Territorial Defense Brigades
After the invasion of the Russian occupation forces in the eastern regions of Ukraine in 2014, it became clear to many that without a reliable defense in the rear, the protection of the state is impossible. There are many examples in the world where the state divides the functions of its defense between the regular army and territorial defense units. The latter are real combat units that can respond quickly to a threat. Such countries include, in particular, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland. Until 2014, the territorial defense of Ukraine had a battalion structure - one battalion per region. After the Russian invasion and intensification of hostilities in the east of the state, the Territorial Defense Battalions, which took on the main burden of the fighting in 2014-2015, were included in the Land Forces. This raised the question of forming a new structure of territorial defense.
By 2015 there were still many of them: Aidar, Donbass, Dnipro, Azov, Kyiv-1, Right Sector - and this is not the whole list. At the same time, if some battalions are officially assigned to the National Guard or cooperate with the state (they receive uniforms, uniforms, food), then the status of some of them was completely blurred. On the one hand, their fighters do not have the legal right to carry and use weapons. On the other hand, the effectiveness of operations, the morale and resilience of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine largely depend on them.
Such battalions did not receive any support from the state, but in case of injury or death of a soldier, relatives are helped from the funds of the organization itself. 90% of military equipment, medicines and food are provided by volunteers.
Weapons had to be obtained in battle. Some brought their own from home. Barter is also common, when weapons are exchanged from other battalions or regular units for necessary things: products, trophies, ammunition from "Voentorgov". Naturally, there is no need to talk about any tanks, armored personnel carriers and BMPs. Mostly, the guys travel in minibuses and private cars without license plates. Pickup trucks with machine guns on the roof are in particular demand in battalions. Maneuverability and mobility allow to easily and quickly move around the city, enter the rear of the enemy. Naturally, all this is multiplied by the patriotism and bravery of the crew.
Many checkpoints are located on key roads in the ATO zone in Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Closer to the front line, Ukrainian checkpoints replace separatist checkpoints. In some places, the distance between them does not exceed one kilometer.
Each checkpoint had its own rules. The closer to the combat zone, the stricter they are. All cars without exception are inspected, passengers get out on demand and present their documents, answer the questions of soldiers and volunteers at checkpoints. Recently, there have been more frequent cases when a minibus simply pulls up to checkpoints, from which armed militants get out and shoot.
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