The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the

military forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

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 ...

. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the

president of Ukraine The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

and subject to oversight by a permanent

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 ...

parliamentary commission. They trace their lineage to 1917, while the modern armed forces were formed again in 1991. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are the fifth largest armed force in the world in terms of both active personnel as well as total number of personnel with the eighth largest ( 14th largest) defence budget in the world, and it also operates one of the largest and most diverse drone fleets in the world. Due to the ongoing

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 ...

, the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been described as "the most battle-hardened in Europe," but has suffered many casualties. Ukraine's armed forces are composed of the Ground Forces, the

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

, the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

, the Air Assault Forces, the

Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

, the

Special Operations Forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

, the

Unmanned Systems Forces The Unmanned Systems Forces ( USF, ) is a Military branch, branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Armed Forces of Ukraine that specializes in drone warfare and the use of unmanned military robots on Land warfare, land, Naval warfare, sea, and Ae ...

, and the Territorial Defense Forces. Ukraine's navy includes its own

Naval Aviation Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of Military aviation, military air power by Navy, navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. It often involves ''navalised aircraft'', specifically designed for naval use. Seab ...

. The Sea Guard is the

coast guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...

service of Ukraine, and it is organized as part of the Border Guard Service, not subordinate to the navy. The

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

serves as a

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

reserve component of the Armed Forces. Military units of other countries have participated regularly in multinational military exercises in Ukraine. Many of these exercises have been held under the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

cooperation program

Partnership for Peace The Partnership for Peace (PfP; ) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) program aimed at creating trust and cooperation between the member states of NATO and other states mostly in Europe, including post-Soviet states; 18 states are ...

. As of 2024, with over $120 billion in foreign military aid in addition to being one of the best-funded armed forces in the world, the Soviet era

military equipment A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are fast being replaced with vast amounts of NATO standard military equipment.

History

The formation of the national armed forces in the modern sense dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century and coincides with the formation of the modern Ukrainian nation. In official history, this period is referred to as the "

Ukrainian War of Independence The Ukrainian War of Independence, also referred to as the Ukrainian–Soviet War in Ukraine, lasted from March 1917 to November 1921 and was part of the wider Russian Civil War. It saw the establishment and development of an independent Ukr ...

" or the "First Liberation Struggle." This process coincided with the end of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and the subsequent collapse of great European empires from previous centuries. The forerunner event was the creation of national military formations in the Imperial and Royal Armies of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, namely the Legion of

Ukrainian Sich Riflemen Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen (; ) was a Ukrainian unit within the Austro-Hungarian Army during the First World War. Scope The unit was formed in August 1914 on the initiative of the Supreme Ukrainian Council. It was composed of members o ...

, on which Ukrainian paramilitary organizations in Galicia were based: Sich Sports and Fire Brigade, " Sokil" and the national scout organization "

Plast The Plast National Scout Organization of Ukraine (), commonly called Ukrainian Plast or simply , is the largest Scouting organization in Ukraine. History First Era: 1911–1920 Plast was founded in Lviv (Lwów, Lemberg), Austro-Hungarian Ga ...

". After the upheavals of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and on the verge of the collapse of empires, the Ukrainians tried again to return to sovereign statehood. As part of the growing disintegration in the ranks of the

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

, national units began to form. After the Bolshevik coup,

hybrid warfare Hybrid warfare was defined by Frank Hoffman in 2007 as the emerging simultaneous use of multiple types of warfare by flexible and sophisticated adversaries who understand that successful conflict requires a variety of forms designed to fit the goa ...

broke with the

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

and the White Guard. During the undeclared war, the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic had already formed, but its formation was interrupted by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

administration. It continued in a limited form after the establishment of

Hetman of Ukraine The Hetman of all Ukraine () was the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian State in 1918. History The position of Hetman of the Zaporizhian Host, also known as the "Hetman of all Ukraine", was established in 1648 during the Khmel ...

Pavlo Skoropadskyi Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi (; – 26 April 1945) was a Ukrainian aristocrat, military and state leader, who served as the Hetman of all Ukraine, hetman of the Ukrainian State throughout 1918 following a 1918 Ukrainian coup d'état, coup d'éta ...

Ukrainian State The Ukrainian State (), sometimes also called the Second Cossack Hetmanate, Hetmanate (), was an Anti-communism, anti-Bolshevik government that existed on most of the modern territory of Ukraine (except for Western Ukraine) from 29 April to 14 ...

, known as the econdHetmanate. The national armed forces continued to develop. The Armed Forces of the Ukrainian state were planned in a more systematic way than in previous versions, although previous development was used in this process, and many mistakes were also made. Uprisings against the Hetmanate's rule eventually resulted, and the reorientation of the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

who lost in World War I against the Entente, which in turn supported the White Guard movement and 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 ...

as its original ally. Simultaneously with these events, after the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917, numerous military formations were formed on Ukrainian lands, including detachments of the

Free Cossacks Free Cossacks () were Ukrainian Cossacks that were organized as volunteer militia units in the spring of 1917 in the Ukrainian People's Republic. The Free Cossacks are seen as precursors of the modern Ukrainian national law enforcement organiz ...

, Makhno's

Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine The Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine (; RIAU), also known as ''Makhnovtsi'' (), named after their founder Nestor Makhno, was an Anarchism, anarchist army formed largely of Ukrainians, Ukrainian peasants and workers during the Russian C ...

, and the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

Red Cossacks. The latter became the basis of the puppet armed forces of the UkrSSR, and after the occupation of the

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, as a result of the February Revolution, ...

were included in the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. After the collapse of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

in 1918, the

Ukrainian Galician Army The Ukrainian Galician Army ( UGA; ), was the combined military of the West Ukrainian People's Republic during and after the Polish-Ukrainian War. It was called the "Galician army" initially. Dissatisfied with the alliance of Ukraine and Polan ...

came to the defense of the

Western Ukrainian People's Republic The West Ukrainian People's Republic (; West Ukrainian People's Republic#Name, see other names) was a short-lived state that controlled most of Eastern Galicia from November 1918 to July 1919. It included major cities of Lviv, Ternopil, Kolom ...

, based on the formation of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen of the former Austro-Hungarian Army. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Ukrainians tried to regain independence and organized armed units and formations, including the

Ukrainian Insurgent Army The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (, abbreviated UPA) was a Ukrainian nationalist partisan formation founded by the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) on 14 October 1942. The UPA launched guerrilla warfare against Nazi Germany, the S ...

, but all of them were destroyed by Soviet authorities within a few years after the war, and Ukrainians were again forced to serve in the

Soviet Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

Origins of the post-1992 Ukrainian Armed Forces

By 1992, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had been completely inherited from the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, in which Ukraine had been a member state (a

union republic In the Soviet Union, a Union Republic () or unofficially a Republic of the USSR was a constituent federated political entity with a system of government called a Soviet republic, which was officially defined in the 1977 constitution as "a ...

). Like other Soviet republics, it did not possess its own separate military command, as all military formations were uniformly subordinated to the central command of the Soviet Armed Forces. Administratively, the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

was divided into three Soviet military districts (the

Carpathian Military District The Red Banner Carpathian Military District (, ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces during the Cold War and subsequently of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the early Post-Soviet period. It was established on 3 May 1946 on the ...

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, ...

Military District Military districts (also called military regions) are formations of a state's armed forces (often of the Army) which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters ...

, and

Odesa Military District The Odessa Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military administrative division of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This district consisted of Moldavia and five Ukrainian oblasts of Odesa (then spelled ''Odessa''), Mykolaiv, Kherson, Crimea an ...

). Three Soviet air commands and most of the

Black Sea Fleet The Black Sea Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, along with other Russian ground and air forces on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, are subordin ...

naval bases were located on the coast of Ukraine. Majority of the officers were educated in Soviet educational institutions, many of them which came under the AFU, what is now the Ivan Bohun High School was actually a Soviet-established institution. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the newly independent state of Ukraine inherited one of the most powerful force groupings in Europe. According to an associate of the

Conflict Studies Research Centre The Conflict Studies Research Centre (CSRC) is an independent military and international relations research company based in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commo ...

