The Liut Brigade (, also spelled Lyut), is an assault brigade of the
National Police of Ukraine
The National Police of Ukraine (, ; /NPU ), often simply referred to as the (), is the national, and only, police service of Ukraine. It was formed on 3 July 2015, as part of the post-Euromaidan reforms launched by Ukrainian president Petro Por ...
formed on January 13, 2023, as a merger of three Special Purpose units from 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 ...
.
History
Formation
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 ...
, Ukraine turned local police, militias, paramilitaries and volunteers from the
Donetsk
Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...
and
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 ...
s that remained loyal to Ukraine into impromptu military formations called special purpose units, that specialized in assault operations. These units were technically part 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 ...
, however, largely operated independently. During outbreak of 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 ...
,
Denys Monastyrsky
Denys Anatoliiovych Monastyrsky (, ; 12 June 1980 – 18 January 2023) was a Ukrainian lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine from 16 July 2021 until his death in a helicopter crash on 18 January 2023. , then
Minister of Internal Affairs
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
, sought to restructure these units shortly before his death. Many of these units were merged into newer, more professional units, named the
Offensive Guard
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive (military), type of military operation
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative
* Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...
. Three special purpose units, the Safari Regiment, Tsunami Regiment, and Luhansk-1 Battalion, which were made up of policemen, were merged to form the basis of the Liut Brigade, which would be subordinated to the
National Police of Ukraine
The National Police of Ukraine (, ; /NPU ), often simply referred to as the (), is the national, and only, police service of Ukraine. It was formed on 3 July 2015, as part of the post-Euromaidan reforms launched by Ukrainian president Petro Por ...
(NPU), and later joined by the Myrotvorets, Skif, Zakhid, and Enei Battalions. The NPU views the Liut Brigade, and other units based on police formations as a necessary patch, with NPU chief,
Ivan Vyhivskyi, stating in an interview with ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' on 17 November 2023, that: "I hope... that with time there will be no need for such a brigade."
The brigades first, and so far only, commander is Police
Colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
Oleksandr Netrebko, who, at the start of the invasion, was a veteran 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 ...
who then worked for the Kyiv police patrol.
Irpin
The unit first saw combat during the
Battle of Irpin
As part of the Russian offensive on Kyiv during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a battle took place for control of the city of Irpin. The combatants were elements of the Russian Armed Forces and Ukrainian Ground Forces. By 28 March 2022 Ukrai ...
. The nascent brigade was rushed into creation to stop a
Russian advance on Kyiv, and Netrebko noted that their presence shocked many members of the Ukrainian military, with one soldier coming up to him and asking "The police are at war? How is that possible?" The unit at that point was exclusively police officers, namely from Kyiv's
Rapid Operational Response Unit
The Rapid Operational Response Unit (), commonly abbreviated KORD (), is a special purpose unit of the National Police of Ukraine.
History
KORD was created as a special police force for the then-recently created National Police of Ukraine. Recr ...
(KORD) unit and largely wore a mismatch of police uniforms and surplus camouflage and used armored cars on loan from local banks as they "became military within a day."
The units were also open to new recruitment, seeing a surge of civilian enlistment during and after the
Battle of Kyiv, and the Brigade is noted as having a higher concentration of
woman soldier
Women have been serving in the military since the inception of organized warfare, in both combat and non-combat roles. Their inclusion in combat missions has increased in recent decades, often serving as pilots, mechanics, and Infantry, in ...
s when compared to other Ukrainian military formations. Prior to being sent to the front, their training was directly supervised by
Dmytro Nazarenko, head of the
Kyiv Oblast State Administration
The chairman of the Kyiv Oblast State Administration () or unofficially governor of Kyiv Oblast (), is the Chief of Local State Administration (Ukraine), chairman of the executive branch of Kyiv Oblast, a Oblasts of Ukraine, province in northern ...
.
As with other NPU military formations, recruitment targets former members of the police, and members of the Liut Brigade can either use traditional military ranks, or if they were an active or former police officer, could either retain or be restored to their police rank. Members are also promised post-war employment as police officers, and active police members that joined are promised pay raises.
Klishchiivka
The brigade shifted towards the Eastern front and has taken part in 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 ...
, seeing front line combat on the Donetsk oblast. Notably being involved in the liberation of
Klishchiivka
Klishchiivka, known as Karlivka until 1945, is a village in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located about north by east ( NbE) of the centre of Donetsk and about south-southwest ( SSW) of Bakhmut, it also belongs to Bakh ...
on September 16, 2023, and receiving praise from
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...
for their role in freeing the village.
Odesa airstrike
On 15 March 2024, an airstrike on Odesa killed 21 individuals, including Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Gostischev, the commander of the Tsunami regiment.
Toretsk
The Brigade has also been heavily deployed in the defense of
Toretsk
Toretsk (; ) is an industrial city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It served as the administrative center of Toretsk urban hromada. As of January 2022, its population was approximately
It has its origins as the hamlet Shcher ...
.
Fierce street to street comabt broke out. In September 2024 The Lyut Brigade blew up a bridge to stop the Russian advance.
In November 2024 the Brigade intercepted Russian radio signals and ambushed the enemy. By March 2025 The elite units of the Lyut Brigade helped to repel Russian efforts to take the city. Russian sources reported the Donetsk Peoples Republic Army Corps, integrated into the Russian military as the 8th combined arms army, had been seriously degraded d during the battle for Toretsk
Structure
* Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company
*
Safari Regiment
*
Tsunami Regiment
** 1st Battalion
** 2nd Battalion
** 3rd Battalion
**
4th Tavr Battalion
*
Luhansk Regiment
*
Dnipro-1 Regiment
The "Dnipro-1" Regiment () is a Special Tasks Patrol Police of Ukraine, Special Tasks Patrol Police regiment subordinated to Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. The regiment is based in Dnipro.
The Dnipro-1 was one the first official Ukrai ...
** 1st Armored Company
** 2nd Infantry Company
**
3rd Aerorozvidka Group
**
4th Kryvbas Company
**
5th Donetsk-1 Company
**
6th Krym Company
*
Myrotvorets Battalion
** 1st Company
**
2nd Kyivschyna Company
**
3rd Harpoon Company
**
4th Tornado Company
*
Skif Battalion
*
Zakhid Battalion
** 1st Company
**
Svitiaz Company
**
Bohdan Company
*
Enei Battalion
**
Sviatoslav Company
*
Shtorm Battalion
*
Ivano-Frankivsk Company
Equipment and Training
The Brigade, as the police of the trenches, have utilized a variety of equipment from Ukraine and allies especially armored personnel carriers. This has included Roshel Senator armored vehicles. and M113 armored carriers. In January 2024 the Brigade received BMR M-600 armored personnel in a medical configuration from
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. In June 2025 the BMR M-600 armored personnel was seen deployed in action by the Brigade.
Elite marksman of the Lyut Brigade were trained by the Come Back Alive Foundation. The Charity trained 40 men in the use of new optics. They also donated Tand helped customize 32 optical and 8 thermal imaging sights, observation optics, rangefinders, weather stations, silencers, and other equipment.
Gallery
Image:Поліціянт бригади Лють.jpg,
Image:Бойовий прапор бригади Лють.jpg,
Image:Бойовий прапор бригади Лють 2023.jpg,
Image:Liberation of Klishchiivka, 2023-09-17 (02).jpg,
References
{{reflist
Military units and formations established in 2023
2023 establishments in Ukraine
Military units and formations of Ukraine in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Brigades of Ukraine