The Special Tasks Patrol Police ( uk, Патрульна служба поліції особливого призначення) is a

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 " ...

of law enforcement units, part of the

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

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. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. It was originally created for prevention of criminal encroachment and defence of civil order on 15 April 2014, following the

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 ...

. During the ongoing

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 ...

, the forces of the Special Tasks Patrol Police have fought against pro-Russian separatists as a

paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

force.

History

In April 2014,

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

Minister of Internal Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...

Arsen Avakov Arsen Borysovych Avakov hy, Արսեն Բորիսի Ավակով (born 2 January 1964) is a Ukrainian politician and businessman. From 2014 to 2021 he was Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, first being appointed in the first cabinet of P ...

issued an order to create special police battalions. It was formed 56 units of Special Tasks Patrol Militsiya. Those were companies and battalions of special tasks

militsiya ''Militsiya'' ( rus, милиция, , mʲɪˈlʲitsɨjə) was the name of the police forces in the Soviet Union (until 1991) and in several Eastern Bloc countries (1945–1992), as well as in the non-aligned SFR Yugoslavia (1945–1992). The ...

patrol service ( uk, Батальйон Патрульної Служби Міліції Особливого Призначення БПСМОП. After 2015 «About National Police» laws Special Tasks Patrol Militsiya became Special Tasks Patrol Police. As of 2016, there are regiments of Special Tasks Patrol Police, such as

Dnipro-1 The "Dnipro-1" Regiment ( uk, Полк «Дніпро-1») is a Special Tasks Patrol Police regiment subordinated to Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. The regiment is based in Dnipro. History The unit was first established as "Dnipro-1 ...

List of Special Tasks Patrol Police units

* "Artemivsk" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Артемівськ"'') – formed in Dnepropetrovsk oblast * "Bogdan" police

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

(''рота ПСМОП "Богдан"'') – was formed on 12 July 2014 in

Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine Khmelnytskyi ( uk, Хмельни́цький, Khmelnytskyi, ), until 1954 Proskuriv ( uk, Проску́рів, links=no ), is a city in western Ukraine, the administrative center for Khmelnytskyi Oblast (region) and Khmelnytskyi Raion (dist ...

. The company is largely composed of volunteers. * "Chernihiv" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Чернігів"'') – formed in

Chernihiv oblast Chernihiv Oblast ( uk, Черні́гівська о́бласть, translit=Chernihivska oblast; also referred to as Chernihivshchyna, uk, Черні́гівщина, translit=Chernihivshchyna) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. T ...

* "Dnipro-1" police regiment – also known as Dnepr-1, it was one of the first units to form and originated in

Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper Rive ...

. As Crimea was annexed and the pro-Russian insurgency began in eastern Ukraine, it was believed that Dnipropetrovsk, a large Russian speaking city, would be quick to fall. Moreover, paratroopers of the

25th Airborne Brigade The 25th Separate Airbone Sicheslav Brigade ( uk, 25-та окрема повітрянодесантна Січеславська бригада) is an airborne formation of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces. It is the only airborne unit of Ukrai ...

surrendered their equipment and retreated to Dnipropetrovsk on buses when tasked with engaging pro-Russian insurgents in Donetsk. This prompted governor

Ihor Kolomoyskyi Ihor Valeriyovych Kolomoyskyi ( uk, Ігор Валерійович Коломойський, translit=Ihor Valereriyovych Kolomoyskyi; he, איגור קולומויסקי; born 13 February 1963) is a Ukrainian-born billionaire, business magn ...

and Dnipropetrovsk mayor

Ivan Kulichenko Ivan Ivanovych Kulichenko ( uk, Іван Іванович Куліченко; born on 7 July 1955, Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR, USSR) is a Ukrainian politician who was from 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2014 until 2014 Ukrainian parliam ...

to quickly organize a defence for the city, also volunteer units began to form funded by various charities and oligarchs forming the Dnipro Battalion. The Dnipro Battalion has been fighting Russian insurgents in Luhansk and Donetsk oblast since its creation. Due to being one of the first units to form and the unit's proximity to the Donbas volunteers often received minimal training before deploying to engage insurgents. The battalion is subordinate to the Interior Ministry of Ukraine. On 9 October 2014 the unit carried out an operation in Telmanove resulting in the death of three Russian military operatives including Russian general

Sergey Andreychenko Sergey may refer to: * Sergey (name), a Russian given name (including a list of people with the name) * Sergey, Switzerland Sergey is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Sergey is ...