, James Sherr: "This grouping, its inventory of equipment and its officer corps was designed for one purpose: to wage combined arms, coalition, offensive (and nuclear) warfare against NATO on an external front". At that time, the former Soviet armed forces in the

included the 43rd Rocket Army, the 5th, 14th 17th and 24th Air Armies of the

Soviet Air Forces The Soviet Air Forces (, VVS SSSR; literally "Military Air Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"; initialism VVS, sometimes referred to as the "Red Air Force") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Sovie ...

, an air-defense army ( 8th Air Defence Army), three regular armies, two tank armies, the 32nd Army Corps, and the

. Altogether the Armed Forces of Ukraine included about 780,000 personnel, 6,500 battle tanks, about 7,000 armored vehicles, 1,500 combat

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

, and more than 350 ships of the former Soviet Navy. Along with their equipment and personnel, Ukraine's armed forces inherited the battle honors and lineage of the Soviet military forces stationed in Ukraine, as well as

Guards unit Guards units () were elite units and formations in the Soviet Armed Forces that continue to exist in the Russian Armed Forces and other post-Soviet states. These units were awarded Guards status after distinguishing themselves in wartime service ...

titles for many formations. However, due to the deterioration of Russian-Ukrainian relations and the continued stigma of being associated with the Soviet Union, in 2015 President Poroshenko ordered the removal of most of the citations awarded during the Soviet era to formations of the Armed Forces and other uniformed organizations. In February 1991, a parliamentary Standing Commission for Questions of Security and Defense was established. On 24 August 1991, the Ukrainian parliament (the

), in adopting the

Declaration of Independence of Ukraine The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine was adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR (''Verkhovna Rada'') on 24 August 1991.Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. On 3 September 1991, the Ministry of Defence commenced its duties. On 22 October 1991 units and formations of the Soviet Armed Forces on Ukrainian soil were nationalized. Subsequently, the Supreme Council of Ukraine adopted two Laws of Ukraine on 6 December 1991 regarding the creation of the Armed Forces (this is marked as Armed Forces Day), and Presidential Decree #4 "About Armed Forces of Ukraine" on 12 December 1991. The government of Ukraine surrendered any rights of succession to the Soviet Strategic Deterrence Forces (see

Strategic Missile Troops The Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or the Strategic Missile Forces of the Russian Federation (RVSN RF; ) is a separate combat arm of the Russian Armed Forces that controls Russia's land-based intercontinental ballistic miss ...

) that were staged on the territory of Ukraine. Recognizing the complications of a smooth transition and seeking a consensus with other former members of the Soviet Union in dividing up their Soviet military inheritance, Ukraine joined ongoing talks that started in December 1991 regarding a joint military command of the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization, regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an ar ...

. Inherent in the process of creating a domestic military were political decisions by the Ukrainian leadership regarding the country's non-nuclear and international status. Among these were the definition, agreement, and ratification of the 1990

Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe The original Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) was negotiated and concluded during the last years of the Cold War and established comprehensive limits on key categories of conventional military equipment in Europe (from the Atl ...

(CFE), which not only established the maximum level of armament for each republic of the former USSR, but also a special ceiling for the so-called CFE "Flank Region" – included in this region were Ukraine's

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( ), also known as Nikolaev ( ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and a hromada (municipality) in southern Ukraine. Mykolaiv is the Administrative centre, administrative center of Mykolaiv Raion (Raions of Ukraine, district) and Myk ...

Kherson Kherson (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , , ) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-bui ...

and

Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia, formerly known as Aleksandrovsk or Oleksandrivsk until 1921, 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. Zaporizhzhia ...

oblasts, and the

Autonomous Republic of Crimea The Autonomous Republic of Crimea is a ''de jure'' administrative division of Ukraine encompassing most of Crimea that was unilaterally annexed by Russia in 2014. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea occupies most of the peninsula,1992 Tashkent Treaty, which laid out aspirations for a Commonwealth of Independent States military. However, this collective military proved impossible to develop because the former republics of the USSR all wished to go their own way, ripping the intricate Soviet military machine into pieces. Ukraine had observer status with the

Non-Aligned Movement The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 121 countries that Non-belligerent, are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. It was founded with the view to advancing interests of developing countries in the context of Cold W ...

of nation-states from 1996. However, due to the

2014 Russian aggression against Ukraine The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia occupied and annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then supported Russian paramilitaries who began a war in the eastern Donbas re ...

, the

repealed this status in December 2014.

List of the Soviet military formations on territory of Ukraine in 1989–1991

* Ground forces Military Districts 3/14: Kiev, Carpathian, Odessa ** Combined-arms armies (3/21): 1st Guards Army (25th Guard MR division, 47th MR division, 72nd Guards MR division, 41st Guards T division), 13th Army (24th MR division, 51st Guards MR division, ~~83rd Guards MR division~~, 97th Guards MR division, 161st MR division), 38th Army (17th Guards MR division, 70th Guards MR division, 128th Guards MR division), 14th Guards Army (partially) (''all armies were honored by the Soviet Red Banner award'') ** Army corps (2/18): 32nd Army Corps (126th MR division, 157th MR division), ~~64th Army Corps~~ (disbanded in 1989) *** Motor-Rifle divisions (19/131): 28th Guards MR division, 36th MR division, ~~46th MR division~~ (disbanded in 1989), 66th Guards Training MR division, 92nd Guards Training MR division, 180th MR division *** Air-borne divisions (8): 98th Guards A/b division (partially, moved to Kostroma) ** Artillery corps (1/1): 66th Artillery Corps *** Artillery divisions (3/11): 26th A division, 55th A division, 81st A division ** Tank armies (2/6): 6th Guards Army (17th Guards T division, 42nd Guards T division, 75th Guards Heavy T division), 8th Army (23rd Training T division, 30th Guards T division) (''all armies were honored by the Soviet Red Banner award'') *** Tank divisions (8/49): 48th Guards Training T division, 117th Guards Training T division * Air Force armies (4/18): 5th Air Army (119th Aviation Fighter division, partially), 14th Air Army (4th Aviation Fighter division, 289th Bomber Aviation division), 17th Air Army, 24th Air Army of the Central Command Reserve (32nd Bomber Aviation division, 56th Bomber Aviation division, 138th Aviation Fighter division), 46th Air Army of the Commander-in-Chief (partially, 13th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation division, 15th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation division, 106th Heavy Bomber Aviation division) *** Air Force divisions (10/47): 6th Guards Aviation Transport division, 7th Aviation Transport division, *201st Heavy Bomber Aviation division (partially) * Separate armies of the Air Defense Troops (1/11): 8th Army (1st division, 9th division) ** Air Defense corps (3/23): 28th Air Defense Corps, 49th Air Defense Corps, 60th Air Defense Corps *** AD divisions (2/16) * Rocket armies (1/6): 43rd Army (19th R division, 37th Guards R division, 43rd Guards R division, ~~44th R division~~, 46th R division) *** Rocket divisions (5/34) ---- ** Railroad troops (1/5): 2nd Railroad Corps

Arms control and disarmament

Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited two divisions of the

Strategic Rocket Forces The Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or the Strategic Missile Forces of the Russian Federation (RVSN RF; ) is a military branch, separate combat arm of the Russian Armed Forces that controls Russia's land-based intercontinenta ...

' 43rd Rocket Army (HQ

Vinnytsia Vinnytsia ( ; , ) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug. It serves as the administrative centre, administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast. It is the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. It also s ...

): *the 19th Rocket Division ( Khmelnytskyi) (90

UR-100N The UR-100N, also known as RS-18A, is an intercontinental ballistic missile in service with Soviet and Russian Strategic Missile Troops. The missile was given the NATO reporting name SS-19 Stiletto and carries the industry designation 15A30. Dev ...

/SS-19/RS-18) and *the 46th Rocket Division at

Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv Oblast Pervomaisk (, ; ) is a city in Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Pervomaisk Raion within the oblast. It is located on the Southern Bug River which bisects the city. Pervomaisk also hosts the administration of Per ...

