The Kyiv Presidential Honor Guard Battalion ( uk, Почесна варта Окремого Київського полку Президента України) is a guard of honour unit of the

Armed Forces of Ukraine , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...

. It is a part of the Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky Independent Presidential Guard Regiment.

History

On November 10, 1962, the Honor Guard Company of the

Kyiv Military District The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military district of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Red Army and Soviet Armed Forces. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (Kyiv) for most of its exi ...

was formed. In 1975, the company was moved to Kyiv after being stationed in

Bila Tserkva Bila Tserkva ( uk, Бі́ла Це́рква ; ) is a city in the center of Ukraine, the largest city in Kyiv Oblast (after Kyiv, which is the administrative center, but not part of the oblast), and part of the Right Bank. It serves as the admi ...

for one year. It formed the 427th Regiment of the Civil Defense of the USSR. For 16 years it was the official honor guard of the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

. On March 10, 1992, an honor guard company was introduced into the brigades of the

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Генеральний штаб Збройних сил України) is the military staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is the central organ of the Armed Forces Administration and ov ...

. A year later in 1993, the Guard of Honor of the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

of Ukraine was formed, and 3 years later an additional training company was created. On February 15, 2001, it was integrated into the ranks of the Independent Presidential Regiment and was renamed as the Kyiv Presidential Honor Guard Battalion.

Structure

Ukrainian honor guard at Boryspil International Airport

* Battalion HQ * 1st Company * 2nd Company * 3rd Company (subordinated to the Ministry of Defense) *

Military Band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the tit ...

* Symbols Protection Company * Training Company All eligible candidates to join the battalion have to meet certain requirements such as fluency in the

Ukrainian language Ukrainian ( uk, украї́нська мо́ва, translit=ukrainska mova, label=native name, ) is an East Slavic language of the Indo-European language family. It is the native language of about 40 million people and the official state langu ...

, having a height of at least 180 cm, full secondary education and no physical and/or mental problems.

Traditions

Activities

The battalion takes part in events coinciding with the following

Public holidays in Ukraine The following are public holidays in Ukraine. Holidays established by law Religious holidays are observed according to the Julian calendar (but here the Gregorian date of Christmas is written). When a public holiday falls on a weekend ( ...

: *

Independence Day of Ukraine Independence Day of Ukraine ( uk, День Незалежності України) is the main state holiday in modern Ukraine, celebrated on 24 August in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence of 1991. History When Ukraine was still ...

Victory Day over Nazism in World War II Victory Day over Nazism in World War II ( uk, День перемоги над нацизмом у Другій світовій війні, translit=Den peremohy nad natsyzmom u Druhii svitovii viini) or Victory Day ( uk, День перемог ...

*State Flag Day *

Constitution Day Constitution Day is a holiday to honour the constitution of a country. Constitution Day is often celebrated on the anniversary of the signing, promulgation or adoption of the constitution, or in some cases, to commemorate the change to constitut ...

Defender of Ukraine Day Defenders Day is a public holidayNavy Day Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy. By country Argentina The Argentine Navy day is celebrated on May 17, anniversary of the victory achieved in 1814 in the Battle of Montevideo. Bahrain The R ...

Armed Forces Day Many nations around the world observe some kind of Armed Forces Day to honor their military forces. This day is not to be confused with Veterans Day or Memorial Day. Africa Egypt In Egypt, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on 6 October, ...

Generally, the battalion also takes part in the following different events, whether it be annual or semi-annual: *Foreign and domestic

military tattoos A military tattoo is a performance of music or display of armed forces in general. The term comes from the early 17th-century Dutch phrase ''doe den tap toe'' ("turn off the tap"), a signal sounded by drummers or trumpeters to instruct innkeeper ...

State visits A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...

*Award ceremonies *

Ukrainian presidential inauguration The inauguration of the president of Ukraine is a ceremony that takes place to mark the start of a new term for a newly elected president. Description The presidential inauguration traditionally starts at the building of the Verkhovna Rada buildi ...

