The 8th Separate Special Operations Regiment, or the Special Operations Center "West" (''

Knyaz A , also , ''knjaz'' or (), is a historical Slavs, Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times. It is usually translated into English language, English as 'prince', 'king' or 'duke', depending on specific historical c ...

Izyaslav Mstyslavych''), A0553, is a regiment of 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 ...

. It is headquartered in the city of

Khmelnytskyi Khmelnytskyi (, ) is a city in western Ukraine. Located on the Southern Bug, it serves as the administrative centre of Khmelnytskyi Oblast as well as Khmelnytskyi Raion within the oblast. With a population of Khmelnytskyi is the second-larges ...

, a kind of

Joint Rapid Reaction Force The Joint Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF) was a capability concept of the British Armed Forces from 1999 to 2010. It was a pool of specialised units from all three armed services tasked with Rapid deployment force, rapid deployment worldwide at short ...

s. Since 2014, the regiment has participated in the many battles of the

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 ...

being reformed into a separate special operations center in 2022.

History

Establishment

After the

Dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

, the 8th Special Brigade of the Red Army was subordinated to the

Ukrainian Ministry of Defence The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine () is the ministry of the Ukrainian government that oversees national defence and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The head of the ministry is the Minister of Defence. The President of Ukraine is the Supreme Co ...

. In September 2003, the unit was reformed from a brigade to the 8th separate special purpose regiment (A0553).

Foreign Deployment

Since February 18, 2004, a platoon of the unit was deployed for peacekeeping operations in

Wasit Governorate Wasit Governorate () is a governorate in eastern Iraq, south-east of Baghdad and bordering Iran. Prior to 1976 it was known as Kut Province. Major cities include the capital Al-Kut, Al-Hai and Al-Suwaira. The governorate contains the Mesopota ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, as well as in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

and other conflict zones.Oleksii Trygub
Ювіляри ізяславсько-хмельницького гарту
, People's Army, No. 231 (5083), December 15, 2012

Military training exercises

The regiment participated in multiple large scale military exercises, including the "Adequate response-2011" and "Perspectives-2012". In 2012, the regiment was described as "the best part of intelligence" of the

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...

. In 2013, athletes of the 8th special purpose regiment won the military applied sports championship of

. In 2013, the regiment also conducted training at the Havryshiv military airfield, near

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 ...

which included an airborne assault with an

An-26 The Antonov An-26 (NATO reporting name: Curl) is a twin-engined turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1986.Gordon, Yefim. Komissarov, Dmitry & Sergey. "Antonov's Turboprop Twins ...

, capturing command posts amongst other objectives. On February 15, 2014, a meeting of the leadership of the military intelligence of the Ground Forces of the

Armed Forces of Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

was held at the 8th regiment's base.

War in Donbas

The regiment participated in multiple combat operations during 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 ...

2014

In June 2014, the 8th regiment took part in a battle against the pro Russian separatists near the city of Shchastya in

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 ...

suffering multiple wounded. The 8th Regiment was involved in the rescue operation of an

shot down by separatists over the territory occupied by them. Four crew members were rescued while two were captured by separatists. The regiment was also involved in clearance operations in more than 18 administrative buildings of the city of

Kramatorsk Kramatorsk (, ; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Kramatorsk Raion in Donetsk Oblast of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, Kramatorsk was a city of oblast significance. Since October 2014, Kramatorsk has been the ...

. On June 17, 2014, during the battle of Shchastya, personnel from the 8th special forces regiment were sent as reinforcement to relieve the

Aidar Battalion 24th Separate Assault Battalion "Aidar", also known as the Aidar Battalion, is an assault battalion of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The unit was created in May 2014 by the name 24th Territorial Defense Battalion "Aydar" () and took part in the ...

under encirclement, five special forces were wounded by separatist APC and

RPG RPG may refer to: Military * Rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon **''Ruchnoi Protivotankoviy Granatomyot'' (Russian: ''Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт''), hand-held anti-tank grenade laun ...

and one of the personnel Yevgeny Oleksandrovich Zelenskyi, died on June 24 from his wounds and was posthumously awarded the

Hero of Ukraine A Hero of Ukraine (HOU; ) is the highest national decoration that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the president of Ukraine. The decoration was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma. As of 6 June 2025, the total number of re ...