, equipped with 40 SS-19 and 46 silo-mounted RT-23 Molodets/SS-24s. While Ukraine had physical control of these systems, it did not have operational control. The use of the weapons depended on Russian-controlled electronic

Permissive Action Link A permissive action link (PAL) is an access control security device for nuclear weapons. Its purpose is to prevent unauthorized arming plug, arming or Nuclear chain reaction, detonation of a nuclear weapon. The United States Department of Defens ...

s and the Russian command and control system. SS20 irbm

Ukraine voluntarily gave up these and all other nuclear weapons during the early 1990s. This was the first time in history that a country voluntarily gave up the use of strategic nuclear weapons, although

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

was dismantling its small tactical nuclear weapons program at about the same time. Ukraine had plentiful amounts of highly

enriched uranium Enriched uranium is a type of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 (written 235U) has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Naturally occurring uranium is composed of three major isotopes: uranium-238 (23 ...

, which the United States wanted to buy from the

Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology The National Science Center Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT) (), formerly the Ukrainian Physics and Technology Institute (UPTI) is the oldest and largest physical science research centre in Ukraine. Today it is known as a scienc ...

. Ukraine also had two

uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...

mining and processing factories, a

heavy water Heavy water (deuterium oxide, , ) is a form of water (molecule), water in which hydrogen atoms are all deuterium ( or D, also known as ''heavy hydrogen'') rather than the common hydrogen-1 isotope (, also called ''protium'') that makes up most o ...

plant and technology for determining the isotopic composition of

fissionable In nuclear engineering, fissile material is material that can undergo nuclear fission when struck by a neutron of low energy. A self-sustaining thermal chain reaction can only be achieved with fissile material. The predominant neutron energy in ...

materials. Ukraine possessed deposits of uranium that were among the world's richest. In May 1992, Ukraine signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I), in which the country agreed to give up all

nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...

s and to join the

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperatio ...

as a non-nuclear weapon state. Ukraine ratified the treaty in 1994, and as of 1 January 1996, no military nuclear equipment or materials remained on Ukrainian territory nor even were operated by the AFU. On 13 May 1994, the United States and Ukraine signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Transfer of Missile Equipment and Technology. This agreement committed Ukraine to the

Missile Technology Control Regime The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is a multilateral export control regime. It is an informal political understanding among 35 member states that seek to limit the proliferation of missiles and missile technology. The regime was formed ...

(MTCR) by controlling

exports An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an ...

missile A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...

-related equipment and technology according to the MTCR Guidelines. Ukraine and

estimate that 2.5 million tons of conventional ammunition were left in Ukraine as the Soviet military withdrew, as well as more than 7 million rifles, pistols, mortars, and machine guns. The surplus weapons and ammunition were stored in over 180 military bases, including in bunkers, salt mines and in the open. As of 2014, much of this surplus had not been scrapped. Ukrainian Navy 1st Company Marine

Attempt at reforms and constant fund shortages

Ukraine's first military reforms began in December 1996, with the adoption of a new "State Program for the Building and Development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine". One aspect of it was to shrink the standard combat unit from division size to brigade size, which would then fall under the command of one of the three newly created military districts: * the Western Operational Command, * the Southern Operational Command, and the largest * the Northern Operational/Territorial Command. Only Ukraine's 1st Airmobile Division was not downsized. This downsizing occurred purely for financial reasons, with the Ukrainian economy in recession this was a way to shrink the government (defense) expenditure and at the same time to release hundreds of thousands of young people into the private sector to stimulate growth. During this time Ukraine's military-industrial complex also began to develop new indigenous weapons for the armed forces like the T-84 tank, the BMP-1U, the BTR-3, KrAZ-6322, and the Antonov An-70. All these reforms were championed by Leonid Kuchma, the second President of Ukraine, who wanted to retain a capable military and a functioning military-industrial complex on the basis of a mistrust for Russia, stating once "The threat of Russification is a real concern for us". The cancellation of the modernization program left a question of how to provide jobs in the military industrial complex which then comprised a double-digit percentage of the GDP. Export of new and modernized weapons on the world's arms markets was settled on as the best option, where Ukraine both tried to undercut the contracts of the Russian arms industry – offering the same service for a cheaper price, and was willing to sell equipment to whoever was willing to pay (more than once to politically unstable or even aggressive regimes), causing negative reactions from both Western Europe and the United States federal government. During this time 320 T-80 tanks were sold to Pakistan and an unfinished Soviet aircraft carrier the Russian cruiser Varyag (1983), Varyag, today known as the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning. Though the military was well-equipped, it still experienced lack of funds particularly for training and exercises, which led to a number of incidents. In one. the Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 of 2001 and the Sknyliv airshow disaster of 2002, but the military's effectiveness was demonstrated in the 2003 Tuzla Island conflict, Tuzla Island Conflict. Ukrainian military tactics and organization heavily depended on Cold War tactics and former

organization. Under former President Yushchenko, Ukraine pursued a policy of independence from Russian dominance, and thus tried to fully integrate with the West, specifically NATO. Until the Euromaidan crisis of 2014, Ukraine retained tight military relations with Russia, inherited from their common Soviet history. Common uses for naval bases in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Crimea and joint air defense efforts were the most intense cooperative efforts. This cooperation was a permanent irritant in bilateral relations, but Ukraine appeared economically dependent on Moscow, and thus unable to break such ties quickly. After the election of President Viktor Yanukovych, ties between Moscow and Kyiv warmed, and those between Kyiv and NATO cooled, relative to the Yushchenko years.

Russo-Ukrainian War (2014–present)

In March 2014, following the Revolution of Dignity and the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, the government of Ukraine announced a new military service, the National Guard of Ukraine. Previously, a National Guard had existed up to 2000, so the 2014 NG was a reformation of the one raised in 1991, but this time formed part of the Internal Troops of Ukraine. In May 2014, when Russian aggression started in the eastern regions, a helicopter with 14 soldiers on board, including General Serhii Kulchytskyi, Serhiy Kulchytskiy, who headed combat and special training for the country's National Guard, was brought down by militants near Sloviansk in East Ukraine. Outgoing President Oleksandr Turchynov described the downing as a "terrorist attack," and blamed pro-Russian militants. In the early months of the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Armed Forces were widely criticised for their poor equipment and inept leadership, forcing Internal Affairs Ministry forces like the

and the Territorial defence battalion (Ukraine), territorial defence battalions to take on the brunt of the fighting in the first months of the war. In late July 2015, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry revealed the new Ukrainian Armed Forces uniform designs, and later a revised rank insignia system was created. These made their national debut on 24 August 2016, at the National Independence Day Silver Jubilee parade in Independence Square,

. From the early 1990s, the Armed Forces had numerous units and formations with

decorations dating back to the Second World War or earlier. Due to the Decommunization in Ukraine, decommunization process in Ukraine, all these decorations were removed from unit titles and regimental colours by 15 November 2015 to cease promotion and glorification of the Soviet symbols. Ukraine had retained a number of

s, also following a Soviet tradition. A list can be seen at List of guards units of Ukraine. On 22 August 2016, the "Guards" titles were removed from all unit and formation names. Only one brigade, the 51st, a former Guards unit, had been dissolved the year before. By February 2018, the Ukrainian armed forces were larger and better equipped than ever before, numbering 200,000 active-service military personnel and most of the volunteer soldiers of the territorial defence battalions had been integrated into the official Ukrainian army. In late 2017-early 2018 the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that human rights abuses allegedly committed by Ukrainian security forces and armed groups remained an ongoing issue of the War in Donbas (2014–2022), war in Donbas that erupted in 2014. The nature of the alleged crimes ranged from unlawful or arbitrary detention to torture, ill-treatment, and sexual violence. Within the reporting period of 16 November 2017 to 15 February 2018 the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) monitoring mission documented 115 cases of credible allegations of human rights violations committed by both sides of the conflict since 2014. On 1 February 2022, the Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) were formed as the new branch of the Armed Forces. The TDF serves as a military reserve force which is formed by volunteers who are mobilized for local defense. The branch is an expansion of the old Ukrainian territorial defence battalions, territorial defence battalions system established in 2014.

