to the DHCACS Military Physical Training Lyceum nbsp Lyceum students on parade nbsp Members of the lyceum in their white dress uniform The Georgy Beregovoy Military Physical Training Lyceum Russian Licej s usilennoj voenno fizicheskoj podgotovkoj imeni dvazhdy Geroya Sovetskogo Soyuza letchika kosmonavta SSSR general lejtenanta G T Beregovogo is an educational facility of the People s Militia being akin to the Suvorov Military School or the Ivan Bohun Military High School It was established on 15 May 1993 by decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine as the Donetsk Higher Military Political School of Engineering and Signal Corps From 1993 to 2000 the Lyceum was with a three year form of study Over two decades 2 793 graduates graduated from the institution more than 1 000 of them currently serve in officer posts in various power structures of Ukraine 194 It was renamed and converted in 2014 since then more than 300 students have graduated 195 The school is open to boys between 14 and 16 years old many of whom come from military families The cadets live at the school six days a week 196 Relationship with RussiaSee also Donetsk People s Republic Russia relations and Luhansk People s Republic Russia relations The conclusion of the Dutch criminal investigation into the shootdown of MH17 was that the Russian Federation exercised overall control over the DPR referring to vast evidence of frequent contacts between the DPR and LPR officials and the Russian presidential administration as well as the heads of the Russian military and FSB 5 As the conflict intensified the Donbas People s Militia was bolstered with many volunteers from the former Soviet Union mainly Russia including fighters from Chechnya and North Ossetia 197 According to the Ukrainian government and the United States Department of State the Donbas People s Militia has received military equipment from Russia including Russian tanks and multiple rocket launchers Russia denied supplying weapons and described the Russian citizens fighting with the Donbas People s Militia as volunteers 4 198 The Donetsk People s Republic claimed on 16 August 2014 that it had received together with 30 tanks and 120 other armoured vehicles of undisclosed origin 1 200 individuals who have gone through training over a four month period on the territory of the Russian Federation 199 Prime Minister of the DPR Alexander Zakharchenko said in August 2014 that it had not received military equipment from Russia and that all of its military equipment was hardware that we took from the Ukrainian military 182 unreliable source Some injured militia members received medical care in Russia 197 In mid August 2014 hospitals such as the Donetsk Central Hospital in Donetsk Russia tended to receive between ten and twenty injured fighters daily 197 The Russian Emergency Ministry assisted with treatment logistics 197 Those questioned and registered by the Russian Federal Security Service 197 and treated in Russia during this period stated that they would not return to Ukraine if the Ukrainian army won the Russo Ukrainian War 197 but would instead engage in a partisan warfare campaign in Eastern Ukraine 197 According to various sources the troops of the separatists forces are under direct control of officers of the Russian Armed Forces Specifically the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army which has been recreated for this specific task since 2017 200 201 In February 2022 the UK defence ministry and the Institute for the Study of War reported that the Russian Armed Forces had officially extended the Russian Southern Military District into parts of Ukraine as part of integrating the DPR and LPR people s militias into Russian forces 202 203 204 In April 2023 Russia granted combat veteran status to separatist militants who had fought in the Donbas war since 2014 24 Ideology of the forcesA 2016 report by the French Institute of International Relations IFRI noted that Russian ethnic and imperialist nationalism has shaped the official ideology of the Donetsk and Luhansk People s Republics 10 During the war in Donbas especially at the beginning far right groups played an important role on the pro Russian side arguably more so than on the Ukrainian side 10 11 According to Marlene Laruelle separatists in Donbas espoused a mixture of three strands of Russian nationalism Fascist Orthodox and Soviet 11 Far right nbsp Flags of three far right Russian separatist groups in Ukraine Rusich Russian National Unity and the Russian Imperial Legion Further information Ruscism and Donetsk People s Republic