, image = 42-й БТрО ЗСУ «Рух Опору».png , image_size = 200 , caption = 42nd Territorial Defence Battalion shoulder sleeve insignia , dates = 2014–present , country = , allegiance = , branch =

Ground Forces An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, type =

Mechanized Infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). As defined by the United States Army, mechanized infantry is di ...

, role = , size = battalion , command_structure = , garrison = , march = , mascot = , battles =

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatist forces in Donbas, Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since Feb ...

•

Battle of Ilovaisk The Battle of Ilovaisk; uk, Іловайський котел, '). The word "kettle" refers to encirclement by enemy forces, which is termed "falling into the kettle". The word is also used to refer to battles during the Second World War, such ...

, decorations = 42nd Motorized Infantry Battalion is a formation of the

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces ( uk, Сухопу́тні військá Збрóйних сил Украї́ни), also known as the Ukrainian Army, are the Army, land forces of Ukraine and one of the five Military branch, branches of the Armed For ...

. It was originally formed as the 42nd Territorial Defence Battalion "Rukh Oporu" (from uk, Рух опору – "

Resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objective ...

") in

Kirovohrad Kropyvnytskyi ( uk, Кропивницький, Kropyvnytskyi ) is a city in central Ukraine on the Inhul river with a population of . It is an administrative center of the Kirovohrad Oblast. Over its history, Kropyvnytskyi has changed its name ...

. The battalion fought in the

History

In August 2014 the battalion was involved in an attempt of the Ukrainian command to unblock encircled forces near Ilovaisk. An assault squad was formed that had 90 soldiers. It was sent from

Kramatorsk Kramatorsk ( uk, Краматорськ, translit=Kramatorsk ) is a city and the administrative centre of Kramatorsk Raion in the northern portion of Donetsk Oblast, in eastern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, Kramatorsk was a City of regional significa ...

in direction of Ilovaisk, after it became clear Russian military forces approached Ilovaisk. The unit was supposed to meet a company tactical group of 92nd Mechanized Brigade and try to breach Russian encirclement. The squad arrived on 27 August to

Dokuchaievsk Dokuchaievsk or Dokuchaevsk (, ; Russian language, Russian: Докучаевск) is a City of regional significance (Ukraine), city of regional significance in the ''de facto'' Donetsk People's Republic; ''de jure'' Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The c ...

city where it was beefed up with 2 IFVs and advanced towards Ilovaisk. The column stopped in the field for a night and shortly after it was hit by heavy artillery shelling. The next morning it was completely defeated by Russian paratroopers.

References

Territorial defence battalions of Ukraine {{Ukraine-stub