Ukraine and NATO membership

Ukraine's stated national policy is Atlanticism, Euro-Atlantic integration, with the European Union. Ukraine has a "Distinctive Partnership" with NATO (see Enlargement of NATO) and has been an active participant in

exercises and in peacekeeping in the Balkans. This close relationship with

has been most apparent in Ukrainian cooperation and combined peacekeeping operations with its neighbor Poland in Kosovo. Ukrainian servicemen also served under NATO command in Iraq, Afghanistan and in Operation Active Endeavour."Relations with Ukraine,"
as updated May 10, 2024,

, retrieved June 19, 2024 Former President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko had asked for Ukrainian membership by early 2008. During the 2008 Bucharest summit, NATO declared that Ukraine could become a member of NATO at Ukraine's discretion and when it met the criteria for accession. His successor, Viktor Yanukovych, considered the level of co-operation between Ukraine–NATO relations, Ukraine and NATO sufficient.NATO confirms readiness for Ukraine's joining organization
, ''Kyiv Post'' (April 13, 2010) Yanukovych, however, opted to keep Ukraine a non-aligned state. This was formalised on June 3, 2010, when the Verkhovna Rada excluded, with 226 votes, the goal of "integration into Euro-Atlantic security and NATO membership" from the country's national security strategy. Amid the Euromaidan unrest, Yanukovych fled Ukraine in February 2014. The interim First Yatsenyuk government, Yatsenyuk Government which came to power, initially said, with reference to the country's non-aligned status, that it had no plans to join NATO.Deschytsia states new government of Ukraine has no intention to join NATO
, Interfax-Ukraine (29 March 2014) However, following the Russo-Ukrainian War and 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, parliamentary elections in October 2014, the new government made joining NATO a priority. On 23 December 2014, the Verkhovna Rada renounced Ukraine's Neutral country, non-aligned statusUkraine has no alternative to Euro-Atlantic integration – Ukraine has no alternative to Euro-Atlantic integration – Poroshenko
, Interfax-Ukraine (23 December 2014)Ukraine Ends 'Nonaligned' Status, Earning Quick Rebuke From Russia
, The Wall Street journal (23 December 2014) that "proved to be ineffective in guaranteeing Ukraine's security and protecting the country from external aggression and pressure".Spotlight: Scrapping non-aligned status paves Ukraine's way to NATO, fuels Russia's wrath
. Xinhua News Agency. Published on 2014-12-24. The Ukrainian military is since transforming to Standardization Agreement, NATO standards. Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk stated early February 2016 that ''de facto'' the Armed Forces must, soon as possible, begin its transition for Ukrainian entry into NATO and towards NATO-capable armed forces.Yatseniuk: Ukrainian army to switch to contract service, de facto become part of NATO
, Interfax-Ukraine (11 February 2016) During the Russian buildup on the border in 2021, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a renewed call to Western powers for NATO membership, but was ultimately unsuccessful. Volodymyr Zelensky 2019 presidential inauguration 18

Volodymyr Zelensky 2019 presidential inauguration 18

However, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO military logistics, military logistical support, including a wide array of arms and ammunition, was rapidly provided by NATO countries, and continued to the present (mid-2024) -- with commitments for its indefinite continuance—and NATO officials and member states' leaders began to declare that Ukraine's eventual membership in NATO was expected following conclusion of the war."Nato boss Jens Stoltenberg says Ukraine to join bloc in 'long term',"
February 28, 2023, BBC News, retrieved June 19, 2024"Nato summit: Ukraine's future membership to be discussed by leaders in Vilnius,"
July 10, 2023, BBC News, retrieved June 19, 2024"Ukraine war: Nato pledges more advanced air defences to Kyiv,"
April 19, 2024, BBC News, retrieved June 19, 2024"Ukraine Welcomes Pledges of More Military Aid With Cautious Optimism,"
June 14, 2024, ''The New York Times,'' retrieved June 19, 2024 In 2023, Ukraine's defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, described Ukraine as, essentially, a "''de facto''" member of NATO, with the expectation that "in the near future" Ukraine would become an actual "''de jure''" member of NATO."Ukraine defence minister: We are a de facto member of Nato alliance,"
January 13, 2023, BBC News, retrieved June 19, 2024

Russian invasion of Ukraine

On Thursday, 24 February 2022, the Russian Armed Forces invaded Ukraine. The Ukrainian Armed Forces and its auxiliary and wartime-affiliated organizations, have participated in many of the combat actions of the current conflict. Alongside the combat actions, the influx of Western weapons and materiel to the Armed Forces from NATO member armed forces, Post-Soviet states, ex-Soviet stock from many Eastern European nations as well as captured Russian tanks, armed vehicles and other weapons have also resulted in an ongoing modernization and expansion of the forces at large. the total personnel was 200,000 (including 41,000 civilian workers). Conscription was stopped in October 2013; at that time the Ukrainian armed forces were made up of 40% conscripts and 60% contract soldiers. Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov reinstated conscription in May 2014.Ukraine reinstates conscription as crisis deepens
, BBC News (1 May 2014) In early 2014, Ukraine had 130,000 personnel in its armed forces, which could be boosted to about one million with reservists. There were a reported total of 250,800 personnel in the Armed Forces in 2015. In July 2022, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated that the Armed Forces had an active strength of 700,000; Reznikov also mentioned that with the Border Guard, National Guard, and police added, the total comes to around one million. Following the Revolution of Dignity, Ukraine adopted a military doctrine focusing on defense against Russia and announced Ukraine's intentions for closer relations with

armed services, most especially if it joins the organization in the future. In June 2022, Davyd Arakhamia, Ukraine's chief negotiator with Russia, told ''Axios'' that between 200 and 500 Ukrainian soldiers were Casualties of the Russo-Ukrainian War, killed every day during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In August 2023, ''The New York Times'' quoted unnamed U.S. officials as saying that up to 70,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed and 100,000 to 120,000 wounded. In April 2024, President Zelenskyy signed a new Mobilization in Ukraine, mobilization law to increase the number of troops. From 2023, desertion is punishable by up to 12 years in prison. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, more than 100,000 criminal cases for desertion were initiated by the end of November 2024.

Structure

The law 'On the Foundations of National Resistance' establishes the following structure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: * General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine * Joint Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine * services of the UAF ** Ground Forces **

* separate branches of the UAF ** Special Operations Forces (Ukraine), Special Operations Forces Command ** Territorial Defense Forces (Ukraine), Territorial Defense Command ** Logistical Forces Command ** Support Forces Command ** Medical Forces Command * separate troop arms of the UAF ** Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, Air Landing Assault Troops Command ** Signals and Cyber-Security Troops Command * organs of military command and control, formations and units, which are separate from the services, branches and arms

Ministry of Defence

The following establishments and institutions fall directly under MoD subordination: Structures directly subordinated to the Ministry of Defence (Ukraine), Ukrainian Ministry of Defence Ukrainian Ministry of Defence Apparatus, Kyiv * Main Intelligence Directorate * Security Service of the MoD * Main Inspection * Defence Policies Directorate * Defence Information Policies and Strategic Communications Directorate * Military Education and Science Department * Military Technical Policies, Development and Military Weaponry and Equipment Department * Internal Audit department * Military Policies and Strategic Planning Department * State Purchases and Deliveries of Material Resources Department * Information Organisation Works and Control Department * Personnel Policies Department * International Defence Co-operation Department * Social and Personnel Policies Support Department * Financial Department * Judicial Support Department * Military Representations Directorate * Anti-Corruption Directorate * State Secrets Security Directorate * Press and Information Directorate * Physical Culture and Sport Directorate * Control Measures Coordination Unit * Mobilization Preparedness Unit * State Aviation Scientific Development Institute, Kyiv * State Scientific Test Center of the AFU (MU А4444), Honcharivsk, Chernihiv Oblast * Central Scientific Research Institute of the AFU (MU А0202), Kyiv * Central Military Weaponry and Equipment Scientific Research Institute of the AFU (MU А4566), Kyiv * Scientific Research Center of the Missile and Artillery Troops (MU А????), Sumy, Sumy Oblast * Scientific Research Center for Humanitarian Matters of the AFU (MU А2350), Kyiv * Central Directorate for Acquisition and Delivery of Material Supplies of the AFU, Kyiv * Codification Bureau (MU А2387), Kyiv * Military Delegations of the MoU

Chief of the General Staff

The Chief of the General Staff (Ukraine), Chief of the General Staff oversees the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The following units fall under the direct supervision of the General Staff: Apparatus [Office] of the Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kyiv Office of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kyiv Units directly subordinated to the General Staff of the AFU: * Joint Forces Command (MU А0135), Kyiv * Main Command Center of the AFU (MU А0911),

