The "''Kalmius''" Brigade, a military unit of the Donetsk People's Republic, operates within the

United Armed Forces of Novorossiya The Donetsk People's Militia and Luhansk People's Militia (formerly also called Russian separatist forces in Donbas) are pro-Russian paramilitaries in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, which have been fighting the Armed Forces of Ukraine in ...

. Media often refer to it as a battalion of special purpose. Konstantin Kuzmin commanded the unit. The unit's name comes from the river of the same name, one of the largest rivers in Donbas. On February 16, 2015 the "''Kalmius''" battalion was included in the sanctions list of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

and of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Later included in their own sanctions lists by the governments of Norway and Switzerland.

History

The "''Kalmius''" Battalion was established on June 21, 2014. The baptism of fire for the battalion came on 26–27 June 2014 in

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: cities' alternative names), is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine loca ...

, after the intervention of the

Internal Troops of Ukraine The Internal Troops of Ukraine ( uk, Внутрішні війська України, - Interior Forces of Ukraine; Russian: Внутренние войска Украины, ''Vnutrenniye Voyska Ukrainy''), abbreviated ВВ 'VV') were a unif ...

. Former miners constitute the core of the Battalion, original strength being about five hundred people. The first commander was Fedor Berezin, who later became deputy of

Igor Girkin Igor Vsevolodovich Girkin ( rus, И́горь Все́володович Ги́ркин, p=ˈiɡərʲ ˈfsʲevələdəvʲɪdʑ ˈɡʲirkʲɪn; born 17 December 1970), also known by the alias Igor Ivanovich Strelkov ( rus, И́горь Ива́ ...

.
On June 26–27, the battalion took part in an assault, which occurred without casualties; since July, the battalion was involved in the fighting near Donetsk. In August, the Battalion captured 13 Ukrainian officers, including a colonel. In January 2015, the "Kalmius" battalion did participate in battles around

Debaltseve Debaltseve or Debaltsevo ( uk, Деба́льцеве ''Debálʼtseve'', ; russian: Деба́льцево ''Debálʼtsevo'') is a city of regional significance in the ''de facto'' Donetsk People's Republic; ''de jure'' Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. T ...

Organization

The unit's core comprises mainly volunteers; as of fall 2014 the unit had the following structure: * Base – in Donetsk * Dog squad * Artillery group – armed with D-30 howitzers, SAU 2S1, MSTA-B and MLRS "Grad"

References

{{War in Donbas Military units and formations established in 2014 Pro-Russian militant groups Separatist forces of the war in Donbas 2014 establishments in Ukraine Paramilitary organizations based in Ukraine Military of the Donetsk People's Republic