. On July 9, 2014, a KAMAZ vehicle of the regiment with 8 personnel was ambushed near the village of Muratove killing one soldier (Savanchuk Victor Yuriyovych) and wounding three others. On July 20, 2014, the regiment under the command of Major Oleksandr Petrakivskyi took part in the Battle of Luhansk Airport, securing the passage of Ukrainian military to the airport, Major Oleksandr was wounded in action. Regiment personnel moved in two strike forces, one reached first and provided cover to the second, numbering 14 people under the leadership of Petrakivskyi continued to advance. After a reconnaissance mission, they decided to strike deep into separatist territory, after advancing a few hundred metres, they were attacked by

Rocket Propelled Grenade A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), also known colloquially as a rocket launcher, is a shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon that launches rockets equipped with a shaped-charge explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, ...

s but they missed, the regiment personnel continued to advance facing stiff resistance from the separatists and retaliated inflicting losses on the separatists. Several of the regiment's personnel were wounded including the gunner who was wounded severely. The regiment's convoy had to be stopped and take up defense but their position was shelled by

mortar Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a village i ...

, injuring a large number of soldiers including Oleksandr Petrakivskyi who was wounded in the head. The battle lasted 5 hours, ending with the evacuation of the personnel on APCs. Two personnel of the regiment Pavlo Ilchuk and Andrii Vasylyshyn were killed in action. On August 26, 2014, the regiment participated in the Battle of

Ilovaisk Ilovaisk (, ; ) is a city in Donetsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine; residence of Ilovaisk urban hromada. The city is ''de facto'' annexed by Russia and administered by the Donetsk People's Republic. The city is known as a major regional ra ...

, the city was penetrated by separatists. An

Armored Personnel Carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

carrying the regiment personnel came under artillery fire leading to the death of a soldier of the regiment (Oleksandr Valeriyovych). Another soldier (Andriyuk Yevhen Oleksandrovych) died in the same battle on an unknown date.

2015

On January 29, 2015, the 8th separate regiment captured Igla MANPADS, five MON-100 anti-personnel mines, PB suppressed handguns, Russian military uniform, machine guns and cartridges belonging to the separatists in the

. In February 2015, the 8th Special Purpose Regiment under the command of Major Yevgeny Slominsky operated in the village of Khoroshe. On February 10, 2015, a rocket attack by separatists on Kramatorsk Airport using BM-30 Smerch MLRS, led to the deaths of one soldier of the regiment (Yevhen Valeriyovych Bushnin) amongst others. On February 14, during the

Battle of Debaltseve The Battle of Debaltseve was a military confrontation in the city of Debaltseve, Donetsk Oblast, between the pro-Russian separatist forces of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), and the Ukrainian Armed Forc ...

, units of the regiment and 73rd Naval Special Operations Regiment guarded the section of the Debaltseve-Artemivsk highway in the

for the safe withdrawal of Ukrainian troops. The regiment participated in the Battle of Shchastia and on July 7, 2015, a KAMAZ of the regiment was ambushed by separatists who attacked using machine guns and grenade launchers leading to the death of one soldier (Volodymyr Serhiyovych Brozhko) of the regiment and wounding of three others. In September 2015, the regiment conducted mine clearance operations in the village of Krymske,

Novoaidar Raion Novoaidar Raion () was a raion (district) in Luhansk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. The administrative center of the raion was the urban-type settlement of Novoaidar. The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Uk ...

while simultaneously engaging the separatists in a battle, a soldier of the regiment (Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Mandybura) was killed and two were wounded in a landmine explosion.

2016

The unit became a part of the

Special Operations Forces (Ukraine) The Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (, abbreviated ) are the special forces of Ukraine and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with headquarters in Kyiv. The SSO has the roles inc ...

with its establishment in January 2016. On July 23, 2016, the unit took part in a battle with separatists near the village of Novozvanivka,

Popasna Raion Popasna Raion (; ) was a raion (district) in Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine until its abolition in 2020. The administrative center was the town of Popasna. The last estimate of the raion population was History 20th century On 7 March 1923, the raio ...

. They discovered advancing militants and attacked them killing two and wounding eight separatists. The soldiers captured a huge cache of weapons, mines, and ammunition belonging to the separatists. To stop Ukrainians from taking the captured weaponry, the separatists started attacking using 82 mm mortars and

160 mm mortar M1943 The Soviet 160 mm mortar M1943 is a smoothbore breech loading heavy mortar which fired a bomb. The M1943 (also called the MT-13) was one of the heaviest mortar used by Soviet troops in World War II. Around 535 of these weapons were fielded ...