* Back-up Command Center of the AFU (MU А3258), Radomyshl, Zhytomyr Oblast * 15th Airborne Command and Control Center of the General Staff of the AFU (MU А0905),

, Vinnytsia Oblast * Main Directorate for Moral and Psychological Support of the AFU, Kyiv * Main Directorate for Military Cooperation and Verification of the AFU, Kyiv * Central Military Security Directorate, Kyiv * Directorate for Career Development of NCO Personnel, Kyiv * 101st Separate Security Brigade of the General Staff '''Henadii Vorobiov, Colonel-General Henadii Vorobiov (МУ А0139), Kyiv * other units and establishments directly under the General Staff of the AFU Military Educational Establishments and Units (directly under the MoD) * National Defense University of Ukraine, Kyiv * Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Military Institute of the ''Taras Shevchenko'' National University of Kyiv, Kyiv * Zhytomyr Military Institute '''Sergei Korolev, Zhytomyr, Zhytomyr Oblast ** 190th Training Center, Huyva, Zhytomyr Oblast * Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, Military Judicial Institute of the ''Yaroslav Mudryi'' National Law University, Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast * Ivan Bohun Military High School, Kyiv Military High School '''Ivan Bohun, Kyiv

Ukrainian Ground Forces

As of 2016, there were a reported 169,000 personnel in the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine resulted in massive increases in personnel numbers; Defence Minister Reznikov stated the armed forces had a strength of 700,000 in July 2022, not counting the border guard, national guard, or police. The Ukrainian Ground Forces are divided into Armoured Forces (Ukraine), Armoured Forces and Mechanized Infantry (Ukraine), Mechanized Forces, Ukrainian Army Aviation, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence and Rocket Forces and Artillery (Ukraine), Rocket and Artillery Troops. There are 13 mechanized brigades and two mountain warfare brigades in the Mechanized Forces. Ukraine also has two armoured brigades. There are also seven rocket and artillery brigades. Until 2013, the Ground Forces were divided into three army corps. These were disbanded in 2013 and reorganized as Operation Command West, Operation Command North and Operation Command South. Operation Command East was formed in 2015 to coordinate forces in the War in Donbas (2014–2022), war in Donbas.

Air Force

Naval Service

According to a 2015 ''Kyiv Post'' report, the Ukrainian Navy consisted of 6,500 servicemen, Marine Corps included at that time. In 2023 the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially announced the separation of the Ukrainian Marine Corps from the Navy and thus declared its independence as a service branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Air Assault Forces

Special Forces

Communications and Cybernetic Security Forces

The Communications and Cybernetic Security Troops Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (:uk:Командування Військ зв'язку та кібернетичної безпеки Збройних Сил України, ''Командування Військ зв'язку та кібернетичної безпеки Збройних Сил України'') is a separate joint forces command under the General Staff since 5 February 2020. Signals and Cybernetic Security Troops Command (MU А0106), Kyiv * Main Command Post of the Signals and Information Systems (MU А2666), Kyiv * Main Center for Information and Telecommunications Systems Security Control (MU А0334), Kyiv * Main Information and Telecommunications Nod (MU А0351), Kyiv * 1st Separate Field '''Proskurov-Chernivtsi Offensive, Proskurov Signals Nod (MU А0565), Kyiv * 3rd Separate Signals Brigade (MU А0415), , Kyiv Oblast * 8th Separate Signals Regiment (MU А0707), Haisyn, Vinnytsia Oblast * 330th Central Nod of the Feldjaeger-Postal [Field Courier] Service (MU А0168), Kyiv * 1899th Central Base for Repair and Overhaul of Special Signals Equipment (MU А0476), Kyiv training establishments and units * Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technologies (MILTIT) '''Battle of Kruty, Heroes of Kruty, Kyiv * Military College for NCO Personnel of the MITIA, Poltava, Poltava Oblast * 179th Joint Education and Training Center of the Signals Troops (MU А3990), Poltava, Poltava Oblast under other services and troops * Signals and Information Systems Center of the Joint Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kyiv * Signals and Information Systems directorates directly reporting to headquarters of AFU service branches

Unmanned Systems Forces

Support Forces

Since 1 January 2022, the support forces have the status of a separate joint branch under the General Staff. Support Forces Command (Military Unit Number А2330), Kyiv * Central Directorate of the Corps of Engineers of Ukraine (MU А0107), Kyiv ** 20th Arsenal of the Corps of Engineers (MU А0543), Olshanytsia, Kyiv Oblast and Nizhyn, Chernihiv Oblast ** 47th Engineer Brigade (MU А2755), Dubno, Rivne Oblast *** 301st Road Traffic Control Battalion *** 304th Road Traffic Control Battalion ** 48th Combat Engineer '''Kamianets-Podilskaya Brigade (MU А2738), Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast *** 11th Pontoon-Bridging Battalion *** 308th Engineer Technical Battalion *** 309th Engineer Technical Battalion *** 310th Engineer Technical Battalion *** 311th Engineer Technical Battalion *** 321st Engineer Battalion ** 70th Support Regiment (MU А0853), Bar, Ukraine, Bar, Vinnytsia Oblast ** 107th Road Maintenance Center (MU А1519), Dubno, Rivne Oblast ** 808th Support Regiment (MU А3955), Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Odesa Oblast Oblast ** 3046th Central Base for Engineer Ammunitions (MU А2647), Malynivka, Kharkiv Oblast, Malynivka, Kharkiv Oblast ** Center for Special Engineering Works (MU А1333), Kyiv * Central Directorate of the CBRN defense, Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defence Troops of the AFU (MU А0108), Kyiv ** CBRN Surveillance and Analysis Center, Kyiv ** 704th Regiment of Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Protection (MU А0807), Sambir village, Lviv Oblast ** 536th Central Base for Repair and Maintenance of CBRN Defence Equipment (MU А0312), Seleshtina-1, Poltava Oblast * Central Directorate of the Radio-Electronic Warfare Corps of Ukraine (MU А0159), Kyiv ** 55th Special EW Center (MU А0766), Kyiv and Brovary, Kyiv Oblast * Central Directorate for Military Topography and Navigation of the Armed Forces (MU А0115), Kyiv ** 8th Publishing Center of the UAF (MU А0602), Kyiv ** 13th Photogrammetric Center (MU А3674), Odesa, Odesa Oblast ** 16th Planning Center for Navigation Support (MU А1423), Kyiv ** 22nd Military Mapping Unit (MU А1121), Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast ** 64th Topography-Geodesic Center (MU А4127), Shepetivka, Khmelnytskyi Oblast ** 161st Topography-Geodesic Center (MU А2308), Chernivtsi, Chernivtsi Oblast ** 115th Mapping Center (MU А3796), Kotsyubynske, Kyiv Oblast * Hydro-Meteorological Center of the UAF(MU А0204), Kyiv ** Hydro-meteorological units of the ground forces, air force and navy * Training units ** Joint Education and Training Center of the Support Forces (MU А2641), Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast

Logistical Forces

Since 1 January 2022, support forces have the status of a separate joint branch under the General Staff. The logistical forces are mainly organised in two arms – Armaments and Rear Services. Logistical Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (MU А0307), Kyiv * Command Headquarters * Armed Forces Armaments and Ordnance Service (MU А2513) ** Central Support Directorate for Ground Weapons Systems ** Central Support Directorate for Military Equipment ** Central Support Directorate for Weapons of Mass Destruction ** Central Missile Systems and Field and Air Defense Artillery Directorate of the AFU (MU А0120) ** Central Automobile Directorate of the AFU (MU А0119) ** Central Armoured Directorate of the AFU (MU А0174) ** Department for Metrology and Standardization of the AFU (MU А2187) ** directly reporting military formations of the Armaments Service * Rear Services of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (MU А2516) ** Central Support Directorate for Fuel and Lubricants (MU А0125) ** Central Support Directorate for Food Supply of the AFU (MU А0126) ** Central Support Directorate for Material Support of the AFU (MU А0127) ** Central Support Directorate for Resources Supply ** Central Support Directorate for Technical Equipment and Property ** Central Support Directorate for Engineering and Infrastructure ** Central Signals Directorate of the AFU/Signal Corps of Ukraine (MU А0671) ** military units subordinated to the Rear Services

