The Saint Mary's police company (), later known as Saint Mary's battalion, was a Ukrainian Christian volunteer police unit known for fighting against
pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
In 2016, the unit ceased to exist.
[За словами Корчинського, місяці два з половиною тому довелося розпустити батальйон](_blank)
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History
From the beginning, the supporters of Brotherhood
Brotherhood or The Brotherhood may refer to:
Family, relationships, and organizations
* Fraternity (philosophy) or brotherhood, an ethical relationship between people, which is based on love and solidarity
* Fraternity or brotherhood, a male ...
, a far right Ukrainian nationalist
Ukrainian nationalism (, ) is the promotion of the unity of Ukrainians as a people and the promotion of the identity of Ukraine as a nation state. The origins of modern Ukrainian nationalism emerge during the Cossack uprising against the Poli ...
political party, founded the Company of Jesus Christ as part of the Azov Battalion
The 12th Special Forces Brigade "Azov" () is a formation of the National Guard of Ukraine formerly based in Mariupol, in the coastal region of the Sea of Azov, from which it derives its name. It was founded in May 2014 as the Azov Battalion (), ...
. Then the company moved to the Shakhtarsk Battalion. After his disbandment, the company was enlarged into a battalion called St. Mary's and joined the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement.
In some states, the i ...
, and later the National Police, where it was formally assigned to the special operations department.
As part of the Mariupol
Mariupol is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast (Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius, Kalmius River. Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was the tenth-largest city in the coun ...
military garrison, the Saint Mary's Battalion took part in Battle of Mariupol. They adjusted the fire of the Ukrainian artillery and performed reconnaissance and sabotage functions.
In the winter of 2014, the Saint Mary's Battalion continued to defend the strategically important city of Mariupol. "This war is forcing us to rapidly learn military wisdom in combat. Yes, now fighters are actively learning skiing. At this time of year, this is almost the only convenient and most effective mean of moving in positions, especially for reconnaissance groups in the field. Since the beginning of the war, not only our volunteers, but also professional soldiers have been discovering everything for the first time. We are becoming real hunters - we need to feel the enemy, understand his tracks and plans" says Commander Seredyuk.[Як «Свята Марія» захищає Маріуполь: день з комбатом Олексієм Середюком](_blank)
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This organization claimed that they were influenced by the Taliban
, leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders
, leader1_name = {{indented plainlist,
* Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013)
* Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016)
* Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
. Chornly, a leader of the company told Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...
, "We are creating the Christian Taliban here. Our main ideology is faith, and this is the advantage we have. Our soldiers are the bringers of European traditions and the Christian mindset of the 13th century."
In 2016, the Saint Mary's Battalion, founded by Dmytro Korchynsky, ceased to exist. The decision to dissolve was made by Korchynsky himself. According to Korchynsky, the decision to disband was made due to the impossibility of further staffing the battalion exclusively with its own personnel and due to the fact that "most of its fighters sought to fight, not to protect public order".
Command
The first commander of the Saint Mary's Battalion was Dmytro Linko. He was elected People's Deputy of Ukraine
A people's deputy of Ukraine (, ) is a member of parliament and legislator elected by Direct election, popular vote to the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament of Ukraine. They are often referred to simply as "deputies". Prior to 1991, the Verkhovna R ...
on the lists of the Radical Party of Oleh Lyashko
The Radical Party of Oleh Liashko (; RPL), formerly known as the Ukrainian Radical-Democratic Party (), is a political party in Ukraine. It was registered in September 2010. It was primarily known for its radical populism, especially in 2014, whe ...
. Linko resigned as commander, but remained in the battalion as a private. Alexey Seredyuk, nickname "Borghese" became the new commander.
Ternopil
Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia and Podolia. The populatio ...
police officer Ivan Soldak, nickname "Brest", acted as an assistant commander for relations with state, public and volunteer organizations.
Voluntary assistance
Supportive residents from the city of Irpin
Irpin (, ) is a city on the Irpin River in Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast, northern Ukraine. It is located next to the capital Kyiv. Irpin hosts the administration of Irpin urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The city has a population o ...
raised funds and bought an armored Volkswagen
Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...
minibus, 255 boxes of glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula , which is often abbreviated as Glc. It is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. It is mainly made by plants and most algae d ...
and 5 boxes of anti-burn drugs for the Saint Mary's Battalion. The Security Service of Ukraine
The Security Service of Ukraine ( ; abbreviated as SBU [] or SSU) is the main Internal security, internal security agency of the Government of Ukraine, Ukrainian government. Its main duties include counter-intelligence activity and combati ...
(SBU) reserve major general Viktor Mikulin and SBU reserve lieutenant colonel Yuriy Lavreniuk delivered a car with a valuable cargo to Mariupol on 11 October. Odesa
Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...
Vice Mayor Oles Yanchuk brought three tons of food (cereals, pasta, canned food, sugar, tea, etc.), 120 pairs of American military shoes, 100 blankets, clothes for military medical personnel, Kevlar helmets and donated a KrAZ
KrAZ (, ''Kremenchutskyi Avtomobilnyi Zavod'', Kremenchuk Automobile Plant, АвтоКрА́З or AvtoKrAZ) is a factory in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, that produces trucks and other special-purpose vehicles, particularly heavy-duty off-road models. Th ...
military vehicle to the battalion. Lviv
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
volunteers from Lviv Polytechnic National University
Lviv Polytechnic National University () is a public university in Lviv, Ukraine, founded in 1816. According to the Times Higher Education, as of 2024, it ranks first as a technical institution of higher education and second among all instit ...
and Lviv People's Self-Defense Fund purchased an Opel Frontera car for the Saint Mary's Battalion.Батальйон Свята МАРІЯ висловлює подяку львівським волонтерам
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Losses
*Kirill Heinz with nickname "German", a volunteer, died on 10 February 2015.
* Valery Deresh with nickname "Amen", a police officer, died on 22 February 2015.
*Vasyl Rosokha with nickname "Quiet", a private of the police, died on 22 February 2015.
References
{{Ukrainian volunteer battalions
Far-right politics in Ukraine
Paramilitary organizations based in Ukraine
Special tasks patrol police of Ukraine
Military units and formations established in 2014
Military units and formations disestablished in 2016