The Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment (also known as simply Połk Kalinoŭskaha, the Kalinoŭski Regiment or Bel Warriors), formerly the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Battalion until May 2022, is a group of

Belarusian opposition The Belarusian opposition consists of groups and individuals in Belarus seeking to challenge, from 1988 to 1991, the authorities of Soviet Belarus, and since 1995, the leader of the country Alexander Lukashenko (allied with Vladimir Putin), whom ...

volunteers, which was formed during the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

in order to defend

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

against the Russian invasion in 2022. In March 2022, it was reported that more than a thousand Belarusians have applied to join the unit. According to its own statements, the battalion is not incorporated into the

International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine The International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine, or the Ukrainian Foreign Legion, is a military unit of the Ukrainian Ground Forces composed of foreign volunteers. It was created on 27 February 2022 by the Government of Ukraine, Ukrainian ...

in order to preserve greater autonomy. The unit is named after the Belarusian and Polish national hero Kastuś Kalinoŭski, who was a leader of the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

in 1863 against the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

and

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. The regiment is confirmed to have suffered thirteen killed as of March 2025.

History

Russo-Ukrainian War

2014–2022: War in Donbas

The first foreign volunteer group in Ukraine during the

was the Pahonia Detachment, founded in 2014 during the

war in Donbas The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...

. The following year, the tactical group "Belarus" was formed uniting Belarusian volunteers fighting in different battalions. The Monument to the Belarusians who died for Ukraine in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

is dedicated to the Belarusian volunteers who died during the Russian-Ukrainian War.

2022–present: Russian invasion

On 9 March, the creation of the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Battalion was announced. The battalion is named after Kastuś Kalinoŭski, a 19th-century Belarusian leader of the 1863

against the

. It was reported that as of 5 March 2022, about 200 Belarusians had joined the battalion. The motto of the battalion is "Liberation of Belarus through the liberation of Ukraine," showing the volunteers' wish to also liberate

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

from the

Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (also transliterated as Alyaksandr Ryhoravich Lukashenka; born 30 August 1954) is a Belarusian politician who has been the first and only president of Belarus since the office's establishment in 1994, making hi ...

regime. On 13 March, the deputy commander of the battalion, nicknamed "Tur" (real name Aliaksiej Skoblia), was confirmed killed in the Kyiv offensive when his unit was ambushed. On 13 April, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy posthumously awarded Skoblia the title of

Hero of Ukraine A Hero of Ukraine (HOU; ) is the highest national decoration that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the president of Ukraine. The decoration was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma. As of 6 June 2025, the total number of re ...

"for personal courage and heroism in defending the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, loyalty to the military oath." On 25 March, it was reported the regiment had taken an oath and has been formally admitted to the

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...

. On 29 March, the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Battalion volunteers fought alongside Ukrainian soldiers to recapture

Irpin Irpin (, ) is a city on the Irpin River in Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast, northern Ukraine. It is located next to the capital Kyiv. Irpin hosts the administration of Irpin urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The city has a population o ...

. On 26 March, Dzmitry Apanasovich (call sign "Terror") was killed during fighting in Irpin. On 1 April, it was reported that thousands of volunteers — many of whom were dissidents who had been arrested following the

2020–2021 Belarusian protests The 2020–2021 Belarusian protests were a series of mass Demonstration (political), political demonstrations and protests against the Government of Belarus, Belarusian government and President Alexander Lukashenko. The largest anti-government ...

— had applied to be members of the battalion, but that vetting and equipping these volunteers had created a backlog that slowed down their deployment. On 16 May, a company commander, identified as Pavel "Volat," was reported to have died during the war in Ukraine. The Belarusian newspaper ''

Nasha Niva ''Nasha Niva'' (, lit. "Our field") is one of the oldest Belarusian weekly newspapers, founded in 1906 and re-established in 1991. ''Nasha Niva'' became a cultural symbol, due to the newspaper's importance as a publisher of Belarusian literature ...

'' stated that Volat was the sixth Belarusian fighter killed since the start of the war. Volat was killed attempting to rescue four members of the regiment buried under rubble during the

Battle of Bakhmut The battle of Bakhmut was a major battle between the Russian Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukrainian Armed Forces for control of the city of Bakhmut, during the eastern Ukraine campaign, a theatre of the Russian invasion of Uk ...

. On 21 May, battalion commander, Dzianis Prokharaŭ (call sign "Kit") announced that the

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

would become a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

comprising two separate battalions. This was presented as "a move to the next stage of building a elarusiannational military unit" which "tak sinto account the scale of the tasks facing the Belarusian soldiers". The regiment would consist of three battalions, "Litvin", "Volat", and "Terror." Terror would later split from the Regiment and become an independent unit, the Terror Battalion. On 17 June, it was announced that volunteers of the Regiment received state Ukrainian decorations "For Battle Merit" and "Ukraine Above All". On 26 June 2022, four Regiment fighters were killed in a battle with the Russian armored group near

Lysychansk Lysychansk ( , ; , ; , ) is a city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located on the high right bank of the Donets River, approximately from the administrative center of the oblast, Luhansk. It faces Sievierodonet ...