Medical Forces

Since January 1, 2022 the support forces have the status of a separate joint branch under the General Staff. Medical Forces Command (MU А0928), Kyiv * National Military Medical Clinical Center '''Main Military Clinical Hospital, Kyiv ** 71st Mobile Military Hospital (MU А0358), Kyiv ** Military Medical Clinical Center for Professional Patology (MU А2923), Irpin, Kyiv Oblast ** Central Dental Policlinic, Kyiv ** Center for Medical Rehabilitation and Sanatorium Treatment '''Pushcha-Voditsya (MU А1931), Kyiv * Military Medical Clinical Center of the Central Region (MU А????), Vinnytsia, Vinnytsia Oblast ** 59th Mobile Military Hospital (MU А0206), Vinnytsia, Vinnytsia Oblast ** 10th Military Hospital (MU А2339), Khmelnytskyi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast ** 409th Military Hospital (MU А1065), Zhytomyr, Zhytomyr Oblast ** 762nd Military Hospital (MU А3122), Bila Tserkva, Kyiv Oblast ** ?th Military Hospital (MU А3267), Starokonstantyniv, Khmelnytskyi Oblast ** 1314th Medical Storage (MU А1603), Balki village, Vinnytsia Oblast ** Center for Medical Rehabilitation and Sanatorium Treatment '''Khmelnyk (MU А1168), Khmelnyk, Vinnytsia Oblast * Military Medical Clinical Center of the Southern Region (MU A????), Odesa, Odesa Oblast ** 38th Military Hospital (MU А4615), Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast ** 61st Military Hospital (MU А0318), Mariupol, Mariupol Oblast ** 450th Military Hospital (MU А3309), Zaporizhzhia, Zaporizhzhia Oblast ** 1467th Military Hospital (MU А2428), Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv Oblast ** 1644th Medical Storage (MU А4619), Hrushyvka village, Mykolaiv Oblast ** Center for Medical Rehabilitation and Sanatorium Treatment '''Odeskyi, Odesa, Odesa Oblast * Military Medical Clinical Center of the Northern Region (MU А3306), Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast ** 65th Mobile Military Hospital (MU А0209), Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast ** 9th Military Hospital (MU А4302), Desna, Chernihiv Oblast ** 387th Garrison Military Hospital (MU А3114), Poltava, Poltava Oblast ** 407th Military Hospital (MU А3120), Chernihiv, Chernihiv Oblast * Military Medical Clinical Center of the Western Region, Lviv, Lviv Oblast ** 66th Mobile Military Hospital (MU А0233), Lviv, Lviv Oblast ** 376th Military Hospital (MU А1028), Chernivtsi, Chernivtsi Oblast ** 498th Military Hospital (MU А4554), Lutsk, Volyn Oblast ** 1121st Policlinic, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast ** 1129th Garrison Military Hospital (MU А1446), Rivne, Rivne Oblast ** 1397th Military Hospital (MU А1047), Mukachevo, Zakarpattia Oblast ** Center for Medical Rehabilitation and Sanatorium Treatment '''Truskavetskyi (MU А1700), Truskavets, Lviv Oblast * Central Sanitary Epidemiologic Directorate (MU А2417), Kyiv ** 10th Regional Sanitary Epidemiologic Detachment (MU А0972), Kyiv ** 27th Regional Sanitary Epidemiologic Detachment (MU А4502), Odesa, Odesa Oblast ** 28th Regional Sanitary Epidemiologic Detachment (MU А4520), Lviv, Lviv Oblast ** 108th Regional Sanitary Epidemiologic Detachment (MU А4510), Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast ** 740th Regional Sanitary Epidemiologic Detachment (MU А4516), Vinnytsia, Vinnytsia Oblast * Center for Legal Expertise of the MoD, Kyiv * 148th Center for Maintenance and Storage of Medical Equipment (MU А0211), Bila Tserkva, Kyiv Oblast * 149th Center for Maintenance and Storage of Medical Equipment (MU А0503), Berdychiv, Zhytomyr Oblast * 150th Center for Maintenance and Storage of Medical Equipment (MU А1209), Tokmak, Zaporizhzhia Oblast * 151st Center for Maintenance and Storage of Medical Equipment (MU А2554), Terentyivka, Poltava Oblast * 2160th Central Medical Storage (MU А1382), Mankhivka, Cherkasy Oblast * 4962nd Central Medical Storage (MU А1952), Kyiv Training establishments and units * Ukrainian Military Medical Academy, Kyiv Medical forces under other services and arms * Medical departments of service branches of the AFU and support formations

Military Police

Administrative structure: * Main Directorate of the Military Police (MU А0880), Kyiv, and territorial forces: ** Central Directorate (direct responsibility over Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast) (MU А2100), Kyiv ** Western Territorial Directorate (direct responsibility over Lviv Oblast) (MU А0583), Lviv, Lviv Oblast ** Southern Territorial Directorate (direct responsibility over Odesa Oblast) (MU А1495), Odesa, Odesa Oblast ** Eastern Territorial Directorate (direct responsibility over Dnipropetrovsk Oblast) (MU А2256), Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

Personnel

Education and schools

Independence Day military parade in Kyiv 2017 08

A number of universities have specialized military institutes, such as the Faculty of Military Legal Studies at Kharkiv's Yaroslav Mudryi National Law Academy of Ukraine. The primary Ukrainian military academies are: * Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Ground Forces Academy, Lviv * Odesa Military Academy, Odesa * , Mykolaiv * Ivan Kozhedub National Air Force University, Kharkiv In addition the National Defense University of Ukraine is in

. The Central Hospital of the Armed Forces is located in

. The armed forces' military high school is located in

– the Ivan Bohun Military High School.

Contract service

In 2017 more than 14 thousand people signed up for contract service with the Armed Forces. For participating in the War in Donbas (2014–2022), war in Donbas, (in May 2017 7.5 thousand) soldiers on the front line receive an average salary of Ukrainian hryvnia, ₴16,000. The minimum maintenance for a contract soldier is ₴7,000. West Ukraine supplies the fewest military contractors.The Defense Ministry told which areas of shortage of recruits
, Ukrayinska Pravda (30 May 2017)

Conscription

Role of women

Women have been allowed to serve in combat units since 2016.War has a female face
, UNIAN (4 August 2016) According to Defense Ministry figures early June 2016 some 49,500 women served in and worked in the Ukrainian military; more than 17,000 were military servicewomen, of which more than 2,000 officers. In 2020, 58,000 women served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.Fifty-eight thousand women serving in Ukrainian army
, Ukrinform (26 November 2020) By 2024, that number has increased to 62,000, with at least 5,000 of those in combat roles. Women have also joined the various volunteer Territorial defence battalions (Ukraine), territorial defense battalions before the order for women's integration in the armed forces was enacted. Women are eligible to be drafted into the military as officers. In 2009 women comprised almost 13% of the armed forces (18,000 personnel) but with few females holding high rank (2.9% or 1,202 women). Contractual military service accounted for almost 44% of women. However, this being closely linked to the low salary of such positions: men refuse to serve in these conditions while women accept them. For the first time in 27 years, a battalion of 120 female military personnel, comprising cadets from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Taras Shevchenko National University Military Institute and the Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technologies, participated in the Kyiv Independence Day Parade in August 2018. Their appearance as they marched along Khreshchatyk was greeted with loud applause from the spectators. In September 2018, legislation was passed to make both women and men equal in the military and law enforcement agencies. The following month Liudmyla Shuhalei, the head of the Military Medical Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine, became Ukraine's first female general.Ukraine appoints its first female general
, Kyiv Post (14 October 2018) Since 2019, the Ivan Bohun Military High School accepts both male and female cadets. Nadiya Savchenko is perhaps one of the most well-known female Ukrainian soldiers, and was held as a prisoner in Russia from July 2014 until May 2016.