, the highest ranking Russian soldier lost so far during the

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 ...

. * "Ivano-Frankivsk" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Івано-Франківськ"'') * "Kharkiv" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Харків"'') – formed in

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

(''рота ПСМОП "Кременчук"'') – Formed from volunteers in the

Poltava Oblast Poltava Oblast ( uk, Полта́вська о́бласть, translit=Poltavska oblast; also referred to as Poltavshchyna – uk, Полта́вщина, literally 'Poltava Country') is an oblast (province) of central Ukraine. The administrative ...

. It was named after the city of

Kremenchuk Kremenchuk (; uk, Кременчу́к, Kremenchuk ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnipro River. The city serves as the administrative center of the Kremenchuk Raion (district) in Poltava Oblast (pr ...

and was created as a detachment of the

Poltava Battalion The Poltava Battalion ( uk, батальйон патрульної служби міліції особливого призначення "Полтава") is a Ukrainian battalion that is part of the Special Tasks Patrol Police, subordinate to ...

, but eventually operated as a separate entity. * "Kyiv-1" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Київ-1"'') – formed in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

* "Kyiv-2" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Київ-2"'') – formed in

* "Kyivshchyna" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Київщина"'') – formed in

Kyiv oblast Kyiv Oblast ( uk, Ки́ївська о́бласть, translit=Kyïvska oblast), also called Kyivshchyna ( uk, Ки́ївщина), is an oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, w ...

* "Luhansk-1" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Луганськ-1"'') * "Lviv" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Львiв"'') – Formed in the western city of Lviv the unit is largely composed of Ukrainian speakers, although all volunteers are free to join. All members are lawful police officers of Ukraine. The battalion is composed of 150 volunteers and was officially deployed in July 2014. Volunteers must possess prior military experience and have received 3 months training before being deployed. * "Myrotvorets" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП " Миротворець"'') – formed in

* "Poltava" police battalion. Formed from volunteers in the

in central Ukraine. On 5 September 2014 "Myrnyi" police

was merged into "Poltava" police battalion * "Saint Mary" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП " Свята Марія"'') – Originally a company of the "Shakhtarsk" police battalion (also known as "

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

Hundred"). The battalion is linked to

Dmytro Korchynsky Dmytro Oleksandrovych Korchynsky ( uk, Дмитро Олександрович Корчинський; born 22 January 1964) is a Ukrainian writer, poet, militant, and political activist who is the former leader of the far-right Ukrainian Natio ...

Bratstvo Brotherhoods ( uk, братства, bratstva; literally, "fraternities") were the unions of Eastern Orthodox citizens or lay brothers affiliated with individual churches in the cities throughout the Ruthenian part of the Polish–Lithuanian Com ...

. Later "Jesus Christ Hundred" was merged into "Mariypol" Territorial defence battalion (which was created on 3 September 2014 by

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 ...

's City Council) and reformed into "Saint Mary" police battalion * "Shtorm" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Шторм"'') – formed in Odessa oblast * "Sich" police battalion – also known as the Sich Special Volunteer Battalion and named after the

Sich A sich ( uk, січ), or sech, was an administrative and military centre of the Zaporozhian Cossacks. The word ''sich'' derives from the Ukrainian verb сікти ''siktý'', "to chop" – with the implication of clearing a forest for an encampme ...

of the

Zaporozhian 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 ...