, Vasyl Grudovik, Vasyl Parfyankov, Vadym Shatrov and Volat Battalion commander, Ivan Marchuk, ''

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

Brest''. Jan "Trombley" Durbeyka and Siarhei "Klesch" Dzogtsev were taken

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

. On 11 July 2022, they were put on the POW exchange list. In September 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus recognized the Internet resources of the regiment as an extremist group. In December 2022, the regiment received a

BMP-2 The BMP-2 (''Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty'', , literally "combat machine/vehicle f theinfantry") is an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, following on from the BMP-1 of the 1960s. Development his ...

armored vehicle, and in January 2023 a captured

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet Union, Soviet main battle tanks that entered production in 1973. The T-72 was a development based on the T-64 using thought and design of the previous Object 167M. About 25,000 T-72 tanks have been built, and refu ...

tank. The regiment announced the formation of the first mechanized unit. On 9 March 2023, the anniversary of the regiment's formation occurred. Soldiers received awards from the Main Intelligence Directorate and the

Rada BNR The Rada of the Belarusian People's Republic (, ) was the governing body of the Belarusian Democratic Republic. Since 1919, the Rada BNR has been in exile where it has preserved its existence among the Belarusian diaspora as an advocacy group p ...

. On 9 June 2023, the regiment met with the

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameralism, unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 Deputy (legislator), deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovn ...

committee "For a Democratic Belarus" to begin cooperating with Ukrainian officials on toppling the current government of Belarus and establishing a free and democratic republic friendly to Ukraine. On 24 June 2023, shortly after the

Wagner Group rebellion On 23 June 2023, the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, staged an uprising against the Russia under Vladimir Putin, Russian government. It marked the climax of the Wagner Group–Russian Ministry of Defence conflict, Wagner Grou ...

ended, the Regiment announced that they have "a large number of reserves in Belarus" and urged the Belarusian population to join them in an unspecified future operation to take control of Belarus. Later that day, in a joint statement with

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya Sviatlana Hieorhiyeuna Tsikhanouskaya (; born 11 September 1982) is a Belarusian political activist. After standing as a candidate in the 2020 presidential election against the president Alexander Lukashenko, she has led the political opposit ...

, the regiment urged the Belarusian population to "wait for the signal" for the commencement of an operation to liberate Belarus. On 15 September 2023, the unit published a video of them walking freely and unopposed through the front-line settlement of

Klishchiivka Klishchiivka, known as Karlivka until 1945, is a village in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located about north by east ( NbE) of the centre of Donetsk and about south-southwest ( SSW) of Bakhmut, it also belongs to Bakh ...

stating that all Russian forces had been pushed out of the settlement as part of the

2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive In early June 2023, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine launched a Counter-offensive, counteroffensive against Russian forces Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, occupying its territory with a goal of breaching the front lines ...

prior to any official statement of the village's liberation. In autumn 2023, the group organized a "Path to Freedom" conference in Kyiv. They spoke to representatives of the Belarusian Democratic Force about the war. In November 2024, Vasily Veremeychik was extradited from Vietnam to Belarus. This was after a request for asylum was denied by Lithuania because of his prior service in the Belarusian military.

Structure

As of 2024 the regiment's structure is as follows: * Regimental HQ and HQ Company * 1st Infantry Battalion "Litvin" * 2nd Infantry Battalion "Volat" * 4th Infantry Battalion "KAŚCIUŠKA" * Kosciuszko "Western" Unit * Training company * MP service * Tactical Group "Kryutsov" ** Aerial Reconnaissance and Adjustment ** FPV Unit ** Long-range Reconnaissance **Mortar Battery * Engineering platoon * Medical service * Technical support platoon * Financial service Former units include: * 3rd Infantry Battalion "Terror"

Oath

Belarusian volunteers joining the regiment swear an oath upon joining. It was written by members of the battalion and first presented on March 25, Belarusian

Freedom Day Freedom Day may refer to any of the following days: National and international * National Religious Freedom Day on 16 January in the United States, to commemorate the adoption of Thomas Jefferson's landmark Virginia Statute for Religious Freedo ...