Paramilitary forces

Although not components of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, these militarized institutions are supposed to come under the Armed Forces' command during wartime. Such was the case in the 2022 Russian invasion, as these organizations, as stated below, were thus affiliated under Armed Forces command. *National Guard of Ukraine (Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ukraine), Ministry of Internal Affairs): 60,000 ** Special operation formations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, i.e. Omega, Scorpion (nuclear sites security), Tytan, and others. Most of Felidae-named formations (such as Bars, Jaguar, others) along with Berkut were reformed. * State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Border Guard: 42,000 (including 8,000 civilian workers) ** Ukrainian Sea Guard – the

within the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine * Various military troops of the Security Service of Ukraine, SBU (no generic name): 30,000 * Civil Defence Forces (State Emergency Service of Ukraine): 10,218 (including 668 civilian workers) * Special Transportation Service of Ukraine – (Ministry of Transportation and Communications)

Recent operations

Ukraine has been playing an increasingly larger role in peacekeeping operations. Since 1992, over 30,000 soldiers have taken part in missions in the former Yugoslavia (IFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNPROFOR and UNTAES in Croatia, KFor in Kosovo), the Middle East (Southern Lebanon, Kuwait, Iraq), and Africa (Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia). Ukrainian troops—as part of the former Soviet Armed Forces contingent—participated in UNPROFOR in 1992, and in the summer of that year were involved into the civil war in Yugoslavia. On 3 July 1992, the

adopted a resolution committing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to UN peacekeeping missions. The Ministry of Defense (Ukraine), Minister of Defense, Kostyantyn Morozov, ordered the creation of the 240th Separate Special Battalion (UKRBAT-1) which was based on the 93rd Guards Motor Rifle Division (now the 93rd Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine), 93rd Mechanized Brigade). Soon after arrival in Sarajevo on 31 July 1992, the battalion's artillery ended up in the middle of a mutual mortar fight between the Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Muslims. One of the Serbian shells hit the Ukrainian position, seriously wounding seven soldiers, one of whom died after hospitalization in Germany. Since 1997, Ukraine has been working closely with NATO and especially with Poland. A Ukrainian unit was deployed as part of the multinational force in Iraq under Poland, Polish command. Ukrainian troops are also deployed as part of the Polish-Ukrainian Peace Force Battalion, Ukrainian-Polish Battalion (UKRPOLBAT) in Kosovo. The total Ukrainian military deployment around the world as of 1 August 2009 was 540 servicemen participating in 8 peacekeeping missions. Ukrainian military in Iraq

In the 2003 Iraq War, from 2003 to 2006, Ukraine supplied one of the largest contingents of troops to the Multi-National Force – Iraq, Multinational Force, sending over 1,600 troops to Iraq and neighboring Kuwait. Thereafter, Ukraine kept around 40 personnel in Iraq until 2008. In all, over 5,000 Ukrainians served in Iraq, with 18 killed in action, and more injured."Kuchma trades troops for respectability,"
July 3, 2003, ''The Guardian,'' retrieved June 17, 2024Foliente, Rodney, Sgt. (2nd BCT, 4th Inf. Div., U.S. Army)
"Ukrainians complete mission in Iraq,"
December 11, 2008, U.S. Army, retrieved June 17, 2024 The first battle of a regular formation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces happened on 6 April 2004, in Kut, Iraq, when the Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent was attacked by militants of the Mahdi Army. The Ukrainians took fire, and over several hours held the objectives they had been assigned to secure before surrendering the city to Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011), insurgents. Since gaining independence, Ukraine has deployed troops to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, as well as dedicating peacekeepers to UN missions to Africa (including helicopter units). Ukrainian naval units also participated in anti piracy operations off the coast of Somalia prior to being recalled due to the 2014 Russian intervention in Ukraine. On 19 January 2015, Ukraine's 18th separate helicopter detachment along with other MONUSCO troops carried out a successful operation eliminating 2 camps belonging to illegal armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Deployment outside Ukraine

* : (United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, MONUSCO) – 12 Experts on Mission and four Mi-24 helicopters * : (Kosovo Force, KFOR) – 128 Soldiers * : (United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK) – 1 Military Liaison Component Chief of Staff, 1 liaison officer * : (United Nations Mission in Liberia, UNMIL) – 277 Contingent Troops, 2 Experts on Mission * : (Transnistria) – 10 Military Observers * : (United Nations Mission in Sudan, UNMIS) – 9 Experts on Mission * (20)

Annexation of Crimea by Russia

On 2 March 2014, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were placed on full alert following a Russian military invasion of Crimean Peninsula, Crimea. On 19 March 2014, Ukraine drew plans to withdraw all its troops and their families to the mainland "quickly and efficiently".

Traditions

*On 9 August 2018, President Petro Poroshenko announced that the battle cry ''Slava Ukraini, Glory to Ukraine'' will be the official greeting of the armed forces, replacing the Soviet era military greeting of ''Hello Comrades'' (''Вітаю товариші'', ''Vitayu tovaryshi''). The greeting was first used during the Kyiv Independence Day Parade that year celebrating the centennial of the Ukrainian state. It is also the official greeting of the National Police of Ukraine.Rada approves salute 'Glory to Ukraine' in Ukrainian army
, Interfax-Ukraine (4 October 2018) *The Central House of Officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is the cultural center of the Ukrainian military located in

. Since its recent reorganization, it has become one of the leading cultural centers in the Ukrainian capital. It served as a concert hall for military officers in the Aftermath of World War II, post-war years, during which the whole city of Kyiv was in ruins and there were practically no audience halls. It has hosted the National Military History Museum since October 1995. *The Ukrainian Army unveiled its current uniform on Independence Day in 2016. The new uniforms were modeled on British and Polish military styles and incorporate details from the uniforms worn by the Ukrainian People's Army.Fashion statement: Ukrainian troops debut post-Soviet uniforms
, The Washington Times (25 August 2016) The cap includes an insignia of a Ukrainian Cossack grasping a cross. Although mainly designed for the ground forces, other branches based their new uniforms off of the update. Prior to 2016, the uniforms were based on the Soviet military precedent. *The military uses the Soviet goose step, goosestep (originated from Prussia that under the orders of King Frederick the Great) with the speed of the step being 75 steps per minute and elements of the marching pace of the Sich Riflemen. *When in the present arms (command), present arms position, all unit colors are required to dip. *The S. Tvorun arrangement of the ''Zaporizhian March'' has been used in the ZSU since 1991 when it replaced ''Farewell of Slavianka'' in being performed during recruiting days, when new servicemen are welcomed to the Armed Forces and recite their enlistment oaths.

Budget

In 2017, Ukraine's National Security Strategy foresaw that its National Security and Defense budget should be at least 5% of Ukraine's GDP.Ukraine to allocate $6.3 bln for security, defense in 2018 – Poroshenko
, UNIAN (14 September 2017)
Parliament approved the 2018 state budget
, Ukrayinska Pravda (7 December 2017) On 21 December 2016, the Verkhovna Rada adopted its 2017 National Security and Defense budget worth $5.172 billion; that being 5% of Ukraine's GDP. In 2016 defense expenditures amounted to $4.4 billion, or 5% of the GDP.Ukrainian military budget to reduce likelihood of separatist attacks in Donetsk and Luhansk, improve infrastructure security
, IHS Jane's 360 (2 December 2015)"Ukraine to spend 3% of GDP on defense in 2017: Finance minister"
UNIAN (13 August 2016) This (2016 figure) was a 23% increase from 2013 and a 65% increase from 2005. From the total, 60% was budgeted to be spent on defence and 40% on security and policing. 2016 also saw a 30% increase in weapons development spending. By 2014, corruption in Ukraine, corruption, historically widespread in Ukraine, combined with small budgets left the military in such a depleted condition that their ability to confront the crisis in Crimea and the Donbas was minimal. All Ukrainian defence sectors were heavily affected by systemic corruption which is hindering its capacity to ensure national security. In addition, it undermined popular trust in the military as an institution. Despite great effort to resolve the issue there were signs that enough is not being done. The Ukrainian government launched major structural reforms of the army to meet NATO Standardization Office, NATO standards by 2020, but few believed that it could successfully meet the deadline. Some of the problems remained intact, for example: lack of civilian and parliamentary control of the armed forces, lack of internal coordination between different departments, poor integration of volunteers into the regular army, impunity and abusive behavior of military personnel in conflict zones and systemic corruption and opacity of financial resources, especially in the Ukroboronprom defense-industry monopoly. In 2018, the military budget grew dramatically, to nearly 5% of GDP. Corruption remained a serious problem operating at all levels of Ukrainian society, and the lack of modern military organizational structure confounded efforts at reform. By 2022, some reforms had been made.

