, image = Insignia of the Sheikh Mansur battalion.png , image_size = , caption = Insignia of the Battalion , start_date = , country = , allegiance =

Ukrainian Volunteer Corps The Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps () or simply the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps (), is the paramilitary arm of far-right Ukrainian nationalist party Right Sector. The Ukrainian Volunteer Corps was founded on July 17, 2014, as one of the " ...

(2014–2019)

Ministry of Defense {{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 ...

, branch = , type =

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

, role = , size = Several hundred , command_structure = , garrison = , nickname = , patron = , motto = ''Marşo ya joƶalla'' ("Freedom or Death") , colors =
, march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , battles = *

War in Donbas War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

** Shyrokyne standoff *

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

** Kyiv offensive *** Battle of Kyiv **

Eastern Ukraine campaign The eastern Ukraine campaign is a theatre of operation in the ongoing 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine that affects three provinces (oblasts) in the eastern part of Ukraine: Donetsk Oblast and Luhansk Oblast (collectively the Donbas) and K ...

*** Battle of Mariupol ***

Battle of Sievierodonetsk (2022) The Battle of Sievierodonetsk was a military engagement in the wider battle of Donbas of the Eastern Ukraine offensive during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The city of Sievierodonetsk acted as the administrative center of Luhansk Obl ...

***

Battle of Bakhmut The Battle of Bakhmut is an ongoing series of military engagements in and near the city of Bakhmut between Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Russian Armed Forces during the larger battle for Donbas. Shelling of Bakhmut began in May 2022, but the ...

***

Battle of Soledar The Battle of Soledar was a series of military engagements in and around the urban-type settlement of Soledar during the battle of Donbas in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces began an offensive on 3 August 2022, shelling So ...

Northeastern Ukraine campaign The northeastern Ukraine campaign was a theatre of operation from 24 February to 8 April 2022 in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine for control of two provinces (oblasts) in Ukraine — Chernihiv Oblast and Sumy Oblast. On 4 April 2022, Ukr ...

** Battles in Zaporizhzhia region , decorations = , battle_honours = , commander1 = Muslim Cheberloyevsky , ceremonial_chief = , notable_commanders = , identification_symbol = , identification_symbol_2 = Sheikh Mansur Chechen Peacekeeping Battalion ( uk, Чеченський миротворчий батальйон імені шейха Мансура) or simply the Sheikh Mansur Battalion is one of several Chechen volunteer battalions participating in the

Russian-Ukrainian war The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since February 2014. Following Ukraine's Revo ...

on the side 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 ...

. The battalion is named in honour of

Sheikh Mansur Sheikh Mansur ("The-Victorious"; born Mansur Ushurma, Mansur Ucherman; 2 June 1762 – 13 April 1794) was a Chechen military commander and Islamic leader who fought for Chechnya and Circassia. He was influential in the resistance against Cather ...

, a Chechen military commander and an Islamic leader who fought against Russian imperialist expansion into the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

during the late 18th century. The battalion has been active since 2014 and is made up of mostly Chechen volunteers, many of whom are veterans of the

First Chechen War The First Chechen War, also known as the First Chechen Campaign,, rmed conflict in the Chechen Republic and on bordering territories of the Russian FederationФедеральный закон № 5-ФЗ от 12 января 1995 (в реда� ...

and

Second Chechen War The Second Chechen War (russian: Втора́я чече́нская война́, ) took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russia, Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from Augus ...

Creation

The battalion was founded in 2014, in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. It was created by the Free Caucasus Organization, which was created in 2006 in Denmark by political emigrants from countries/regions in the Caucasus and in Europe. In October 2014, the Free Caucasus GPA Presidium announced the creation of a battalion named after

in order to participate in the war in eastern Ukraine commanded by Muslim Cheberloyevsky (a veteran of the two Chechen-Russian wars). The battalion was formed upon the splitting off of a faction from the Dudayev battalion, due to leaders deciding the need to act at two important fronts which at the time were

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 ...

and

Mariupol Mariupol (, ; uk, Маріу́поль ; russian: Мариу́поль) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast (Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius River. Prior to the 2022 Russian i ...

