The 26th National Guard Battalion is a battalion of the

National Guard of Ukraine The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU; , ; /NHU ) is the Ukrainian national gendarmerie and internal military force. It is part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, responsible for public security. Originally created as an agency under the dire ...

tasked with protection of public law and order and the protection of Ukrainian territorial integrity. It was established in 2000 and is garrisoned in

Kremenchuk Kremenchuk (; , , also spelt Kremenchug, ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The city serves as the administrative center of Kremenchuk Raion and Kremenchuk urban hromada within ...

History

It was established on 18 October 2000 in

as a part of the

Internal Troops of Ukraine The Internal Troops of Ukraine (; ), abbreviated VV (), were a uniformed gendarmerie and Internal Troops in Ukraine. They were subordinate to the Chief Directorate of Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ukraine), Ministry of Internal Affairs (the count ...

to control the situation and maintain public order in Kremenchuk and Molodizhne amidst increasing crime rates. In 2014, it was transferred to the

and took part in the

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

. During 2017, the Battalion saw three deployments in the

ATO zone Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone (), or ATO zone (), was a term used by the media, public, the government of Ukraine, and the OSCE and other foreign institutions to identify Ukrainian territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (oblasts) under the c ...

engaging in direct combat, protection of strategic objectives from UAVs and transport Protection in

Volnovakha Volnovakha ( Ukrainian and Russian: , , ; ) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Volnovakha Raion within the oblast. As of January 2022, it had a population of The train station is a railway h ...

and

Avdiivka Avdiivka (, ; , ) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The city is located in the centre of the oblast, just north of the regional centre, Donetsk. The large Avdiivka Coke Plant is located in Avdiivka. The city had a population of before th ...

.10 років на захисті України – кременчуцькі нацгвардійці вітають своїх побратимів
/ref> In July 2017, it was reported that the Battalion would be reformed into a regiment, which was officially confirmed in early 2018. On 26 September 2017, the Kremenchuk Technical Carbon Plant personnel repaired the barracks of the Battalion. Following the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, the Battalion took part in direct engagements with Russian troops in the beginning but gradually shifted their role to protection of important sites in

Poltava Oblast Poltava Oblast (), also referred to as Poltavshchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of central Ukraine. The capital city, administrative center of the oblast is the city of Poltava. Most of its territory was par ...

. It saw combat during the

Eastern Ukraine campaign Ukraine's easternmost oblasts, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv, have been the site of an ongoing theatre of operation since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The battle of Donbas was a major offensive in the easter ...

with a soldier (Yevhenii Kalish) being killed on 23 February 2023, in

Kreminna Kreminna (, ) is a city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, it served as the administrative center of former Kreminna Raion. Its population was estimated at as of January 2022. Following the Russian invasio ...

Luhansk Oblast Luhansk Oblast (; ), also referred to as Luhanshchyna (), is the easternmost Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the n ...

. On 23 March 2024, the guardsmen of the battalion downed a Russian UAV over

Structure

* 1st Patrol Company * 2nd Patrol Company * 3rd Patrol Company * Automobile Company * Combat and Logistical Support Company * Cynological Group * Medical Center

Commanders

* Colonel Viktor Mykolayovych Golovchenko (2001–2004) * Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Vasyliovych Khomenko (2004–2009) * Colonel Viktor Mykolayovych Golovchenko (2009–2010) * Colonel Oleksandr Genadiyovych Alenin (2010–2018) * Lieutenant Colonel Shulga Evgeny Vyacheslavovych (2018–2020) * Lieutenant Colonel Dovhalyuk Oleg Pavlovich (2020-)

Sources

*
Батальйону Нацгвардії України в/ч 3059 на день народження подарували «Нісан»

Територію для техніки отримали. КРЕМЕНЧУЦЬКІ НАЦГВАРДІЙЦІ ЗБІЛЬШУЮТЬ СВІЙ ШТАТ ДО ПОЛКУ

Кременчук. День відкритих дверей в в/ч 3059

Зустріч бійців ВЧ 3059 (НЧ_13_05_15)

Кременчуцькі нацгвардійці знову відправляються в зону АТО — Громадське. Кременчук

Бійці Нацгвардії повернулися зі Слов'янська до Кременчука — Кременчуцьке Громадське ТБ

Notes

References

{{Reflist Military units and formations established in 2000 2000 establishments in Ukraine Military units and formations of Ukraine in the Russian invasion of Ukraine Military units and formations of Ukraine in the war in Donbas Battalions of the National Guard of Ukraine