AGS-17 The AGS-17 Plamya ( Russian: Пламя; ''Flame'') is a Soviet-designed automatic grenade launcher in service worldwide. Description The AGS-17 is a heavy infantry support weapon designed to operate from a tripod or mounted on an installation ...

SPG-9 The SPG-9 Kopyo (, transliterated: ''Stankovyi Protivotankovyi Granatomet "Kopyo"'' - Easel Anti-tank Grenade Launcher "Spear") is a tripod-mounted man-portable, 73mm caliber recoilless gun developed by the Soviet Union. It fires fin-stabilized, ...

, an

anti-aircraft gun Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...

, a 122-mm self-propelled gun, and later also a tank killing a soldier (Serhiy Shadskikh) and wounding four others. Then about 20 separatists attacked the Ukrainian positions but were repulsed after having two separatists killed and five wounded. The Ukrainians temporarily retreated and then came back, to prevent further attack they carried out an operation during which a soldier (Roman Mykhailovych Matviets) died and three were wounded, meanwhile five more separatists were also killed.

2017-2019

On June 24, 2017, the regiment was involved in a combat operation in the village of Sokilnyky,

and while returning they came across a minefield killing two soldiers of the regiment (Ishchuk Oleksii Vasyliovych and Vasyl Mykhailovych Lavrys). The regiment participated in the Battle of Slavyansk (2019) and on July 18, 2019, he died during an engagement with the militants a soldier of the regiment (Bogdan Dmytrovych Bigus) was killed and another was seriously wounded. On September 10, 2019, a group of the regiment was ambushed while returning from a combat mission in the

killing a soldier of the regiment (Maksym Volodymyrovych Kondratyuk). ; 2021 On December 6, 2021, at the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the

, fifteen

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of Military light utility vehicle, light, four-wheel drive Military vehicle#Military trucks, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It ...

s were transferred to the unit as a part of an arms package from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Full-scale invasion

2022

In 2022, after the full scale Russian Invasion of Ukraine, the regiment was called as the Separate Special Operations Center "West" and was given an honorary name of Prince Izyaslav Mstyslavich and was awarded the honorary award "

For Courage and Bravery (Ukraine) For Courage and Bravery () is an honorary award established by the President of Ukraine to recognize distinguished combat performance, courage, bravery and heroism of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, National Guard of Ukraine, State Border ...

" on August 24, 2022. On April 13, 2022, while operating in the Joint Forces Operation territory, the regiment engaged with the Russians, the engagement led to the death of one soldier of the regiment (Maksym Volodymyrovych Kondratyuk). The regiment performed several covert operations, the details of which were being kept classified.

2023

The regiment participated in the

Battle of Bakhmut The battle of Bakhmut was a major battle between the Russian Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukrainian Armed Forces for control of the city of Bakhmut, during the eastern Ukraine campaign, a theatre of the Russian invasion of Uk ...

and on July 14, 2023, a soldier of the regiment (Tegza Anatoly Yaroslavovych) was killed outside

Bakhmut Bakhmut is a city in eastern Ukraine. It is officially the administrative center of Bakhmut urban hromada and Bakhmut Raion in Donetsk Oblast. The city is located on the Bakhmutka River, about north of Donetsk, the administrative center ...

during an assault on enemy positions while saving others of the regiment and another brigade from snipers. Also, during the

the regiment also successfully destroyed a Russian

Su-25 The Sukhoi Su-25 ''Grach'' ( ('' rook''); NATO reporting name: Frogfoot) is a subsonic, single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Sukhoi. It was designed to provide close air support for Soviet Ground Forces. The ...

attempting to assault their positions. On June 21, 2023, another soldier of the regiment (Artem Oleksandrovich Sokolovskyi) was killed in combat in the village of

Vasylkivka Vasylkivka (; ) is a Populated places in Ukraine#Rural settlements, rural settlement in Synelnykove Raion, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Vasylkivka settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: ...

near Bakhmut. In the summer of 2023, the regiment's personnel operated on the

Krynky Krynky () is a village in Oleshky urban hromada, Kherson Raion, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine. It is located on the east bank of the Dnieper River. History Russo-Ukrainian War Russian invasion of Ukraine During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kry ...

bridgehead as part of the Dnipro campaign. The regiment was involved in combat operations in the village of Verbove,

Zaporizhzhia Oblast Zaporizhzhia Oblast (), commonly referred to as Zaporizhzhia (), is an oblast (region) in south-east Ukraine. Its administrative centre is the city of Zaporizhzhia. The oblast covers an area of , and has a population of The oblast is an import ...

as a part of the

2023 Ukrainian Counteroffensive In early June 2023, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine launched a Counter-offensive, counteroffensive against Russian forces Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, occupying its territory with a goal of breaching the front lines ...

and a soldier of the unit (Atamanyuk Anton Mykhailovych) was killed in action on 15 October 2023.