. It was the second Chechen battalion, after the previously formed

Dzhokhar Dudayev battalion , image = Батальйон_імені_Джохара_Дудаєва.png , image_size = , caption = Battalion sleeve insignia. , start_date = , country ...

, which was proven itself well and received approval and support from the Ukrainian authorities. For a time, the Battalion operated under the command of the

, an independent volunteer battalion of the far-right party

Right Sector Right Sector ( uk, Пра́вий се́ктор, ''Pravyi sektor'') is a right-wing to far-right, Ukrainian nationalist organization. It originated in November 2013 as a right-wing, paramilitary confederation of several radical nationalist orga ...

Participation in the Russo-Ukrainian war

The battalion has since 2014 participated in the

. During the Shyrokyne standoff, the Sheikh Mansur battalion together with other Ukrainian forces fought against Russian-backed separatists in the village of

Shyrokyne , settlement_type = Village , image_skyline = Shirokino 2007.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , flag_alt = , image_shield = Герб Шир ...

, east of

in 2015. The battalion handed in its weapons in September 2019; as one of the last units composed purely of volunteer soldiers. The battalion was reported to be active again during the

. A video released by the battalion in March 2022 showing intense fighting against Russian forces outside of Kyiv confirmed the presence of the Sheikh Mansur battalion in Ukraine. The Sheikh Mansur Battalion as well as the

Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion , image = Батальйон_імені_Джохара_Дудаєва.png , image_size = , caption = Battalion sleeve insignia. , start_date = , country ...

held the defense near Kyiv and participated in partisan operations, ambushes, sabotage work and mining during the Battle of Kyiv. They had previously fought in the Battle of Mariupol, but they left for Kyiv as they deemed it was more important to defend the capital city. After pushing Russian forces out of Kyiv during the Kyiv offensive, fighters of the battalion followed the Russian troops and fought in the

Sumy region Sumy Oblast ( uk, Сумська́ о́бласть, translit=Sumska oblast; also referred to as Sumshchyna – uk, Су́мщина) is an oblast (province) in the northeastern part of Ukraine. Population: The oblast was created in its most r ...

as part of the

. Since then, the battalion has fought in the

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: Names of European cities in different languages (C–D), cities' alternat ...

and

Lugansk Luhansk (, ; uk, Луганськ, ), also known as Lugansk (, ; russian: Луганск, ), is a city in what is internationally recognised as Ukraine, although it is administered by Russia as capital of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). A ...

regions, most notably taking part during the Battle of Sievierodonetsk since at least June 2022. In July 2022, they declared an insurgency in Chechnya. From September to November of 2022, the battalion has been in battles with Russian forces on the Zaporizhzhian front. The battalion has been fighting in the

and

since at least November 2022, which as of December 2022 is experiencing the scenes of intense fighting.

Sanctions

The Ukrainian Government and President Zelensky have extradited fighters from the battalion and put sanctions against them in 2021 despite its staunch pro-Ukraine stance. In 2018 Timur Tumgoev, a veteran of the Donbas war and member of the battalion was extradited to Russia. According to several reports he was tortured and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Several fighters are still threatened with extradition such as Akhmed Ilaev and Ali Bakaev. These extraditions and sanctions have been criticized by several Ukrainian commanders such as

Dmytro Yarosh Dmytro Anatoliyovych Yarosh ( uk, Дмитро Анатолійович Я́рош; born 30 September 1971) is a Ukrainian activist, politician, nationalist and military commander who is the main commander of the Right Sector's Ukrainian Volu ...

who blamed the Russian FSB and elements within the Ukrainian government.

Commanders

* Battalion Commander - Muslim Cheberloyevsky * Chief of Staff of the battalion - Muslim Idrisov

References

{{War in Donbass 2014 establishments in Ukraine Regiments of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine Battalions of Ukraine Chechen armies in exile Military units and formations established in 2014 Military units and formations of Ukraine in the war in Donbas

Creation

Participation in the Russo-Ukrainian war

Sanctions

Commanders

See also

References