Belarus! My Motherland! I swear to free and defend You where I am now and where the fate of Your liberation will lead me. Fight to victory for Your freedom, as our ancestors fought against the Ordinian oppression of the Muscovites near
Orsha Orsha (; , ; ) is a city in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the fork of the Dnieper, Dnieper River and Arshytsa River, and it serves as the administrative center of Orsha District. As of 2025, it has a population of 101,662. History ...
,
Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...
, Polonka. It is merciless to chase the rootless people of Your lands, as they chased the warriors of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...
and the Belarusian nobility, the scythemen of Kościuszko and the rebels of Kalinoŭski, the soldiers of the People's Republic and the partisans of the Resistance. Defend the blood of Your nation, the power of Your land and the divine spirit of Your existence. In the ranks of free brothers and in captivity, in the homeland and in exile, in battle and in the underground, let my hands grip the weapons until the gallows finish squeezing the necks of Your sons. Let the clang of my shutter not stop until the clang of the bars is heard behind the backs of Your heroes. Let me have enough life to take revenge for all your tortured, raped and killed children. Until the last shine of Your rivers in my eyes, while the trample of the Chase is heard in my heart. Live for You, die for You, and revive Your greatness. Long live Belarus! Live forever!

Reactions

The battalion has been featured on public posters in Kyiv to illustrate Ukrainian-Belarusian military ties. White-red-white_flag_of_the_Belarusian_diaspora_in_Ukraine

White-red-white_flag_of_the_Belarusian_diaspora_in_Ukraine

The creation of the battalion was endorsed by

leader

, who noted that "more and more people from Belarus join to help Ukrainians defend their country". Belarusian president

Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (also transliterated as Alyaksandr Ryhoravich Lukashenka; born 30 August 1954) is a Belarusian politician who has been the first and only president of Belarus since the office's establishment in 1994, making hi ...

, an ally of Russian president

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

, called the volunteers "crazed citizens". On 26 March, Deputy Head of the

GUBOPiK Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption is a directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus, founded in 1992. Serves as one of the state security services of Belarus. It has been accused of numerous acts of polit ...

of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus Mikhail Bedunkevich stated that a criminal case had been instituted in Belarus against 50 people from the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Battalion for participating in an armed conflict in a foreign state. In August 2022, Ivonka Survila, Chairman of the Council of the BNR, expressed her support for the regiment after speaking to members in Kolin. In November 2022, the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

adopted a resolution expressing its support for the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment. On September 25, 2024, the

Supreme Court of Belarus The Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus is the highest-tier court inside of Belarus and acts as the final "court of review." Its general tasks include the oversight of lower-tier courts and it can render justice in areas of general civil an ...

, due to efforts of Belarus' Prosecutor General Andrey Shved, recognized the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment as a terrorist organization. In 2025, the Belarusian authorities sentenced five members of the Kalinoŭski Regiment

in absentia ''In Absentia'' is the seventh studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released on 24 September 2002. The album marked several changes for the band, with it being the first with new drummer Gavin Harrison and the f ...

to long prison terms and large fines.

Commemorations and honors

Rivne Rivne ( ; , ) is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the Rivne Raion (district) within the oblast.

, a street was named after Kastuś Kalinoŭski. in honor of the Belarusian volunteers. On 12 April 2022, deputy commander Alyaksei Skoblya, was posthumously awarded the "

" medal. On 17 June, several fighters of the regiment were awarded medals for "combat merit" and putting "Ukraine above all." One volunteer, Zmitser Apanasovich, was posthumously awarded a medal for "combat merit." On 1 February 2023, members of the regiment were given medals for combat merit. The ceremony took place on 9 March, and was the first known ceremony of awarding Belarusian state awards for bravery on the battlefield since the time of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. On 8 September, the council of the BNR gave awards to fourteen Belarusian volunteers, including members of the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment. Among these, Miroslav Lozovsky was also posthumously awarded the Order of the Pahonia. On 14 March 2025, the Regiment was awarded with "For Our Freedom and Yours" Steel Cross.

Notable members

* Vadzim Kabanchuk, undersecretary battalion commander, one of the founders of the civic youth organization

Zubr Zubr may refer to: *Żubr or Zubr, the name in several Slavic languages for the wisent or European bison (''Bison bonasus'') *Zubr (political organization), a civic youth organization in Belarus *''Zubr'', a novel by Daniil Granin * TOZ-55 "Zubr", ...

* Aliaksiej Skoblia * Pavel Shurmei, former Belarusian Olympic rower and world record holder * , chairman of the

Young Front Young Front (, МФ, ''MF'') is a Belarusian youth movement registered in the Czech Republic, a member of the European Democrat Students. , it was the largest youth organisation of Belarus declaring democratic orientation; a pro-Western, right- ...

Notes

References

External links

*
Official Telegram channel

Official Website of the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment

Instagram of the Regiment

Facebook of the Regiment

X of the Regiment

YouTube of the Regiment
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kastus Kalinouski Regiment 2022 establishments in Ukraine Belarusian armies in exile Military units and formations established in 2022 Belarus in the Russo-Ukrainian War Regiments of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine