| Shkval Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Батальйон Шквал | |
| Active | 2024 – Present |
| Allegiance |  Ukraine |
| Type | Penal military unit |
| Role | Assault troops [1] |
| Size | Unknown |
| Engagements | Russian Invasion of Ukraine |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | "Oleksandr" [2] [3] [4] |
Shkval Battalion is a Ukrainian military unit made up of former convicts. [5] [6] It was formed after the Verkhovna Rada passed Registered draft law No. 11079 which allowed for the mobilization of convicts into the Ukrainian Army. [7] [8]
Members of the battalion are offered wages ranging from $500 to $4,000 per month, depending on time spent on the front line. However, they are required serve in the military until the end of the war. [5] Members of the battalion were then trained by other Ukrainian units. [9] [10] In September 2024, the 59th Brigade's Shkval battalion told reporters that they are making legal requests in order to allow more murderers of various degrees to join their ranks. [11]
Protection for Prisoners of Ukraine leader Oleg Tsvily said that his organization "supports the idea behind the law but the text that was passed is discriminatory". [12] He also raised concerns about convicts being abused by their commanders and used as cannon fodder. [13] [14] Some convicts said that they had only had 20 days of training before being sent to the frontline. [15] [16] [11]
Shkval battalions saw action during the Pokrovsk offensive. [2] Ukrainian media outlets reported that Shkval Battalions fight bravely and made claims that they "destroy Russian forces in large numbers." [3] [17] One officer with the callsign "Kit" spoke with UNN about the 47th Mechanized Brigade's Shkval Battalion where he praised their motivation but said that there were "issues with their upbringing". [4] The unit took part in the defense of the village Druzhba. [18] Yevgeny Alkhimov, an officer of the 28th Mechanized Brigade, praised the soldiers of the brigade's Shkval battalion after an assault on Russia positions northeast of the city of Toretsk saying that the soldiers "showed themselves very well at the tactical level in order to level the positions, to somehow improve our situation. Actually, they stormed enemy positions and repulsed them". [19]
(Nicknamed Alkatraz. Also known as the Specialized Rifle Battalion) [24] {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)