Editor's Note: This Kyiv Post+ article is part of the newspaper's special coverage of Russia's war against Ukraine and the aftermath of the EuroMaidan Revolution.The infographic was published in Slovo i Dilo website and it is reprinted with permission.
The truce that was achieved on Sept. 5 has been broken as four Ukrainian servicemen died and 29 injured during the four days of the ceasefire, according to official figures. The prospect of new fighting keeps the nation’s 44 volunteer battalions on its toes.
There are several types of these troops: battalions of territorial defense, made up mostly of local residents to defend their land; special police battalions and the battalions subordinate to the National Guard, also part of the police troops. A few battalions are also under the jurisdiction of the army, and at least one – the Right Sector – is not formally part of any government troops, but coordination actions with commanders of the Anti-Terrorist Operation.
Many of these battalions have emblems. The most common elements on the emblems are swords or other weapons, birds of prey or other noble animals, images of Cossacks and variations on the theme of the national symbol, the trident. Occasionally emblems carry slogans, such as “God is with us” on the emblem of the Aidar battalion.