Right wing nationalism Members and former members of neo Nazi group Russian National Unity RNU as well as the National Bolshevik Party and the Eurasian Youth Union formed branches to recruit volunteers for the pro Russia separatists 10 205 206 207 A former RNU member Pavel Gubarev was founder of the Donbas People s Militia and first governor of the Donetsk People s Republic 10 208 RNU is particularly linked to the Russian Orthodox Army 10 one of a number of separatist units described as pro Tsarist and extremist Orthodox nationalists 106 10 In June 2014 the Russian Orthodox Army was accused of murdering four Pentecostals in Sloviansk The men were accused of spying for the Ukrainian government 209 but the case has been cited as part of a policy of religious persecution by the separatists 210 211 Openly Neo Nazi units such as Rusich Varyag and Svarozhich fought as part of the Russian paramilitaries from early 2014 and used Slavic swastikas on their badges 10 although some such as Varyag have since been disbanded 160 Rusich is led by self proclaimed neo Nazi Alexey Milchakov and is part of the Wagner Group a Russian private military company which has been linked to far right extremism 105 212 Some of the most influential far right Russian separatists are neo imperialists who seek to revive the Russian Empire 10 These included Igor Strelkov Girkin first minister of defence of the Donetsk People s Republic who espouses Russian neo imperialism and ethno nationalism 10 The Russian Imperial Movement a white supremacist militant group 105 has trained and recruited thousands of volunteers to join the separatists through its Russian Imperial Legion 106 Some separatists have flown the black yellow white Russian imperial flag 10 such as the Sparta Battalion and the now disbanded Ratibor unit In 2014 volunteers from the National Liberation Movement joined the Donetsk People s Militia bearing portraits of Tsar Nicholas II 205 Other Russian nationalist volunteers involved in separatist militias included members of the banned Russian neo nazi group Slavic Union and the Movement Against Illegal Immigration 206 Another Russian separatist paramilitary unit the Interbrigades is made up of activists from the National Bolshevik Nazbol group Other Russia 10 An article in Dissent noted that despite their neo Stalinist paraphernalia many of the Russian speaking nationalists Russia supports in the Donbass are just as right wing as their counterparts from the Azov Battalion 213 nbsp Members of the far right group Serbian Action in the Donbas Far right nationalists from other countries have also fought for the Russian separatists such as the Hungarian nationalist Legion of Saint Stephen 156 the Bulgarian nationalist Orthodox Dawn 154 and the Serbian Chetnik Jovan Sevic Detachment 153 as well as members of Serbian Action 214 According to the Italian newspaper la Repubblica well known Italian neo fascist Andrea Palmeri former member of the far right New Force party has been fighting for the Donetsk People s Republic since 2014 and was praised by its leader Gubarev as a real fascist 215 Professor Anton Shekhovtsov an expert on far right movements in Russia and abroad reported in 2014 that members of Polish neo fascist group Falanga and Italian far right group Millennium had joined the Donbas separatists 216 217 French Eurasianists notably the far right organization Continental Unity have also been accused of recruiting far right extremists across Europe to fight for the Donbas separatists 218 219 Swedish and Finnish far right groups such as the Power Belongs to the People party reportedly recruited volunteers to fight for the separatists 220 221 while members of the neo Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement were seen attending paramilitary training in Russia 222 223 Other far right foreign fighters from Europe and North America have fought alongside the pro Russian separatists in Donbas including white nationalists neo Nazis neo fascists and Christian nationalists Motivations for these fighters have included the belief that they are fighting America and Western interests and that Vladimir Putin is a bulwark for traditional white European values who they must support against the decadent West 224 In April 2022 a video posted on Donetsk People s Republic s website showed Denis Pushilin awarding a medal to Lieutenant Roman Vorobyov Somalia Battalion who was wearing patches affiliated with neo Nazism the Totenkopf used by the 3rd SS Panzer Division and the valknut a German neo pagan simbol sometimes used by neo nazis and white supremacists The video did not show Vorobyov getting his medal when it was posted on Pushilin s website 225 226 While far right activists played a key role in the early days of the conflict their importance was often exaggerated and their importance on both sides of the conflict declined over time The political climate in Donetsk further pushed far right groups into the margins 10 Far left Further information Foreign fighters in the Russo Ukrainian War Far left volunteers nbsp A sleeve insignia of the Prizrak Brigade s Volunteer Communist DetachmentFar left volunteers have also fought for pro Russian forces echoing Russian claims of Ukraine being a fascist state and seeking to engage in an anti fascist struggle However these leftist volunteers have co operated with far right groups in Donbas 224 Among the early volunteers were members of the Communist Party of Ukraine as well as some members of trade unions and labor organizations opposed to the new government that emerged after the Ukrainian Revolution 227 228 229 230 231 232 A small number of Spanish socialists travelled to Ukraine to fight for the separatists with some explaining they were repaying the favour to Russia for the USSR s support to Republicans during the Spanish Civil War 218 233 They were also enlisting in solidarity with those who died in the Unions House fire 234 235 Spanish fighters established the Carlos Palomino International Brigade which flew the flag of the Second Spanish Republic In 2015 it reportedly had less than ten members and was later disbanded 158 Beness Aijo a Latvian National Bolshevik of Ugandan and Russian descent was arrested in Donetsk in 2014 for fighting with separatist forces and the National Bolshevik Interbrigades 236 237 A female member of the Israeli Communist Party also reportedly joined the separatists in 2015 238 Other examples were the DKO Volunteer Communist Unit and the Interunit both composed of foreign communist volunteers the Interunit has been inactive since 2017 145 173 War crime allegationsMain article Humanitarian situation during the war in Donbas An 18 November 2014 United Nations report on eastern Ukraine stated that the DPR was in a state of total breakdown of law and order 239 The report noted cases of serious human rights abuses by the armed groups continued to be reported including torture arbitrary and incommunicado detention summary executions forced labour sexual violence as well as the destruction and illegal seizure of property may amount to crimes against humanity 239 In September 2015 Organization for Security and Co operation in Europe OSCE published a report on the testimonies of victims held in places of illegal detention in Donbas 240 In December 2015 a team led by Malgorzata Gosiewska published a comprehensive report on war crimes in Donbas 241 See also2014 pro Russian unrest in Ukraine Donetsk People s Republic Luhansk People s Republic 2014 Odesa clashes 2014 Donbas status referendums 2014 Donbas general elections 2018 Donbas general elections Russian military presence in Transnistria 2014 Russian sabotage activities in UkraineNotes Since 13 April 2014 all government buildings in Kharkiv are fully under Ukrainian control 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Kharkiv returned to relative calm by 30 April 40 References Pochyotnyj iuda Donbassa Sinij Archived from the original on March 19 2023 Glavar milicii LNR Yan Leshenko postradal pri vzryve v Luganske RosSMI Archived from the original on March 20 2023 The military balance 2021 Abingdon Oxon International Institute for Strategic Studies 2021 ISBN 978 1032012278 a b c d US Separatists in eastern Ukraine have weapons military equipment from Russia Fox News June 13 2014 Archive a b Veiligheid Ministerie van Justitie en 2023 02 08 Report MH17 Report Public Prosecution Service www 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original on December 4 2022 Retrieved 20 February 2015 Croft Adrian 18 February 2015 UK Russia s most advanced anti aircraft artillery system is being used in Ukraine Business Insider Reuters Archived from the original on March 20 2023 Retrieved 19 February 2015 DPR Militants Train Children For Service In Illegal Military Formations RFE RL 5 October 2018 Retrieved 2021 06 16 DonVOKU budet gotovit oficerov dlya DNR i LNR DPR Official site dnronline su 2020 08 03 Retrieved 2021 06 16 Kazahskie pozdravleniya na den rozhdeniya Pozhelaniye ru prazdniki i vsyo chto s nimi svyazano 4 January 2020 Sanchez Diego Ibarra 13 March 2019 How Ukraine s youth train for future wars www nationalgeographic com Archived from the original on March 17 2019 Andersson Hampus Hampus Andersson Cadets of the People s Republic of Donetsk LensCulture a b c d e f g Ukraine s injured rebels vow to fight on Financial Times 18 August 2014 Archived from the original on May 7 2015 in Ukrainian Putin said that any reinforcement DNRivtsyam not sent Ukrayinska Pravda 3 August 2014 Archive 30 tanks and 1 200 troops just crossed from Russia into Ukraine according to the rebels Vox Media Archive 16 August 2014 Top Ukraine Rebel Leader Says Troops Training in Russia Newsweek 16 August 2014 Archive Bowen Andrew S 2021 11 19 Russian Troop Movements and Tensions along the Ukrainian Border Insight Congressional Research Service Since 2014 Russia has created two new Combined Arms Armies CAAs in the Western Military District 20th CAA headquartered in Voronezh and the Southern Military District 8th CAA headquartered in Rostov on Don and Novocherkassk bordering Ukraine to oversee coordinate and manage command and control of units transported to the border The 8th CAA also reportedly commands the separatist units in the Russia controlled regions of eastern Ukraine Donetsk and Luhansk Bielieskov Mykola 2021 09 21 The Russian and Ukrainian Spring 2021 War Scare Center for Strategic amp International Studies Archived from the original on 2021 09 23 Retrieved 2021 11 25 UK Defense Ministry Russia claims to formally integrate occupied areas into its southern military district The Kyiv Independent 2023 02 04 Retrieved 2023 02 05 Russia includes occupied territories in its Southern Military District UK intelligence The New Voice of Ukraine 2023 02 04 Retrieved 2023 02 05 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment February 4 2023 Institute for the Study of War 2023 02 04 Retrieved 2023 02 05 a b Yudina Natalia 2015 Russian nationalists fight Ukrainian war in Journal on Baltic Security Volume 1 Issue 1 de Gruyter pp 47 69 doi 10 1515 jobs 2016 0012 a b Laruelle Marlene 26 June 2014 Is anyone in charge of Russian nationalists fighting in Ukraine The Washington Post Many mercenaries are related directly or indirectly to the Russian National Unity RNU movement of Alexander Barkashov The RNU is supposedly closely associated to members of the self proclaimed government of Donetsk and in particular of Dmitri Boitsov leader of the Orthodox Donbass organization The volunteers come from several other Russian nationalist groups the Eurasianist Youth inspired by the Fascist and neo Eurasianist geopolitician Alexander Dugin the now banned Movement Against Illegal Immigration led by Alexander Belov the group Sputnik and Pogrom the national socialist Slavic Union of Dmitri Demushkin several small groups inspired by monarchism such as the Russian Imperial Movement Saunders Robert 2019 Historical Dictionary of the Russian Federation Rowman amp Littlefield Publishing pp 581 582 Russian National Unity RNU banned ultranationalist political party a number of RNU members joined separatist forces in the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk Snyder Timothy Far Right Forces are Influencing Russia s Actions in Crimea The New Republic 17 March 2014 Chuzhaya religiya kak opravdanie ubijstva 6262 com ua Sajt mista Slov yanska in Ukrainian Retrieved 2022 05 14 Kogda Bog stanovitsya oruzhiem doklad pravozashitnikov o religioznom presledovanii v LNR DNR informator lg ua Novosti Luganska i Luganskoj oblasti 2016 01 09 Archived from the original on 2016 01 09 Retrieved 2022 05 14 Novosti Ukrainy NEWSru ua Protestanty na Donbasse zhaluyutsya na presledovaniya so storony terroristov 2016 07 01 Archived from the original on 1 July 2016 Retrieved 2022 05 14 Smid Tomas amp Smidova Alexandra 2021 Anti government Non state Armed Actors in the Conflict in Eastern Ukraine Czech Journal of International Relations Volume 56 Issue 2 pp 48 49 Quote Another group of Russian citizens who became involved in the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine were members of the so called right wing units of the Russian Spring Afrinogenov Gregory 2 March 2022 The Seeds of War Dissent Smid Tomas amp Smidova Alexandra 2021 Anti government Non state Armed Actors in the Conflict in Eastern Ukraine Czech Journal of International Relations Volume 56 Issue 2 pp 51 52 Bulfon Floriana 2022 04 05 Simboli nazisti sull uniforme del combattente premiato dai filo russi di Donetsk la Repubblica in Italian Shekhovtsov Anton 2014 06 06 Polish fascists are joining with pro Russian right wing extremists Anton Shekhovtsov s blog Shekhovtsov Anton 2014 06 11 Anton Shekhovtsov s blog Italian fascists from Millennium ally with pro Russian right wing extremists Anton Shekhovtsov s blog a b Jackson Patrick 1 September 2014 Ukraine war pulls in foreign fighters British Broadcasting Company Retrieved 28 February 2022 Shekhovtsov Anton 2014 08 27 Anton Shekhovtsov s blog French Eurasianists join pro Russian extremists in Eastern Ukraine Anton Shekhovtsov s blog Ita Ukrainassa Venajan puolesta taistelleet suomalaiset kehuskelevat kokemuksillaan muualla Euroopassa vierastaistelijoita on tuomittu rikoksista Finnish Broadcasting Company January 12 2022 Wednesday s papers Neo nazi training employment discrimination fighting swans Finnish Broadcasting Company January 12 2022 Finnish Neo Nazis attend paramilitary trainings in Russia European Jewish Congress January 12 2022 Suomen uusnatsit hankkivat nyt oppia Venajalta jarjeston koulutuskeskus jarjestaa haulikko ja pistooliammuntaa partisaanikursseja ja kieltaa kiroilun Helsingin Sanomat January 12 2022 a b Hagel Sebastian 7 September 2014 This is where Neo Nazi foreign fighters fought alongside communists A group of Spaniards resuscitate the International Brigades and go to Ukraine to fight in Spanish Sciencenorway no Retrieved 28 February 2022 Pro Russian Fighter With Nazi Patches Gets Medal for Killing Nazis Newsweek 5 April 2022 Retrieved 1 May 2022 Video shared by Storyful shows a soldier named as Lieutenant Roman Vorobyov from the Somalia motorized rifle battalion receiving the St George s Cross II award while wearing far right insignia A soldier with neo Nazi symbols on his arm was given a medal by a Russia backed separatist republic for killing Ukrainian nationalists Business Insider 6 April 2022 The head of the breakaway Donetsk People s Republic in Ukraine has been seen in a video awarding a medal to a fighter Published on April 3 through the Russia backed republic s website the footage also shows the fighter wearing symbols used by neo Nazis the video posted on Pushilin s official website did not show Vorobyov receiving his medal Redazione Redazione 2015 07 26 VIDEO L impatto solo mediatico dei fascisti nel Donbass Popoff Quotidiano in Italian Retrieved 2022 11 23 Larys Martin 2022 10 20 Double Marginalisation of the Communist Party Ukraine s Decommunisation and the Russian Backed Rebellion in Donbas Central European Journal of International and Security Studies 16 4 doi 10 51870 NTQF5668 Interfax Ukraine 2014 08 26 Ukraine Communists deny financing terrorism accuse Security Service chief of lying Aug 26 2014 Kyiv Post Retrieved 2022 11 23 The Russian Statelets in the Donbas Are No People s Republics jacobin com Retrieved 2022 11 29 Mayer Janos Chiala Tali The young miners of Donbass www aljazeera com Retrieved 2022 11 29 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Miners swell rebel ranks in east Ukraine as pits close Reuters 2014 12 12 Retrieved 2022 11 29 Los espanoles dispuestos a morir por Putin antifas voluntarios en batallones prorrusos de Ucrania El Espanol in Spanish 2022 01 29 Retrieved 2022 11 23 Asi fue la matanza en la Casa de los Sindicatos de Odessa video www publico es 3 May 2014 Retrieved 2022 11 23 Rodriguez Ramiro 2014 05 09 Convocan actos en varias ciudades espanolas contra la masacre en Odessa El Ciudadano in Spanish Retrieved 2022 11 23 In Donetsk arrested Ayo Benes Archived 8 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine News2Night Retrieved on 1 May 2014 Extremists from the Crimea get over to Donetsk on meeting for Yanukovych Aksenov s black fighter News pn 22 March 2014 Retrieved on 1 May 2014 Sokol Sam 20 August 2015 Israeli communist joins Ukrainian rebels to fight fascists and neo Nazis The Jerusalem Post Retrieved 28 February 2022 a b Almost 1 000 dead since east Ukraine truce UN Archived 3 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine BBC News 21 November 2014 Ukraine death toll rises to more than 4 300 despite ceasefire U N Archived 16 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine Reuters 21 November 2014 Surviving hell testimonies of victims on places of illegal detention in Donbas Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights osce org 25 September 2015 Archived from the original on 27 May 2016 Retrieved 27 May 2016 Gosiewska Malgorzata 2 March 2016 Report Russian War Crimes in Eastern Ukraine in 2014 First published December 2015 PDF donbasswarcrimes org Archived from the original PDF on 15 June 2016 Retrieved 27 May 2016 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Russian people 27s militias in Ukraine amp oldid 1190321008, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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