Sich Battalion
The Sich Battalion (Ukrainian: Батальйон "Сiч"), officially the 4th Company "Sich" of the Kiev Regiment, is a Ukrainian special police battalion consisting of volunteers from Kiev.[1]
| Sich Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Ukrainian: батальйон патрульної служби міліції особливого призначення "Сiч" | |
 | |
| Active | June 2014 – present |
| Country |  |
| Allegiance | Ministry of Internal Affairs |
| Type | Police Tactical Unit |
| Engagements | War in Donbass |
The Sich Battalion was formed by the Svoboda party in June 2014, and named after the Sich of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, which challenged the Polish, Russian, and Turkish rule of Ukraine.[2] The unit is one of several Ukrainian paramilitary volunteer battalions formed at the start of the War in Donbass in 2014, along with the Svyatyi Mykolai Battalion or Donbass Battalion, to fight against pro-Russian separatists in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine. The Sich Battalion officially became an active unit of Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs following its oath taking ceremony on 26 August 2014, and is composed of around 50 volunteers, some of whom have prior military service.[3] Like other volunteer units, Sich Battalion members underwent two months of basic training prior to activation and began engaging separatist forces with minimal training or equipment. While the Sich Battalion was much smaller than other volunteer units, it was designed for the specific purpose of combating insurgents in the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine.[4]
Arsen Avakov, the head of Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs, said that a member of the Sich Battalion was arrested after a member of the National Guard of Ukraine was killed during rioting in Kiev on August 31, 2015.[5]
On 21 December 2015, the Sich Battalion was reformed into the 4th Company "Sich" of the Kiev Regiment, as part of the Kiev city special police, with Maxim Morozov as its commander.
References
- "A new volunteer of the Ukrainian interior ministry's special battalion "Sich" embraces his relative during a ceremony in Kiev". Yahoo News Philippines. 26 August 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- "Партія Свобода створює власний батальйон". Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- "Батальон "Сич" отправился в зону АТО". Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- SERGEI SUPINSKY. "The child of a Sich special volonteer (sic) battalion member holds her... News Photo 454196308". Getty Images. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- Avakov, Arsen. "Погибший солдат Дебрин -24 лет - из Херсона - все-таки осколок в сердце, не пуля. Задержанный гранатометчик - свободовец из Сичи". Twitter. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