2024

On 13 March 2024, the regiment conducted a large scale strike destroying two Russian tanks, a TOS-1A heavy flamethrower system, and three

IFV An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle and armoured personnel carrier used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct-fire support. The 1990 ...

s as well as killing 13 and wounding 12 Russian soldiers. On 22 March, the regiment killed 5 Russian soldiers, wounded 4 more, destroyed a Russian 82-mm mortar and damaged a Russian BMP. On 26 April 2024, the regiment destroyed one APC and two

s and killed nine Russian soldiers and wounded three more in a singular strike. The regiment took part in countering the

2024 Kharkiv offensive On 10 May 2024, the Russian Armed Forces began an offensive operation in Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast, shelling and attempting to breach the defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the direction of Vovchansk and Kharkiv. ''The Guardian'' reported ...

and on 7 June 2024, a soldier of the regiment, Denis Valeryovich, was killed in combat. On 13 June 2024, the regiment destroyed a Russian

infantry fighting vehicle An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle and armoured personnel carrier used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct fire, direct-fire suppo ...

and two vehicles as well as striking two ammunition warehouses, in this operation four Russian soldiers were killed and were wounded. A soldier of the regiment, Vladyslav Alexandrovych Bombela died on 11 July 2024 in Donetsk Oblast after being seriously injured and was posthumously awarded the

. On 16 August 2024, during the

2024 Kursk offensive 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hi ...

, the regiment published a video in which they ambushed a Russian truck, purportedly killing a dozen soldiers "in a few minutes".Dozen Russian soldiers killed in a few minutes: Ukrainian Special Forces show results of ambush in Kursk Oblast – video
/ref> On 29 August 2024, a soldier of the regiment and a kickboxer, Roman Yuriyovych Holovatyuk was declared

KIA Kia Corporation (, formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry (京城精密工業) and Kia Motors Corporation) is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second larges ...

. On 23 September 2024, two soldiers of the regiment, Andriy Horokholinsky and Kernychnyi Hennadiy Ruslanovych, were killed in combat.

Structure

It is classified amongst the most combat ready regiments of the

Ukrainian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

and is composed of the following subunits. * Regiment Headquarters * 1st Special Purpose Squad * 2nd Special Purpose Squad * 3rd Special Purpose Squad * 4th Special Purpose Squad * Personnel Security Squad * Communications Squad

Commanders

* Colonel Pavlo Oleksiiovych Davidyuk (1992–1994) * Colonel Predchuk Anatoly Petrovych (1994–1999) * Colonel Oleksandr Hryhorovych Shelykh (1999–2002) * Lieutenant Colonel Ihor Valeriyovych Overin (2002-?) * Lieutenant Colonel Hordiychuk Ihor Volodymyrovych (?-?) * Lieutenant Colonel Serhii Hryhorovych Kryvonos (?-?) * Lieutenant Colonel Denisyuk Vasyl (?-2011) * Colonel Oleg Oleksandrovich Nechaev (2011–2019) * Colonel Shablii Volodymyr Volodymyrovych (2019–2020) * Colonel Andrii Arkadiyovych Matviishen (2020-)

References

External links

8-й окремий полк спеціального призначення

Фотоальбом: 8 окремий полк спеціального призначення

День відкритих дверей у 8-му окремому полку спеціального призначення

Хмельницькі спецпризначенці натрапили на збройний схрон, призначений для терористів

ФІЛософія спеціального призначення

Чорнороби спецназу

СПЕЦНАЗ УКРАЇНИ

8-й окремий полк спеціального призначення. Група КАМАЗа. Частина друга.

* * * {{YouTube, l5CLYhYZ8t0, Передача «На варті». Випуск 11. Military special forces regiments Military units and formations of Ukraine 1992 establishments in Ukraine Military units and formations of Ukraine in the war in Donbas Military units and formations established in 1992