*Wreath laying ceremonies at the

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and to the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-prof ...

in the

Park of Eternal Glory The Park of Eternal Glory () is a park in Kyiv, Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukr ...

State funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

Marching style

The battalion utilizes the native

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

goosestep The goose step is a special military step, marching step which is performed during formal military parades and other ceremonies. While marching in parade formation, troops swing their legs in unison off the ground while keeping each leg rigidly ...

(first introduced by King

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

) with the speed of the step being 75 steps per minute and elements of the marching pace of the Sich Riflemen Halych-Bukovyna Kurin.

Heraldry

There are many commemorative and high-ranking badges specific to the honour guard that soldiers of the battalion earn throughout their careers. One of them, called "Concordia" was developed in 2007 in honor of the 45th anniversary of the creation of the honor guard in 1962. Another badge features

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

, a figure of the coat of arms of the city of Kyiv, indicates the place of deployment of the battalion into the city, and represents the unit's status as a representative unit. The

Latin language Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

inscription on the badge: "Ubi concordia ibi victoria" (meaning "Where there is unity, there is victory" when translated) is the heraldic

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

of this battalion.

Uniform

The general uniform of the battalion was unveiled on 24 August 2016 based on British and Polish military styles such as a variant of the Polish

Rogatywka Rogatywka (; sometimes translated as ''peaked cap'') is the Polish generic name for an asymmetrical, peaked, four-pointed cap used by various Polish military formations throughout the ages. It is a distant relative of its 18th-century predece ...

(the previous one was a

peaked cap The peaked cap, peaked hat, service cap, barracks cover or combination cap is a form of headgear worn by the armed forces of many nations, as well as many uniformed civilian organisations such as law enforcement agencies and fire departments. It ...

). The actual uniform jacket was changed from black to brown. It also incorporates details from the uniforms worn by the

Ukrainian People's Army The Ukrainian People's Army ( uk, Армія Української Народної Республіки), also known as the Ukrainian National Army (UNA) or as a derogatory term of Russian and Soviet historiography Petliurovtsy ( uk, Пет� ...

, including a cap which features an insignia of a

Ukrainian Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

grasping a cross. Although mainly designed for the Ukrainian Army, the other services represented in the based their new uniforms off of the army's update. All of this was partly done in response to the ongoing Russian military intervention in Ukraine and

decommunization in Ukraine Decommunization in Ukraine started during and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. With the success of the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, the Ukrainian government approved Ukrainian decommunization laws, laws that outlawed commun ...

to distance the battalion from its ceremonial counterparts in the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

Russian Army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �В Sukhoputnyye voyska V, also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Gro ...

. Members of the battalion are equipped with a standard SKS rifle, which is used commonly by

post-Soviet The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (russian: links=no, ближнее зарубежье, blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that wer ...

honour guards.

Sabre

In 2018, the battalion replaced the standard Soviet officer cavalry

sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

(''Шабля'') from the 1940s with a newer model based on the "

Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

Sword" and designed by the Main Directorate of Development and Material Support. It was first unveiled at the

Kyiv Independence Day Parade The Kyiv Independence Day Parade () has been the main event of various celebrations of the Independence Day of Ukraine, which is celebrated annually in Kyiv on August 24.

celebrating Independence Day and the 100th anniversary of the revival of Ukrainian statehood in August of that year. It combines historically Ukrainian designs from swords of the Cossack times with the modern military elements of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It is in fact based on 16th century weapons used by the

Ukrainian Cossacks The Zaporozhian Cossacks, Zaporozhian Cossack Army, Zaporozhian Host, (, or uk, Військо Запорізьке, translit=Viisko Zaporizke, translit-std=ungegn, label=none) or simply Zaporozhians ( uk, Запорожці, translit=Zaporoz ...

Zaporizhia Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запоріжжя) or Zaporozhye (russian: Запорожье) is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zapor ...