Budget per year

(Defense budget only, not "Security and Defense" combined) * 2003: $1.01 billion (₴5.06 billion @5.0 exchange rate) * 2004: $1.29 billion (₴6.46 billion @5.0 exchange rate) * 2005: $1.23 billion (₴6.16 billion @5.0 exchange rate) * 2006: $1.47 billion (₴7.35 billion @5.0 exchange rate) * 2007: $2.12 billion (₴10.6 billion @5.0 exchange rate) * 2008: $1.78 billion (₴8.926 billion @5.0 exchange rate) * 2009: $0.93 billion (₴7.4 billion @8.0 exchange rate) * 2010: $1.63 billion (₴13.1 billion @8.0 exchange rate) * 2011: $1.82 billion (₴14.6 billion @8.0 exchange rate) * 2012: $2.05 billion (₴16.4 billion @8.0 exchange rate) * 2013: $1.88 billion (₴15.3 billion @8.1 exchange rate) * 2014: $1.37 billion (₴15.1 billion @11.0 exchange rate) * 2015: $1.91 billion (₴40.2 billion @21.0 exchange rate) * 2016: $2.11 billion (₴56 billion) * 2017: $2.65 billion (₴69 billion) * 2018: $3.2 billion (₴83.3 billion) * 2019: $4.08 billion (₴102 billion) * 2020: $5.2 billion (₴130 billion) * 2021: $4.9 billion (₴121.7 billion) * 2022: $8.3 billion (₴340.1 billion) * 2023: $31.03 billion (₴1.1 trillion) * 2024: $64.8 billion (₴2.4 trillion) * 2025: $53.7 billion (₴2.2 trillion) "Security and Defense" combined budget apart from Department of Defense (Defense Ministry) for Armed Forces of Ukraine, also includes expenses for Police, Customs, and Border Control.

Military holidays

These are the military holidays observed by all service personnel in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. * 6 May - Day of the Mechanized Infantry * 23 May – Marine Corps Birthday * 8 July – Air and Air Defence Forces Day * First Sunday in July – Navy Day (Ukraine), Navy Day;Ukrainian Navy to celebrate its holiday on first Sunday of July – decree
, Interfax-Ukraine (12 June 2015) From 1997 until 2011 this day was celebrated on August 1 * 8 August – Signal Corps Day * 7 September – Chief directorate of intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Military Intelligence Forces DayToday, Ukrainian military intelligence officers celebrate their professional holiday
Ukrinform (7 September 2020) * 9 September – Armored Force (Ukraine), Armoured Forces Day * 14 September – Mobilized Servicemen Day * 1 October – Defenders Day (Ukraine), Defenders of Ukraine Day * 29 October – Finance Officers Day * 3 November – Rocket Forces and Artillery (Ukraine), Rocket Forces and Artillery Day * 3 November – Corps of Engineers Day * 21 November – Air Assault Forces Day * 6 December – Armed Forces Day; festive fireworks and salutes take place in various cities in Ukraine The holiday was established in 1993 by the

. * 12 December – Ground Forces Day * 23 December – Operational Servicemen Day

Veterans

Ukraine provides combat veterans with a range of benefits. Ukrainians who served in World War II, the Soviet–Afghan War, or as Liquidator (Chernobyl), liquidators at the Chernobyl disaster are eligible for benefits such as monthly allowances, discounts on medical and pharmacy services, free use of public transportation, additional vacation days from work, retention priority in work layoffs, easier access to loans and associated approval processes, preference when applying for security related positions, priority when applying to vocational schools or trade schools, and electricity, gas, and housing subsidies. Veterans are also eligible to stay at military sanatoriums, space permitting. Since gaining independence, Ukraine has deployed troops to Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, gaining a new generation of veterans separate from those who have served in the Soviet forces. Most recently, the government passed a law extending veteran benefits to Ukrainian troops responding to the war in Donbas. Moreover, veterans from other nations who move to or reside in Ukraine may be eligible for some of the listed benefits, this provision was likely made to ensure World War II, Chernobyl, and Afghanistan veterans from other Soviet states who moved to Ukraine received similar benefits, however as Ukraine has participated in numerous NATO-led conflicts since its independence, it is unclear if NATO veterans would be extended these benefits. Veteran groups are not as developed as in the United States, which has numerous well known national organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars. World War II veterans, and even persons who have lived through the war are generally treated with the highest respect. Other veterans are not as well known. Ukrainian veterans from the Soviet–Afghan War are strikingly similar to the Vietnam War veterans of the United States. The Soviet Union generally kept the public in the dark through the war, and it has often been labeled as a mistake by the Soviet Union and its successor states. The lack of media coverage and censorship through the war also ensured that many still remain unaware of their nation's involvement in the conflict. Despite Ukraine having the third-largest contingent of troops in Iraq in 2004, few also realize that their nation has many veterans of the Iraq War. Due to the ongoing conflict with Russia, another generation of veterans has appeared in Ukraine. These veterans would be eligible for the same benefits as all others. However, as there was no official declaration of war, it was difficult to determine the cut-off date for veteran benefits, leaving many that participated at the beginning of the conflict without benefits. At first, Ukraine only gave benefits posthumously to family members, as there was no legal framework to account for the veterans, moreover, members of territorial defense battalions were not eligible for benefits at all. In August, a law was passed granting all service members participating in the war in Donbas the status of veterans, five months after first hostilities broke out in Crimea, the territorial defense battalions were integrated into the National Guard making them part of Ukraine's forces, thus allowing their volunteers to receive veteran status. Veterans of the war in Donbas are eligible for receiving apartments (if staying in active duty) or a land plot for building purposes of 1,000 sq. metres in the district of their registration. On 22 November 2018, the Ministry for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine was officially established.Ukraine parliament appoints Markarova, Friz ministers
, UNIAN (22 November 2018)

Military industrial complex

Ukraine received about 30% of the Soviet military industry, which included between 50 and 60 percent of all Ukrainian Company, enterprises, employing 40% of its working population. Ukraine was a leader in

-related technology, navigation electronics for combat vessels and submarines, guidance systems, and radar for military Jet aircraft, jets, heavy armoured vehicles. The military-technical policy in the field of development and modernization of weapons and military equipment provides the Central Scientific Research Institute of Armament and Military Equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.Igor Chepkov
Key problems in the protection of the defense-industrial complex of Ukraine
"

Notes

References

External links

* Official Website of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense
in English
an
in Ukrainian
*
Viysko Ukrayiny
' – Ministry of Defense' ''Army of Ukraine'' magazine * Ukraine Defence White Book
2005200620072013201420152016

"Defense-Express" specialized news agency
(a project of Ukrainian "Center for Army Conversion and Disarmament Studies" NGO; subscription needed for most of the material) * Alexander J. Motyl, , World Affairs, 3 February 2016.
''Ukrainian Army'' military history magazine
(including info on insignia and military museums) * Leonid Polyakov, Polyakov was a former deputy defence minister. In this 2013 work, Polyakov said corruption was compromising the performance of Ukraine's defense forces. The author identifies corruption within and outside of the defense agencies and said this corruption has impacted the professionalization of the army, its human resource management, procurement, peacekeeping activities and fiscal management. Unlawful use of military infrastructure through provision of business services for illegal reward became a widespread phenomenon. * Information on Ukrainian military human and weapons resources. {{Authority control Military of Ukraine, Ministry of Defence (Ukraine)

History

Origins of the post-1992 Ukrainian Armed Forces

List of the Soviet military formations on territory of Ukraine in 1989–1991

Arms control and disarmament

Attempt at reforms and constant fund shortages

Russo-Ukrainian War (2014–present)

Ukraine and NATO membership

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Structure

Ministry of Defence

Chief of the General Staff

Ukrainian Ground Forces

Air Force

Naval Service

Air Assault Forces

Special Forces

Communications and Cybernetic Security Forces

Unmanned Systems Forces

Support Forces

Logistical Forces

Medical Forces

Military Police

Personnel

Education and schools

Contract service

Conscription

Role of women

Paramilitary forces

Recent operations

Deployment outside Ukraine

Annexation of Crimea by Russia

Traditions

Budget

Budget per year

Military holidays

Veterans

Military industrial complex

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links