, is an all-volunteer unit from Kyiv. The unit was formed by the Svoboda party in June 2014. It was deployed in August 2014 making it the newest defence battalion, it is also the smallest unit composed of 50 volunteers. All volunteers are required to have a military background and the unit was designed for anti-terror operations since its inception. The unit has been deployed to

Sloviansk Sloviansk ( uk, Слов'янськ, Sloviansk ; russian: Славянск, Slavyansk or ; prior to 1784 – Tor) is a city in the Kramatorsk district of the Donetsk region of Ukraine, the administrative center of the Slovyansk urban commun ...

and has been responsible for clearing Russian terrorist cells in the city. On 30 September 2014 the unit supported a crowd of protesters in blocking city hall in a protest after the city's mayor appointed deputies who were associated with

Party of Regions The Party of Regions ( uk, Партія регіонів, Partiia rehioniv, ; russian: Партия регионов, Partiya regionov) was a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine formed in late 1997 that then grew to be the biggest party of U ...

and president

Viktor Yanukovich Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych ( uk, Віктор Федорович Янукович, ; ; born 9 July 1950) is a former politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 until he was removed from office in the Revolution of Di ...

. * "Sicheslav" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Січеслав"'') – formed in Dnepropetrovsk oblast * "Skif" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Скіф"'') – Formed from volunteers in

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 ...

it is an all volunteer special police detachment designed to combat terrorism and is subordinate to the

Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine ( uk, Міністерство внутрішніх справ України, Ministerstvo vnutrishnikh sprav Ukrainy, MVS) is the ministry of the Ukrainian government that oversees the interior af ...

. Although it is a law enforcement unit all volunteers are capable of joining and police training is not required. * "Svityaz" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП " Світязь"'') * "Svyatyi Mykolai" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Святий Миколай"'') – Formed in May 2014 from volunteers out of the

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( uk, Миколаїв, ) is a city and municipality in Southern Ukraine, the administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv city, which provides Ukraine with access to the Black Sea, is the location of the most downriver brid ...

area of Ukraine * "Zoloti Vorota" police battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Золоті Ворота"'') – formed in Kyiv oblast Oleh Odnoroshenko with «Azov» volunteers

In addition, MIA issued an order to form two police battalions in Donetsk oblast ("Donetsk-1" police battalion and "Donetsk-2" police battalion) but they were never formed.

Former special police units

* Azov Battalion (батальйон "Азов") – a volunteer battalion which became notable for its participation on the Battle of Mariupol and controversial as it was formed by members coming from

ultranationalist Ultranationalism or extreme nationalism is an extreme form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains detrimental hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its sp ...

and

neonazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), attack ...

parties. In September 2014, it was expanded into a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

and transferred to the command of the

National Guard of Ukraine The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU; uk, Націона́льна гва́рдія Украї́ни, Natsionalna hvardiia Ukrainy, , ) is the Ukrainian national gendarmerie and Internal Troops, internal military force. It is part of the Minist ...

. * Shakhtarsk battalion (''батальйон ПСМОП "Шахтарськ"'') – A former all volunteer territorial defence battalion of mostly former convicts from Donbas established in Shakhtarsk in June 2014 (because the battalion is reporting to the Interior Ministry its members became formally police officers).Convicts-turned-cops on forefront of Ukraine's battle against Russia

Kyiv Post The ''Kyiv Post'' is the oldest English-language newspaper in Ukraine, founded in October 1995 by Jed Sunden. History American Jed Sunden founded the ''Kyiv Post'' weekly newspaper on Oct. 18, 1995 and later created KP Media for his holdings. ...

(18 February 2015) In October 2014 the unit was disbanded after 50 members of the battalion were accused of looting and hooliganism. The battalion was then resurrected as the "Tornado" police battalion. *

Tornado battalion A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

– After the "Shakhtarsk" police battalion was disbanded in October 2014 after 50 members of the battalion were accused of looting and hooliganism. it was resurrected as the "Tornado" police battalion. The battalion was about 100 people strong and most members were former convicts from Donbas (because the battalion is reporting to the Interior Ministry its members were formally police officers). On 18 June 2015 the unit was disbanded after members were accused of looting, rape and torture. Initially the battalion refused to stop operations and disarm. Former battalion members were accused and arrested for smuggling

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

from territory under separatist control.Commander of volunteer unit detained amid smuggling scandal

(18 June 2015)

References

{{Law enforcement agencies of Ukraine Volunteer military formations of Ukraine Battalions of Ukraine Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ukraine)