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

Shoulder patches and rank insignia

The battalion uses the following three different patches for the three different platoons in each company who are from all three service branches. Every patch has the

term for

guard of honour A guard of honour ( GB), also honor guard ( US), also ceremonial guard, is a group of people, usually military in nature, appointed to receive or guard a head of state or other dignitaries, the fallen in war, or to attend at state ceremonials, ...

at the top and the Ministry of Defence's name at the bottom. They are identified by the following colors: File:Почесна варта МОУ.jpg,

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

(

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 ...

) File:Почесна варта МОУ (ВПС).jpg, Blue (

Ukrainian Air Force The Ukrainian Air Force ( uk, Пові́тряні си́ли Збро́йних сил Украї́ни) is the air force of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Its headquarters are in the city of Vinnytsia. W ...

) File:Почесна варта МОУ (ВМС).jpg, Black (

Ukrainian Navy The Military Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Військо́во-морські́ си́ли Збро́йних сил Украї́ни, ВМС ЗСУ) is the maritime forces of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Arme ...

) Since 1993, the same design has been used on the battalion shoulder board: File:Погон РПВ ОППУ (СВ).jpg File:Погон РПВ ОППУ (ВПС).jpg File:Погон РПВ ОППУ (ВМС).jpg

List of commanders

* Captain I. Bondarenko (March 1993 – September 1996) * Major I. Kozyrkov (September 1996 – July 2001) * Major V. Plakhtiy (July 2001 – October 2004) * Major V. Skoryk (October 2004 – November 2005) * Major S. Klyavlin (November 2005 – June 2011) * Lieutenant Colonel E. Golovanchuk (June 2011 – 2013) * Major Oleksiy Pochtar (2013–2018) * Major Yevhen Solodayev (2018–Present)

Gallery

File:Dmitry Medvedev in Ukraine 17 May 2010-4.jpeg, Members of the battalion in their old uniform during the visit of

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...

to Ukraine. File:G W Bush in Kiev 08.jpg, President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

inspecting the guard at the

Presidential Administration of Ukraine The Office of the President of Ukraine ('' uk, Офіс Президента України'') (formerly ''Administration of the President of Ukraine'', uk, Адміністрація Президента) is a standing advisory body set up by ...

. File:A Ukrainian Army honor guard stands in the rain at the War Memorial in Kiev, Ukraine, on Jun. 5, 2001 010605-D-WQ296-196.jpg, A soldier of the honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. File:Ukrainian sailors.JPG, Members of the representative Navy platoon on

Maidan Nezalezhnosti Maidan Nezalezhnosti ( uk, Майдан Незалежності , literally "Independence Square") is the central square of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. One of the city's main squares, it is located on Khreshchatyk Street in the Shevchen ...

during the

Kyiv Independence Day Parade The Kyiv Independence Day Parade () has been the main event of various celebrations of the Independence Day of Ukraine, which is celebrated annually in Kyiv on August 24.

. File:Воїни роти Почесної варти Міністерства оборони України (32301022464).jpg, Members of the representative Air Force platoon. File:Воїни роти Почесної варти Міністерства оборони України (32763805360).jpg, The unit conducting a

military parade A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...

at the

. File:Воїни роти Почесної варти Міністерства оборони України (33105310506).jpg, Members of the battalion rendering honors for a visiting military leader. File:Volodymyr Zelensky 2019 presidential inauguration 09.jpg, Members of the battalion during the

inauguration In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugu ...

Volodymyr Zelensky Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, ; russian: Владимир Александрович Зеленский, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelenskyy, (born 25 January 1978; also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy) is a Ukrainian politicia ...

External links

Presidential Regiment , Ukraine in Uniform

Рота почесної варти 45-а річниця заснування.

References

{{Reflist 1962 establishments in Ukraine 1993 establishments in Ukraine Military units and formations established in 1962 Military units and formations established in 1993 Military units and formations of Ukraine Ukrainian ceremonial units Presidency of Ukraine